<Nocturnal Harmonia>

[Apollymi]

Meron could only laugh at Albertus, he'd been barking up the tree of lost slang for way too long. But Miko had been right, he did sound pleasant saying it, and it wasn't as if he was hurting anyone. So... she'd be leaving him to his outrageous behavior. "Yep, living your hipster life~" claimed Meron. Whatever powers these two had, she could sense something strange about them, but the truth of it would defnitely be shocking.

By the time they arrived outside the view the local legend of a wyvern, most were surprised to see it. Himeko looked it over and sighed but figured if Makima had gotten it, she'd done so with calm and nothing else. Irkalla looked at it and smiled, "Ooh, these are rare even where I'm from~" she seemed amused. Still, she could be that calm as an odd sense of foreboding developed on the Players. Both of them had an odd initial reaction and both rather easily fell into that same darker head space. It took nothing for both of them to realize what an asset this thing could be even if it was woken up at a low level of strength. still, Miko didn't assume it would, as her own eyes were enveloped in that same blue light, she'd had no problem timing her own speech to make sure that dreadful word was spoken by both of them at the same...

"ARISE."

So calm both of them were but the spectacle produced was something unseen by many. Enju shifted, she'd seen this show before but that didn't make it any less uncomfortable. Kaguya gained a new form of excitement if only because both of the Players were glaring. Ai was happy she was currently unarmed lest, she decide to shoot at the pair again for good measure. No matter what that shadowy creature would be converging from its corpse to end up in front of it's new masters. Poor Maki didn't even get a chance to question whether or not that thing was actually a dragon and then suddenly words were being spoken that made her bones shiver. Shutara was also in a similar position finding it odd, along with the change in Miko's demeanor, that that the girl wasn't prone to mood swings already, but this seemed extreme even for her.

[Bloodedge]

With a wyvern in front of them, both Players knew there was only one thing worth doing, and no time worth wasting. The pair seemed almost entranced as they gazed upon the wyvern's corpse, demeanors cracking... and that almighty word spoken. Of the males present, the only one who'd seen the active use of Shadow Extraction was Gojo. Anan had been present during its use in the Hunters Association basement, but even he hadn't seen it. Now, everyone could witness as darkness erupted from the beast's corpse and coalesced into an ebony form mimicking what the wyvern had in life. Its blue underbelly glowed as a long neck extended into the air. Its body towered over that of any human ─ an adult male could even walk between its legs comfortably if it stood straight enough. Wings expanded, the distance from one tip to the other rivaling that of a transfer truck. All the while... Yugi was barely containing his laughter.

[YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY ENHANCED THE SHADOW'S POWER.]
[THE SHADOW WILL START AT LEVEL 10.]

"Wow~" Yugi said in a tone that would cause unease in most. "Higher level than Igris. Good to have literal hot death on our side," he observed. Others couldn't be so casual at the time, though. While Gojo wore an expression of smug indignation, someone like Yuto was gently trembling. Aki had seen just enough to sober himself up for a few minutes. Ren, the biggest gamer of the males apart from Yugi himself, was merely astounded. The likes of Hiruko and Anan were silently awestricken ─ Hiruko gaining a modest 3% Intimacy while Anan gained a sizable 12%. And of course, there was Albertus Animusphere looking appreciative as ever. He didn't think he'd be around to see Shadow Extraction live in person. Of all the reactions from males in the area, Hiruko would be the one to speak. "So that's what the fuss is about. We've got ourselves a couple of real wildcards here. My gift is going to look like bits and baubles after something like that. Kimacchi, let me go first next time♥~"

Meanwhile, one Manjoume Jun was on high alert at KaibaCorp. "Sir! The tracker just appeared a second ago! It's in range at..." He spoke quickly enough to get Kaiba Seto's attention, but hesitated upon looking at the screen properly. There was a need to confirm Subject Kaisellin's exact location before wasting the boss's time. "Uh... smack in the middle of Aokigahara Forest?" he said with an upward inflection. "What the hell is my wyvern doing in a forest of dead humans? Somebody's withholding too much information for my comfort. Get the helicopter ready!" Seto ordered. Jun would do as he was told, but... he sorely hoped the CEO didn't intend to have him try flying a helicopter.

