Shibuya

[Bloodedge]

"Uh... yeah. Looks like it. I'd guess this is the third strike?" he questioned, watching the other male panic his way out of the fountain and scurry off. The poor thing looked so out of breath just from that, but Yugi supposed he was going to be out of breath regardless. The fear on his face, though, told the tale of how surprised he was to be thrown by such an unassuming lass as Ashikaga Kimiko.

Speaking of Kimiko, she had Yugi pinned as someone from her homeroom in school. This was true, they were classmates whenever he actually decided to attend school on time. Calling him by his given name, she expressed her desire to be let in, and in a slightly demanding fashion no less. Yugi shook his head. "Iia. I only came here to answer the phone and get the pizza delivery. I don't live here," he said, taking a moment to grab the large pizza box before stepping out into the open. As the door closed, he set his gaze reluctantly on the storage crate beside the building. "... This way." With that said, he led the way to his actual 'home' so to speak. It was just a simple crate that had been sectioned off. In essence, he lived in a bedroom with a futon, a few shelves filled with manga, DVDs, video games, and anime/manga paraphernalia. His computer setup was toward the rear, next to a basic bathroom that had been built into the structure. He had a kitchen as well, simply in the form of a mini-fridge with a hot plate resting atop it, and a countertop with a microwave next to that. All of these things were simply near the entrance. All in all, he could have simply been living in a microhome.

[Apollymi]

"Yes, yes it was..." Kimiko said of the three strikes. There had actually been two times in which she'd have let that man pass without incident. The first of which was the lecherous grin, the second of which was the passing statement. At the point where he got bold enough to touch her, she decided he was far too intrusive, but that didn't really matter at this point. She glanced behind her as the man scurried off, visibly shaken and obviously having not expected to be tossed at such a distance by her. It was a strange fact, but she wasn't at all certain how she'd managed such a thing but assumed she had some variation of the time altering power that Regulus had shown. Strangely enough while she was thinking this over, it seemed that she was not going to be let into the house. Some mild explanation came from this lad, alright... this was fine, and privacy was strangely important to her anyways. "Hai hai!" the lass said. Instead he led her around to the back of the building to what looked to be a storage shed. The girl's left brow rose behind her glasses and she was a bit taken aback.

Upon entering she took off her sunglasses and pushed back her hood, lifting her hair out. She slid out of the lad's way and began having a look around. This space reminded her of the Sims video game. It was one of those college dorm style rooms. But it was strangely cozy. To be honest, she liked this space, not for its size, but instead for all of the interesting things in it. Right at the moment she was stopped looking at the lad's collection of anime and manga related memorabilia. Her eyes widening as she saw figures and characters she recognized and enjoyed. "Sugoi! Look at that you have the Thong Eira. That one was sold out when I went... I got stuck with the censored one!" she said excited as she looked around. She saw a replica of Mugen, Raizen's Zanpakuto, not the spirit but instead the staff. She squealed audibly. "Squeee!~ I can't believe someone actually has one of these!!~" she chimed. She was fully amused and enamored looking around this place, it was almost as if she didn't notice how very small such a place was. There were so many cool things to look at, it was like seeing a room that suited all your tastes. Besides that it was like seeing a piece of the lad himself. She could definitely tell by the amount of stuff in this space that he lived in it well, but that wasn't bothersome either. She appreciated that he could decorate his space so openly and be himself so readily. 'Actually, I am pretty sure that sort of thing is what I like about him in general.'

[Bloodedge]

Into the crate they went, where Kimiko would see first-hand how the lad known as Aiba Yugi lived. What would she have to say, he wondered. Strangely, she had nary a thing to say about the fact that he lived in a literal box packed to the brim with the gear of an otaku. No... her first and only commentary was about the quality of merchandise he managed to collect over the years. "... Uh..." he muttered. It was one thing to ignore his current living conditions, but he felt just a spark of embarrassment when she pointed out the first figure to catch her eye. Well, at least she moved on to acknowledge other figures and replicas, particularly the replica staff he had propped against the wall. "Yeah, it's been a long time coming... this collection," he stated.

