<Nocturnal Harmonia>

And so, a nighttime celebration was decided, and an invitation indirectly given. Alas, Yugi was not yet ready to accept or deny the offer. He looked to Miyuki, then to Kaguya, then to Miyuki again. Neither had anything to say about his introduction. Both seemed completely lost, actually. Was everyone really so uncultured? Thinking about how Kaguya was, he couldn't really be surprised... but two people in one house who'd never even heard the meme? Ridiculous! "DoA, huh..." he murmured while releasing Miyuki's hand. Miyuki decided to ignore the oddities of this lad, addressing Kaguya instead. "Umm... yeah. Everything went fine. HQ says there are four other high-ranking Gates in the area since we went in, though. Ours was just a little weird. They say there's rarely the kind of monster variety we saw in there, but the haul was the biggest yet for our team. I'm thinking we could use a new car~" Miyuki teased to express the latest raid's monetary value.

Just as he presumed, Akechi Rikuya was considered a food item by the girl he accompanied. Beyond that, she apparently couldn't wait to find out what kind of food he was. That was... rather direct, he thought, wearing a slightly bashful face. "Oh. Well... I would hope something on the tastier side of things. Maybe a bit healthy too? I actually don't know what I'd be, or what I'd want to be for that matter," he rambled. Realizing he was getting away from himself again, Rikuya fell to silence once more. It seemed there was indeed a friendship blossoming for a reason they both shared. Being understood was far less common than it should be; Rikuya believed that. "I should probably treat things the same. Let's give it a go then, shall we? Yoroshiku onegaishimasu~" he decided. Moving on from that, Miko joined the general population by deciding Rikuya gave 'princely' vibes. He sighed, rubbing the back of his head anxiously and averting his gaze. It was indeed weird for someone to not know who he was. Technically speaking, most of his life had been spent under the limelight. Weirder still was hearing about his own demeanor from the lass. "I don't think I'm much of a prince myself. Though, honestly, I'm not sure what makes someone 'princely' either. I'll just have to take your word for it; it's the best word I've had to go by thus far. Besides, how can I argue while knowing the extremes you go to for a friend? I should just be glad to be counted among the lucky ones. Oh but... I should also do my best for you, shouldn't I? That's another thing I have to learn more about..."

Yugi was looking back and forth between Kaguya and Miyuki and by his look the lass was more certain she'd missed some reference. She was often the one who did such things, as she didn't actively participate in many of internet related memes unless her friends told her of them. "Gomen, not familiar with that one~" Kaguya offered. Fair enough she was redirecting her attention, she was here for news updates. There were now four active gates in the area... that explained all the noise she'd heard earlier which lead to her finding Miko and Yugi outside. "Sou ka, that's a lot for here... still, I guess it's good to know. And it's good you guys got a good haul," Kaguya said finding the news interesting enough to not cut him off. As for the prospect of a new vehicle. "I mean you're the one doing most of the driving. If you want a new car, you're the one earning it~" Kaguya said. They didn't often discuss financials or anything like that, so she wasn't one to press what he used his money on.

At the same time, Miko found it amusing that the lad found himself an odd choice of food. Miko heard him rambling and thought it cute, what kind of food he was, what he wanted to be... said a lot of his personality to her. Miko had but one thing to say about his choices... "All those would be okay, it doesn't really require that kind of deep dive. You're gonna be delicious, trust me♪~" she chirped, feeling it as the truth. Beyond this he was apparently willing to give a fair shot at being Miko's friend or rather Misaki's in this case. Miko figured if it came down to it, she'd tell him the whole truth but that was a lot to put on a person that she wouldn't really want to throw someone into if they didn't want to be involved. "Hai, let's be great friends♪~" Miko offered of herself freely. Hearing what he had to say about his 'princely' attributes, Miko gave pause. She could understand why he wouldn't really know or understand the attributes, sometimes it was hard to understand yourself. "Well, 'princely' is a pretty common achetype in the games I like to play. They have a lot of ranges but the staples include being both vulnerable emotionally, strong or with a heavy sense of justice, usuallly with huge accomplishments but also personable and/or a heartthrob. You're accomplished enough to have a nickname, a detective and nice enough to see a random girl home even though you could be doing anything else... I think that makes you awesome♪~" Miko told the lad without hesitation. still she blushed when thinking about the mention of being a good friend to her. "I've been learning stuff like that too... I'll try my best and help you out. That's what friends are like. Also feel free to rely upon your friends, even if that means, having explicit permission to use them as an excuse to get you out of an uncomfortable situation or... if it means running out to grab dinner. Whatever feels right for you... or at least that's what all my friends say," she mentioned with a smile on her face. Upon reaching a corner store Miko stopped and looked at her phone. "One sec, I'll just be a minute!" she said and quickly slipped into the store. With a shift change taking place she rather easily used her phone to produce the two large bags of goceries which she picked. "Thanks for holding these for me!~" she chirped as she made eye contact with a store clerk only to head back out, with those bags in hand.