[Apollymi]

The Players were proving themselves to be a little bit off center. Both did exactly what was necessary to immediately raise that wyvern into a member of the Shadow Army. It would seem that they were both excited, darkness coalesced and turned into a new form of that wyvern. The young women of the grew showed a certain amount of awe, Shutara for her part in this had something to say and lost it, and opened her mouth to try again... but instead of managing anything an increase in Intimacy of another 5 percent would occur. She now fully understood why they couldn't tell her anything initially. Kaguya and Ai both saw increases of 7 percent in Intimacy for the pure fantasy aspects. "Woah♪~ I didn't expect anyone to come out stronger than Iggy♪!~" Miko chirped just a little. Ah, but the first normal person to speak would be Hiruko... all the while, Makima would have her Intimacy increase by a whole 6 percent, while she answered his plea. "Iia, Hi-pyon, they're still teenagers~" she offered him playfully.

Meanwhile, Maki finally found words, after realizing dinner had become something crazy. "So... you two can just, full crazy shit now?! Like does this have a limit?" Maki wondered. Meanwhile, Tae was examining the shadow creature and it's body. "Sugei!~ This is awesome. I actually have the same question... like it is just monsters or are you two full problematic entities?" Tae asked in sheer curiosity. For her part in this, Irkalla took a moment to finish thinking it through, "Wow, this is great. They really just snatched it out of limbo... so it becomes something I just don't have to deal with... you two are awesome!~" Irkalla mentioned and her own Intimacy would be increasing as well by a sizable 7 percent as well. It was great to see such things, poor Himeko was recovering from the feeling of a word spoken with such strength that she was absolutely high tier.

Beyond that Kaiba Seto was busy finding out where his prized possession ended up at. One Hisakawa Hiromi was still with him, as this was the night she had planned and she'd find herself hearing the same information that he was. She was scanning her phone almost passively as he gave his orders and chuckling to herself. "Freaky experiment of some kind. The Aokigahara Forest was recently put on a do not enter list..." Hiromi said. Whatever the case, they were definitely going to see where it was... so both would be heading out, Hiromi would be letting Manjoume get the chopper ready but get so excited about it. Soon enough she'd be ready to fly that chopper towards the missing specimen.

[Bloodedge]

Miko didn't expect anyone to appear stronger than Igris, but Yugi wasn't too surprised. In fact, he was relieved to see someone other than that annoying dickhead share a rank with the red-maned knight. "If anything, I'm just surprised it happened this quickly. We still haven't put any of them to work," Yugi replied. Everyone else seemed just... generally surprised ─ some making observations, and two asking questions. Maki and Tae were on a similar wavelength with their curiosities. It was a reasonable question to have. Things would have made sense and been balanced if they could only extract Shadows from monsters. Yugi turned on his heel to face the others, wyvern behind and waiting to be named. "We're already the characters you should blame for the release-day patch. Speaking of bug fixes... Iron!" he commanded to bring forth their first human extraction.

Though Iron rose from Yugi's shadow, he figured Miko would take satisfaction in explaining the situation. He also remembered something. "Oh, right. You got this part. I'm gonna go grab that shield. Inventory," he said. Yugi noticed multiple elevations in Intimacy ratings after the wyvern was raised. As for the wyvern itself, there was still need of a name. Yugi had been a little too excited to catch its full original name when Makima said it. After all, who could actually keep focused upon seeing their first pseudo-dragon and simultaneously confirming their ability to have said creature as a pet? No one Yugi wanted to deal with! Still, he thought to give this wyvern a similar amount of respect to Igris himself... but... "Uh... what was that name she said? Kai... something stupid?" he asked of Miko. Meanwhile, Hiruko had something to say after recovering from the game-breaking reality of the Players. "Alright, well... at risk of being shown-up again with the next thing, Kimacchi ─ mind pulling mine out?"

[Apollymi]

Miko hadn't expected anyone else to show up as strong as the literal boss monster they'd defeated. Meanwhile, Yugi wasn't as surprised but simply thought it was happening a bit ahead of schedule. "That is true. We've only had them on menial tasks... combat would probably say more about them than anything," Miko decided in the same moment. Still, a giant flying wyvern to share between them and make sure they could get places without drawing too much public attenton was a great addition. Beyond that a couple of questions were launched, Maki and Tae had both been curious about something related to the limitations on what or who could be risen by the method they'd just witnessed. Yugi called himself and Miko the reason that release-day patches occurred. As he turned to face the crowd so did she. And he also called something else a bug fix, in a way that made Miko adopt one of his other known habits, a scoff. Her body went rigid as an attitude that seemed to be pointless appeared in the girl. But it was far from pointless.

