Charles Patricius

Aihara was somehow caught between the best final day of work, and the worst. He had no qualms about what was happening to him, apart from the fact that such things repeatedly impacted his work life and social standing. Already several prefectures deep on moving from place to place, he couldn't afford to move again. Such was life for the young man, and such was... basically the only negative to having Konomi land on him as she did. "Iia... it's no problem. This always happens. It's a nice view you should be proud of," he said, sounding oddly defeated. If this condition of his happened to be magical, he only hated it more. How cruel could fate be to a single man? Oh well. It didn't seem as if anyone witnessed the event this time, so perhaps he could go on with his day. Konomi was trying to remove herself from him, so he used that same time to push up onto his elbows. All the while, Miko was out in the entryway asking if everyone was ready to move on. "I seem to have misplaced something. It should only be a minute," said Soma.

Regarding Hiruko's tattoo, he could neither confirm nor deny that it appeared during sexual activity. It wasn't something he remembered feeling, but something he saw in a reflection after gaining consciousness. "Maybe?" was the most confirmation he could give. When the time came to showcase its more 'magical' side, however, he could provide a great deal of proof. In the midst of his mental musing, Hiruko received a text. He was given a warning that he only had six days left. Sakura may have gotten the point from just that, but he wasn't quite done. "There's more," the blonde said, still thinking. What if he showed up late, on day seven or so? Or... what if he visited early, but used it as a ploy to permanently escape in the aftermath? Hiruko's schemes were unending. Surely one of them had a chance of working... right?

Aihara was having a difficult time. He'd been made into a physical cushion but in exchange he was given an up close and personal view of Konomi's rear. And also a pretty decent feel for it. Though she had the grace to be a bit embarrassed for ending up exposed to this man twice in a single day, he didn't have any disparaging words for her. He claimed it was a view to be proud of and claimed that this always happened. "Arigatou na. I know I probably don't have good standing to say something considering but... maybe make sure to enjoy it if it always happens, ja ne Aihara-san," Konomi managed. She didn't want him to be discouraged. She didn't have the full story, but it seemed that this kind of outcome was one he was used to seeing. She had nothing negative to say about his reaction as he was quite encouraging to her directly. She'd also had no problems with him as her manager for the time period she'd been working. Regardless, she managed to pull herself off him and head out, she had a phone to return. As for the group, it would seem Soma had misplaced something, he wanted a minute for it. Miko gave a casual shrug, as Chika was also being restored at the time and if she could carry herself it'd be way less odd. "Hai hai, we can wait a minute," Miko confirmed, as she was currently looking through her phone for a store which would suit the men in the group as Kazuhiko had mentioned needing pants already. While Miko searched her phone, that blue haired girl now with loose pigtails came out with Soma's phone in hand. "Asakura-kun, you dropped this," she said quickly offering him his device which now had her number in it as well.

Meanwhile, Sakura was seeing a bit of magic in progress. It was interesting to witness the connection between Hiruko and this unknown person in his phone play out before her very eyes. It legitimately intriguing that he'd managed to get someone to text him without prompting. What was more he had more to show for his efforts. Still he had no hard confirmation of when his mark had appeared but that only served to make her hypothesis stronger. It had all the earmarks of an imon applied to another instead of being like her own which she was in direct control of. His continued thinking seemed to annoy that person who crossed and uncrossed her legs, reaching for her phone again. She felt almost compelled to message Hiruko in the moment. But what would she saw after that short message before. 'You can't escape me. Don't make me come looking for you.' That was all it said. There was absolution in this message. Finality even. Sakura saw it, the firing one direction to another. "Sou ka... I understand," she said quietly of course explaining it would be interesting. That was definitely magic, one that explointed the connection between them to track him. Whatever he'd agreed to, he was connected to the person at the other end in a way that allowed them to keep track of his movements, even if they didn't fully understand it. Sakura would say with the magical world's more expansive mana it'd be possible for this person to appear before him or summon him to her more than likely.

