Charles Patricius

[Apollymi]

"It does," was all that Miko had to say. It was odd, shopping in such a place. She was concentrating very hard, trying to make sure she didn't make eye contact with anyone besides Marisbury. She didn't want to further embarrass herself today. She'd made the promise to be braver than her other self and as such she was doing her best. Such was her nature after all. "Really? I figured you'd have had a bit more confidence than that... I'm just a girl after all..." she mused. Truly she didn't see why his success in this case should count as exceeding his own expectations. He was quite the smooth individual, charming and thoughtful and a bit of a scamp. In truth, he was exactly what she would have wanted out of a boyfriend for the kind of scenario she was currently going through. Oddly enough, what Miko didn't think much about, was the clothing she'd picked up. it was her intention to be comfortable and not overly childish. The fact that she could manage both modesty and seduction simultaneously was a bit lost upon her, but one day she might fully understand her sway on the general population. Still there was some surprise, that she'd managed to find all she needed with relative quickness, "Iia, I don't think I am very fast about it at all. I just knew the sorts of things I was looking for and and I fairly decisive whenever I work up the courage to actually make a decision," she admitted rather candidly. "Besides, we can always spend more time talking outside of stores like this, and I haven't had a taste of home in forever. I'd like to keep hanging out a bit longer, if that's alright?" she said looking up at the man rather innocently. All the while a young female clerk was looking between Marisbury and Miko and though she'd seen a few older men with younger looking women in her life, the contrast here was worth a second glance as she began scanning items almost aimlessly. She didn't even try for proper small talk, as it seemed almost rude to interrupt them, just a gentle nod of acknowledgement and a smile at Marisbury before she allowed herself to simply watch. Perhaps she should slip him her number when he paid for these things?

Still there was more to be said by Hiroshi as he talked to his daughter. A certain gleam in his glasses made the girl's left brow raise in curiosity before he began sharing information. She wondered if Marisbury had some magic on this world as well considering such a thing seemed to be feeding information directly to Hiroshi. Regardless she heard the words her former elf father spoke and nodded. "I had a feeling it would probably be a bit different, but I wonder how much. I'll keep it in mind and without judgements until I have learned all I can," she confirmed. Yes, that was about the most one could expect of Sakura. At the same time, Kazuhiko and Yuuya came to some sort of conclusion about sharing a bag and then that pair were off into the outside. Sakura look in a lot of visual information while taking in the general atmosphere of this new world. "Sou ka, there really is no real amount of ambient mana here..." she murmured. She could make due regardless though.

Soon after, Hiroshi was having a more direct conversation with Kaguya as she searched through her bag finding a plain black pleated skirt and a white button up top with a black bow to wear per her general preferences. There were thigh high tights and a black sweater in case of weather changes but she wouldn't need that. There was also a small pair of loafer black shoes. He was apparently being guided and that was fine to Kaguya as she figured the two men in question wanted people to do things but at their own pace for the most part. As for the question which came from his mouth... it made her stop and blink before a wide grin spread across her face. A giggle escaped her before she covered her mouth. 'Come on, Mon-sama...' she thought the man known as Solomon to them might have been being a scamp. Whatever the case. "Gomen, I just didn't think about how that could have been misconstrued before you said that..." she said getting herself back under control. "You go to a Convenience Store, to buy convenient items. Like every day things you might not want to visit a super market or mall for. It carries, general goods and food stuffs which are easy to make and carry..." she explained carefully. "I'm going to make myself look decent, I wouldn't want anyone to get the wrong idea..." she stated. She immediately wondered if they should have let Sakura out of the house before giving her a rundown of some things... she didn't know if Kazuhiko would even fully understand some of the things they wouldn't undertand.

[Bloodedge]

"That's not quite true," Marisbury said in regards to Miko being just a girl as she claimed. If that were the case, he'd never have become blind to normal humans nearby. It wasn't some simple matter of her being from the other world, but instead something... perhaps a bit transcendental. Surely one such as Marisbury couldn't quantify the truth ─ not in his current form. Just the same, he couldn't quite quantify the unexpected speed of this shopping trip. Ah, but the day was not necessarily over for them. Miko alleged an interest in continuing their little outing, provided he was fine with it. While they discussed this matter, there were eyes on Marisbury. He spared a single glance to an individual he couldn't even see the face of, knowing as a Creator that some desire had been sparked within the unknown woman. No matter; he was quite used to the sensation by now. "I have no qualms, of course. If you're looking for a taste of home, there are plenty of shops nearby. I believe takoyaki is considered one of the best local dishes here?" he asked of Miko, looking toward the clerk once more. "Any recommendations? Neither of us is from Osaka."

Kazuhiko stepped outside to a vaguely familiar scene, though the same could not be said of Sakura. Her first observation in the open air of Gaia was about the lack of atmospheric mana. After spending so much time in the other world, he understood exactly what she meant. "Yeah, it's not pleasant. I feel like I'm using way more energy just to move and breathe, almost like a workout. I'm sure it'll get better though," he stated. Regardless of his faith in a more relaxed experience over time, Kazuhiko maintained a certain quality of excitement for their upcoming escapade. "I think I know where the card shop is from here. Wanna learn the basics along the way?"

On the topic of learning, it would be Hiroshi who learned something about the odd naming patterns in this world. Convenience store was the assigned name of a place one might purchase convenient items, not convenience itself. How very queer. Kaguya may have laughed at his assumption, but he would be judging this planet for its customs. "Foolishness. There are far better ways to name something like that, but I suppose it makes sense in a strange... ignorant way," he stated. In a matter of minutes, he'd see this 'convenience store' thing for himself. First though, Kaguya apparently had to make herself... look decent? Yet another point of confusion was presented. "I don't understand. You look incredible as is, so what is there to be done?"