The one called Iron appeared from Yugi's shadow a hulking tanker of a creature. Yugi asked Miko if she had the explanation and she did... only briefly pausing to look out the corner of her eye. "I got it... but I swear to Seimei, if he fucking looks at me his head is going back in the ground," she muttered that last bit to the creature itself. Then the girl took a deep breath and began her explanation, all while her own friends and Makima noted the shift in the usually bubbly girl's attitude. "This is a Shadow now named Iron, Omen-kun's choice because if it had been left up to me his name probably would have been dickhead because he was an annoying fucking piece of shit who couldn't keep his mouth closed to save his fucking life. A few of you who were with us on that Insect Dungeon Break might recognize him as the former A-rank Tanker... Sato Kenta," she said pointing without looking at the creature. "Whoa! You can raise Hunters too?!" Tae was excited... that was great news. Maki was shocked, "Really?! He looks like he'd be more worth fighting now at least..." Maki said it was more than a little respectable. Meanwhile Miko's own friends were still a little shocked, "Oya, Mi-chan's fucking furious~" she said causing Miko to shift her gaze towards Kaguya. "Oooh♥~" she teased. Ai for her part elbowed Kaguya, "Stop antagonizing Mi-tan, you don't have the stamina for that problem~"


At the same time, Hiruko was asking Makima to drop his present for the kids lest he be shown up by something else. Makima would be dropping those two matching cars on the edge of the clearing next to Hiruko making sure nothing else was hit. "Hi-pyon, you worry too much. They're still teenagers~" Makima said, she'd not seen the A-rank Tanker specifically but her face said she was more than a little amused by the teens antics. Meanwhile, Miko and Yugi were casually discussing th ename of that wyvern, and she'd also only heard part of it. "I know I hear everything and all but... the sound it was making in Limbo kind of drowned stuff out... I thought it was cooler though like Kaisel♪~" Miko said seemingly amused by that name. "Oh? You can actually use your own senses in the realm too! That's a relief~ And you took an annoying one off my hands~" Irkalla was beyond amused at the pair, she also recognized Kenta from his temporary stay in line, she'd not gotten to him before he was pulled out of line but, she knew he was going to be a long term stay for his punishment, this just saved her time.

[Bloodedge]

The Players had loosely discussed testing the Shadow Army's combat ability a few times now. All they'd been doing simply hadn't allowed them to send Shadows out for combat... but the reaction of Maki would provide a potential solution to that. While Miko was explaining Iron, Yugi checked Maki's Intimacy level. She was at a crucial 49% currently. Her unique constitution would surely make her benefit greatly from having Inventory access... especially if she were to fight a Shadow. "We could kill two birds with one stone," Yugi commented while others were still reacting to Iron's existence and Miko's outrage. "That som'bitch, huh..." Aki stuttered as he hobbled forward, pulling up a sleeve. He'd be aiming to deliver a strong right punch right into Iron's face, provided no one got in his way. All the while, Yugi kept his eye trained on Maki. "He'd probably be a fair match for you as you are now. Wanna fight him?" Yugi asked while spawning the very same shield Sato Kenta used in life, providing it to Iron. At the same time, he was satisfied enough by Miko's fury to reach back and slap her ass at an upward angle ─ all to ensure cheeks were left bouncing and jiggling from the impact.

Ah, but fights and ass-slapping had to take a backseat to... a pair of vehicles that didn't have backseats of their own. Per Hiruko's request, Makima produced from her own storage a matching pair of Lamborghinis, fresh off the lot, one dark silver and one purple. Even in the midst of a conversation about Shadow names, Yugi's eyes were drawn to those sleek hunks of metal. "Oh shit, is that a Lambo?! Kaisel works! Your name's Kaisel!" he announced while pointing at the wyvern. Even though other things were still going on, Yugi had officially begun creeping toward the silver vehicle. Of course, he still had the presence of mind to address Irkalla's observation. "We hear the screaming and moaning of dead things. We also see their aura when extraction is possible. Hasn't become annoying... yet," he commented. Meanwhile, Ren had a curiosity to express. "So... this is the guy you had to kill? Anything you kill, you can bring back?" he asked.

