Charles Patricius

Though Sakura missed a lot of things one should consider common knowledge, she seemingly had the hang of post-coital intimacy. She slid her way into the space provided, and he wrapped that arm around her upper body. He thought nothing of that, but soon... something strange would occur ─ even multiple things. Hiruko used his free hand to detach the leash from her collar. In doing so, he caught another glimpse of some nearly-glowing thing just under the collar. That was another thing he'd have to ignore for now. Little did Hiruko know, he'd eventually make a discovery whenever he checked those pictures again.

Before any of that, the pair would rest for the morning. Sakura listed her experiences with the mentioned activities. It sounded like they could do well with a bit of everything listed, except... a movie. Actually, Sakura asked what a movie was, in perhaps the strangest moment Hiruko had ever been witness to. Not knowing what movies were while living in this century, was odd beyond all reason. Living under a rock didn't cover that sort of ignorance. "Ehh... 'odd' isn't even the half of it. You're not serious, right? Everyone knows what movies are. Or do you just mean you've never been to a theater? Because we could just find one to watch here instead."

Participating in post-coital cuddling was an active thought for Sakura. She wouldn't have participated in such a thing, if it had been Kakihara asking for it, as... he wasn't the type of person she wanted to lay beside. Hiruko had special priviledges, ones Sakura noticed as he removed the leash from her collar and appeared to be looking for a bit longer than normal. 'Oh? I wonder how much he can see? I suppose that puts a rush on the idea that he might be a bit too developed for this world,' Sakura mused internally. Even so, there was the matter of their actual day.

In this moment, Sakura got to see someone be astounded by a question. She became aware that the question might have been a bit too displaced from her current understanding of the world. The look on his face and his reaction said that whatever movies were, they were ubiquitous in this society. She could piece it together, it was something to watch, presumably for entertainment. And they were things that could be watched in theaters which she assumed were specialized places or even at home. "Too bizarre a question..." she mused as if logging that away as knowledge for later usage. She could definitely get a more legitimate answer from someone else. "I think I understand... I can't say I've seen such a thing and I have more questions but, I can't say no to a new experience..." she clarified her own understanding and was willing to let that go. She didn't even know about things like genres, special effects, or actors and actresses and surely this would come up later but, for now she was at least open to the experience.

For all the questions Sakura tended to ask, she equally created a lot of questions about her identity. To ask about something as widely-known as movies, she raised more questions than ever. Where was she really from? She had all the makings of some secret princess from Kyoto, from an old monarchy waiting for its time to rise again. If he wanted to entertain the thought of something more sci-fi, he'd even assume she was thrown out of time, flung into a distant future from her time of birth. "Bizarre question, bizarre girl..." Hiruko commented absently. Whatever the case, he couldn't register Sakura as a threat. As such, he closed his eyes right then and there. "But that's alright. Rest up, and we'll check out all that stuff later. Oyasumi~"

While Hiruko was falling asleep, Kazuhiko was waking up. A late night meant little to his time of rising ─ especially when he had reason to be excited for the day. It seemed, after all the hullabaloo of yesterday, he'd fallen asleep facing Angelica in bed. Whether she was the only one present or not, he didn't know. Kazu's eyes peeled open slowly before he realized what was in store today, at which point a massive burst of energy struck him. "Cards!" he exclaimed abruptly. Card games were in the near future. A shopping trip was necessary first, but surely that could be taken care of before the local card shop opened. "Angie!"

A bizarre question, posed by a bizarre girl... that was Hiruko's assessment of Sakura. He wasn't wrong at all and Sakura had nothing negative to say about it, "That is fair as an understanding," she commented almost absently. She'd allowed her eyes to close as she remained cuddled up against Hiruko, seeming to enjoy every moment of being so close. She could feel his mana circuits beneath his skin and even hear his heart beating. Apparently, they'd be checking out all of the things later, which was fine fine with Sakura, a new kind of learning and adventure. "Oyasuminasai, Hirrun♥!~" the girl murmured as she began to drift. There was something to this, she definitely had to try out again later it was going to be an interesting day, experiencing 'sex friendship' the way it was intended.