[Apollymi]

Miko got to take solace in the knowledge that Marisbury didn't see her as just a girl. But perhaps solace wasn't the right word, it gave her something of a warm and tingling feeling to know that he seemed to appreciate her more than she thought was necessary. It was obviously something that worked in his favor as far as their long term connection was concerned. And while they talked, Marisbury spared a single glance towards the clerk who seemed quite pleased that he looked her way. Definitely was going to give him her number. She didn't even need him to take her shopping and she was certain she had more to offer than the small cutesy girl at his side. "Takoyaki, I haven't had that in ages either... I have heard there are multiple shops around this area that have that. Though I haven't really come here super often before now," Miko mentioned, while being smugly pleased that he was willing to keep talking to her. In truth, she was in no great rush to end their time together, and would be happy to get the necessary part over with in this case so she could... fully devote herself to the fun. As for the woman at the counter, she took note of her finally and saw the cutting and downcast glance. Miko was used to that sort of animosity but she didn't back down from it. She simply smiled while Marisbury asked about local foods. The woman for her part in this, immediately shifted to pleased and flirty clerk willingly giving a few pointers, while leaning forward encouraging a look down her blouse while showing off assets she knew she had over the girl he was with. "Well, the Udon at one of the nearby shops is pretty good. They have all kinds of soup and topping combinations. Takoyaki is great from anywhere around here. But if you like fried things deep fried skewers are great, but you shouldn't eat too many of them. Meat buns are also pretty good I guess... and there is a confection shop nearby that sells sweet buns, if you want dessert!~" that last part of that sentence was definitely flirty of this Miko was sure. Ah, this woman was hitting on Marisbury. Oddly enough, Miko didn't blame her, he was absolutely gorgeous. She'd even stopped scanning items for a few seconds paused with one of those pairs of panties in her hands while explaining all the places she obviously wanted to take Marisbury to eat.

Meanwhile, Sakura and Kazuhiko were on their way. Her first observation of the true outside seemed to be something that Kazuhiko agreed with, still he was optimistic. He claimed that it felt a bit like a workout and figured they would eventually adjust to the feeling. "I hope so, I can mostly keep the annoying part of the feeling at bay... but it is a strange sensation," she claimed apathetically. Still the lad's continued excitement was enough to distract her from any potential negatives. He claimed to know the whereabouts of the card shop and offered to teach Sakura the basics and she was exceedingly pleased by the offer. "Hai, go right ahead..." she said. Knowing that he didn't teach in the traditional ways of her homeland she prepared for an analog lesson about the nature of this card game that Kazuhiko seemed to be so enthusiastic about. She'd be content to follow him and hear out his explanation.

At the same time, Kaguya was busy explaining the nature of convenience stores to Hiroshi. The man didn't take offense to her laughter and instead had an issue with the naming process itself. "Ah, yeah... I can see why it'd be confusing after learning about how other things are named," she said seemingly amused by the man's outrage towards something so simple. She'd have to keep an eye out for the other things which he found annoying... she was quite curious if he had any Miko type overlaps. Moving on from that... there was the mention of her need to change clothes and Hiroshi's reply to that made her pause one more time. This time a blush came to her cheeks which seemed to almost fight her eye color for a moment. While she was used to people complimenting her physical apperance, so rare was it done in such a legitimate way. Her mouth opened in a small o shape and she had to take another moment before she could reply. "Oh... I didn't know I could still feel like that. Arigatou Aniki but... dressing like this isn't actually acceptable at all. Even if you think I look nice. The social environment here is... a lot more strict than what you can imagine. And aside from my date, and this was a sketchy thing to wear then, this isn't considered appropriate levels of dressed. It could make me targetable by undesirable males or have me be mistaken for a prostitute if I went out dressed like this. They would make some bad assumptions about you if we were seen together and I was out like this. If you need to know how extreme this can be, all schools have uniforms so all students are dressed alike and all adults are expected to uphold a certain modesty... otherwise they could be ostracized. And in a world where everyone has a camera phone, bad news about you could spread quickly so... certain norms have to be upheld," she finished her explanation and went into the bathroom to change. This of course would take only a couple of minutes as she slipped out of her shorts and shirt and into a bra and panties of matching black lace. Afterwards she slipped on a skirt pleated in black and a whitle collared shirt. She slipped on some thigh high socks and slipped her tie around her neck to tie it into a little bow. She placed her own clothes back with Miko's original set and exited the bathroom with a more standard look on. That didn't stop her shirt from being tight nor her skirt from being fairly short, she just looked more like the school girl she was, instead of a street walker.

[Bloodedge]

Marisbury thought going out for a meal would be a viable next step in their day, and Miko seemed to agree. Neither of them had much experience in this particular area. What could they do but rely on the opinion of locals? Such was the ideal solution in Marisbury's opinion, and the store clerk was most easily accessible... for numerous reasons, apparently. She spoke in a way that registered to Marisbury as desirous, even before her mouth opened. Regardless, he remained attentive enough to gain necessary information. Humans had such obvious signs from soul structure to body language, and even tone and cadence. "I see, I see. Udon is always interesting, and so are skewers. I was meant to bring some to my father in the past, but... I was never able to deliver. One can't go wrong with sweets either," he said, giving fair consideration to all options. "I've never been much of a picky eater though. I'll leave the choice to what I'm sure is a more refined palate. Make a selection, and I'll treat," he insisted. With that out of the way, he looked toward the clerk again. Just then, this human would experience a moment of Marisbury's inhuman nature, whether realized or not. "Pardon me for asking, but which of us are you offering your body to? I'm having a difficult time figuring it out."