Neither Kaguya nor Miyuki had an understanding of the 'Leeroy Jenkins' meme. Kaguya at least had a general idea what it was, but... Miyuki was too much the 'upstanding citizen' type who didn't grasp a thing about video games. As he saw it, the name Leeroy Jenkins was just a weird alias for someone who refused to use their real name. He thought that, and Yugi could see it in his face. Well, it seemed Yugi was fated to become the third wheel for now anyway. No matter. He'd leave the pair to their pre-maritals or whatever they sought, removing himself from the immediate area to observe from a few meters away. "It is a lot. They've even called in Lost Galaxy to clear one of them. We saw them on our way out," Miyuki explained about the Gate situation. As for their potential new car, Miyuki considered the purchase while stripping off his jacket. "Well you'll be the one riding, so you get a say. What do you think? Extra leg room this time?"

Meanwhile, Rikuya was given much to consider. There was mostly the matter of him being food, Miko's certainty about his flavor, and the continued implications as such. "I get the feeling I'm being signed-up for something terrifying. Should I be preparing myself mentally?" he wondered aloud. They continued discussing matters of friendship, the meaning of being princely, and what one could expect of a friendship with Miko. Rikuya learned much in a few minutes, and there was much more to learn still. Ah, but he'd first be instructed to wait while Miko entered the store she'd been leading them to. He thought it was strange that she didn't want company entering the building, but did as requested nonetheless. He'd pass the time by searching his phone and... finding something rather interesting that he wouldn't address just yet. . .

The lack of real name given was one thing, but the oddity of the choice was one left out. Still the casual conversation persisted and Yugi was left looking like a standard house guest as Miyuki got comfortable in his abode while having the end of work conversation with his future wife. Kaguya for her part in this conversation was interested in all the stuff being said. "Sou ka, they called in those guys must be some pretty dangerous stuff going on then. But they have a great clear rate~" she said at the mention of 'Lost Galaxy'. Still if things were being proactively handled there wasn't much to worry about. As for the purchase of a new vehicle, "Well, I'm never one to say no to leg room. But it isn't a necessity or anything, but if you want to splurge because you're having a good time. I support a few happiness purchases~" Kaguya said honestly. Would she have spent money on a car, well she didn't drive so it wasn't a question she could answer directly. Still, she'd be doing quite the good job.

Rikuya was having quite the interesting time, his words about Miko's food related analogy were ones which made Miko giggle melodically as she did. "Heheahaha♪~" she couldn't help it. "I don't think anyone has ever thought of me and terrifying in the same moment. I don't think I'm signing you up for anything like that... but luck favors the prepared, Akechi-san♪~" Miko teased. Still, she was able to talk to him more and keep the pair of them in reasonably good spirits. By the time she stopped at the store, she'd asked him to wait outside mostly so she could gather her 'Inventory' based groceries without just mateiralizing them in front of anyone. It was smooth sailing and within a moment or two she'd walked back out of that door with two large resuable grocery bags in hand. Ground meats, vegetables, a bag of rice, seasonings and everything necessary for her hamburg steak inside and the necessary ingredients to make Purin as well. She was very pleased with herself and would be once she stepped out. "Gomen, I didn't want to drag you along just for a pickup. I'm just headed down there. We can break at the corner and exchange numbers♪~" Miko offered playfully. She was more than willing to carry her own groceries and by her own logic figured she might have to given she'd gotten them out of the inventory.

