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Late in the evening, a young woman looked around a high-tier game and manga shop in the streets of Shibuya, which was of course, her hometown. She had a bit of a high-class air about her, but she was still rather politely browsing the shelves. She was dressed currently in a short black skirt, and a white jacket complete with belts and clasps across her chest. Her hair was styled in pigtails complete with long flowing waves ending at her lower back. Her expression was rather sour, but this wasn't displeasure, it was simply how her face looked anytime she wasn't consciously smiling. She was looking for a new game to play on her VR system and her eyes had stopped on one top-selling title. "Age of Eternity... huh?" she said softly to herself. She then immediately pulled out her phone and began scanning online reviews for the game only to find... There were none.
That same evening, the game titled 'Age of Eternity' was being played by one of few people who didn't shy away from a certain stigma surrounding the title. Age of Eternity was a game which had become infamous since its release, as many of its players went missing after logging a certain number of hours into the game. Some brave souls who knew of this urban legend didn't care at all, and continued to play it. One such individual in Shibuya was a young man in his late teens. In contrast to the lass presently inspecting the game for potential purchase, he sported a very disheveled appearance, though it didn't much matter, considering he was in the comfort of his own home with nothing more than his games, anime, manga and figures to accompany him. "Agh! Fuckin' Goblins again!? Can I pick up a quest that isn't just killing midget rape-demons?"
This young woman stared at the blank review page and shrugged. It had everything that was necessary for her to enjoy it. 'It doesn't have any reviews but it's a best-seller. It's also compatible with my new face scan, VR, and the quick-key interface on my new system...' she thought to herself. This moment of deep thought came with what seemed to be a sour expression on the girl's face. And this didn't change as she picked up the game, nor did it by the time she reached the front-counter. "I'll take this," she said without really looking up for a few seconds. When she finally did, she'd find a nice older woman staring at her in apparent fear. "No. No... you must not buy this game. It's cursed! Cursed! CURSED!" there was some extreme distress from this older woman which caused the girl with the pig-tails to look up at her with wide eyes. "Huh? But it's just a game..." she mentioned.
A young man came from the back. "Obaa-sama, please stop scaring the customers..." he said only to reach out for the game. "Age of Eternity, huh? It has become a bit of a Creepy-Pasta. It is said that people disappear when they play it too much. My Grandmother is here a lot and she's noticed people who bought that game stop coming by. She thinks it's cursed, but... I think she might have scared them off. I haven't heard anything bad about the game play. Admittedly, I haven't played it myself, I'm more of a shooter kind of a guy..." said the clerk, as he worked towards ringing the girl up. "Rewards card?" he asked and she produced one, along with removing a black credit card from her wallet to use as payment. "Oh... well, I can't find any reviews on it online either. But... I want a game I can dive into for a while. I have a three day weekend coming up..." she said. Having made a plan to dive into this game fully though it wasn't exactly the kind of game she normally played either. After this she turned the credit card swiper towards herself and paid for this product. "Arigatou gouzaimasu," the girl said as she walked off, with a bag in hand. "Come back and tell me about it sometime!~" this young man said as yet another person was claimed by the game known as Age of Eternity. If this girl thought anything of the warning she was given, it didn't show in her face as she headed home. If nothing else, there was a smile on her face.
"Oh, wow!" the male currently engrossed in playing this game said aloud. "A Goblin Lord, huh? That's something different. Pretty strong, too," he continued. His questing was proving successful despite what he considered to be a major setback in his day initially, as he'd grown tired of the quests he'd randomly come across in this game as of late. Finally though, he'd managed to stumble upon what the game referred to as a Pseudo-Legendary enemy spawn, not quite unique, but allegedly with worthwhile loot at the end of combat. "Let's go, bitch! Just another stepping stone to find out where that Dragon is, and something else to get me ready for it!" As he spoke to no one but the game itself, this young man clicked his computer mouse and various keys numerous times. The result was his face being lit by flashy animations numerous times as he happily dominated the Goblin Lord he'd located mid-quest.