Much to Kazuhiko's elation, Sakura was very willing to learn his beloved card game. He didn't hesitate before pulling cards from his deck box, first showing his primary card which... happened to be the goddess Astraea: Angelica's mother. "So this is a Servant card. They come in three varieties: Hero, God and Spirit, in ascending power levels and rarities. On here is your mana cost for summoning them to the playing field. You get one mana to start your turn, and every following turn adds one to the pool ─ to a maximum of seven per turn. Every Servant has a special ability unique to it, sometimes with conditions for activating it. For starters, you get to choose one Servant to act as your Ruler; that's where the Ruler Abilities come into play. Every card has something offensive and something defensive as Ruler Abilities, with varying mana costs for them too. Those are the symbols next to the abilities themselves," he explained, deciding to first make clear the primary card type Sakura would be using.

Meanwhile, Hiroshi remained baffled by human rules and the like. Kaguya was a specimen on par with divinities, but her implication was that she wouldn't be considered 'decent' the way she was presently. The humans of Gaia had some stipulations on presentation, akin to uniforms one would only find in specific instances on the other side. "That sort of thing sounds terrible for individuality. Without the ability to perceive mana, one should rely on how a person presents themselves for initial judgments of compatibility. Pairings must be atrocious in this world," he complained. Nevertheless, he somewhat understood the point... somewhat. He'd say nothing more, merely waiting for Kaguya's return. Once a few minutes passed, he witnessed the girl in a getup quite modest compared to its predecessor. A hefty amount of appeal remained due to Kaguya's visage alone, but if he had to compare the two... "As I thought. The other was leagues better, and seems more true to your spiritual signature. Though, it would of course be wrong of me to say this outfit is lacking in appeal. One might raise the question, however... is it the clothes? These are always topics worth addressing. Minor leanings in one direction or another tend to show themselves. I would be willing to say you could wear anything, but I suppose society in this world has already decided otherwise."

[Apollymi]

This pair going out for a meal was potentially one of the best things that could happen. As far as Miko was concerned this was very much already worth breaking out of her shell for and anything past this point was simply extra. Speaking of extras, the clerk gave a list of potential food types for the pair to try while making it obvious to everyone that she was shooting her best shot at Marisbury. Miko also listened to the list and upon hearing about Udon she'd made most of her decision with the greatest ease. "I'd love Udon! I haven't had noodles in so long!" Miko mentioned. Of course when she said that, she meant it had been approximately 300 years but... their new clerk associate didn't need to know that. What she did need to know however, was that Marisbury wasn't a normal man in the slightest. His words to her made her face redden immediately in embarrassment while Miko almost laughed aloud but managed to cover her would be giggle with a hand while turning her head to the side. "Which?!" she seemed surprised only to begin moving her hands again no longer wishing to prolong the interaction. "I can't believe that's an actual question, you're joking right?" the clerk questioned. Surely this man wasn't so dense as to not understand when a woman was trying to make a move on him. He had a young teenage girl with him, surely he understood! Even if Marisbury didn't understand, Miko knew the woman wasn't offering herself to her... but that was neither here nor there. Instead it was simply amusing that Marisbury had said something so outlandishly awkward. She'd not thought she'd deal with anything like that from anyone but her own mentor. "I am pretty sure she has no interest in me, it's the exact opposite of interest for me I think," Miko offered quietly. It was no longer in her nature to let questions go unanswered even the awkward ones.

While a very interesting checkout took place, Sakura learned the basics of 'Servant' cards in this game that Kazuhiko liked. It would seem the basic information about these cards was all pretty relevant information from the world of Alaya. Even the technical hierarchy made sense based on the information they'd received directly from her mother and the Nexus. There were nuances however. The cards had special abilities written on them, and conditions for summoning as well. Actuallly, as far as Sakura understood it, she'd compare it to the mechanical function of summoning. "Sou ka, I think I understand..." she commented looking at this card for quite a few moments. "She looks like An-chan," she mentioned after studying the artwork for a few moments. "I think I will hold questions until the rest of the explanation is finished..." she whispered, seeming to have gained a reasonable bit of understanding in just a few moments of processing time. Still walking along she continued watching the young man's hands and keeping visual track of anything he showed her.

Meanwhile, Hiroshi was now dealing with a bit of culture shock. He seemed to come up with several issues that enforced modesty seemed to create in their society. A smile came to Kaguya's face as she heard his complaints. "Hai, it is exactly that problem. Worse still when you consider public behavior is also highly scrutinized and monitored. It is very possible to spend a reasonable amount of time getting to know someone and not have any idea what they are actually like if they aren't honest enough to reveal it to you," she expressed with just a hint of sadness. Of course, it'd not been too long since her own breakup and being back in the human world she was used to, brought back a strange amount of painful memory that she was able to push away while diving headlong into a magical world. Soon enough she was stepping out of the bathroom dressed in a more suitable outfit for their excursion into the outside world, but Hiroshi seemed to like it less than her original outfit. A smile came to her face. The men of Alaya were such honest perverts by this world's standard. He claimed this outfit wasn't lacking in appeal, he wondered if it was the clothes at all and to that Kaguya could only make a few suppositions given the look of one Iino Miko. "I would say that anything you feel confident in, you probably look good in to both yourself and other people. At least that would be how humans thought about it, Mi-chan's recent wardrobe change is such an instance I think. I can't say I've ever felt that I looked bad in anything I wore, and I could wear anything. Local customs not withstanding other places in the world aren't so restrictive. And like if we went to the beach, we'd have to buy bathing suits and those are more like lingerie than anything else. Or like Saori-nee and her gym clothes being standard for that kind of place," she said with a smile.

