<Nocturnal Harmonia>

"Don't forget it," Yugi flirted back after being called the best. He dumped 70 Skill points after that, mostly into Intelligence and Perception with a bit going into Agility. Overall, it seemed a decent enough build for what he needed. Yugi thought he'd be truly satisfied around level 70 or so, when they were well into S-rank territory by his own approximation. According to Miko, her own decisions about physical stats had much to do with her body. Yugi quirked a brow in that moment. "Hmm. I think I saw something zip by really quickly about that, probably at level 50. You might have to hit 100 in everything that affects your body before that comes up. You know, like... unlock the maximum, then you're able to tweak it down as needed? I think it was something like that," he mentioned casually.

Some moments later, the Players were standing in front of a purple gate not too dissimilar to what Hunters walked into every day. There was no reason to stay behind in the quest dungeon; they had a busy day ahead of them still. "Alright. Let's go," Yugi said, stepping forward. On the other side, the blonde young woman wasn't the only one having an aggressive reaction to the sudden Gate. Aki, who now worked directly under Makima, had recently returned to the office to perform his duties as a personal assistant. When that purple void appeared, he hopped back. Aki's right hand reached for the sword secured on his back, and his left moved forward with its thumb pressed to his middle and ring fingers, leaving the remaining digits extended. The Players hadn't left through anything resembling a Gate, and weren't expected to return via one. As such, when someone passed through, he'd be ready to dart forward and draw that sword, keeping his other hand at the ready for a summon. Ah, but a heightened Perception stat was worth a lot. Yugi didn't even need Sharingan to sense two sources of danger before they even finished passing through the portal. With that being the case, he erected Abyssal Frame around himself and Miko. Whatever was coming their way couldn't dream of breaking through that ribcage ─ he could easily tell that much.

Miko would never forget that Yugi was the best, not permanently. While they both allocated points, Yugi mentioned something he'd seen in the screen in the earlier times. According to him, she'd likely get her sliders after achieving the maximum in her physical stats that seemed fair enough, "Alright good to know... I kind of like what I feel like right now, but it'd be good to play around with~" Miko claimed, knowing she could have a decent bit of fun playing around with sliders and clothing options to dress herself up as she saw fit. The moment they walked through that gate with Yugi's Sharingan active there was an incoming attack.

Hayasaka Ai was a Ranger by her own choice. She jumped back magical rifle on he shoulder immediately. When that skeleton took on an appearance she immediately fired a number of those paralyzing rounds into it. It was a direct reflex connected to the perceived danger. Those incrases in Perception went a long way for Miko as well, she could tell how very skittish all but Makima were even before she properly scanned the room. Ai for her part in this fired those shots but she was still shaky. A gate opening in the middle of a building wasn't so abnormal, something so strong walking out of it, and not even seeming to care was very different. That power was so dark, so vast... it's depth was imperceptible. She couldn't shake the fear of that moment and felt like she was looking into the Abyss. "Oh? Shooting first and not asking questions?" Makima mentioned with extreme calm that she always seemed to have. She could see it... the pure power of the pair of Players within that skeleton. Those same two who hadn't said anything at all... "You didn't look like this an hour ago," Makima observed casually. Ai couldn't even immediately respond to Makima her eyes even behind that visor didn't want to look away from that powerful pair in front of her.

Once the Players walked through that portal, an offense was formed against them. Ai fired multiple rounds that were promptly deflected by the ribcage and dense, purple aura protecting Yugi and Miko. That wasn't even the only assault. Aki had already launched himself, sword drawn mid-motion. He was upon them before he even realized what was actually walking out of the Gate, and then... he was stopped in his tracks. Aki had been grabbed by the skeletal left arm of Abyssal Frame and casually pulled away. Yugi had the construct drop him on the other side of Makima, who was the first to comment... and the only one in the room he thought to address right away.