[Apollymi]

Miko remembered a couple of mentions of figuring out how strong the Shadow Army was currently, she'd figured the greater details of that wouldn't be coming up until they went into their next Dungeon. Before that though... a different kind of idea was being mulled over. "That definitely works if anyone wants to volunteer. We obviously have a few in the group with varying degrees of sennin-itis♪~" Miko observed. "Yep♪~ I had a similar reaction but we don't really know how strong he is... I can't be mad though, I definitely made him put his head in the floor and stepped on him after rising him," Miko admitted, still not even bothering to look at the creature. If anyone else wanted to abuse that particular man she was more than willing to let it slide. Beyond that Yugi thought that Iron might be a fair match for Maki who seemed excited by the prospect, "Hell yeah! I wanna fight that guy. I'm trying to see something!~" Maki claimed infinitely excited by the prospect. Of course when that upward slap to Miko's ass came she chirped a generally positive noise from her. "SQUEEE♫~"

Ah but neither Miko nor Yugi would be able to resist new shiny toys of any sort. Though Miko didn't generally like being inside of cars, even she paused to look and and begin wandering towards that sleek purple vehicle which she was sure was hers. "Kaisel♪!~ Get in here~" Miko chirped the wyvern's name and seemed to like it well enough, while calling it back to her own shadow to get out out potential combat space. Just the same, Makima picked up Kaisellin's corpse to ensure no harm would come to it, she'd made a promise after all. Shutara was chuckling as she watched the thought processes crossing Miko's face. "You'll like it... I don't think your usual problems with cars will apply. Trust me~" she said offering Miko a double thumbs up. "Waaah♪~ I didn't think I'd see one of these I liked enough to consider getting in of my own accord. I'm not really fond of being inside cars normally... Fuku-kaicho♪~ Are you gonna teach me how to drive?♪~" Miko asked with an almost smoothness to the implied flirt. Still so the words of Irkalla hit Miko's ears as well... "It all sounds like singing to me anyway... so I probably won't be bothered unless like we step foot on a battlefield or something like that," Miko decided. Irkalla nodded her understanding of the pair and would willingly leave them to their own devices. As for the question launched by Ren, Miko gave it some thought... "Yes, that's the guy we had to kill, but... this power isn't really limited to what we kill. We had nothing to do with Kaisel dying and we still got him. Mostly it only really seems to be limited by time and strength of the thing itself. I have to assume some are special cases, Iggy took both of us... Iron however I raised myself," Miko pointed out the intricacies which Ren brought up but also seemed to catch Himeko's attention. All the while, Makima was still grinning like she'd hit the lottery.

[Bloodedge]

If it was a volunteer for testing Shadows they wanted, Maki was undoubtedly somewhere near the top of the list. Though she hadn't been seen in altercations much so far, her behavior during them spoke for itself. Before that, however, Ren heard mention of how Miko stepped on the Tanker Shadow soon after extracting it. He took a very specific interest in that. "How'd you do that?" he asked as though seeking some kind of example. Meanwhile, Yugi was looking to Maki. "We're trying to see something too. But don't you work well with multiple weapons? It might be a good idea for you to make a decision first. That being... whether you're binding yourself to me or not. You'll have access to a lot more shit, and I won't leave you hanging. That goes for you all as well," he said, addressing Shutara, Enju, Irkalla and Meron as well. "50% is the opener. At that threshold, you can treat it like... being engaged. You'll have the title Shadow Concubine, gain System access, the ability to use the Shop, Inventory, and probably a bunch of other shit we haven't found yet. Maybe Mommy Wisdom has found something by now," he explained.

More importantly though, was the pair of fancy cars purchased by Hiruko for the Players. To his satisfaction, they both seemed rather pleased with the gifts. "Looks like that was a good decision. I figure you two won't want to just take a wyvern around everywhere. Gotta stay grounded sometimes~" he stated. Miko's flirt wasn't missed either. "I could teach you how to drive. I'd like to think I'm pretty good at it~" he suggested. With that offer on the table, Kaisel named and sent into Miko's shadow, and two Lamborghinis before the Players... it seemed things would soon be focused on a fight between Maki and Iron, who'd just recently been punched by Aki without any reaction at all. Aki had a reaction, though... or at least the System did. For that moment of stress relief alone, Miko would easily see 8% Intimacy increasing on Aki's tab. There was something satisfying about getting a bit of extra payback even after the target's death.