Still, there was so much strange about this reaction. Perhaps he'd simply been too caught up in his own head , but he couldn't get over the stark differences they had to have between their living conditions. Yugi remembered the very beginning, where he assumed they were completely incompatible. Kimiko proved him wrong time and time again, of course, and here it seemed to be happening once more. Alas... it was a matter that had to be brought up as he lowered the pizza box onto his singular dresser at the storage container's rear. "You... do realize you're in a box, right? This shithole isn't my mancave or anything; this is where I live. day in, day out... I'm in here. Don't you feel claustrophobic or something just being in here?"

[Apollymi]

Maybe she'd said too much. To be honest her collection wasn't too far off from this one. She had several figurines she'd have been embarrassed if someone mentioned directly, but she figured that their shared interests made this sort of observation fine. Besides, how could she be calm while there were so many interesting things to see? This room was probably one of the most exciting she'd been inside, in quite a while. "I can tell it's exciting~" the girl mentioned. Actually meeting this lad was very different from what she expected. It was a slight guessing game as to how much of his personality had properly manifested in his various Avatars. She felt there was probably a more than reasonable amount of skepticism the lad had yet to voice, but after he put his pizza down, he voiced that as well.

"Yes, I realize. You definitely said you weren't living in that house. I am pretty clever too~" she said with the slightest teasing quality in her voice. "It is a lived in space, that is something to appreciate. You have no idea how boring the places are I normally get invited to," she mentioned thinking of all of the horrid places that were supposed to be lived in by teenagers but looked like they were designed and decorated by people who were eighty. "As an aside, I figured there was likely a reason, or rather given how you are probably several reasons, that you don't live in that house. I didn't think I should pry," she explained of herself. Though that wasn't quite it, as her hands clasped in front of herself she looked towards this lad very directly. "But that doesn't really matter either, I don't dislike this space. You're in it." Her statement was clear and without question the absolute truth. She could hang out here with him because she liked him. She enjoyed the idea that he would even invite her into his space at all. Beyond all of that, she could see little pieces of him everywhere, in how this space was put together. She liked things, but she wasn't so judgmental as to be upset about what people did or didn't have. If he wanted things, that wasn't very hard to accomplish, but there was no reason his choice in living space so long as it was clean should be any reason for her to cast judgement on him.

[Bloodedge]

Once more, Kimiko was proving her ability to go above and beyond all preconceived notions related to her 'type' as a person. He should have known by now; he should have understood. Still, reprehensions existed for a reason, and even Yugi found shaking a few to be difficult in a situation such as this. "Boring, huh? I guess that makes sense. I'd be bored in the stereotypical rich person setup too, but I figure the luxury alone would make that bearable. It'd be a plus for me at least, since it'd be a pretty new experience and all," the lad explained in all honesty. He could still somewhat see the other side of that argument, though. To one who only knew such a life, it had to be incredibly mundane... much like his own situation was to him, as much as he enjoyed it regardless.

She wouldn't pry according to her own words, but Kimiko did express an interest in the reasons he lived in this box. Yugi was aware that he had many secrets kept from the general public, and many existed simply because he didn't care to tell them. In this case, though, Kimiko was more than deserving of whatever information she sought. After all, she had already solved the puzzle of his own mind; anything else could be considered knowledge gained by that. "Arigatou," he said in regards to her respecting his privacy, though he also spoke this phrase as a way of bashfully acknowledging her final clause indirectly. "So... pizza? I got a large for gaming the night away, but if you want to know those reasons... we can eat, and I'll answer any questions you've got left after the goose chase you've been on."

[Apollymi]

According to the lad he could see his own side of it one way, and the way she presented it to be the other. She could appreciate this kind of thinking, though she wasn't necessarily the type to have such a cozy set up, she definitely like more lively things around than most people would be alright with. "Sou ka, that is an interesting perspective... I hadn't really considered that. I when I am invited places the extra luxury is standard, but it comes with uninteresting conversations, dress codes and bland food. The luxury of it was lost pretty quickly on me~" she mused. Being around this lad was a strange mix of fun, nostalgia and thought exercises, it was quite the exciting experience.