They didn't look as they did an hour ago, the chairwoman claimed. Yugi glanced at the redhead and gave her a detailed once-over. "Neither did you," he said, not even realizing his left eye had developed its third tomoe. In addition to that, stat increases and an upgrade to the Players' very existence made everything seem quite different. Whatever the case, he was soon shifting that gaze toward one Hayasaka Ai. "I didn't take you as the type to shoot a guy before the first date. You'll put out before the second one though, right?" he asked. All the while, there was another great power quickly encroaching upon that office. It was none other than Gojo Satoru, who would be pulling that very expensive and very sealed vault door open by force, just to walk in casually with a canned cola in hand. "Woo! Smells like money in here!"

Quiet protection came from that Abyssal Frame. Miko stood within it, seemingly unbothered by the bodies that immediately moved to attack them. They must have truly registered as a threat if that was the response of two A-rank individuals to their sudden appearance. Aki was moved back into place behind Makima and after firing a series of shots, without seeing anything Ai began fighting with her own flight or fight response. "Chii♪!~ Fight or Flight response is really high. Ai-sen that's the second time you've drawn a gun on me... I'm going to need you to relax♪~" Miko sang gently. That voice was unmistakable but the aura didn't match what she'd seen the previous day, "MI-TAN?!" Hayasaka Ai's brows furrowed. As Miko continued to stand completely relaxed and gently amused. But it wasn't just that, the flirt that came from Yugi had her taking pause, pulling up that visor for a proper look because obviously they were too tinted for her to see properly. Curiously enough the first thing she saw was swirling Sharingan, and she relaxed her posture but outrage ensued. "I don't have those kinds of limits, I do what feels right..." Ai mentioned. "But no. Not even the point. He wasn't this hot yesterday! And you didn't look like this yesterday! And I was on duty the last time I pulled a gun on you, don't make me sound irresponsible, when you're walking around with Chiyo's real big brother!" Ai followed up completely thrown for a loop. Those eyes of hers with star crossed pupils like the Brain Chargers of the Series she'd just referenced and what was more she was definitely interested given her earlier conversation with Miko a route would be appearing for Yugi just the same.

[BOND ROUTE UNLOCKED: GHOST PROTOCOL]

A new connection has been forged.

Current Intimacy: 25%

Note:
This route's unlock condition was completed through Miko's friendship with Hayasaka Ai.
Ai has shown cautious interest after learning more about Yugi through Miko.
Additional Resonance will be gained.

System Message:
The boundary between secrecy and exposure has been gently breached.
A rare and useful connection has formed.

[ACCEPT] / [DENY]

"Ah, well, I bet a lot of things look different to you now. A friend of yours, little one?" she asked of Miko who only nodded. "Hai, Ai-sen is one of my besties♪~" Miko chirped. "I see, so Hayasaka Ai made your fake IDs then? Good girl~" Makima mentioned. What wasn't good however was the quickly approaching Gojo who forced open the doors of Makima's office to enter nonchalantly. "Did you break my door, Toru-pyon?" Makima asked, but she was so excited about the players that she couldn't even be mad. By the time Gojo was entering, Miko was peeking at him behind her, a cheeky smirk on her face. "There you are, Go-sei♪~" Miko greeted in that same flirty and detached tone she'd had since her ascension.

An attempted sword attack and several gunshots were issues easily removed. Aki hadn't been so sufficiently stopped from attacking in months, and could only stand there aghast as a result. "What... the fuck is that?" was all he could ask after finally recognizing the Players inside that partial skeleton. "A thing," Yugi replied simply. Something was so far beyond wrong with those E-ranks. Luckily for Aki, his mind didn't have to be completely blown today. As an insider, he now had a bit of information that made it somewhat easier to process all this craziness... but Hayasaka Ai was not so lucky. No, she had an immediate fit about several things ─ including the Players' upgraded looks. That outburst came with a route Yugi had been waiting to activate since the previous night. "There it is. Not sure how I feel about having to wait for an in-person meeting. Accept."