Meanwhile, an early morning was on the horizon for one Kimura Kazuhiko. He awoke while staring into the face of Angelica. She was continuing to have her body changing for the sake of coverting herself into a human. Still, she had just drifted back in when he yelled for cards. Her eyes opened and they were a unique shade of blue green with little almost white stars in the corners. "Chuck, it's first thing in the morning, you're going to wake everyone!" she said also not sparing any real noise. "Too late Ruri-chan," came the voice of Ai from the other side who was sleeping cuddled up with Kaguya. "Ugh, uncomfy big spoon, Ai-nee..." Kaguya griped. Girls first thing in the morning were rather interesting. There were however a few missing from this scenario. Kei who'd woken and had a shower while everyone else was asleep, who'd been at the very end of the bed against Kaguya's fore and Chika who was still in the living room on the floor with a fresh cup of water still cuddled up in blankets. Beyond those points one Iino Miko was currently in the kitchen and she was... cooking breakfast in the form of rice bowls with two fried eggs and green onions for the lot. The smell of that was drifting from the kitchen into the bedroom.

Angelica didn't understand. If the day ahead contained an opportunity for a group outing that involved trading cards, Kazuhiko could not be calmed. Yes, it was early in the morning ─ just after sunrise. On the other hand, they had a lot of daylight to burn. "Well it's not like you're any quieter, Luviagelita!" he replied instantly. Ah, but it didn't matter. A voice came from behind Kazu, notably that of Hayasaka Ai. Falling asleep several hours before had been such a surreal event that he'd lost track of who all was present. Kaguya's voice also presented itself. Had most of the group fallen asleep in one bed? That seemed to be the case when Kazu rolled over to see a row of two on the other side. "Not important! Card game day!"

With that exclamation, Kazu sprung up. He hadn't a single article of clothing on his body, but that was something that would be fixed in time. For now, he'd just hop out of bed while thinking about the coming shower. "Anyway, first thing in the morning! Shopping to do, cards to play, fun to have! It's your first day out, Ang! Get hype!" he said further. Meanwhile, Miko was not alone in the kitchen. Yuuya was present, insisting that he be of use by chopping scallions for garnish in Miko's dish. "I never thought to make something so simple with common, cheap ingredients like this. It's a good way to stretch things for this big group," he observed aloud.

Angelica apparently wasn't being any quieter than Kazuhiko. And this was pointed out by him as he called her by her first name. "Chuck you are walking the line. Don't start!" she exclaimed. Both of them seeming to be pretty lively first thing in the morning, at least that is what Ai thought as she continued to lounge about. Kaguya couldn't help but snicker but stayed out of the conversation of newlyweds. Apparently all of this was not important as it was card game day. Angelica managed to sigh as she finally sat up and stretched and yawned. "Yes, I get that part... we all heard you. I am sure everyone in the area heard you..." she said in her usual way. Well, she couldn't really be any different than she normally was, and he fully acknowledged that it was first thing in the morning and that she was supposed to get hype. "I barely know what that means. But I'm working on it," she said quickly.

Still Kazuhiko was up and out of bed headed for a shower as the rest of the girls sprawled out for a few extra minutes. What he couldn't know however was that the bathroom door would be opening shortly before he arrived to reveal Kei, with freshly washed hair. She was currently dressed in a black skirt and a light blue Dream Eater T-shirt that was far too tight, but looked fairly normal with her usual ribbon being properly adjusted as she came out of the bathroom. Once again, the mirrors had been fixed so she felt comfortable with the way she looked as she stepped out. She would be surprised to see him and be quiet for a moment as she focused on his face. "I'm sorry about yesterday!" she blurted out quickly. It'd been something weighing on her since then but soon after she ran off again, this time headed for the living room to escape any more embarrassment of herself.

