Charles Patricius

[Bloodedge]

There wasn't a single hickey on Kazuhiko's body. According to Ai's implications, there were in fact... several. Based on his day so far, he could assume most, if not all of them, came from one specific girl: Iino Miko. Saori had certainly done no such thing, but he didn't entirely discard the idea of one coming from Chika. Thinking back, the earliest part of his day since returning to this world had been very busy. Also busy was the finger of Ai, which pointed out marks on his body through the clothes he wore. A little jerk occurred here and there as if he were reacting to unexpected sensations during those moments. "Ah... oh... those hickeys," he replied while rubbing the back of his neck, gaze averted. There wasn't much of a conversation to have in that regard; he'd done a lot. Moving on from that, they were soon squeezed into a photo booth with Ai accepting the idea of a 'squish' as Kazu called it. "Awesome. It'd be kind of weird to go for distance, I think. That's the whole point anyway, right? Osu!" he exclaimed while reducing the miniscule distance between them even more. How five people got into one of these, he couldn't imagine. Regardless, Kazu had been given the go-ahead for contact. The first photo of many would be taken with that in mind, as Kazu pressed one side of his face into the opposing side of Ai's, a wide and toothy grin flashing in the camera's direction.

Hiroshi was allegedly great for a girl's self-esteem. Meanwhile, this particular 'girl' was terrible for his stamina reserves. Strange; he hadn't even been in the position of exertion despite what should have been mere moments before. It took everything the man had now just to keep himself afloat, but Rita proved relentless in her progression. "I feel as if you just spoke a great danger into reality. If your self-esteem is still rising even now, this session may be the end of me physically. Some scholars wonder the methods of transcending to the ethereal plane. Perhaps I'll be the first to record one," he mused. Hiroshi would soon find himself surprised that a full clause was managed on his end. Why? Well, Rita had even more in store for him. Just as he started a knee-bending effort to cause some amount of upward thrusting, Rita showed him a new level of physicality that involved collapsing her walls around his shaft after descending, effectively squeezing out the residue of those earlier 'accidents' before rising again. His other hand rose to Rita's arse almost by instinct alone, as if he could somehow manage a level of resistance by bracing as such.

[Apollymi]

Ai couldn't help but tease the lad a bit, his rather bashful reaction to the knowledge of the marks on his body made it well worth the effort to poke a bit of fun. What was more, he seemed to jolt a bit at the physical touch she levied against one of the marks unseen by the eyes of the public. "Sou ka, I guess that is confirmation... we each get the enhancement of our most naturally aligned sense," she mused gently. She'd gone mostly without touching anyone directly all day, not wanting to stir-up trouble, so this was her first test of such an ability, in a direct sense. "Always worth it to poke people a little, though admittedly I wondered if you'd freak out..." she admitted to her own scamp behavior rather readily, but she'd not apologize for it. It was just a little joke between friends. Moving on, their picture was set up, and it was rather true, it'd be odd to go for separation considering this was a date. "Hai hai, getting a little closer, getting to know you... definitely all part of the reason for this sort of thing~" she claimed. With his face pressed against hers she also also smiled while looking at the camera. Their faces pressed together she felt the sensation of his skin against hers, and it was rather nice. The first picture was taken like. Perhaps something more goofy this time? She'd grin and hold up the peace sign. Why not? A few tropes had to be met for it to be a reel of photos worth having. "Also, any kind of poses you want too? Go for it, we have 10 of these total~" she explained. A few off the wall ideas from both of them would make this a fun activity.

Meanwhile there was some sort of danger occurring in Rita's apartment. According to Hiroshi, if she was still getting boosts he thought this session might be the end of him, in a physical sense. He claimed to think he might end up in the ethereal plane as the first scholar to make it to such a place. "Ara? Doesn't that sound exciting~" she mused almost teasingly. She noted those movements of his hips from below her and knew that it was a very natural thing for men to fight against being physically overpowered. Even so, she wouldn't be letting up, that rhythm she found was doing delightful things for her as well, and who was she to argue with her own physical desires. She looked over her shoulder as a second hand met her rear and felt the seedling of her self-esteem firm like an anchor within her soul. "Since you've been helping me out all evening, it's only right that I help you accomplish a goal like that!~" she claimed in an almost flirty manner. Well, it was quite a bit more direct than that. If he wanted to fall to the sort of torture she offered, she'd help him do exactly that. She'd squeeze more frequently and build up towards a more vigorous form of her same work. She'd tired both of them out if she had to, however long it took. In all honesty, they'd been going at it for quite a while longer than most could say... as such she'd feel nothing but satisfied whenever this part ended. 'It wasn't me, huh. That's good t know... his loss!' that thought settled her decision down to her very soul.