Aihara would have to start looking for another job posthaste. He had bills to pay, after all. Luckily, there were no additional complications to Konomi getting off his torso. He could go on with the rest of his life, and maybe even get it back on track. He would try to enjoy such things if there wasn't such a danger attributed. While he was trying to establish a new lease on life yet again, Soma was waiting for his next conquest to make its first true appearance. The group waited, and in due time... the blue-haired former clerk showed her face. She offered his phone, claiming he'd dropped it. Soma took the device, checking it immediately to see... a second contact saved within. "Something's missing," he commented absently. "And your hair is still ruined. I think it might be better this way."

For years now, Hiruko both knew and accepted his inability to escape the woman currently sending him messages. It wasn't something he intended to do after acquiring a certain amount of freedom, but it was something he could consider for the sake of triggering whatever sixth sense she had. It would actually be interesting if she came looking for him, though; that was something else worth considering. 'Thinking of coming out in public, Kimacchi? That'd be a sight,' he thought. Whatever the case, Sakura seemed to have an understanding of the situation. There was still no solid answer about Sakura's marks, but Hiruko thought that was fine for the time being. Life was about enjoyment, not being hung-up on curiosities for unnecessary amounts of time. As such, he opened the car door at last. "That's enough idling for now. Have you thought about what kinds of accessories you might like? This place has everything."

Aihara's life might have been complicated, but if he could enjoy it at least a little, Konomi didn't have to feel bad about potentially being the reason he was quitting his job. Beyond that point the girl managed to extricate herself from him without any other major problems and was soon presenting Soma his phone without any real problems. Well, aside from now catching the eye of an entire model group of teenagers. 'Jeez is it really okay for this many people like this to be in one place?' she wondered immediately. This caught the attention of Anya who was now staring directly at her and blinking multiple times. She didn't understand why that would be a thought at all given she wasn't far off from the group standards. As for what was missing out of Soma's phone, "Missing? Hair?" she gave it a moment of thought. He liked her hair this way, but obviously it was quite a lot to leave hanging freely. Tangles and maintainence were a problem after all. But that wasn't all... He'd obviously inspected his device and saw her added number but it wasn't enough. He was so pushy. "You want a picture, jeez..." she said turning to pose. She peeked back over her shoulder, to give him the angle of her hair and a look over her shoulder with the smuggest possible expression. Oh well, he'd claimed he'd liked that who was she to argue? "Sou ka, you really work fast..." Miko murmured but such wasn't disapproval at all. No, he'd found a reasonable individual in the riffraff. "Anyway, the next big spot is actually in the shopping district. So, we can actually get all the guys something to wear. It'd be easier to catch a bus than to walk with everyone," Miko mentioned casually. At the same time, Angelica was looking at her phone screen asking Kazuhiko about the message she'd received and why his name was also popping up. This 'group chat' was an oddity she'd not expected, outside of that strange phone call she'd witnessed.

Meanwhile, Hiruko's little demonstration had far-reaching implications. Before those took place though, a certain amount of action might have already been put into motion. Well, only time would tell, but another message wouldn't be sent to Hiruko's phone immediately, isntead that red haired woman stood up and began moving, something she didn't often do. Sakura could see that the magic active in some places was far greater than she originally anticipated. Interesting as that was, he was content not to get hung up on it, and actually do some shopping. "Accessories just for wearing are a bit odd for me to think about, Hair pins... I think I'll like those," she said giving it some casual amount of thought. It wasn't as if she bought or used things just to do so. No, she had some specific reasons for doing or making things, but that was all an aside, she could make do with whatever, she also aim her way out of the car as she considered other different forms of things to want. "You'll help me think of something else right? I don't actually usually pick these sorts of things..." she said truthfully.