Meanwhile Miko stood atop a chair in front of the stove. A large pot of rice had cooked in the back and she was currently frying eggs and placing the finished ones on a flat sheet next to her. Currently she was wearing an oversized cow themed hoodie with a cow's head as the hood completely with little decorative horns. It would seem she was quite fond of such cute little things. And even though it had previously been quite big on her, it was snuggling in a bit closer on her curves though it managed to hang down to about mid-thigh sudden movements made it ride a bit high. Like... the moving of the eggs she was frying. "Hai, it's definitely a good stretch, it is actually pretty filling too. But I can't take responsibility for it. My mom said she had this a lot while she was studying in Korea, so she made it a lot for me when I was little. And I... made it for the group a few times so I know they'll eat it," she said happily. "Still, it's nice to have some help, and long arms... places really aren't made for me to have a reasonable time. Thanks for helping out, Tenjou-kun," she offered appreciatively. Miko was polite enough not to cross any unnecessary boundaries with anyone who didn't want to be involved and currently only realized that Yuuya could use friends. They were already taking up a lot of space in his house, so she'd remain on friendly terms. At the same time the front door was opening as Hayami Saori entered the building while pulling out headphones and putting away her phone. "Tadaima!" she made her presence known as she took off her shoes and entered the kitchen. She'd had a shower before heading back so she wasn't worried about being offensive, and she'd gotten in a good morning workout while all the kids, with the exception of Miko were still in bed.

Without much more to say, Kazu was making his way toward the bathroom. He had hopes that Angelica would eventually understand the cause for hype, if not regarding card games, then regarding something adventurous. This would be her first day not spent inside. Well, Aincrad may have had some pretend version of outdoors, but that didn't count at all. Kazuhiko himself was excited to see the moment she finally got out; that was one thing he'd pay maximum attention to. Alas, they would first have to make ready. Kazu approached the bathroom with full confidence, only to be halted at the door by the appearance of... Kei, whom he had a little 'incident' with the day before. There he was, fully nude in front of the clothed girl again. This didn't go well last time. "Oh... uh... I─" Before Kazu managed anything, Kei was blurting out a quick apology and running off again. He stood thereafter with a hand extended, reaching nothing but air. That wasn't a conversation at all. Moreover, what was she apologizing for? Kazu had been trying to make sense of interactions with that girl, but it wasn't working at all.

Meanwhile, Yuuya was chopping away at the ends of multiple green onions ─ one large for each bowl in progress. He hadn't done much looking in Miko's direction, choosing instead to continue fine chopping until done. Ah, but they'd begun something of a conversation. Surely he couldn't keep eyes completely focused on the work; the brunette was perhaps the least terrifying person to speak with in this group. "I... I think it'll go well too. These are all staple ingredients, so they can't─" Whatever Yuuya intended to say was lost, all due to the fact that he'd turned just slightly. He'd seen what Miko was wearing before, obviously. What he hadn't seen, was the superior angle that came from her placement atop that chair. Suddenly, a hoodie that was already form-fitting was more like a minidress showing nothing but curves and bare legs in the line of sight Yuuya assumed would be toward Miko's face when turning. "Eh?!" he blurted. That outburst may have been due to the surprise, or it may have been because he'd sliced through a finger when chopping ─ which itself was definitely due to the surprise. Well, he'd be trying to act as if that didn't happen. The onion he cut was scrapped, thrown off the cutting board right away as he pressed his thumb against the cut to prevent additional blood leakage. Most importantly, Yuuya was trying to keep his gaze averted from then on. "Iia, iia! I should help. You shouldn't have to cook, and you're doing it for so many people. I want to do my part if possible. I'll uh... be another minute on the onions; I need to get another one."

That quick interaction between Kazuhiko and Kei, left her feeling triumphant if only for a moment. 'Yes! I did it, I apologized for freaking out!' she thought to herself only to get into the living room and have the rest of her thoughts register. 'Wait! I didn't say why I was apologizing. I probably just sounded crazy. I fucked up again!' she thought seeming to make her hands into fists and stomp off to flop onto the couch. 'I can't go back now!' she thought absently. "Okaerinasai, Hayami-san," she offered Saori who entered. Miko having heard her called out appropriately. "I'm making breakfast do you want some?" she asked of the woman directly. "Hai, I'll take some thanks!" she said walking towards the kitchen though she did pause and look at Kei. She knew a girl in distress when she saw one, and though she wasn't totally sure of what caused it she did have gentle words to offer. "Keep trying. It gets better..." she said knowing what it was like to not be able to communicate properly.