[Bloodedge]

Udon was the choice of the day. Marisbury did always enjoy a good bowl of noodles while in this country. Even if that weren't the case, any existing option was fine with him. Just the same, he had no issue with the advances of the store clerk ─ regardless of her target between Miko and himself. The clerk herself had an issue, however. His simple and honest question sparked embarrassment and annoyance. She couldn't believe he'd ask such a question? That made no sense. All she did, she'd done in sight of both parties; there was usually more tact than that. Miko took the liberty of providing a proper answer, which Marisbury gave consideration to until a deeper understanding was reached. "I see," he said, turning his attention to the clerk thereafter. "You might consider being more direct, and wearing your confidence more openly. You may have a better experience if you state your intentions openly. You made some assumptions before presenting yourself, yes?" he asked. The smile on his face remained all the while, and it belied a certain insight. He couldn't see this girl properly, but what he could see... was her entire life, past and future. She wasn't doing herself many favors on the current path she walked.

Sakura made a particular note of the card Kazuhiko chose, commenting that it looked like Angelica. He'd seen that goddess in person, somewhat, and knew it to be truth. "Astraea is her mother. A lot of these Servants are people I've seen or heard of on the other side. I don't know if that's true for all of them, but... probably?" he replied. Sakura had questions she would be saving until further information was given. "Well, there's also Magecraft cards that have an immediate effect when played. Cards like this can be activated on your turn, or you can pay the cost plus one to set them as traps. The highest cost for these is six mana. Some might even stay on the field depending on what they do. Artifacts have various uses, from equipping Servants to having their own place on the field. Almost every card has abilities, except... these," he continued while showing a blank knight. "Every Servant used as a Ruler can, once per turn, give you a certain kind of underling. They only cost one mana to summon and always have one power and one toughness, and if they have abilities, it's because the Ruler provides them to their specific underlings. Astraea can enhance hers with her Ruler ability. Oh! By the way, power is their attacking strength. Toughness is how much damage they can take before being destroyed. The main win condition is to defeat the enemy Ruler, who is assigned 30 HP ─ Health Points. Without certain abilities, you can only attack the Ruler once all enemy Servants are defeated. You can also win when your opponent has no cards left to play, or by certain cards' conditions. All clear?"

Hiroshi was not going to enjoy the stipulations placed on humans by themselves; he could tell that much already. Regardless, there were things to do in this world, and he wouldn't get anywhere by sitting around and complaining about things. Any problems would have to be internalized until a relevant moment presented itself. It also sounded like Kaguya's speech about human behavior came from a place of understanding that went deeper than observation. Hiroshi's place was not to question the ups and downs of another's life, bar his chosen apprentice. He would at least comment on matters of relevance in accordance with his present observations, however. Kaguya's ensemble, for example, was a topic he deemed worth discussing. "That is a logical conclusion. Under normal circumstances, I would give due credit to one's soul and how it reacts to the mood. I do understand what you mean about beaches and the like; we have such customs on Alaya as well. After all, one wouldn't want to go swimming in one's robes ─ nor would one want to dirty their best ensemble during strenuous physical activity," he surmised. It seemed he would also be requiring a few different getups in this world if they were to stay for some time. "Now then, shall we? I'm interested in knowing what the humans of this world call... convenient items."

[Apollymi]

UDON! This was the main focus of Miko's life. Whenever she finished this particular transaction she hoped to be off to discover a nice bowl of noodles with her most recent companion. But of course, the world itself seemed to disagree with giving the girl a reasonable date. Of course, some random woman would be trying to make the moves on a guy she was with and of course, she was in no position to argue someone making a choice like that. Even so, this seemed a bit outlandish even to her. Her soft explanation to Marisbury that this woman seemed to dislike her and was definitely making a move on Marisbury himself seemed to garner an odd reaction. Those hands of the clerk kept moving until such a time as the man said I see. 'Oh, maybe he was just a bit dense,' she surmised. Being pretty might have gotten him quite far in life as his smile remained in place. But that wasn't true at all... no. He spoke again and this time she could only take it a shot directly at her integrity. "That was direct as it needed to be. I wouldn't say I made assumptions, small girl like her can't be what you're actually looking for. Someone like me is much better!" she claimed. "Wow, that really is a lot of confidence. And here I am just trying to pay for some necessities," she murmured softly. Miko had to give it to her. She'd said that entire sentence with maximum confidence and Miko wouldn't have said such a thing herself. But everyone was different and though Miko was currently alone with Marisbury he was far from the only man on her plate, she could discourage him from seeking things he wanted and wouldn't do so. "You're paying?! This is already almost 45,000 yen?!" wondering where a teenager could have gotten all that money from it wasn't the man with her paying for them, obviously she was outing herself in several ways. Just the same, Miko managed to look only a bit sheepish and shy, if she was being honest, even without the gift card her aunt had provided she would have had no issue buying many more items than the ones she'd picked up.

Moving on from that particular situation, a much more in depth explanation would be coming to Sakura with a swiftness. According to Kazuhiko many of the characters in the card game could be traced back to roots in Alaya. That was surprising but perhaps that was the work of the man within the Nexus. What was more, there were mechanical nuances to this game that would receive explanation. In a few seconds, Magecraft cards and Artifacts had their details spelled out for her. Sakura was a child of wisdom she had an easy time processing and storing information and an easier time still recalling things recently said. "Sou ka..." she murmured. Still there was more, a blank type card which was a low level monster which could be summoned by a Ruler was explained to her. She understood what he meant about the abilities as well as a few other things. Sakura listened intently separating information into various placed and by the time Kazuhiko asked if she understood it all she was smiling. "I am fairly certain I understand everything you've mentioned so far," she said thoughtfully. She had one question currently about the nature of summoning and deck construction but figured it might be a part of the next piece of the lesson. "Is there a limit on the types of creatures summoned by a Ruler or can you put anything into a deck? Or is that a part of the next section?" she asked seeming to understand that he was walking her though the basics bit by bit and waiting for confirmation of her understanding.