[Apollymi]

Generally combative people were always up for a fight. Maki might not have been seen in fights all the time, but she was exactly the sort of person who would fight whenever she could and enjoy every second of it. Whatever the case for a moment Ren was content to question, how Miko had stepped on the Shadow and she shot the lad a sideways glare. He was such a pervert, but she didn't hate him for it. "Well, it was pretty much all aggression. I made him put his head in the floor, and when it was down... I stomped into the back of it. And then once it was sure it was in the ground, I stomped a few more times for good measure, T-posing to assert dominance. And then when I'd calmed down a bit... or riled myself up a bit more... not sure which, I spent about five minutes grinding my heel into the back of his head. It was cathartic♪~ Tehe♪~" Miko stated. She also pulled out her phone and searched through the gallery and simply sent him a video of the act which she'd saved for her own edification. Hearing Miko explain something like that so calmly and with those melodic tones made Meron drunk whisper to Albertus, "Careful Albie... that one is seeming more like her mother with every word~" While Miko made her explanation, Yugi was making one as well, to Maki, Irkalla, Enju and Shutara. Apparently their decision to stick it through would gain them access to the Inventory pieces of the System. He claimed he wouldn't leave anyone hanging and explained that Shadow Concubines were like being engaged, the decision was quite important. Those girls would be left to mull over what he had to say... Himeko would begin speaking, "Mommy Wisdom, huh? I'm going to put that aside for now. Your System is comprehensive and adaptive. Every new person can potentially unlock a function or add something new. It seems that the threshold for that addition is around... your Fifty Percent marker with a few odd exceptions and the like, mostly for any you granted limited System Access to through phones," she stated honestly. "Also... I think you should both try opening your versions of the System using the word Menu at least once. You might have been inadvertently limiting your own view to just the RPG style stuff by only looking at it for the purpose of leveling up initally," Himeko added most of what she'd been doing was going through the System's update backlogs and seeing the changes made in real time when someone was added or reached a certain percentage.

Beyond that point, Hiruko could take some obvious satisfaction in knowing that both teens were interested in their cars, even though they had a wyvern to ride in the skies. "It's a great choice♪~" Miko chirped seeming to find this car way more interesting than she thought she would. The words of the wisdom goddess would also be heeded though... "Menu..." she murmured pulling up the main screen to peruse while she did other things, like flirt with Hiruko. That man really did seem to be smoother than butter. So easily did he reply back to a casual flirt, so calm was it that it didn't even break the rhythm of the conversation. It made the lass wonder if he managed to be so smooth all the time as part of his nature. "Mm-hm♪~ Since you're pretty sure... I'll leave myself in your care♪~" Miko decided as easily as she decided most things. A single moment a few words... and certainty was reached, she'd be driving with Hiruko at some point, probably in the car, but probably also intimately... it'd be great. Because she had the main menu up, she could see... the increase in Aki's Intimacy realtime, as the opening to the 'Bondmates' tab. "Chii♪~ That really did make you feel better, huh Aki-nii♪?" Miko chirped a smirk on her face. At the same time Maki had her three section staff, simply because it was easy to carry and she was stretching and getting ready. "I get what you mean, but it isn't just that part. I have a really complicated life and I wouldn't ask anyone to dive into that with me. It could get you targeted, which I'm sure you could handle but it definitely just shouldn't be because you sided with me," Maki settled ont those words before she aimed to start a fight with Iron, with the others having given a wide enough berth for the fight to take place without interference.

[Bloodedge]

Ren got the explanation he was seeking, but not the display... until he got that as well through a video of the event in question. He'd definitely be looking into that during his free time. Perhaps he'd even take notes of what to expect from Miko down the line? Whatever happened, he simply nodded along with her explanation, seeming unnecessarily pleased. "Arigatou," he said. In the meantime, Albertus was hearing a warning from Meron. That girl did seem a lot like her forebears, but he saw it as nothing to worry about. "Careful? Me? You should be careful with that one~" he countered, knowing something about Yugi that the lad didn't know about himself yet.