One more surprise was the bursting entry of Gojo, who definitely broke Makima's door. "Are you worried about some cheap-ass door when all this MONEY is in the room?!" he replied when questioned. He was still wearing that blindfold, and even he had to lift it to look at the Players... or, more specifically, their shadows. Gojo's eyes processed information at impossible speeds. That rush to the brain was precisely the reason he kept his eyes covered, as he could see better than most even with closed eyes. As he stared... he counted. It only took a second for him to speak again. "That's about a hundred bands ya' got there... my precious students~" he said. Yugi, who was actively dispersing the Abyssal Frame, tilted his head to look Gojo's way as well. "We don't know how much time we've got to waste. Take us back to that Dungeon Break," he demanded calmly. As an immediate response, Gojo erected his posture in comedic fashion ─ even giving a strong, overexaggerated solute. "HAI! MAKIMA...CHAN!"

Aki for his part in this, was moved out of the way without injury it seemed that after being handled so thoroughly, the man only wanted to understand what was happening. "You look mostly relaxed now, Aki-nii♪~" Miko commented almost absently. Well, she'd catch up with him properly a bit later, but for now Ai was having a hissy fit. "Should have read Fairy Tail or Naruto, but close enough..." Miko said about the general statements at the end of Ai's outburst. Makima on the other hand, gave her praise for making the Fake IDs for the Players. "I didn't expect praise for that, feels weird," Ai mentioned. Almost casually. Only to have Yugi claim acceptance for something and it become only more confusing. "What's accepted?!" she asked. "Ai-sen, life is a video game for us. We level up, he accepted your route... you can join the squad. See... I told you it wasn't going to be a problem," Miko gave the quickest of overviews. "Leveling up gave you giga thickness? Also I thought you weren't a Hunter?" she asked again, Miko only smirk. "Yes... and yes it does apply to him too♪~ Also we were ranked this morning E♪~" Miko addressed the unasked question even as Hayasaka Ai's head tilted as if she was taking in the man's full visage in a single moment. "Anyone who believes you're E-rank is a fucking idiot," Ai asserted choosing not to comment on her extra thoughts for a few extra seconds.

"Maybe date three... it already seemed like it was going to be a lot," Ai said rubbing the back of her head but resuming a more relaxed posture. All the while Makima observed this strange friendship and was pleased to see the Players less stressed than they had been when she'd last seen them. "Because it's a privacy door..." Makima said about it, while placing a direct call to maintenance to come and fix the door post haste. "And though I now understand that reference it still doesn't give enough details to explain what I'm seeing right now," Makima said. Whatever happened in that throne claiming hour required a full debrief, she could feel it. "Yeah and we got a few more to get.." Miko said about their current 'stacks'. Of course the desire to go back to that original Dungeon Break was odd, but Makima wasn't one to deny her favored pets anything. "Toru-pyon take them back, and I expect a full explanation when you return..." Makima said seemingly amused. "Hai hai, do you want a new bucket too?♪~" Miko chirped a cheeky grin coming to her face which only made Makima smirk at her. Ai for her part in this had her eyes widen...

Yugi found himself looking in Ai's direction occasionally. He'd already seen her in some sexy lingerie, but images never did the same trick. Now that her eyes were visible as well, he could see the particular oddity she possessed. He found it... enhanced her general look. After Miko gave the quick explanation of what had been accepted by Yugi, he looked away from the blonde. "Shop," he said, planning to purchase a set of eleven System Smartphones to avoid the 'no shop' issue of the past several hours. "You'd be better with your eyes showing more often. I can figure something out. Here," he said casually, producing a new phone and tossing it in Ai's direction. "Starting at 25%. You can touch stuff now." As for her mention of 'date 3' as the possible time of sexual encounters, Yugi gave a mocking scoff. "The longer you wait, the worse it'll get. Iron's hot, Hayasaka."

Overall, Yugi seemed much more interested in leaving the office to reach the cleared Dungeon Break. Gojo would apparently wait on Makima's order, taking a moment to joke about before being told to escort the Players. Fully ready to drag them along by the usual method, he instead had to pick up a throne spawned beneath both Players by Yugi. "I'm not doing that again," Yugi claimed. Before they were moved, Yugi thought to join Miko's mention of a bucket. "You'll probably need something industrial. Maybe a tank."