Whatever the case, after she shared her own thoughts about this matter, the lad before her thanked her. She was quite sure it was for the compliment she gave him. It was hardly necessary to her. She was an honest individual. She liked being around him so it didn't matter where they were, besides this place felt like him and she enjoyed that as well. She wasn't so spoiled that a place like this would immediately cause her any discomfort. Something surprising happened soon after, the lad offered her pizza and claimed that he'd answer any of the questions she had. A smile spread across her face. "I haven't really had much to eat today so thanks. And I do have a couple of questions if you feel like answering~" the lass mentioned. She took a seat on the futon looking about as proper as she always did and motioned beside herself. She also removed her own jacket and got decently comfortable and ready to eat. She was fine with not attacking the lad with questions immediately to be honest she just wanted to spend time with him. She'd been so excited to find him, she hardly knew what she wanted to ask anyways, she was practically giddy, with her true smile plastered across her face.

[Bloodedge]

"That makes a lot of sense. At this rate, it might be a pretty cool idea to switch lifestyles for a day. Y'know, like those weird movies, just... without the body swapping. Or... yeah, actually, without the body swapping," Yugi stated. He was a bit here and there with his idea, but eventually settled on a solid form of it. Regardless, he meant the idea itself only as a joke; he could never really put himself in that sort of situation. Luxury was always something appealing, though. If he wasn't so vehemently against overwhelming wealth while others struggled, he'd have already sampled that sort of life for himself.

Kimiko accepted his offer of pizza, claiming she hadn't eaten much of anything today thus far. He was certain she hadn't missed school or anything, so there was the implication that she she'd gone without eating anything provided by the school. With that in mind, she must've eaten as little as Yugi himself had while performing all those experiments this day. He opened the pizza box, unveiling an amalgamation of meats and cheeses that no health-conscious person should have been consuming, and gestured to offer the first slice. "Have at it," he said while placing the pizza box in front of them, simultaneously seating himself next to Kimiko atop the futon. "And... ask away."

[Apollymi]

"Hm, life swap, body swap, world swap... we'd do a lot of changed perspectives~" she teased. Though she figured it to be some sort of joke, she could always have let the lad experience the kind of luxury she was used to, it would probably be some weird mix of what he expected and the way she was. "Hm, though we could make that happen if you were interested," that one wasn't a joke but that was also an aside. After she'd managed to get comfortable the lad opened up the pizza box which she stared at for several long seconds.

Now Ashikaga Kimiko was rich beyond most people's wildest dreams, but she was a bit less than worldly in most cases. She stared with wide eyes as the meats and cheeses and could barely process her own thoughts. "I didn't know they'd put this many toppings on pizza..." the lass mentioned. How did one attack such a meal? She'd eaten pizza before and knew it was one of those 'hand foods' which were part of how her mother determined 'junk food' in her diet. She'd been allowed a slice or two in her life, but that had always been eaten with a fork and knife. And the idea of eating something like this the way they did in the movies was absolutely frightening. This seemed like it took a level of socialization that she simply didn't have. So, she'd ask her first question in the oddest of ways. "Alright first question, how do you eat this?" she said thinking about it a bit more her face flushed a little and she began explaining the nature of her question. "I mean, not like how... I understand how to eat. And it smells great so I am like down to try it, so it wasn't a pickiness thing. But like...mechanically, how does one eat this in this situation?" she asked in her normal direct manner. Of course in asking the question she panicked internally. 'Should I not have asked that? Did I mess up my delievery? Was that weird? Am I weird?' she looked to the lad with that same flush on her face as she tapped her two fingers together waiting for the answer to her question. If nothing else, this was a good ice breaker topic.

[Bloodedge]

"Nah, I'll pass. That's one situation I couldn't be caught in. I'd be lying if I said I would do even a single appropriate thing if I spent a day as a rich guy," he claimed. This, too, was not at all something to be considered a joke. He was fine like this, with his box house and a large pizza originally meant for himself alone. He had his games, he had things to watch, and now... he had company.