Speaking of Yugi, he took Himeko's words to heart immediately. "Sou. Busy day. We noticed the System was adapting, but there was never time to figure out what the exact causes were. But that tracks. Sounds like the kind of thing you'd see in a game ─ threshold-based unlocks and whatnot. Anyway... I guess it's time to be annoyed again. Menu." Once he said that, Yugi got to see a different version of the System layout. Inventory, the Shop, Status, Routes and more could be seen from that singular display. Another thing he noticed was... an Event tab. "God. Fucking. Damn it," he said slowly. Some would know what was coming after that. "Fucking chalk for brains! Brain's useful! I use it for one thing, then what? Fucking powdered trash getting all inside your face holes when you have to clean the goddamn board after class! There are like five events available for me right now! You know how much EXP that is? I don't, but every fucking point counts! We'd probably be level 70 right now, but no! SOMEBODY had to be a fucking RETARD who doesn't remember basic game mechanics! I've even heard somebody say it TODAY! Didn't fucking think twice about it! You probably should have picked a different Player for my spot, Brainface, because your vessel's a fucking MORON!" he ranted.

Ah, but Yugi's rants would always come to an end... eventually. In this case, he was merely simmering by the time Maki started talking about her complicated life, not wanting him involved unnecessarily and... other things Yugi thought were stupid. "Urusai! I didn't ask about your goddamn complications, but it sounds like dumb, outdated family shit that'll bring me fights. Here's the math: I fight, your problem is handled, I get to clap those muscular-but-hot cheeks, I get EXP and probably some decent new Shadow Soldiers. Where's the negative?!" he asked, even after casually referencing the potential killing of other humans for experience and army growth. Albertus took note of that. "I need to ask if he's had any descendants recently. What do you think now, Mel?"

[Apollymi]

Miko had given Ren a full play-by-play of how she'd ended up stomping Iron into the dirt as a part of sheer anger. Whatever he got from this, she was willing to let him have... she figured his depraved mind was drawing lines between her activities and trying to figure how how she'd treat him. And if that was something that interested him beyond the amount of aggression she already shown him... she'd give that too. "Hai hai♪~ Don't let me forget to show you the other cool stuff I've been up to lately♪~" Miko chirped, remembering that she'd intended to have a more normal intimate moment to get into the pure deviance of her more recent day. "I mean I'm always careful~" Meron said, which was true to a certain extent, but what of this oddity surrounding Yugi? Well, everyone present was about to see part of it first hand.

Acknowledgement was given from both Players as Himeko explained what she'd found when perusing their System. Both of them went about looking into it, as advised with no fuss and some background explanation. And in that moment, Himeko felt relief... and a five percent increase in Intimacy would occur simply because the Wisdom Goddess was so unused to people taking her advice the first time she offered it. Miko and Yugi were both looking at the System's tabs, both noticing the one marked Events and both finding out at the same time that they'd... made a grave miscalculation. Miko's hand immediately went to her forehead as she berated herself internally, but Yugi wasn't that sort of person. In the middle of what should have been five strikes to her head... Miko paused because a few spoken and paced swears had her knowing something was coming. She wasn't the only one... Makima had gotten adjusted recently. "Oh, he really just does this often," she said, but a few of the other women in this group hadn't seen him tear into himself in the way he was about to... And then it was happening, Ai winced initially Kaguya watched unabashedly, Shutara rubbed the back of her own head as if she was being scolded for wrong doing. "At least it wasn't food this time♪~" Miko chirped as she listened happily. irkalla seemed completely unbothered as she'd heard such things before from someone else, and Himeko for her part was clapping along as if she was hearing a motivational speech. "That's how we acknowledge being dumb!~ Bet you won't do that shit again!~" she was oddly encouraging him, and... gaining another 5 percent Intimacy for a whopping 10 percent just because she appreciated the way the lad handled himself.

Ah but, his tirade wasn't quite over yet. Maki gave an open explanation of her life situation and why she wasn't completely comfortable jumping into something crazy. it was meant more as a warning but what she got from Yugi, was... odd. A mix of compliments and reckless disregard came Maki's way and she wasn't even sure how to react, not aloud... not at first. But the thing that would happen would be a crossing of a certain threshold as she threw herself in... 50 percent would be reached and passed as she pushed her glasses up on her blushing face with two fingers. "Most people would be upset about randomly being thrown into some crazy you fucking weirdo! But suit yourself!" she exclaimed, in that oddly flustered way which made Miko chuckle. "That was mostly just the gamer rage, which I encourage you to take deep into yourself at your earliest convenience♪~" Miko chimed always willing to run a little support, and ease the tension. Maki's intimacy would end at approxmiate 60 percent when all was said and done. At the same time, Meron was being keyed into some visible activities. "Shouldn't you know by seeing him? I thought there weren't that many of them floating around..." Meron said in a hushed but drunken whisper. That sounded a bit ominious Miko would be soon looking up. "I can hear you... and something else is headed this way..." she said her eyes up on the night sky.