[Bloodedge]

As he speculated from her earlier words, Ai had knowledge the likes of those he met in Munetsuchi. Well, he could easily draw conclusions about that, given her arrival with one of Sakura's fathers who notably possessed foresight beyond reason. An extensive bit of magical knowhow was a given. "Worms in can. Not opening," he decided. Apart from the lack of desire to invite further magical confusion, there were photographs to take. One squished pair of faces was captured, followed by an image of Ai being a bit more playful. For the second shot, Kazu decided to play along. One eye closed, and his tongue protruded between otherwise clenched teeth. Hearing they had ten total pictures to take, he performed a few additional silly poses. Among them, there was an exaggerated flexed bicep turned away from Ai, an ironic showing of 'duck lips' from the male, and even that rock star devil-horns finger pose Kazu never even knew the name of. After those three, he realized how ridiculous things were getting... so he decided to pose in vogue while making stupid noises. "Ooh! Ahh! Whoosh! Yaas!"

All the while, Hiroshi's expectations were also being met. Rita's excitement seemed to grow, and that confidence reared its head again. She'd taken his mention of transcendence as a goal ─ one that she decided to help him achieve. What had his helpfulness toward Nara Rita gotten him? A foe more powerful than some of the toughest flora. More vigor was sent his way, why? It wasn't necessary. On the other hand, Hiroshi wouldn't turn away from it for anything. "Unnecessary as that is, I can't bring myself to reject the thought. Let's see what lies ahead," he replied. And so, they'd continue even to a point of Hiroshi's eventual rise with an accompanying return to thrusting. By then, it would have become evident that a constant throbbing against Rita's inner walls had long since begun. The result, she surely understood already ─ it could be none other than the grunting expulsion of fluids into her core. The amount Rita felt before hardly equaled 10% of the true quantity, which would indeed be flooding her womb as Hiroshi fully returned to action.

[Apollymi]

Ai's random magic based comments were being ignored. More specifically, Kazuhiko called them worms in a can which he wouldn't be opening. "Oh? But it might be on the test~" she claimed but she was still human enough to not give information dumps. No, she fully understood why he was leaving such things alone, and also knew that he'd be informed of important things as needed. Admittedly for someone who'd lived a thousand years he was oddly specialized but she wasn't one to question someone's interests. No instead they were busy taking pictures. Several poses were struck by Kazuhiko in rapid succession and several would be given at the same time by Ai. The exaggerated flex, she performed in the opposite direction. To match his 'duck lips' Ai aimed for an equally sarcastic stoic face, one normally shown by boys and men who were trying to be serious. There were rock star devil horns? Well, there would also be bunny ears behind his head. And with each utterance a giggle and legitimate laughter escaped from Ai, it was beyond what she expected, to be so amused and to see Kazuhiko getting so into it, in such a legitimately goofy way. "Hahaha~" her smile was brightest and her mouth spread wide and the light behind it brightened.

At the same time, Rita was being told her efforts were unnecessary, but not in a way that made her believe she should be stopping. No, she was too busy continuing on and finding something great at the end. An actual expulsion of seed from Hiroshi which far exceeded the quantity she was used to. Though she had no mark for her personal understanding of the quality, she did feel significantly different after taking it in. Her whole body erupted into tingles and she stopped moving for the first time as her tongue extended from between her lips. How odd. "Aaah!~ I think that's really a lot you know~" she moaned happily. "I don't mind though~" and true enough she didn't. What was more, that mark on her leg seemed to flood, and though she couldn't tell, it seemed to be filling and storing what was expelled as far as mana was concerned within it. And such would be how they continued the night. "Let's ah, push the limit?" she offered as she recovered.