Meanwhile, Kaguya busied herself slipping into her little loafers and stretching casually. It would appear that Hiroshi wasn't one to pry at all, as he chose his points in conversation exceedingly carefully. Kaguya respected this decision, not many people wanted to deal with a potentially tearful teen, even she would have avoided such a thing if she had an option. "Hai hai, clothing isn't too weird once you get used to the idea that you'll be seeing a lot less skin. Though that also creates problems but I am sure you'll figure that out," she stated clearly. Ah, but that was fine, it was time for them to go out now, and as such Kaguya would be opening the front door and waiting for Hiroshi. "Come along, Aniki, we're gonna teach you about human convenience~" she claimed. Ah, how disappointed would be be to find out convenience stores were just places for busy people to buy quick groceries?

[Bloodedge]

According to the unnamed woman, her approach was as direct as it had to be. She couldn't have been more wrong if she tried. Had she been direct enough, the point would have been made without confusion. Humans always found a way to miss the point. Moreover, the clerk made a very bold statement just after doubling down on her assumption and claiming it was no such thing. It was obviously her belief that he and Miko had no business together, but worst of all... she thought herself more suited? Surely only he could judge the best fit for himself. Ah... indeed, only he had the power. What should stop him from using that power? "I see where things stand now. Clearly, there has been some misunderstanding," he mumbled while the clerk settled into shock over Miko's standalone purchase. "If you would, come here," he urged the clerk, intending to have her meet him on the other side of the counter. There was no expectation of rejection as Marisbury even stepped aside to make a bit of extra room. A point would soon be made.

Sakura was one who grasped things easily while even having knowledge of the concept behind this card game, so Kazuhiko didn't intend to take many pauses in his explanation. Once her understanding of the current rules was voiced, he nodded with every intention of continuing from there. Ah, but Sakura did have questions to ask. Regarding limitation of summons in the game, the answer was easy. He pointed to Astraea's card once more. "Right there under the image, it shows you the classes a Servant can be summoned as. Classes each have their own abilities that all cards in the class can make use of. When someone is your Ruler, they can summon any Servant within their qualifying classes. That part is a lot, so it'd be easier to show you a bunch of cards when explaining it," he said, managing only to answer her question without divulging another feature of the game.

All the while, Hiroshi was preparing to follow his apprentice's friend and fellow student into the city. He remained ignorant of this world's clothing practices, including whatever she meant about skin coverage being an issue... but as Kaguya insisted he'd figure it out for himself, Hiroshi left it at that. "Very well. I'll try to keep an open mind," he stated. With that, they were both taking their leave, reducing the inhabitants of Yuuya's house to the lad himself, and Saori. One might wonder where Saika ran off to, but... those who knew him understood that he was always likely to disappear and reappear at random; he hadn't been in the house for quite some time.

[Apollymi]

Miko was astounded. Adult women weren't usually throwing themselves at men, but she knew the types of men that existed within Miwa's Harem were far beyond the norm. Still, even in his human form, Marisbury seemed to be drawing attention towards himself. This woman was content to push aside any feelings Miko might have had, and make several terrible assumptions about the girl, as she tried vying for the male's attention. Miko was now standing on tip toes, looking at a screen with a payment amount on it, and she was sliding her card while Marisbury addressed this woman directly. She became immediately excited, finally she was on her way, this little girl was about to be shown her place in the world and what did she care? The girl apparently wasn't using him for his money, she should let him go to someone who could make full use of him. "Hai!" she claimed as she put the last of Miko's items in the bag and came around the counter to face the man. Did she think about what this was appropriate for her while she was on the clock? Did she even consider it? Absolutely not! The sensation that made Miko want to follow this man was something that this human woman couldn't have explained. And she was now standing in the space opened up for her, giving one final almost victorious look to Miko who was watching wondering what kind of lesson Marisbury was about to give this woman and her by observation.

At the same time, Kazuhiko seemed to understand the person he was teaching quite well. He told her important information, he even answer her question. Apparently Rulers had a specific set of images on it which said what class of creature it could summon. She saw those and understood why it would be a bit easier to explain once they could sit and look at everything. "Okay, I understand how this part works..." she said while committing to memory that sort of thing. She figured it would be easy to match a summon set to a Ruler and that should be the start of a deck build. Perhaps this truly would be fun, given that it was supposed to be a game for the sake of winning against other people. Even if she didn't understand the purpose of the game so much, she did like the way that Kazuhiko was while talking about it.

At the same time, Saori was settling into being at the house with just Yuuya waiting for the arrival of her things. While Kaguya and Hiroshi seemed to disappear for an afternoon of convenience store exploration. Kaguya now outside was being told that Hiroshi was withholding judgement, that was for the best. The world of humans was full of things to judge he wouldn't want to get ahead of himself. "So, convenience stores are often found on the edges of residential districts. Though they can be in a lot of populated places as well," she explained of the stores concept. "Many of them are open late, so that people can go to them after getting off work, or even 24 hours in bigger cities. Osaka isn't that big of a city though..." she mused knowing that Osaka belonged in an area of Japan that was less... urban than even the one she grew up in.

[Bloodedge]

Just as Marisbury expected, the clerk rounded the counter and approached him. She could have made things easier on herself by not wasting energy on negativity, but no, she consciously decided to antagonize the other girl among them. Marisbury had given her no reason to assume victory of any sort, yet she was doing so nonetheless. Mortals were so strange. Whatever the case, he'd be reaching out to take the clerk's chin and turn her gaze to him. "You shouldn't waste effort. For all intents and purposes, you'll be needing all the energy you've got," he advised truthfully. Indeed, the clerk would require all of her mortal energy to withstand what he had planned for her, lest she lose consciousness for days on end. His advice was shared as he gazed, seemingly deeply, into the clerk's eyes. Slowly did he approach, until such a time as their lips made contact. The human girl would be subjected to the full weight of creation, which surely contributed to her initial approach. Sadly, such an effect could only be a negative to the longevity of mere humans. The children of Animusphere were not known to enter relationships readily... and the store clerk would be one of few who found out why, if only because years of unending sex could not compare to the simple touch of a god against normal humans.