"They do. Their rates are even better than ours," Miyuki agreed over the Lost Galaxy topic. Since someone else was listening in, however, he decided to add an extra clause. "But, we have a lot more teams taking on a lot more variety. They have multiple S-ranks on the same team," he threw in, all for Yugi to... not care at all what he was talking about. No, Yugi was quite busy with other things. Whenever Miyuki didn't have him in his sights, Yugi was sneaking glances at the disheveled Kaguya and appreciating the look. Whenever he got the chance, he'd definitely be mentioning it to her. Before any of that, however, it seemed Miyuki was content to guide everyone toward the living room. Yugi followed along if only to avoid awkward loneliness as the house guest... though he notably didn't follow Miyuki, choosing instead to linger behind Kaguya.

Rikuya's wait wasn't a very long one at all. It even seemed as if Miko merely walked in, traveled toward some random location in the store, and walked out with a full shopping list in tow. He'd noticed her looking at her phone along the way. Maybe she was familiar enough with this specific store to order her items online ahead of time without issue. People seemed to be raving about that sort of thing lately, so he wouldn't think twice about it. "Oya? That was quicker than I expected," he observed, slipping his phone back into its home pocket. Miko presented the idea of exchanging numbers at the corner, and he took no issue with it. Nodding confirmation, he reached out with every intention of grabbing at least one of her bags. "Sure. And here, let me get those for you."

Lost Galaxy was a group who had a great clearance rate and some caveats. But one would note that Miyuki obviously had some unresolved feelings about group. He went on to clarify the caveats pointing out that the group in question had great rates but also had multiple S-ranked Hunters to go along with it, "Yeah, but they were all friends before... it kind of just makes sense for them to keep their group together~" Kaguya said as if it was perfectly reasonable. Well, she'd met at least one member of such a group. "Besides, keeping everyone safe from Dungeon Breaks isn't necessarily a competition. Everyone's on the same side~" Kaguya mentioned. Well, that was how people who played Dungeon Master often saw things, cooperative gameplay didn't require unnecessary animosity between players or anything like that. Still as they headed back to the living room, Kaguya could feel Yugi's eyes on her... not literally but she was sure he was watching. It made her squirm lightly tugging at her dress so subtly as if to straighten it out, but she was also a tease so maybe a little flash of flesh would occur as well?

While people may have been flashed flesh, a normal bit of shopping, or rather as normal as shopping could get for a pair of Players with a secret shop could get occurred for Miko. She'd managed to get all the ingredients she'd wanted. Apparently, this whole ordeal was quicker than Akechi might have thought it would be, which made Miko smile. "Modern conveniences... don't you get to use them quite a bit yourself? I mean famous people usually get a PA or something to handle the little stuff..." she questioned lightly. He was a pretty famous guy surely he would have had a personal assistant or an errand runner at least someone to go into public places instead of him to avoid crowds. Still they agreed to exchange numbers for later, and he asked Miko for her bag to carry at least one of them causing Miko to pause. 'I tried handing Ai my phone and it ended up back in my Inventory, it'd be really awkward to explain that sort of thing with a whole grocery bag. But it'd also be pretty weird to not let someone be nice to me...' Miko found herself in a strange place and decided to test and maybe have to quick grab it out of the Inventory a second time, just to avoid any problems. "You really don't have to, I'm a lot stronger than I look. I promise♪~ But also thank you..." she mentioned. Holding out the bag containing all the meats and the light but keeping her hand on the strap for a few seconds while testing his ability to hold it. Drawing away like she was prepared to grab at it again. But if it landed in his hands, she'd be heading back towards the house she grew up in.

"They were. I'm sure they would have been a band by now if Gates didn't start appearing," Miyuki mused. He had some very basic thoughts about the Lost Galaxy Guild, but within those was a defense for his own group and image. Their multiple S-ranks stacked against his group unfavorably. Though he'd made it into one of the major guilds, Miyuki didn't have a steady S-rank on his own team. Ah, but Kaguya decided to remind him things weren't a competition. Of course he knew that. Of course... "You're right; it's all for the greater good. I was just offering some details for our friend here. You're not awakened yet, right? If you do, you'll want this kind of information!" he suggested to Yugi. At that time, Yugi was following behind Kaguya and having much better things to think about. She could surely feel his gaze at her backside, hence the gentle pulling at her dress. Miyuki had looked over his shoulder at the other two for a moment, but only a moment. While he was looking away, Yugi felt something interesting might happen. 'Is she actually about to do what I think she is? Did I get that far in?' he wondered. Ah, but there were clauses for him to address aloud. "I'm just a guy. If I do awaken, I think I'd go for... a really tight team, you know? Something with big, meaty defenses on either side so I can drive down the middle and ram in some damage~" he said specifically for Kaguya's understanding. "That's... an interesting way to put it, but yes. You can absolutely find that kind of thing with the right guild," Miyuki said after a moment of hesitation.