[Bloodedge]

"Test? It's spring break; no tests!" Kazu countered in an embellished refusal to obey the rules. He'd been advised to take a step back and enjoy things, and this experience was too fun thus far to sully with magical learning. As usual, he'd push it off to a time of relevance. Ai had clairvoyance; surely she knew if it was necessary for him to know those things now. In such a case, he trusted she'd give him the knowledge anyway. As that didn't happen, he considered it unimportant for the time being ─ clearly less important than a comical photoshoot. In due time, Ai was even laughing after several silly poses. Another picture was soon to be taken of that beaming face. During that time, Kazu's eyes locked onto the camera triumphantly as he showed it a prominent thumbs-up. That was likely to be the last of Kazu's 'funny' shots, though a few images remained.

According to Rita, Hiroshi's expulsion was high in quantity. He'd been theorizing as much all this time, but Rita showed an automatic understanding of his ability to continue. Was that a matter of instinct, or merely an assumption based on his demeanor? Hiroshi couldn't be certain. What he could be certain of, however, was the activity of that unusual magic seal on Rita's thigh. Whatever became of his physical expulsion, the mana was obviously being drained into the seal for reasons unknown. He could only wonder what sort of power she'd glean in the end. Finding out was an exciting thought. "And here I thought we were already pushing limits. Very well. Let's push the next one," he said. And so, their session would continue well into the night... presumably. . .

[Apollymi]

According to Kazuhiko it was spring break so there would be no tests. She could only nod, she'd avoid giving him any information that wasn't completely necessary. Actually, it was fine for him to slack a bit, life was complicated enough already. "Hai hai!" Ai affirmed to the young man who was rather set in his ways. Several pictures were taken and she was laughing through quite a few of them, with only a couple left she settled back in, even seeing the thumbs up he'd given she offered one herself and reached over to hug the lad while looking at the camera. There was no reason they couldn't share in the happiness together. "Kazu-tan you're really something else~" she mused. At the very least she'd found that she had to have quite a few fun pictures. And with the last one taken she'd print them out so they could pick them up as they left. "I saw a parafait place on the way to the Ferris Wheel, dessert?" she asked happily, setting up the next leg of their date.

While one apartment was being used for debauchery, another was being moved into by a few people at the same time. A pair of green eyes opened as one final cord was plugged into the wall. There was an extreme amount of organization and several fans going as she kept the air circulating around her equipment. She'd stand soon after stretching before collapsing on her bed. It'd been quite a long day and she'd not even met the person she'd be sharing this room with, oh well. There were a few things she needed to do, and as such she was checking her phone's hidden network to make sure she'd not missed out on any of her other interests while she committed to the move. 'Hm, the Otou-san's happy. I guess there isn't anything to be worried about...' she thought absently. Meanwhile, in the living room of this new shared space another woman with light blonde hair was pacing back and forth in a long black dress. She had a sweater hanging off her shoulders and a brand new wedding ring on her finger. "Sushi is late!" she seemed to be on the verge of tears, but it was about 5 minutes until 12 pm.

[Bloodedge]

A few additional pictures passed without issue. Overall, Kazuhiko enjoyed the experience of a photo booth more than he expected. There was some expected awkwardness, but it never came. Ten full photos snapped by the machine, and Ai claimed he was 'something else'. "Eh? I didn't do anything. The vibe just felt right," he claimed as they exited the booth. Ai went on to mention parfaits that were en route to the Ferris Wheel. Naturally, he wouldn't be turning down a dessert, and parfaits were even part of a popular trope that seemed to be the general theme for the date thus far. Kazu nodded in absolute agreement, and with that, they were on their way.

In the meantime, a new home was officially established in Osaka. One, two, three members of a new family were present... but there was meant to be a fourth. Of those present, a blue-haired man in his early forties sat in the same living room that blonde woman paced her way around. Half-lidded blue eyes were further obscured by the glint of his glasses. He'd already gotten comfortable for the night after moving furniture all day, now sporting a brown pair of slacks and a plain black shirt. Casually did he sip decaffeinated coffee from a large mug, wondering why the blonde was so antsy. "I'm sure there's nothing to worry about, Mia. Children these days are quicker to express their independence. Rin only got back a short while ago too. Oh, speaking of... Rin! Are you still up there?" he called out to the girl he'd last seen upstairs. "Come down for introductions please!"