It didn't take long for the blue-haired girl to get a grasp of Soma's intentions. He wasn't going to be some plebian who let one of a few limited contacts in his device be some blank image. Yes, he was a fair bit pushy. Pushy though he may have been, he was also... obviously successful. Konomi didn't even waste any time before turning around to show her best angle, as well as her best expression thus far. Soma quickly snapped a vertical image to encompass all relevant parts, but those who had awakened senses of any caliber would then feel a sickening mana flooding this reality. Its signature could only be called obscene in any human language, as it seemed to rub elbows with any such thoughts within those who felt it. Its primary target, however, was Soma; he was more similar to it than anyone else in the vicinity. What was the result? "Dulash," he said as if entranced into doing so. The language he spoke was not one of the human tongue, as evident by sudden reverberations in the air itself. This was more than his usual command ─ it was a curse using his speech as its medium.

All the while, Hiruko was stretching just outside his car, waiting for Sakura's exit simply so he could lock the vehicle. He did of course bring his phone along. Hiruko wasn't sure if the situation with Makima had reached its end or not, but he knew it would crop up again regardless. For now, he'd casually and recklessly toss an arm around Sakura's shoulder as the made way for the shop. She expressed a mild interest in hair pins. He thought she'd do just as well with any sort of earrings, necklaces, bracelets, et cetera. "Hair pins always work. And yeah, of course I'll have some friendly recommendations. I already know one thing that's sure to look good on you~" he commented. "Just have a look around and see what you like. Cost isn't an issue."

Konomi wasn't the type who couldn't put together a simple set of requests. What she couldn't deal with however, was the sudden and sickening feeling she got after turning herself around to pose for the picture. She wasn't adverse to the picture, but even so there was a looming feeling that made her feel endangered, sick and even repulsed settling into the air. It wasn't just her either, every spiritually aware person in the group who was female had a similar reaction, with a couple even moving into back to back formations for the purpose of keeping each other safe. Weird as it was, such a feeling didn't set everyone completely awry. Though the light in Miko's eyes seemed to flash gently, she couldn't have placed the feelings she was having though she did connect them to something rather dark. But what would the outcome of that word spoken be? The undeniable urge by Konomi to flip up her own skirt and reveal her full bottom for that picture that was being taken of her. "Why did I do that?" Konomi wondered aloud. She was far from an exhibitionist of any sort. That rumble in the atmosphere from that word was also odd. Kaguya found herself looking to her son with a raised brow. "Ara... I don't even know words like that yet~" she said in an almost congratulatory manner. Weird though it was, it was far from the strangest language she heard. If nothing else, it didn't feel quite so off-putting to her.

At the same time, Hriuko and Sakura were making their way into this shop. Sakura found herself in a form of physical contact that seemed quite relaxed and unlike her general demeanor would imply she really didn't mind this kind of closeness between herself and Hiruko. According to him, hairpins always worked and he would indeed have more than a few suggestions to give. This would be after she had a look around though. According too him, the price of objects was no concern and she could have whatever she wanted. 'Sou ka, the difference between someone pretending to have enough and someone having enough is pretty obvious,' she thought as she began peeking inside the store. "Hai, I'll have a look around worry free then~" Sakura commented. She knew that people in this world were a bit too nice, too pushy against things being given to them. She still didn't understand that part, perhaps she'd question it directly at some other time? There were various small and trinket like items in cases which she'd be glancing at and looking at the prices of. Though she had a good estimation of the cost of things after her days out, she still figured that the expensiveness of these items was quite out of the ordinary. Still the first thing her eyes wandered over was a pair of hair pins with little stars on them in gold and silver. Those were cute, she decided.