Kazuhiko nodded, moving on from Sakura's further understanding. She'd certainly make a reasonable player. In fact, he already looked forward to enjoying a match against her ─ and a match in general after so many centuries without. "Cool. If I remember, the shop should be on this block," he said while rounding a street corner. Alas, Kazuhiko's excitement over a card game had always been a detriment. They walked the open streets while Sakura garnered the attention of dozens; even Kazu himself had a few wayward glances. He sadly remained blissfully ignorant of the effects boasted by divinities on Gaia. When would he learn otherwise? Time would tell, but for now, the card shop he sought was in view. "There it is!"

Given their namesake, the placement of convenience stores made perfect sense to Hiroshi. He couldn't imagine them being very convenient at all if they weren't near one's residence. The hours of operation were not quite ideal, but he supposed humans were also on a certain rest schedule in this world. "I take it humans commonly sleep through the night in this world as well?" he questioned for clarity. "If so, I can see the similarities. Humans tend to require much more metabolizing of mana than other species, so they typically rest for a large portion of each day, even where I am from. It would be sensible if businesses meant for them were also geared toward their schedules."

[Apollymi]

Marisbury was definitely teaching a lesson, Miko decided. Though the clerk didn't seem to have any idea what was going on... she'd already violated the principles of her own job by moving around the counter to approach the man. She thought herself victorious against someone like Iino Miko who was by her own account just a small girl and likely sugar baby. But no matter. She was being approached after being told she'd need all her energy. 'He's so bold!' she decided. Only to have the man lean into her and press his lips to hers. Doing so was such a strange amount of sensation. This had to have been the most impressive kiss she'd ever had. It lasted years... of this she was certain. Her body was weak and warm and leaking from her core within just a moment and then it was all over. She was looking up. Why was there so much distance between her and her prize. Her mind was trying to process while her body gave out. Miko watched this from the outside and blinked a few times. "Sou ka... that's a very extreme reaction," she murmured. Did she know something everyone else didn't know? The clerk heard her words, but what she was on about? She was sure she could feel fluids leaking from her breasts too... how odd. Surely her body didn't have enough liquid to support the level of tingling sensation and absolute orgasm she'd felt. Her mouth was still slightly open, she'd accept anything the man wanted to do to her. All the things she'd seen in her mind. Hundreds of sexual positions over thousands of years. How fun.

At the same time, Kazuhiko was busy walking around with Sakura explaining to her the card game he wanted to play. She only truly had eyes for Kazuhiko his level of passion about this card game left her feeling a tingling sensation across her skin which she acknowledged as part of her sensory skills. Still there were people just watching her, but this wasn't too odd. She wondered if the humans of this world were just more prone to staring than she was used to? She supposed that was a question to file away for later, even dressed as modestly as she was... the eyes of others wouldn't be leaving her until she was out of sight. Ah... and it wasn't just her either, Kazuhiko was garnering more looks as well, but now with the card shop in view she could only match his excitement. "Hai! Let's go, Kazzun!~" she said more excited about this than she'd been about a lot of things in her entire life.

Hiroshi had some clarity questions to launch and Kaguya had no problem answering them. Noting gazes being sent her way, she found it to be about normal for her, but she also realized that it wasn't just her gaining attention. Women were eyeing the tall man walking with her as well. Interesting. "Yes, for the most part people spend a certain amount of dark time inactive. Though modern technology makes the dark less scary overall... a lot of adults and young people keep to a more traditional schedule of up and working during daylight hours and home during dark ones," she expressed. "But you don't have to be, there are only curfews for teens and the like so some stores remain open later for adult crowds," she explained of the general situation. "Hm, I suppose there being mana reasons for long sleep cycles makes a decent bit of sense. It also makes sense of those who seem to forego sleep for the most part. I'll keep that in mind," Kaguya mentioned. As they headed for the end of a block. She stopped before crossing a street at a stoplight waiting for the crosswalk sign. "Unless you are trying to get hit by a truck or something... make sure to heed the signs. They're pictures... so it's pretty easy~" she said in a lightly teasing voice. Of course, it became very obvious that people were watching them as a small crowd gathered at this same crosswalk. Oddly enough, Kaguya was enjoying some light conversation, her own mentor didn't need information from her so... she found this a little fun.

[Bloodedge]

Marisbury offered the clerk nothing more than a peck on the lips, and she was rendered useless. Had they made any form of sexual contact, she may have died before any amount of evolution occurred. Maybe she would be made better by this brief interaction, but that was of no consequence either way. She'd fallen to the floor with no ability to support herself, and Marisbury was looking toward Miko almost curiously. "Interesting. Now..." He didn't bother completing the clause before closing in on the brunette, a hand cupping the back of her head as he claimed her lips next. In this case, there was no simple peck, but something a fair amount deeper with... tongue? Yes, there was certainly a tongue protruding from his mouth.

Both Kazuhiko and Sakura were only growing more excited as they approached the card shop. Kazu himself was surprised the girl managed such excitement, but it only made him anticipate their journey more. In they went, and Kazuhiko paused to absorb the greatly-missed feeling of an incredible atmosphere. It smelled of trading cards, tin cases and binders... though there was also the familiar scent of musk here and there ─ a shameful casualty of nerd groups such as this. "Irasshaimase!" said a glasses-wearing male in his early forties. The man stood behind a register, surrounded by cases containing a selection of cards from various games. Most importantly, Kazuhiko recognized cards for the game they would be playing. "Yo! We came to play some AoE," Kazuhiko greeted. Hearing that, the clerk smiled. "You're in luck! We're currently holding preliminary matches to earn a placement in the next regional tournament. The recent championship has garnered a lot of attention for this game. Would you both like to register?" the man asked, though he wouldn't be waiting a full second before Kazuhiko pressed both hands atop the counter and answered. "Hell yeah! Gimme that sweet, sweet registry card!"