All the while, there was a tall teen male walking the neighborhood. Silver locks were pushed aside as the backpack-toting lad impassively scanned a small sheet of paper. It seemed he was looking for a specific building, but there was something bothersome about the address. "Kanamori... Kanamori. Name sounds familiar. I should have done some research, but the jobs really started piling up before the move. I hope it wasn't connected to one of those. . ."

[Apollymi]

The feeling of their pictures was what Kazuhiko blamed the vibe of the moment for his actions and Ai couldn't really agree. She supposed they'd have differing views of the situation as people who would always see interactions with men differently. "You don't have to have done anything... just being yourself is enough. I don't think any of us can explain to you how shocking and relaxing it is to not have a guy be completely weird around you," she said honestly. Dating experiences weren't exactly plentiful in the group but they all shared a certain understanding of the oddity of the male species for general interactions. As for her thoughts on dessert they were accepted without a thought so she grabbed the two lines of pictures and began walking. The strips were a random mix of all their combined pictures and she held them out so they could decide which ones they wanted. Beyond that they'd find themselves getting desserts, "You wanna try the deluxe?" she asked, while looking over the menu. It seemed one came with a random assortment of soft serve, fruits and a gentle sprinkle of nuts in a waffle cone. That all sounded really good so she'd be having that along with him if he wished for one as well. Whatever choice was made, it'd be paid for and they could leave with their food and move on.

Meanwhile, a different girl was checking her phone. After finding no messages she found herself relaxing for a few seconds, 'Eh, I haven't heard from Wise today... I don't think it'd be too weird to check up on him,' she thought. Oddly enough she'd begin composing a message. All the while her father was relaxing in the room below with the woman who was still pacing. "Sushi is too independent. And is cutting it far too close!" the woman huffed impatiently. Apparently, though this man's daughter had slipped in a bit earlier. "Huh? Really, I must have missed her coming in. I'm surprised you aren't more worried," she claimed at the time she looked and did find a pair of shoes she didn't recognize by the front door. Then she heard the sound of someone responding to the call of the name Rin. The blue haired girl hadn't yet hit send, but had her concentration broken. "Oh, right. Coming, Otou-san!" the girl called back the softness of her voice, was a great deal more mature than the other woman expected. The pitter-patter of tiny feet occurred as a girl came gently jogging into the living room. Her phone in one hand, and short blue hair shifting around her face as she bowed quickly. "Gomen, I forgot about this part, I was setting up my computer..." she murmured. "Kanamori Rin. I enjoy gaming, snowboarding and playing guitar. Thanks for looking after Otou-san and making him happy. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!" the girl introduced herself like she was interviewing for a new school. "Ara? Haru, I thought your daughter would be much younger," she said. Even though this blue haired girl was kind of small, she had a certain maturity in her face.

[Bloodedge]

No matter the capacity for reason of a person, there were bridges that could never be fully gapped without a certain type of spiritual alteration. Kazu would never experience that alteration. For those types, things like gender barriers could only find sympathy, never full empathy. Close ─ he could only ever be close to understanding. "I've heard that before. It's completely beyond me, but if that's good, I'm glad to contribute," he said. Soon enough, they were encroaching upon the parfait stall with Ai asking if he had interest in the deluxe offering. Kazu looked it over; the answer was clear as day. "Hell yeah! The deluxe looks awesome!" he decided. Whether they stopped to enjoy parfaits or took them to the Ferris Wheel, he'd definitely be having that one.

Meanwhile, that blue-haired man slowly sipped his coffee and looked toward the wall clock. As the woman he called 'Mia' claimed her child was being too independent, he supposed someone so young was pushing things a bit late. "I'm sure it's fine. If nothing happens in the next few minutes, I'll get dressed so we can go searching. This is a new house; maybe there was some difficulty finding it," he presumed. He had no worries about his own daughter, but there were some assumptions made about Mia's child. Ah... but apparently assumptions went both ways. When Rin came downstairs, her new stepmother had an interesting statement. She assumed his daughter was younger? How strange. "Oh? Actually, how old is your daughter exactly?" he wondered.

Little did he know, that woman had no daughter. The silver-haired lad who'd been walking the neighborhood was turning his key in the door at that very moment, audibly so in the low visibility of night. "Ah, that must be her now. See? Everything's fine," Haru claimed. The voice in the entryway from only a second later did not, however, belong to the little girl he assumed it would. "Tadaima." Surely there was some mistake, Haru thought. Even someone sick couldn't possess that level of base without being at least a teenage male. "Huh? Was that a man's voice?"

