Whatever caused that screen between them, it had the attention and interest of both targets. Yugi was beyond skeptical... but he was skeptical about many things that he dove into anyway. Miko mentioned falling into the rabbit hole of backrooms, which sounded like the sort of thing they were signing up for presently. Oh well. He'd never done weirder things, but Yugi had done things with worse definite outcomes.
"Anomalies, special cases, no other viable targets. Protocol deviation, not the expected outcome... needed for something..." Before he realized it, the masked boy was rambling every thought that entered his mind. His body still moved, but it was entirely an unconscious effort. In fact, it seemed the world around him stopped existing as he sorted through information in his mind, and on that screen.
"Won't work at all without both. Player designation implies something above the Player, rewarding and punishing the Player... Got it!"
By the time that excited utterance came about, Yugi realized there was a pair of hands on his mask, removing it. He couldn't stop her, nor would he. Frankly, the idea of someone actually knowing his identity was... comforting. When asked if they should kiss on the agreement, he didn't even offer a second thought before leaning inward. The only thing stopping him was Miko's response to her father and her subsequent acceptance of this 'System' access. Immediately afterwards, however, their lips were locked.
"Uh-huh. Both of you, together, in your room... and I hear something I shouldn't hear. Should I ask what you're doing, or should I come inside?" Sosuke asked from right outside the door. All the while, there was a surge of alien mana flowing into both teens. It did not belong to any version of Earth, and would come with the unheard words of that entity.
"Their hands bear the stains of what they were. But what they shall become… that is my experiment’s true beginning," he mused. In the meantime, the pair were delivered their first official message:
[Establishing Neural Link...]
[Calibration: 98%... 99%... 100%.]
[Initialization Complete.]
[System Functions Unlocked.]
[Status Window Available.]
[Inventory Unlocked.]
[Quest Function: ACTIVE.]
[Dual subjects recognized.]
[Welcome, Players.]
[Together you shall walk the path of ascension—or perish as one.]
[System Log 01:00] — Daily Quest Generated.
Each Player must complete the following within 24 hours:
• 100 Push-ups
• 100 Sit-ups
• 100 Squats
• 10 km Run
Failure of one reflects upon both.
Only those who rise together may ascend.
Reward: Growth Potential + Random Blessing
Penalty: Judgment within the Dual Abyss
[Timer Initiated — 24:00:00]