Hiroshi's assumption was correct. It sounded like things worked very similarly in terms of societal standards, at least in this particular case. He could easily continue his lifestyle preferences under those circumstances. Strange though, was Kaguya's warning as she stopped in front of a street due to some strange, self-changing and blinking symbol at the other side. She spoke of a truck, and he thought to question it... until vehicles were passing by right in front of him. "... I suppose those things are trucks? Interesting. They seem far more well-designed than carriages and the like. I can surmise that, without magical ability, humans in this world have truly taken non-magical technology to new heights. I've heard of a place back home that is on its way to such things," he observed while waiting. Something else was strange, though. In this world, Hiroshi was not the Paragon of Potions. He was not the famous elf or member of the Myouou, so why were so many people flocking around him? Crowds were never pleasant to the former elf who often operated in secrecy for many reasons. "Moreover, may I ask why there is a herd of humans around us? And why do young ones specifically have curfew? Are there age-specific threats in this world? Does it have anything to do with this gaggle of mouth-breathers stifling my air supply?"

[Apollymi]

That poor clerk. She was so sure she had so much to offer someone else, but in the end a moment of contact seemed to leave her sitting cross legged on the floor. Her skirt was hiked up and she had a pool of her own juices beneath her. Meanwhile, Marisbury was moving towards Miko. Her eyes widened, was he making that sort of statement? 'Oh shit, I didn't expect this so soon!' she thought seemingly excited as he leaned into her, and then... she fell to something odd. Marisbury kissed her with soft lips and his warm tongue slipping into her maw. She moaned lightly her own tongue following up but somehow this moment felt even more impressive than it had the first time. Perhaps it was her own human body doing it? Perhaps she was simply able to enjoy this sort of contact from her own perspective. Her body squirmed in excitement and while the sensation of it felt distinctly overwhelming she didn't find herself doing anything but sinking further into it. There was gentle moisture pooling between her legs and her breasts and loins were aching. She was sure her knees were going weak but with his hand against the back of her head. She allowed her arms to slip around his shoulders. She might be falling a bit far into such a thing. 'This is somehow even better than last time!~' she seemed rather excited internally as a blush on her face seemed to settle.

At the same time, soon enough both Sakura and Kazuhiko were entering this card shop. They were greeted by a rather lively owner who Sakura looked towards initially. Still this place was very odd to her, her senses were being assaulted by the closed in space. "I thought my senses were being dulled... I was wrong," she murmured that one. Still, Kazuhiko's excitement was of the highest tier. And as such she was content. She watched him talk to the shop keep, who mentioned the tournament. When asked about registering Sakura seemed to give it a bit of thought. "I suppose I should... I can probably work out what I need to in a short while," she said thinking that after a few rounds she would completely understand whenever she managed to put together her own deck.

And then, there was Kaguya and Hiroshi standing at a crosswalk. Kaguya was full of Gaia based information and as such had no problem sharing it at all. "Well in general they are all automobiles. Trucks are like the big ones with the boxes on the back. They move cargo. Each kind of car has its own style and purpose. There are big ones for public transportation, like buses and trains but there are also small luxury ones that people buy just for themselves or to show off. And yeah, without magic we get a lot of technological advancements," she expressed her own understanding. Still the first problem with being in public was becoming known to Hiroshi. Kaguya couldn't help the giggle that escaped her as he reacted to being surrounded. "Social battery is set to zero, huh... Hi-aniki~" she teased gently. Of course, he was likely the most antisocial adult who would be drawing a lot of attention to himself just by existing. "You haven't realized that even for a human you are very tall... especially here. They probably think you're a basketball player or something. Besides all that you are..." she paused looking him over just to make sure she approved of her next statement. "Definitely one of the most attractive people on the planet right now. Even if you are just an unknown human. Being attractive can be a blessing or a curse. It mostly depends on how you are received," she mentioned. Once again she was speaking from experience. Such a thing was nothing new to her, but the masses were likely assuming something gross about the way they were talking and likely would blame Kaguya for corrupting the man if they were caught in anyway. Ah...that didn't matter right now though, "Younger people have curfews to keep them out of trouble. They are supposed to be in school during school hours and then off the streets by other hours. It's to keep them away from gang violence, rapists, pedophiles and the like," she explained. "Does that answer all of your questions?" she about this, she asked as the light changed and they could move across the block and then make a left where at the end of the street a convenience store could be visually sighted.

[Bloodedge]

If Miko thought such a shared moment between herself and Marisbury would come later in the evening, she wasn't the only one thinking so. Marisbury expected the end of their day to herald the start of their connection, in accordance with how humans tended to approach dating scenarios when desires were high. The point of a date surely had to be building connections and anticipation, right? Regardless of that belief... there was a point to prove, and Marisbury didn't mind proving it here and now. He didn't have to do any more than peck her lips to prove said point, but one couldn't say he was without urges of his own... so what could be wrong with a bit of tongue-wrestling added to the equation? He wasn't being allowed an immediate retreat anyway. Miko's arms wrapped around the man's shoulders as his aspect of creation tried to flood her soul as well. Obviously, the effect was not the same... though it was clearly not nonexistent either. Marisbury freed himself after a minute or so, sparing a moment for what he saw as a faceless girl. "Sumimasen. You aren't without potential, but you don't have the constitution. Please refrain from judging others with only your eyes," he advised. All he'd done here was for the sake of providing the example of a massive difference between the clerk and Miko. Well... perhaps that wasn't the only reason. He was, after all, a God of Creation. . .