[Apollymi]

Kazuhiko might not have understood from the female perspective what made dealing with men a somewhat iffy topic at times, but his sympathy was appreciated. It would appear that he only wished to commiserate as much as he could and keep up his own behavior as long as it was good. "Your contributions are appreciated. I mean I get that is probably tough on all sides, but this is a huge step up for some of us~" Ai commented absently. Perhaps, there would be a moment which would help Kazuhiko's understanding but it was still pretty far off at this point. Now however there was a deluxe parfait in the future for the pair of them, so Ai ordered them and they'd be waiting a moment or two before the desserts were put together and handed off. Ai, took no issues providing such a thing and once they were done she handed Kazuhiko his. "There is a bit of time before the next rotation on the Ferris Wheel, wanna sit there?" she said pointing to a small picnic area which was mostly isolated. They could sit and enjoy the berry parfait while she happily lived with the coming end of her date. Once they were again seated across from each other, Ai would spend some time, enjoying her dessert and watching as Kazuhiko enjoyed his, this sort of moment was always one of her favorites to write, and had become one of her favorites to live as well.

While a couple sat down and continued to get to know wach other. A different set of people would be, getting to know each other in a different way, or at least most of them. For the woman called Mia it was nice to know that her new husband was so into the well-being of their newly formed mixed family. While she was sure her child probably wasn't in any real danger it was nice to know care would be taken. "You'd really do that? You're the best, Haru~" she said seemingly pleased with the response. As for the age of her 'daughter' a general bit of confusion popped up. "My what now?" she asked seemingly uncertain, she'd never implied she had a little girl. Ah, but that problem was fixing itself, and she knew it to be the case when she heard the voice she'd been waiting for. Her eyes widened and she rushed towards the door, standing to the left to begin her activities. "SUSHI! YOU'RE ALMOST LATE! WHAT KIND OF FIRST IMPRESSION IS THIS, AND YOU HAD ME WORRIED SICK, WHAT IF SOMETHING HAD HAPPENED TO YOU?" she immediately berated the young man, but still seemed to be approaching him as if she wished for affection.

Ah, all the while Rin had gone quiet. She'd noticed the other boxes and bed in her room. They were labeled, 'Sushi' so, she'd also assumed a younger girl would be sharing a room with her. How interesting that a voice which she was sure she recognized came through the door instead. "OF COURSE IT'S A MAN'S VOICE THE MOST IMPORTANT LITTLE MAN OF MY LIFE!" she claimed. "Otou-san, daijoubu..." Rin offered her father a bit of care in light of some crazy words. "Oh, don't say it like that, I consider your father very differently!" she expressed. All the while Rin noted that this had to be the most overbearing mother she'd ever witnessed in person, and as she looked towards the door, finally she saw a face she'd not expected to be inhabiting the same house as her. 'SHIT!' she thought immediately as those green eyes widened and she wondered over how they should deal with this issue.

[Bloodedge]

The thousand-year old teens were soon enough at the receiving end of two deluxe parfaits of immaculate nature. He could have started digging in right away, but it was easy to assume Ai had some plan at the ready. Lo and behold, such a plan did exist. Since the Ferris Wheel wasn't starting its next rotation just yet, she suggested a picnic area that seemed secluded enough to match the overall atmosphere of their date thus far. She really was one for the romantic tropes, as even Kazu could see. Not one to ruin another's good time, he took his share of dessert in hand and nodded. "Sounds cool to me. It's kinda got that 'perfect end point' vibe going, you know? Like... the grassy meadow of sunshine at the end of a long, terrible journey. Still never seen one of those; maybe this'll be close. Well... uh... actually, don't read too much into that analogy. Same vibe, different lead-in. I mean... well... so yeah, everything's been great up to the point of my foot falling into my mouth!"