Of course someone like Kimiko wouldn't know the upper limits of something like pizza. He'd have been surprised to learn that she ever experienced one that wasn't some gourmet option, or even something as plain as pepperoni. "Welcome to regular, pleb pizza life!" the lad chanted. Now then, he was in for quite a shock. Kimiko stared at the pizza as if perplexed by it, never even claiming the first slice. She offered her first question of the day, and it was completely unrelated to their earlier discussion. It was certainly one hell of a question, though. Could she really not know how to eat a pizza? He supposed those with money tended to be very... keen on silverware, to say the least. Still, hearing this directly from anyone's mouth with any amount of seriousness was absolutely hilarious. Yugi couldn't keep himself from bursting into a seemingly endless fit of laughter. He threw his head back, he held his sides, he nearly even fell against the futon. "Seriously? You couldn't sound richer if you tried! You're spoiled rotten, aren't you?" he said, albeit all in good fun. "Here."

He could at least show Kimiko the ropes of being a 'commoner' as one would call it. Peeling away the first slice of pizza by its crust, he extended an extra hand to balance the tip. From its crust, he bent the slice into an upward curve, and kept that balancing hand in place as he guided the slice toward Kimiko's face. "See? Simple, easy to access, hand food. Try it~"

[Apollymi]

A chuckle escaped Kimiko, she understood his point, and how much of a not joke it was. She was after all a person who'd been rich since her birth, and she hardly found anything appropriate to do with herself. If she was being honest, she had devolved and evolved as a person who did or did not have anything reasonable to do as a rich person. "Iie, you'd get bored of it enough to muster up the desire to do something constructive," she mentioned, though appropriate was always a different factor.

But right at the moment there was something of a puzzle before this lass. She'd left the pizza unclaimed and found herself in her already embarrassed state becoming a source of extreme laughter for the lad beside her. In this moment she looked at him while he laughed at her expense. She might have wanted to be upset about it, but... looking at him in the moment he seemed so amused. His face was all light and happy, she couldn't have possibly been upset. Though her face was still flushed she did at least try to maintain her dignity. A playful pout crossed her face as the red tint it had gained still lingered. "Of course! Have you seen me~" she said while turning her nose up playfully. But all of this was taken in good fun, and soon enough the lad was showing her how this whole food thing worked. Most efficiently he was now holding a slice of pizza with both hands and using a technique she would definitely have to try guiding said food towards her face.

Now this was something new. Kimiko hadn't been fed in such a way since she was a child, but something about it felt oddly right. She leaned forward and opened her mouth to take a bite of the pizza. And as it hit her tongue she gained a new understanding in life. There were so many flavors mixing together, a little as she began to chew. Every slice she'd ever eaten before this moment was disgusting by comparison. She was almost to the point of tears she couldn't have been happier. "Sugei!~" she exclaimed. "Why have I never had this?!" she questioned the universe at large. This had to be some sort of delicacy. Why was her mother so caught up on cutlery when things like this could be eaten with ones hands. Why was plated food so randomly bland when she could have meat, cheese and bread?! Her mental utterances and her childlike excitement were so natural to her person. She even had the tiniest bit of cheese on her lip. She had no idea how she looked in the moment, but this sort of happiness was the kind she could only experience in the presence of this lad.

[Bloodedge]

He would get bored and do something constructive, would he? Well... of course. That much was a guarantee, regardless of what he had to entertain him. For Yugi, it wasn't even a matter of boredom per se, but a simple urge to do something exciting and see its effects on the world around him, even if only in his immediate vicinity. "Well yeah, but... that still doesn't mean anything I did would be appropriate," he claimed.

Even though his earlier statement had been one made in jest, he truly thought the incredible wealth had successfully spoiled the girl named Kimiko. It was such a hilarious thing, though. Paired with her state of visual embarrassment, Yugi quickly found himself incredibly entertained. His amusement was palpable even as he offered to literally hand-feed the girl a slice of pizza, which itself would have been something he found hilarious from an outside perspective. He could have simply explained things, but no─ this was what felt more natural for whatever reason.