[Bloodedge]

While Ren nodded to accept the tale of Miko's recent exploits, Albertus gave Meron a sideways glance and casually sipped from his own gin. "So careful. I've never seen a less reckless person~" he said with teasing sarcasm. They'd just have to wait and see what a 'careful' Meron really was. In the meantime, Yugi was watching Himeko's intimacy rise for the strangest reason, as she encouraged the acknowledgement of his own stupidity. He wasn't sure how one was meant to feel about that, but the redhead was right ─ he wouldn't just let himself make that stupid mistake again.

As for Maki, her transition to Concubine status was rather easy. It took only a decision, as had been the case with some others. Though there was a bit of aggression in the decision itself, her Intimacy went well over 50% once the threshold was passed. His 'gamer rage' aside, Yugi would only offer more complaints after...

[BOND THRESHOLD REACHED]

Bond Route: Zen'in Maki

Intimacy has reached 50%.

Designation Confirmed: Shadow Concubine

The bond has crossed a structural threshold.
This connection is now formally acknowledged by the System.

New Access Granted:
• Concubine Inventory — Authorization Expanded
 Target may now access her designated Inventory Node.
• Concubine Key — Generated and Activated
 A unique access key has been created and is fully functional.
 Zen'in Maki may now enter the established Domain at any time.

Status Notes:
• Concubine Room is now accessible as a private, instanced space.
• Access is shared between Player and Concubine.

System Message:
Zen'in Maki has been designated Shadow Concubine.
She retains significant autonomy.

60% was the end result Yugi saw. As if he'd been the weirdo, she passed the Concubine mark by an entire 10% in an instant. "Sixty? You're way more invested in this whole thing than somebody who should be talking this amount of shit!" he taunted. Meanwhile, Albertus was shrugging in response to Meron's question. "Well, you know how they get. Sometimes there are similarities that come from nowhere, sometimes it's straight to the point. I'd actually have to ask," he said. Just then, Miko interjected to inform the elder pair that she could hear them... along with something else encroaching from above. "Does it matter if you can hear?" Albertus asked, not even seeing the purpose of that statement if it was going to be paired with... nothing. That aside, there was indeed something on the way to the forest: a helicopter marked 'KC' with none other than the KaibaCorp CEO himself hanging on its side to look down over the land. Even from afar, a bird's eye view had him honing in on a castle that shouldn't have existed. It couldn't have been more obvious that his wyvern and Makima's 'contact' were connected to that place.

[Apollymi]

Miko and Ren eventually stopped talking and Miko had tuned in specifically to the angry speech of Yugi. Of course, her brain was oddly not able to stay where she wanted it... too many background noises and then foreground noises, as Meron and Albertus had voices which seemed to attract her attention. "Oh come on, I'm not that bad~" Meron claimed... perhaps she was often a little reckless but never completely. Beyond that point, miko wasn't even able to focus, for a few moments Maki was deciding how she felt about something and then... dealing with the after effects of it. In this case, her 'hot and cold' attitude lead to the crossing of the threshold into this crazy group. Of course, Yugi wouldn't just accept it quietly, no... he decided to complain even more. "And you're talking a whole lot of shit for a guy who got what he fucking wanted. Leave well-enough alone!" Maki complained. Apparently access to Inventory was already hers and she'd be having a bit of fun with that too.