While Kazu found the proverbial foot in his own mouth, the older male called Haru was beginning to believe his contained a silver tongue. He didn't think much of the offer of assistance, but Mia seemed to think the world of it. "Well of course I would. This is a family matter now. I wouldn't be much of a man if I didn't commit myself to every aspect of this new life," he insisted. At this point, his only remaining hope was that Rin got along with her new stepmother, and that he could get along with Mia's daughter... but there was a wrench in that plan. Mia reacted strangely to mention of her daughter, and now... there was an obvious male voice announcing his return home. Sushi, Mia called him. How strange; that was the name he'd been given for her child ─ roughly five million times by now. The way she rushed off to greet this individual, however, was the way one would great... well, Haru would say a distant lover after months apart. Ah, but that was the dichotomy of this woman when speaking of her child. He always figured a firm hand and a loving one were not very far apart, if at all, in that family's relationship. Now, he'd see it play out despite a massive surprise.

While Mia barreled toward the front door, the young man called 'Sushi' was kicking off his shoes lackadaisically. He seemed rather aloof, yet alert enough to be slowly lifting his right arm for reasons yet to be seen. "Almost doesn't cut it. Isn't that what parents usually say?" he asked. "And nothing did happen besides me walking around Osaka looking for a house that doesn't fit the price you quoted at all. I figured this would be a spot in the slums. How'd a place like this sell for just a few million?" he wondered. Meanwhile, Haru was more baffled than ever before. The comfort of his daughter was appreciated, but unnecessary. He knew how this woman was about her child; he just didn't know it was a male child. More importantly... "Little man? He's taller than I am!" Haru announced. The silver-haired lad finally looked up then, keeping that raised hand at the ready to keep his mother at bay ─ by the face if necessary. He supposed he'd finally be meeting this new stepfather, but... no. What was she doing here? There was no mistake. He'd seen those green orbs before, even wearing that same expression for... various purposes. 'Kanamori... HOW? HOW DID WE NOT REALIZE THIS?!' he screamed in his own mind, as if delivering an unspoken message to Rin via a moment of eye contact and shared bewilderment.

[Apollymi]

It was quite interesting, orchestrating this date. Ai couldn't have planned it better even without a moment like this, actually... she'd planned something like this from the third person perspective a few times while writing fanfics but living it was something really different. Still, Kazuhiko had praise to offer the look of the end of this particular date. He called it the picture perfect ending, still he seemed to embarrass himself a bit, claiming to have put his foot in his mouth. All of this culminated in Ai looked at the lad and smiling brightly, while her mind exploded, "Kawaii!~" she squealed aloud. "Iia, I like the feedback and I am glad you think it's a good end point... " she stated honestly. "To be honest, I spend a ridiculous amount of time writing and reading fanfics and writing up stuff I think would be cool to do, or that I want to do... this date is something like that," she explained. "I mean, I didn't plan it for myself originally, but with the opportunity to follow through with it, I couldn't resist really..." she explained almost sheepishly. "All of that just to say, I get what you mean about not experiencing something but thinking it would be one of those types of things... I'm actually really glad, I understood that kind of comparison and I don't think it's weird or anything," Ai confessed while looking at her dessert with wide eyes. "Also this looks great, so let's enjoy it~" she offered with a smile. "Itadakimasu!~" she chimed before taking a bite and experiencing one of the best forms of human food she'd ever had. She was sure she shouldn't like this as much as she was currently.

Meanwhile, a family moment was taking place in a different place, still of a heartwarming variety. Haru as he was being called was obviously the father of the girl call Rin. He was doing quite good at being what his daughter knew to be his normal self, "That's pretty good. I mean it's not just you, me and Hana anymore..." Rin mentioned nodding her head. She thought in the moment that her dad was pretty smooth for an old guy, it was good of him to have found someone to make him happy. At the same time, Mia was throwing herself towards her son as he went through is explanation of how he'd come to find them so late. "I'm not other parents!" Mia complained she was reached out to her son, about to invade his personal space, wanting to smother him in affection. She did this always. "IT WAS A STEAL WE DON'T QUESTION THINGS LIKE THIS WE ACCEPT THEM!" Mia exclaimed while pointing at her son with her index finger fully extended and her other hand on her hip. At the same time, Rin came face to face with some very specific young man. She knew it was him and they were both looking at each other with wide eyes. She'd seen that face before as well, a few times for just as many reasons. Even her father's words about his height registered weirdly as she was acutely aware of the size of this young man, in several ways. 'I DON'T KNOW! BUT WE HAVE TO PLAY THIS OFF FOR NOW!' she thought only a moment before. "Sushi... ka?" she murmured such an odd sounding name from her lips. She called this young man Wise most of the time, it was weird to call him the cutesy pet name his mother called him. What was even his given name that she got to that? Or was there some weird story that connected it. Why didn't she think to look in on her father's new girlfriend? She in the business of information being caught with her pants down in the weirdest possible way.