Why did Konomi decide to lift her skirt right there in the open? She didn't know, and neither did others in the group. In fact, many would be found simply reacting to that eerie presence felt only for a moment. Kazuhiko was on high alert, and would remain as such for some time. He'd felt something similar to that before, albeit far, far weaker. This one didn't even have a notable direction of origin, much less a point. "Everybody else felt that, right? It fee─woah!" Kazu interrupted himself for a singular reason ─ that being the sight of another ass of ridiculous quality being unveiled right before his eyes. Soma had a good, long look as well. In fact, the black-haired male even got a second picture ─ one that just barely included Konomi's face. Perhaps he'd make that one her contact photo? Yes, that seemed worth doing as he acknowledged Kaguya's ignorance of the language he used. "I don't either. That one was a recommendation from someone I don't even know," he said plainly. As for Konomi's question... "You did it because I wanted you to. That's the life you agreed to, isn't it? Doing as I say."

Sakura agreed to browse the shop for jewelry. Hiruko intended to accompany her all the while, and lo, it didn't take long for her to find something of interest. Hair ornamentation was something Sakura would obviously do very well with, whether she decided upon anything else or not. Stars were an interesting choice either way. "Not a bad pair. You usually see stars in earrings or something instead," Hiruko commented. His eyes were shifting around to various bits and pieces. She had her eye on something both gold and silver, so he knew the possibilities. He scanned bracelets from afar, spotting a bracelet set, gold with one double band and one single, both of which featured pendants the shop was oven to engraving at purchase. "Oh, those over there might go well with them. Looks like you can get something engraved on them as well, if you're interested."

There was first the stark reaction to that presence felt by all the sensitive people present. "Yeah, felt..." the start of that was cut off by the sight of a great ass. Well, such was pretty normal at this point, but the break in Kazuhiko's speech was exactly why there was still logic in distracting him a bit by his wife's understanding of the concept. "That feels too much like opposition, more so than even Saku does," Angelica said carefully. "Also it looks great or did I miss something?" Angelica followed up. Konomi had no idea why she'd done what she had, and dropped her skirt upon realizing what she was doing. Even so, the compliment from another girl was about normal and received a head nod. "Well, thanks but it's still weird," she said to Angelica, chosing not to address Kazuhiko's outburst which she assumed was related but one man at a time. As for what Soma had to say, she'd agreed to something, the full breadth of it currently unknown to her, but... "Sure I agreed to something, but I'm still a person. I wouldn't go around flashing people, my own dignity still exists. And I want to be able to live my life..." she explained. A truth which was understood by Kaguya deeply. "Hai hai, no worries... we aren't those types, but I do understand your concerns," Kaguya offered the other girl apologetically. Being thrown into this sort of thing wasn't good. What was more that demonic presence was one that Soma didn't know, but it didn't seem too problematic. Still there was Angelica's question, and it would be Kaguya who answered that as well, "Ruri-chan, life for girls in this world isn't always what it appears to be. Your image will make or break you and doing things outside of normal respectability can make your life hell. Even if you didn't actually do anything..." she explained which only caused Angelica's brows to furrow. At the same time, Miko found herself offering snacks to Kaguya, in this case shoving a singular pocky stick into her mouth while handing her a box. She couldn't offer full comfort but, that was about the best she had without outing her friend completely.

Meanwhile, Sakura was browsing jewelry having found something she liked in a very short amount of time. All the while, she was also sparing casual attention for Hiruko who seemed to be looking around as well, though he was quite close to her. "I like stars... earrings don't sound bad either though..." she said having a pretty good look around. The hair pins were a definite good choice. But what else did Hiruko have to offer? A pair of bracelets that could be engraved with something. Hm, she assumed a lack of magic as an implication, but she supposed a specific word or character for reasons tied to emotion or ownership could still be pointed. "That does sound interesting, and they do look nice... I wonder what people get engraved on things here," she mused gently as she continued browsing. It was a legitimate question when she considered her other postulations.