No matter, as for Miko's observation she was still mostly zoned out. "Gomen, that wasn't really for you, more of an observation. Most voices get jumbled up in my head, aside from a few exceptions I usually can't pick someone out of a crowd without trying to do so. Your voices don't fall to the background for me... so I have to try actively to ignore you. It's weird before now I would have assumed I just really liked the sound but now I don't know if it's a perception thing or not... you can ignore me when I don't make sense," Miko murmured still looking upward. that other noise was now mostly having her attention which it was bound to do. Makima followed the girl's eyes up and smirked. "We could call that part four of your present... I think I'll drop one and two directly into your Inventory, they aren't too impressive after all~" Makima claimed. Well all of those KC logos all over the wyvern they'd recently risen made sense of that one coming to look. Perhaps Kaiba Seto was a bit too much of a control freak but that wouldn't stop the happily little squeal from escaping Miko. At the same time Himeko was looking up and shaking her head, "That took even less time than I thought..." she mused finishing the beer she'd been drinking for the durarion of this leg of her journey. Hearing thta this was part of Makima's present, Miko looked to Yugi and got a little happy smirk, wondering if they were on the same page. Power move of life would be meeting that one up in the air. "They put up a whole castle in what had to be a day, what kind of non-sense is this," Hiromi wondered being the person piloting that helicopter.

[Bloodedge]

"As if I got what I wanted! If I got that, you and everything that doesn't have a dick in this field would be on a stage with your asses in the air by now!" Yugi replied to Maki. What he 'wanted' and what he found beneficial to the group as a whole, were two entirely different things. In the meantime, Albertus was slowly pouring gin into his mouth while Miko explained her interjection. The white-haired man's brow rose no less than three times throughout her speech. "That's a lot of answer for a little question," he observed simply, keeping his attention primarily on Meron to continue the previous topic. "He'd probably show up if I called. I'll probably see what he has to say, but... well, you know how it goes. You plan on sticking around for a few days?"

A helicopter on its way to the castle was seen by Yugi, who merely wanted the fight between Maki and Iron to start. On the other hand, he could see the insignia of KaibaCorp along with Kaiba Seto himself, long before the flying vehicle was within range. "Part four is supposed to be Kaiba Seto? Blech," he scoffed. For the moment, Yugi was far more interested in whatever Makima intended to place in Inventory. Alas, he simply wasn't able to see the details of Seto's pilot. Before that became relevant, however, Seto was hanging from the side of that helicopter with his eyes trained on a large group below. Miko's glance in Yugi's direction was noted, but what would he have to say? "Here for the wyvern, probably curious where a tracking chip in its cyborg brain disappeared to before a few minutes ago," he presumed. "I've got no interest in whatever you're looking my way for. Go off, I guess," he said dismissively. At present, Yugi was more interested in the idea of moving closer to Meron... though perhaps that would change whenever the helicopter's pilot was properly visible. "I'm gonna see if I can't listen to that line about gin while you're doing... whatever the fuck you're doing. Have fun with that," he said plainly to Miko.

[Apollymi]

Apparently what Yugi wanted, was a line of women dancing ass up in the air. Perhaps that was doable for his birthday or some other similar celebration. Miko boxed that up as a thing she'd try and make happen in some way later. "Unreasonable!" Maki declared but she wouldn't hold that or his attitude against him. Men were weird in general from her knowledge and perspective. At the same time, Miko had apparently once again overshared when answering a question. "Oops♪~" the girl managed to look a little sheepish. Meron looked at her shook her head... she was still doing better than her grandmother, who'd forget things not written down expressly. Still as she downed a bit more gin Meron gave it a bit more thought, "I mean... I have time and these kids seem like they'll be pretty fun~ And even weirder than what they've shown," Meron mentioned playfully.

Meanwhile, the approach of Kaiba Seto's helicopter seemed to be something that was technically arranged by Makima. She called it their present number four. And it seemed that Yugi didn't want it... no, that was wrong. Makima looked at him for a second and realized that he didn't think through the option of her having arranged something extra. Interesting. "Interesting," Makima said choosing not to clarify further. Miko heard Makima's words, she'd been seeing this woman multiple times in the last 48 hours and she had the distinct sense that this wasn't just a Miko present. Even so, Miko was given some working advice from Yugi about what Kaiba had come for and had been told to go off. "I understood why he was here... even I didn't miss the KCs on everything," Miko pointed out. Still, this lad had gotten mad at her for overexplaining things, so the small smirk that settled on her face would turn into a bright smile. "Hai hai♪~ Box is open!~ I doubt this will go very far in the moment, join me, when you change you mind," Miko said without any more detail. Soon after Miko was still looking up to say a very specific thing, "Kaisel, get out here♪~" she chirped jumping up to land on the wyvern's shoulders while it rose to the same height as the helicopter. Once there she found herself face to face with Kaiba Seto, "Kaiba-sama, konbanwa♪~ You have questions for us?"