Speaking of hesitation, Rikuya would soon witness a bit. First came Miko's mention of personal assistants and the like, which he... should've had, if not for some caveats. "Sad to say, I don't get an assistant. I don't think there are many people I could really get along with in that regard anyway. If you know anyone who'd be looking for the position, I'm still open to the idea of doing interviews. It would be nice to take a load off every once in awhile," he chattered. Rikuya was a capable detective working under the Prime Minister directly, but he was closer to a personal assistant than he was to being someone in possession of one. Now, for the hesitation... it was Miko's second thoughts about letting him grab her bags. It seemed to Rikuya like the normal reaction of someone trying not to be a burden, but he'd have none of that. "I'm sure you're more than capable, but it wouldn't feel right not doing my part if I'm insisting on walking with you. This is the least I can do in exchange for invading your privacy," he said while, interestingly enough, taking up that first bag with no issues whatsoever. In fact, he'd even be reaching for the other thereafter. "Besides... if there's a sudden Dungeon Break nearby, I'll have to pass them back to you anyway. Though I'm hoping that doesn't happen, it's worth keeping in mind that it may be temporary~"

"Well most of them are still writing music... maybe when things calm down a concert or two will pop up~" Kaguya thought happily. She wouldn't mind a concert with the information she had given Miko's secret identity. Whatever the case, she'd reminded Miyuki that life between different guilds wasn't necessarily a competition. "Oya? Just some details, huh?~" Kaguya said her voice light and teasing but she knew better. She also kept an eye on Miyuki making sure she knew where his eyes were. And when they finally turned back forward, knowing Yugi's gaze was on her, she lifted her dress to flash him for just a second before allowing it to fall again. All of this happened to coincide with some odd speech from the lad by the time they moved along. "I bet~" Kaguya said finding that amusing. To Miyuki she had something different to say, "He doesn't strike me as the sort who'll join a guild. More the energy of someone who'd start his own..." she offered as a mild observation. Kaguya could see the benefits of not having to bend to anyone else's rules if one had the right start up idea.

In chatting with Rikuya, Miko was technically finding out more interesting things. Even though he was famous he didn't get along with a lot of people. As such he didn't have an assistant or anything like that. "Sou ka, I get that... I also don't easily get along with people. But... if I come across anyone who would suit you, I'll let you know♪~" Miko asserted earnestly. She knew having a good person on hand, on your side was a good thing no matter what. Ah, but there was something else, the bags she was holding on to might not have been capable of being passed along, but Miko would find that after that first bag left her hand, it didn't disappear, and instead he was reaching for the next one. "If you insist. I don't mind... I just really don't like being a burden. I freak out when I'm not doing my own part... Arigatou, Akechi-san♪~" Miko chirped softly. Ah but there was more she'd be finding out. If there was a Dungeon Break or something similar she'd be given back her bags regardless, according to Akechi. "Are Dungeon Breaks really that common? And wait are you a Hunter too?" Miko asked seemingly curious.

A concert by Lost Galaxy would be a sight for sore eyes. Miyuki remembered the days of that group making music, entertaining the masses... before everything went to hell. There was even another among them ─ one who either fell to the Gates or hid herself away in the shadows of a rising guild. If they could all come back together, he'd see it as a sign of better times. "I think it would be like the end of a war. But these Gates aren't getting any easier. The only silver lining is that we benefit from them too," Miyuki chattered. Meanwhile, Yugi was prodding with a few key words meant to hint at things only Kaguya knew, based solely on their time spent together this night. Whether those statements had anything to do with her decision or not, that dress soon lifted to reveal her bare backside to the lad. How very dangerous, and how very... corrupt of her that was. Kaguya had the right idea as well. Yugi wouldn't join someone else's guild. No, he'd always take the independent route until something better became possible. "I'd definitely start my own. I need the freedom, and the ability to recruit cheerleaders," he stated plainly, yet cheekily. Miyuki laughed at the notion as they all reached the living room. "Fronting a guild is really expensive, you know? Besides that, you probably wouldn't get any cheerleaders. I'll be right back. Toilet~" he said, sauntering off to the restroom while Yugi seated himself on the couch. Of course, he was still watching Kaguya whenever Miyuki's gaze was away. He even had some final words to share while the blonde walked off. "I'm betting I could get at least one cheerleader♥~"