While Kei sat and pouted, Miko stood on her chair and continued frying eggs while conversing with Yuuya about the food they were making. Theirs was such a normal conversation she didn't think about what she looked like at all. She'd never garnered any attention in the kinds of clothes she preferred wearing around the house, she saw them as modest and without anything remotely sexualized, and as such she had no idea the lad had distracted himself with her. He was speaking on the nature of staple ingredients and how they all worked only to sound surprised. She looked over from her frying eggs to note a cut finger. "Careful, Tenjou-kun. Let me see..." she all but demanded of the lad as the continued to talk. Taking care of wounds was pretty normal for her and she didn't even freak out. "It's fine if they take another minute, but let me see your finger. I have to cook extra eggs anyways..." she said as she moved the set off the pan as they finished and took a moments break to have a look at his finger properly. "Also, I am used to cooking for people by now, it isn't really a big deal. And I still appreciate the help, you can relax you're doing plenty, Tenjou-kun," Miko wished to assure the lad of his helpfulness.

Confusion from interactions was Kazuhiko's destiny at this point in life. The way Kei apologized for unknown reasons and darted away, it would have been weird of him to follow and seek information ─ especially whilst nude. Oh well; he'd just have to take a shower and move on. While he did so, Yuuya was in the kitchen apparently failing to hide a cut finger. The last thing he needed was the approach of Miko to offer assistance. The very same body to cause his reaction should not have been so close, yet Yuuya couldn't even open his mouth quickly enough to stop it. "Uh! It's fine, really! I'll just get a bandage and come back to help," he insisted skittishly. "You're all going through a lot from what I hear, so I'll do anything I can to lessen the load."

In that same moment, Saori was being followed into the house. Marisbury Animusphere himself was once again entering this abode, trailing right behind Saori as if they'd come back together. Of course they hadn't, but Marisbury wasn't concerned with that particular visual. When the purple-haired woman spoke to Kei, he made his presence known by speaking. "It also gets worse. You'll understand soon enough that those worries are all for naught. The same goes for him," he said, gesturing with his head toward the kitchen where Yuuya stood.

The confusion of teens was something which actually humanized them to a certain extent. Even so, it was something for them to work through on their own. At the same time, Miko had a very easy time figuring out that Yuuya had injured himself and was willing to look after him as a member of their friend group. If he wished to stop Miko's approach it was far too late to do so by words alone. She'd set down her spatula off to the side of the stove and hopped down from her chair. Back at her usual small body size, she stood before him with her cheeks puffy while she looked up at him. "I am definitely group healer, you know? You want to help us, and you've done a lot already Tenjou-kun. But friendship is reciprocity so let us look after you too. We're not the only ones having a hard time," she said her hands open before her. If he acquiesced she'd find herself playing with a little magic. She could easily manipulate her own mana, and force it forward to close the wound on Yuuya's finger. It was oddly draining on this side, but it was a test worth doing nonetheless.

Meanwhile, Kei was left momentarily comforted by the words of Hayami Saori, before a voice broke both of their concentration. "How long have you been behind me?" Saori said. Not noticing something like that was almost jarring after being a battle hardened warrior for hundreds of years. Kei, was no where near balanced enough to have such a reaction even if his words were meant to help her. "You should announce yourself!" she demanded in a very tsundere way. Meanwhile, as Miko attempted to tend to Yuuya's finger cut, she heard a voice which made her eyes get really big and the light within them seem to jump. There was an odd connection between her ears and loins, related to that voice. "Mari-sa, you're supposed to warn me if you're going to randomly start talking♪~" she said but there was something a little amused about her voice. "Do you want breakfast?" she asked not knowing how or why he was here, but seemingly still all about looking after everyone present.