Miko gave the quickest and dirtiest version of the situation surrounding the Players. Ai had been in her group of besties for years by this point, she'd be able to ask more detailed questions at a later time. In the same moments, Yugi was looking at her and she could feel his eyes moving over her skin. She'd showed those eyes of hers, that she normally kept under wraps for obvious reasons. HIs own were likely similar aside from being able to turn them off and on when necessary. Soon enough Yugi was calling the shop, and making phone purchases, soon enough the lad was tossing a phone her way which she caught with obvious excitement dancing across her face. "Finally!~ Sugei!~" she seemed a bit too excited to have a new electronic device in her hand, a moment like this would see Yugi getting a 3 percent increase in his Intimacy. "I get that. I do... I guess I'm going to yoga with Kaya-tan in the morning," she said in reply to that scoff. No matter, she'd see them when they returned.

Soon enough Gojo was being ordered to take the pair where they wished to go, with Yugi created a throne beneath them, Miko took the best seat available, directly in his lap tucked under his chin her whole back relaxing against his fore. "Hai, you're right♪!~" Miko said lightly as she waved goodbye. Ai, would only look a bit shocked. This girl had no sense of danger, but apparently given what she felt like that didn't matter, no... the trio would be off again, this time back to the Dungeon Break and where the fallen had been left. Apparently with two breaks happening in close timing, this one had been cleared well enough that it was left mostly undisturbed. The carcasses of spiders, ants and giant centipedes littered the ground along with all of the fallen from the raid the previous night. "I can hear it again♪~" Miko noted of the sounds of a battlefield of screams.

After tossing Ai that phone and ensuring he and Miko had a throne to ride on the coming trip, Yugi settled himself for the rise of more powerful Shadow Army members. Gojo had only been awaiting word from Makima. Once the Players were seated comfortably, he lifted that chair and carried the Players right through that broken door. As they were now, he didn't have to hold back nearly as much. They'd be moving through the air via that unorthodox method of his at much higher speeds than before, soon encroaching upon the Field-type Dungeon littered with the bodies of ants, spiders, Hunters and those three massive centipedes.

From his place on high, Yugi looked down with a wicked grin. Everything below them still carried that shadowy aura and a System display noting possible extraction. "You two gonna explain how you became so many people?" Gojo asked. "No. Go toward the spider queen. I want to try something," Yugi replied. With a shrug, Gojo obliged that request. The throne was taken to hover over the queen's corpse, and Yugi looked over it. "Arise," he said simply. They could hold 25 additional Shadow Soldiers at present, and the queen would become one of them as darkness exploded from her body, forming a near-identical entity made of black mana.

[SPIDER QUEEN LV. 5]
GRADE: ELITE

Gojo's eyes widened, and he lifted his blindfold again. Before he could think of any commentary however, Yugi was giving his first order. "Breed," he said first. The Spider Queen seemed to be trying to follow that order, but nothing was managed initially. That is... until Yugi's eyes took on that glow again. "Breed," he reiterated. With that, the giant spider was forced to produce 30 or so infant spiders tied to her will... all while she was tied to the Shadow Monarchs' will. "Good girl~"

Comfortably seated and then flying off at speeds way higher than the first time they'd moved in such a way. Miko rested in Yugi's lap as they approached the Field-Type Dungeon they'd previously decimated. Gojo was the good man, transporting them initially without question until they arrived where they needed to be. He questioned why they were so many people and Yugi chose not to answer, Miko did as well knowing it would soon enough be obvious. The first choice of raising was the Spider Queen, which Miko watched with the smallest smirk coming to her face. But by the time the Spider was raised, she was simply looking up and over her shoulder to see Gojo's face.

She figured surprise would be there, but the widening of that eye uncovered made her look up at him with smug satisfaction. "That's an interesting look on your face, Go-sei♪~" Miko said with the flirty detachment that she didn't normally possess. Still, they had things to do and with that in mind she'd be aiming to do that as quickly as possible. "Hm, takes the extra huh? Still, I'm glad it worked like I thought it would," Miko murmured softly. "Centipedes next?" she questioned knowing that she only really cared about one thing, she'd add a bit more to the end there. "Oh and do you see him or should I send one of the others to find him?" she asked almost thoughtfully. She fully intended to help raise the others, but there was only one body she really wanted in this case and it belonged previously to Sato Kenta.