[Bloodedge]

Of all the possibilities presented by Kazuhiko's foot-in-mouth syndrome, Ai found his stumbling... cute. Girls were strange. At least he hadn't made a total ass of himself with all that blabber. If nothing else, Ai understood what he was getting at. He could breathe a silent sigh of relief upon hearing that, taking solace in the fact that no further details were necessary. "That's a relief. I figured the comparison was easy to misinterpret. Glad you get it~" he said. "And you don't have to explain yourself to me. Sometimes thoughts and ideas like that are best lived for yourself. Hopefully it works out like that. From my end, it's a crazy first experience that I'm glad to have in the books now. And, yeah... I'm totally calling it early~" he claimed as they moved toward that secluded area for dessert. Ai was right; those parfaits look as delectable as those seen in animated series and the like. "It does! Almost unrealistic ─ especially for this side. Itadakimasu!" With that said, Kazu opened his mouth wide to take the first large bite from a cone-shaped confection. Very quickly did a sparkle appear in his eye; it tasted as good as it looked! "Umai!"

Indeed, a family of three that included one pet, and a family of two, had now combined to become something fuller. Haru appreciated this opportunity, and he wouldn't be turning away from it when an opportunity to represent or defend his family members presented itself. Even if his presumed stepdaughter was actually a stepson, Haru's opinion would not change. HIs opinion about how Mia commented on her child was slightly tweaked, however. Something was unusual about that family ─ or rather, his family now. Even stranger still was the way mother and son interacted, as the former was now pushing an open palm against his mother's face to keep her at arms length. "We can all see you aren't normal. By now, I'm sure they know that much in Greenland," the young male said with a deep sigh. Mia went on to preach to her son, essentially saying a gift horse was not to be looked in its mouth. In that regard, they disagreed fully. "We should question things like this. Why so cheap? Who's selling it? What's the motivation. If you didn't at least ask yourself those questions, you're walking into a trap," he said despite recently walking into a 'trap' himself. Now, there was something ridiculous happening. He and Rin recognized each other and shared the whole of their emotional reactions through looks. They were fully capable of making things seem normal. Luckily, Rin was quick to begin... first by questioning that terrible nickname. "Atsu," he said flatly. "Amasawa Atsushi. Atsu," he reiterated. "Now it's starting to make sense. Well, Atsu-kun, it's a pleasure to meet you. Your mother─" Haru was prepared to give the usual spiel when meeting someone previously heard about, but Atsushi already knew the schtick. "Spoke more about me than she did about herself, filling your head with baby stories that sounded like they were from last week? Yeah... she does that. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.""

[Apollymi]

Kazuhiko was experiencing the oddities of girls at various points in their development. For Ai, the more mature of the friend group, a boy who was a bit less smooth but still romantic was a very cute person. He wasn't trying to impress, or faking his personality and those little stumbles were proof of that. Beyond all that, his stumbles also did a good job of making her feel a bit better about her own oddities. If she was being truthful, even with Miko telling her she could be completely herself, it felt kind of odd confession to the strange things she liked, but also felt freeing. "Iia, I'm glad you understand. Realizing you did was kind of why I ended up blurting out my odd hobby. I don't always self-report, but when I do... it's usually in response to that sort of likeness," she admitted almost sheepishly. He even went on to call the date a success, long before it was meant to be over. He was h appy to be part of it, and that was quite comforting as well. "I'm also glad I we're sharing this one, I feel like I might have wasted it on anything else~" she said with certainty. There were different moments for different people and this particular date, was best to her with Kazuhiko as her partner. Speaking of their partnership, it seemed they were up for dessert. Both agreed that the food looked great, and while Ai had less experience with outside things, she knew one thing for certain, "Some things filter through..." she said almost whimsically as she also took a bite. Both of them would be looking at each other, with widened eyes and sparkles. "Why is this so good. I thought the dango were way too good earlier!" she exclaimed. Happily did she take her next bite, "Oiishi!~" she squealed in pure delight.