In the meantime, Rikuya was claiming one bag and reaching for the other. It didn't matter to him what Miko said about being a burden, as that clause went both ways. Besides, it was yet another moment of similarity between them. "I know exactly what you mean. Which is why, Aoyama-san, I want to carry the bags~" he insisted. Further they went while Rikuya kept hold of both bags, with Miko questioning Dungeon Breaks and his identity as a Hunter. Such questions were so very strange, even knowing she wasn't aware before. "They aren't really that common, but Gates have been so frequent lately that some have gone under the radar. It's harder to tell lately when a Gate first appeared, so the time before a break is more guess work than anything sometimes. And, yes, I am a Hunter. S-rank. I'm not used to telling people that," he said as if pleased by the occurrence.

A concert would indeed be quite the awesome thing, but until such a thing were possible and a missing piece of the puzzle appeared again it was just a hope maintained by the population at large. Miyuki claimed it would be something like the end of a war, "Or the start of one♥~" Kaguya said a smirk appearing on her face for unknown reasons. "It's good that there are benefits though, it'd be a shame for the Gates to get past people too often~" Kaguya claimed. She could see the flaw in Dungeon design coming, a kind of power creep caused by the limited number of specific things, but that wasn't currently worth the extra thought. What was worth it though, was the words of Yugi definitely agreeing with the idea that he wouldn't be the type to go along with an already established guild. He wanted to recruit cheerleaders and it made Kaguya chuckle just a bit, but Miyuki would always be a naysayer. Starting a guild was expensive, and cheerleaders weren't likely, he claimed only to excuse himself to the toilet. "I bet it is expensive," Kaguya thought but that wasn't really an issue, as Miyuki excused himself she simply nodded. "Hai hai," she said to his leave as she watched Yugi take his seat on the couch. It would appear he thought he'd get himself at least one cheerleader, which he mentioned aloud, which would also earn him a smirk as Kaguya watched Miyuki disappear down the hall. "Well at least one is probably fine~" she said with a bit of cheek of course, she knew she looked quite the mess so she'd be tossing her hair around to free it to fall around her shoulders and by the time Miyuki disappeared she with an eye on Yugi would be standing directly in front as if prepping the table for future drinking and the like. "Thanks♥~" she whispered to the lad for his nice save.

While one pair clicked another pair had a similar kind of understanding. Rikuya understood Miko's type of skittishness. She really didn't like the idea of being a burden so even as they began to move again he clarified that his similar feels were why he'd carry the bags. "Hai... it's still so odd. Having someone get me so early on♪~" Miko chirped but still she'd be happy to accompany with free hands she quickly tapped her phone in her pocket while questioning a few of the mechanics of the world she'd been absent from for over a year. In that moment it became obvious that Rikuya was quite the important individual. "Sou ka... I suppose if there are a lot of them popping up it would make sense that they were harder to keep track of, I guess then no one can sense the mana of an opening gate or something like that?" Miko wondered. Her current level of perception had her mildly aware of mana, it had an almost white noise quality in her ears, but she wouldn't be explaining that to anyone just yet. Still she noted the happiness of Akechi at being asked about his rank and actually having to confirm that information, "I'm glad I could offer you some pleasant new experiences, Akechi-san♪~" Miko confirmed all the while she was looking around her ears prickling but her heart mostly at ease. Even when she wasn't talking she didn't feel like this was a bad silence or anything like that. "Are S-ranks really rare? I feel like I should assume they are and that I shouldn't just expect to bump into them all the time..." she asked softly. "Oh and sorry if I'm asking too many questions... I kind of go off on tangents a lot and ask things as they pop-up in my head without thinking about context," she admitted earnestly. It was part of why teachers thought her 'disruptive'. Such questions would be asked in the time taken to reach that corner for the pair who walked at a casual pace.