Angelica still wasn't very well-versed in the way this world, or humans in general, worked. Her question was strange, but there was a definite and immediate answer coming from Kazu. "It's awesome!" he said, a ringing endorsement from the likes of him. As a reflex, Kazu wanted to snap a quick picture as well. Alas, he caught and stopped himself, realizing he didn't even know who this girl was. "Oh, whoops. Gomen. I've gone native. Very nice, though," he stated while abashedly rubbing the back of his head. All the while, Soma was staring into Konomi's face, hearing her talk about preserving dignity and other such things. He didn't care about any of that; she could be well beyond it by now. "Your life has already been turned upside-down. It's only going to start spiraling from here. You're allowed to live your life, as long as you do what's required of you. That little maneuver wasn't indicative of the future, though. That one was just a fun little suggestion I decided to take without knowing the outcome. In the end, it still made an excellent ice-breaker. You're welcome," he said plainly. "Now come with us."

Regardless of Sakura's interest or disinterest in earrings, Hiruko noted a lack of piercings on her person. She'd certainly look great with a pair regardless, but... he knew some people were either opposed to piercings, or had family members who were. "You'd have to get your ears pierced to wear any of the options this place has. If you can't do that, we'll have to visit another spot for the clip-on types," he explained briefly. Moving on, there was a curiosity involving the engravings on jewelry, particularly like the bracelets Hiruko brought attention to. "You'd usually see something cute, like names or nicknames of owners, names of loved ones, or both if you've got the space. Some people even put little personal mantras or something like that on them."

Angelica wasn't well-versed in the ways of humanity, but Kaguya's words would be taken into account. She made it sound like women in this world and maybe even the one she was from were worse off than she realized. The only thing she could do was prepare and try to figure out social norms, which would admittedly be difficult with even someone like Kazuhiko falling to degeneracy far too easily. "Extra weird! Thanks though..." the blue haired girl mentioned, though she could at least take a compliment. This group was one of the oddest she'd ever come across, but that at least made sense, they had been shopping for lingerie as a large group and some of them having sex in dressing rooms. Miko decided to speak again in this moment, "I almost did the same thing earlier... Life's gotten really weird lately," she mused but this was fine. Apparently, this blue haired girl was a pick-up for Soma, whatever odd things he had in mind, he was content to bring this one into a more magical existence. Anyone with decent senses could at least understand the choice if not a bit wary of the urgency presented. She'd definitely not been fully into magical world nonsense yet, given her very normal reaction to flashing Soma without her own implied consent. Still, Soma had a very reasonable explanation and claimed that it wasn't something which would be happening regularly regardless. "That doesn't count as an icebreaker, and I wouldn't want to be rude," she said. "Sou ka, she's definitely native..." Ai mentioned. No magical world person would worry about being pushy nor flashing anyone their panties in most situations. "We can go through real introductions and all in a bit. We've got a bunch of people and we need to get on a bus... so it's time to get moving. Men still need everything and women need outside clothes and shoes," Miko murmured pointing in the direction of the nearest pinged bus stop. All the while Anya was coming to investigate this new pick up more directly. She looked between Soma and this blue haired woman almost quizzically, but as Soma's first party member she'd be watching everyone he picked.

Meanwhile, Sakura pondered different types of jewelry and earrings were a topic of conversation. It was said by Hiruko that she'd need to get her ears pierced to wear jewelry like that or they'd have to visit another store to buy clip-ons. Well all of those words technically made sense but why would someone need to poke a hole in themselves? 'Hm, I suppose humans are ill-equipped to simply manifesting things like that on their forms,' she thought while looking at a pair in the golden teardrop style. "That won't be a problem, this doesn't look like it requires a hole that is very big," she stated earnestly. Beyond this point there was Sakura's question about what people put on pieces of jewelry which could have engravings. Personal mantras, loved ones, "Sou ka, that's cute..." she decided that she liked the idea even if it meant less. But given the little magics perhaps they worked in the way of wards or minor connections. To hold someone's name was actually a pretty powerful action. Humans without magic remembered the oddest things. "All things considered I do like the bracelets, the star hair pins and these earrings..." she decided with no need to think more. As for thinking about things to engrave on the bracelets she wasn't fully sure yet. She considered the names of her husband and wife, but also the names of her children instead. With only a few places for the engravings she couldn't go for her parents, they were simply too numerous.