And so, Kimiko managed to sample the pizza of the common folk. It was abundantly clear that she found it to be acceptable, even delectable. Her question to the world at large was met by the laughter of Yugi. Indeed, this one would soon be in for a long list of interesting experiences, if something as simple as a bite of pizza was so incredible. "Really? You just took a bite of like... the most common thing ever, and you're losing your shit over it," he said, his eyes being drawn to that string of melted cheese hanging from the lass' lip. Holding the slice in one hand, he used his other to trail a finger along Kimiko's bottom lip. He'd take that cheese, shoving the tip of his finger betwixt his own lips to consume it. It seemed he was in a comfortable enough state that he wasn't even giving consideration to his actions. "Wait until you get ahold of a really good burger~"

[Apollymi]

A single nod would come from Kimiko, she understood the difference between appropriate and constructive but that didn't change what she'd said. If anything she knew this information from experience alone. Moving right along, this pair was sharing a very intimate moment in the present. She was fed food directly from the hands of another person. She should have found something about this more than a bit patronizing but she didn't. In fact, she was truly spoiled and enjoyed being spoiled through experience as well. In this moment she felt more comfortable than any other she'd been in. She supposed it was probably odd, and hilarious from an outward perspective. Her resting public face was much more tough, but here in this moment, she felt comfortable enough to show herself and the lad obviously felt the same. In fact, from her current place beside him, she could tell he looked happy, and she found herself wondering if he always looked this happy. And if he didn't she wanted to make sure this was the case.

Before she could devote an extreme amount of thought to this though, there was something else. "But it's really good. I don't like knowing I've been missing out on things..." the girl said as if her reaction was the most normal in the world. In truth this was a matter of her nature as a greedy person, but it didn't matter in the long run. The lad reached out, a single finger running across her bottom lip. Very rare was it for this lass to seem out of sorts, but he'd found a single piece of cheese dangling from her lip and wiped it away. That was kind of him, what he did with it though, made her eyes widen and the flush on her face become even more obvious. 'Sugoi! He ate it. I thought maybe he was one of those super shy types, because Kou as an Avatar is super shy but...' she gave pause even within her own thoughts. 'That was an indirect kiss!' Kimiko could have died in this moment, she was finding Yugi to be exactly what she needed. "I've had burgers before... but I don't see what the big deal is... but given this pizza fiasco I am almost certain I've never had a good burger!~" she exclaimed. "I'm really excited to find out everything!~" she mentioned which was likely very obvious, and very fitting with the type of person she was. This was a reasonable enough segue.

A segue into what? Well, the most obvious answer was the line of questioning she had in mind for the lad. He'd mentioned her being able to ask any questions she had, and she was quite curious about his logic in these moments. For instance, why was he such a rare face at school? She'd barely have recognized him if not for her other habits. Why did he live outside of a mansion which was likely his? What did he get out of his modest experience? She gave pause and thought about how to ask a question. And it was something to give great consideration to, she enjoyed their conversations and knew they got along to a great extent so she could make some assumptions. "So, that puzzle you gave to the puzzle club, did you actually expect anyone to finish it?" she asked, bridging the topics slowly she could move through them at her leisure while they ate and she definitely would like to know everything she could about this lad.

[Bloodedge]

He considered it fair enough that Kimiko disliked missing out on things; he was much the same. Going without any experience that one could have, and may enjoy, was almost a repulsive thought. More importantly though, if he could offer such experiences and satisfaction to the lass, then there was much excitement to be had on his end as well. How many foods could they share this way? Beyond food, what else could they do? The more Yugi thought about the potentials, the more he realized they were endless. One could even say they were more endless than the options to be found in burgers, which happened to be the topic of conversation after a slight shift. "Let me take a guess, and say your burgers come with forks and knives too," he said, doubting that Kimiko had ever experienced what a commoner would call a 'proper' burger.

"There's so much more, too. Pizza, burgers, ramen, even TV dinners if you manage to find the right mood and brand at the same time. Seriously, you're in for a trip," the lad asserted. Ah, but at long last, it was time to move toward other topics. After Yugi stole a sample of cheese from her face, she saw fit to question the puzzle he'd left in the club at school. Offering up her slice, he reached out to claim another for himself, almost laughing at the question presented to him. "That's the first curiosity? Sou ka."

In truth, this was something he hadn't even given consideration to for quite some time. He could hardly even remember how long it'd been since the puzzle club was begging him to join, the day he decided to create that object. Leaning back with a slice to chew on, he stared at his collection of merchandise and gave it a bit of thought. "Well... I didn't exactly make it with the intention of them failing. That was the bare minimum to prove growth in the abilities they already had. I didn't want to answer their call to join up, just to become their supreme ruler or whatever dumb thing they wanted me to be. For me to join, I just wanted at least one of them to be pushing toward greater heights, and to show enough resolve to actually make the moves necessary to accomplish that. Me being around would just be a reason for everyone else to stagnate, otherwise. It's the same reason I don't like teaming up in video games, or... in anything, really."