While a pair delighted over desserts, a late meeting of a now mixed family was taking place. According to the lad, whose mother was trying to physically accost him, everyone present could see the lack of normal in her personage. Rin, suppressed a giggle and managed to look away for just a second. Overbearing was the only word to be used to describe 'Mia' in the present moment. Even so, her son didn't seem to be all too bothered by her antics, and was more bothered by the low price of the house and it's good standing in life. Beyond that he finally introduced himself as Rin managed a bit of a distraction, Atsu, as his given name was Atsushi. "Sou ka, I guess that is one way for a nickname to work... I don't have that sort of name, Kanamori Rin," she added of herself. 'Combo Breaker!' she thought as the lad laid into his mother's actions in a way which was obviously true given how pouty she looked as she seemed to temporarily give up on her affection assault. "Don't say it like that. Between your questiosn and your thoughts about the conversation you'll make me seem more extreme than it is!" she said, seeming to lack a bit of self-awareness. For some currently undiscussable reasons, Rin had something to say, "I agree with, Atsu-nii?" she added a question mark to that almost as if questioning if she or he liked the way it sounded. "Not about the talking thing, I am sure Otou-san might not have been completely clear about me either, but this is definitely a trap. There isn't an attic right? No one to feed us to their woodgrain doll daughter? Or is someone waiting to kidnap us and force us into the Yakuza or... us being inducted into a secret government spy agency?" she pointed out several both believable and unbelievable things that could be happening. Mostly as a way of spit-balling with Atsushi "I was expecting a younger girl, maybe 12 at the oldest. I thought it'd be good for Sushi to take care of something cute and small, who could grow to adore him too. He might end up with his own kids when he's allowed to marry at 50." Mia said as if it was perfectly normal. "Haru, does Rin-chan also end up engrossed in those weird fantasy novels?" she asked genuinely curious, the girl obviously had a vivid imagination, but maybe this was a good thing. It seemed she and Atsushi could be getting along, even though they were muc closer together in age than Mia would have liked.

[Bloodedge]

One thing Ai said resonated on a deeper level than most. Some things filter through, she claimed. In this recent few days, Kazu had seen many examples of that, some small and some large. He'd witnessed and experienced physical abilities beyond the norm, senses outside this world's realm of possibility, and even pure magical occurrences ─ though he'd give the Nexus credit for the latter. "They definitely do," he agreed. In the following moments, they were both finding enjoyment in parfaits that may have been affected by the aforementioned bleeding-through. He'd really enjoy an opportunity to find the Alaya equivalent of this parfait, if ever there were a chance. Before that, he'd be devouring the current treat as if he didn't eat a full meal just recently. Desserts and the like were always that way for Kazu, even as Charlemagne.

Atsushi had given his proper introduction. No way was he going to accept 'Sushi' as a form of address from anyone but his mother ─ he hardly accepted it from her. More importantly, the awkwardness of a reunion known only by two people in this family was avoided successfully. They'd have to address their shared oversight at some point; it wouldn't be now. As for his mother, Atsu may have been given some breathing room, but his arm remained outstretched. That woman wasn't trustworthy; he couldn't give her an inch. "I couldn't possibly make it sound worse. The minute it looked like I could, you'd just say or do something more ridiculous," he said with a scoff. In truth, Atsu was surprised his mother even started talking about marrying someone. Her obsessive nature didn't seem like it would ever lend to that sort of relationship, and moreover... another man tolerated that? Oh well. He and Rin were on the same page, and that would remain the case for some time. "What she said. We'll probably be approached by the original owner shortly after getting comfortable here. If you didn't sign the papers or didn't read them thoroughly enough, we could all be scapegoats for a criminal organization," he said in an eerily serious tone. Haru was already rubbing the bridge of his nose, expecting as much from his own daughter. It was difficult to avoid laughing and sighing at the same time. "This generation's imagination, I swear. Everything's fine. I had an old friend of mine look into the legal details. It really was just this cheap by happenstance. And yes, Mia, I've just come to accept that children these days are a bit wilder than when I was growing u─... wait. Did you say fifty? You're kidding," he said, being a bit late to register Mia's earlier words about her son's future. "She's completely serious. Since it's unacceptable to marry your own son, I have to be twice the age she was when she became single, or it's not fair," Atsu claimed. Whether he was serious or not, Haru couldn't tell either. What a strange pair of additions to the family.