Sakura basked in the air of a card shop, and what she found was... the one negative all trading card players knew, loathed, but also expected. She spoke of her senses being assaulted, and Kazuhiko knew the exact reason. "Sumanai. I forgot to mention the bad parts. If there are games being played, there's almost no avoiding at least one player who doesn't bathe..." he explained. No matter! It was time to register for preliminaries, even though Kazu surely didn't have time for a full tournament stretch. A bit of money could be earned by making it to the regional tournament alone, so they'd be put in a better place financially within... potentially days. The clerk happily produced a registration card before hearing Sakura's agreement to participate. A second card was produced, and both were notably AoE card frames with no images. "This way please!" the clerk said, gesturing toward a camera setup in front of a white screen. Kazuhiko stood in place, interacting with a terminal ahead that would be used to select his image background. "Hmm... what sort of pose?" he wondered before a background selection was made. "Got it!" Great victories were in his sight. Kazuhiko reached into his deck box and fished out a very specific Magecraft card with an inward spiral of electrifying mana on its image. "Nexus Fusion?! That's a very rare card not often used. If that's a focus for you, you might encounter problems when facing the current meta," the clerk warned. Full of confidence and a fair amount of excitement, Kazuhiko had one thing to say. "Nah," he said with certainty. He sported a wide, challenging grin as his hair swept over one eye. That card was held between two fingers and shown to the camera, held over the eye that remained visible... and somehow glowing as if touched by sunlight indoors. "I'd win."

While Kazuhiko was stepping away from a very photogenic showing, Hiroshi was learning something yet again. He knew a better way of approaching this world now that it was clear where its residents stood technologically. There would be some hiccups here and there, but an old elf like him could persist... except in the current situation. Too many people were too close. According to Kaguya, he was exceptionally tall for a human, and unreasonably attractive to boot. How annoying. He didn't need more reasons to reexperience the life he once escaped. "I see. This is an unfortunate turn of events for me. I did not escape my homeland to be gawked at by humans who have no sense of courtesy," he griped. Luckily, the light changed. Its new symbol represented a walking person, so he could easily assume its purpose. Hiroshi wasted no time crossing the street, naturally long strides carrying him ahead of the crowd. "You've answered my questions sufficiently. While curfews may not help on Alaya, those same things are potential issues ─ especially for the young ones. Fortifications are commonly the answer... though with such technology as what I'm seeing already, I imagine those would be useless."

[Apollymi]

Miko gained a few moments of intimacy quite a bit earlier than she expected. True to her own words, she'd ended up committing very heavily to the contact once it was made. It would only be Marisbury to separate them while she stood carefully on her tiptoes. Miko's face was red, her heart was racing, and even her sex was slick, but she was... mostly alright. Well, as long as one didn't count the fact that she was definitely currently watching a movie in her head of all the dirty things they could have gotten into in a different sort of venue. She almost whined at the separation and the thought, but that throbbing in her loins was enough to remind her to take a breath. She had a sudden sense of foreboding. "Wooh, that's a bit more brisk than I expected. That has to be a combination of things... I didn't expect to get so caught up," she murmured. As Anais she was often distracted by such activities. As herself, she found only the desire to dive deeper, consequences be damned. But what of the clerk? That young lady was still sitting in a pool of her own fluids, babbling incoherently with no light behind her eyes. The amount of consciousness she was holding was just enough to hear those words and burn in an image of Miko and Marisbury making out with way more effectiveness than the kiss, he'd given her. Would she remember not to judge others based solely on looks? Maybe... or maybe she'd forget it like a dream along with everything else, as the darkness clearly already in her eyes seemed to be settling into her consciousness completely as well. "Sou ka, Animusphere-san, has a scary side too~" she said in a manner almost teasing. Since her things were paid for already she reached over for her bag and the recepit which had been carelessly tossed in. After checking that she had everything she'd paid for she was content to leave without much fuss.

Meanwhile, at the card shop, it would seem that Kazuhiko had neglected the 'bad' parts of the experience because of his own excitement. He explained to Sakura that apparently among the denizens who attended such places, there was always at least one specimen who chose not to bathe. "But why? When they smell like that do they know it isn't attractive?" she asked, as a genuine point of curiosity. She came from a world where presenting yourself as your best was the standard, this kind of behavior was an oddity at best. Whatever the case and whatever his answer, Kazuhiko was soon posing for a picture. And Sakura got to watch him choose a background and his own pose. He received a warning from the shop-keep about something called a meta and issues he would have if he focused a certain way. But in a show of absolute excellence Kazuhiko claimed it wasn't a problem and that he would win. A certain light played in the eyes of Sakura. She enjoyed the look on his face. "I like this..." Sakura said about the lad's attitude in general, while snapping her own copy of the same picture for her own later observation. "Also, what's a meta?" she asked, that word didn't have any place within her mind space even while understanding the language completely.

It would seem that Hiroshi didn't want to be surrounded by others. This was very anti-social behavior but oddly enough Kaguya understood. "To be honest, they likely don't think they are being that impolite. We could set you up the way our classmate Ishigami is... and get you some headphones, that way they wouldn't actually talk to you~" she said. "It would at least work on the less pushy ones," she added. She followed the long legged man and got to know that she was indeed back in her human body. Keeping up with his long strides led her to a light jog. "Yeah, fortifications wouldn't work. Well, they can put up gates, but human teenagers don't generally respond well to cages, or rules really. Curfews will get you escorted back home if you are out after dark without an adult present, but that's about it," she explained knowing what her own situation was like. Having a bit of a pacing issue the lass tried for powerwalking and wondered if she really had less physical agility than she originally thought. "So then, convenience stores~" she said as they reached the parking lot.