[Apollymi]

"Things you eat with your hands are junk food and contradict your diet," she repeated a phrase she'd heard a lot growing up with the exact tone and cadence her mother spoke with. Kimiko was a person was raised to have the utmost dignity. Besides all of that her mother came from a very old and rich family. So, she maintained certain expectations for her daughter whether the lass agreed with them or not. Given this information literally everything that Kimiko ate, came with proper utensils, or she couldn't eat it. This was a habit she'd carried with herself even beyond this world, most of the things she'd consumed in the other world had been eaten in a similar fashion. But this wasn't worth harping over.

No, the future was much more exciting in this case. Apparently, Yugi could name many more things that she could eat. Things they could try. Her eyes sparkled at the idea that there were so many more things to try and do specifically with this lad. "Hai hai! I'm pretty excited about this, probably way more than I should be..." the lass admitted sheepishly, as she accepted her slice of pizza. She'd take another bite as the lad claimed his own. She spent time getting used to holding her own hand based food and hearing out the lad's explanation for that outlandish puzzle he'd created. After he was finished with his explanation she was a good few bites into her slice. She'd wait until she finished chewing to express her understanding. "Oh... that makes a decent bit of sense. Actually, it was pretty fun but compared to the one you gave me, that one was pretty easy. Still pretty fun though," she mentioned of the actual object. "Still I feel like I stole Miura-kun's thunder. He seemed like he might have figured it out... eventually. You were right about what you thought would happen with that group, though. Based on his attitude I am pretty sure they flocked to him and didn't get any better," she mentioned. Logically it made a great deal of sense people tended to look to others for guidance. Even so, in group activities and team sports, relying on a single individual was bad for group dynamics and for the growth of the group. "I do get it though, I wouldn't have joined that group either for very similar reasons. And working with other people is always strange but I tend to run into slightly different problems with that over all," she explained.

She went back to eating and a few moments later she pondered her next question. What else could she ask in this moment? Well there were quite a few topics left to cover... "So, why don't you go to school more often?" Kimiko's questions were about his mindset. She was curious about him as a person. That wasn't to say she enjoyed school very much herself, she was only there as a part of her contractual obligation. But he wasn't outright a hoodlum, he wasn't spending a bunch of time with other people. Though he didn't like socializing in the same way as other people she still found it odd that he was missing more often than not.

[Bloodedge]

"... Uh─" he chimed. That statement about what classified as junk food was, in all honesty, the most horrendous thing he'd heard in ages. One could only assume this was a clause used to raise Kimiko during childhood. Yugi couldn't imagine a life without at least a few meals that didn't require utensils. "Well yeah, but what's the point? If you never go against your diet, it's not exactly a diet, is it? That's just... eating boring stuff for life. It's... basically like being vegan."

As he spoke these words, Yugi prepared to take the first bite of his pizza slice. When he did, he took a large enough bite to fill his mouth, taking away nearly half of the slice in his hand. The time during which Kimiko spoke was used to chew for what seemed like ages. She spoke of the lad named Miura, and how she believed he could have eventually solved Yugi's puzzle. Yugi agreed; that boy was the only one who even stood a chance, based on what he'd seen of the puzzle club's members as a whole. More importantly than any of that though, was the notion that Kimiko found fun in the puzzle. "It's good that you enjoyed it. The one I gave you was way more thorough, but I got really into it when I was making that one. If anybody was gonna solve it, it would be you. That was just a matter of how long it took you to get there," he explained, having considered various time windows for Kimiko locating the puzzle.

It was time for the next question. She was making some rather interesting choices in inquiries, and number two was the strangest yet. Why he didn't go to school more often... Well, that was something that hardly even had an explanation. "Mostly because I just don't want to. I go enough for my grades to be fine, but it'd just be annoying if I showed up every day. Too many clubs, too much restriction, too little stuff that's... me. Suman; not much of an answer there."