The girl in question, made her way home. Upon entering she found a note located in the front hallway of a house considered to be rather massive. It was a simple message, scribbled in the handwriting of the girl's own mother and it simply read. "We headed out on a flight after coming home. Sorry we missed you... enjoy your long weekend relaxing post exams. XoXo Mom and Dad." This young woman looked at this, and strangely it didn't make her sad, a large grin spread across her face as she headed deeper in the house to prepare for a long gaming session. Some fifteen minutes later and she was within a her bedroom, sitting in the middle of a large four-post bed. She'd had a bath and dressed down, sitting in nothing but an exquisite set of lingerie. She was wearing, panties, a bra, and silk thigh-high stockings as she logged into her gaming system. Beside her bed a mini-fridge full of drinks and snacks the lights of the room set to dim as she slipped her fingers into a strange set of gloves which functioned as the mouse and connected directly to the keyboard of her computer. With the simple movements of her fingers, she was able to type as if she had a full keyboard in front of her. And the massive wall across from her bed, showed the high definition TV which was more than 70 inches and mounted to the wall. "Yosh!~ Game time!~" she chimed to herself as she signed in under her online ID and started up the game known as Age of Eternity. Beginning first with a scan of her face unobstructed to create her first character. After this was done, she spent a few extra minutes picking her set up before she would start her online experience properly.
Though it took minutes on end to slay the Goblin Lord, the young male at his computer completed the quest and retrieved his loot. In that very moment, he also achieved Avatar Level 50, at which point he was presented with a few surprises. "Osu! Max Level! And... what?" he wondered aloud as he viewed these additional achievements. "Omega-tier skill unlock... Dragon Emperor's Mask fragment... Minor Class unlock pending? Unlocked requirements for Special Class: Alter Ego? There are more than 50 levels in this now?" The lad's tangent went on for some time, but he decided in the end to save this additional Class choice for after he experienced everything else the game was presently throwing at him. At the very least, he knew he would be taking a shot at this 'Alter Ego' Minor Class he was being shown, as it seemed like something he wouldn't be able to unlock a second time if he skipped it once.
Soon the blonde version of this girl had been named and was walking through the introductory dungeon dressed in a plain red cloak with nothing but a naginata to fight with. "Ugh, it's a cave. Well, at least they got these cute crystals everywhere..." she mumbled. She began gathering things within this game. Only to be attacked by a small orange balloon like creature. She forced her avatar to jump back and swing the poled weapon down quickly. This would result in the balloon bursting and her gaining experience. "Huh... pretty simple combat, but at least this character is quick... Alright Miki... time to grind," she said speaking specifically to the character she was currently using. And as such she began her early world grind, within this closed off space.
Needless to say, the male playing this game had been immersed for days at minimum. Days later, he finally returned to the game with intentions of selecting his Minor Class. He'd finally discovered the mystery behind the Dragon Emperor's Mask fragment he collected, as well as the mysterious extra levels beyond 50. Now, he was ready to make a selection. In front of him on screen were all seven original selections he had when choosing his Major Class, as well as a few other special selections... including the very exclusive 'Alter Ego' Special Class which registered differently compared to all the others. This was his selection without a doubt, but the moment he confirmed his choice, his screen blanked out with a bright white light... and his consciousness did the same.
This girl found herself immersed, and days later she was approaching what she thought was max level as well. Within a deep dungeon she was looking for some rare loot. At her side, a Winged Dire Wolf as she stealthily approached a creature which looked unlike any other. A simple use of a skill allowed her to sneak up on this creature, which she immediately used to aim her naginata at its heart. She stabbed it through the back and it dealt critical damage, even before it had been properly identified. "Ugh, an Orc... Lord? Well, I guess if I am going to have to kill pig people, they might as well be high-class pig people. Must just be this region in the game," she mused to herself as she began to string together an series of attacks. The screen on her far wall, showed a great deal of colorful attacks as she stabbed each area of this creature several slashes took place. It would take her no less than ten minutes to kill this creature, but rare loot it would drop would be well worth it. Sometime over the last couple of days, she'd bought a complete guidebook to the game and knew this Orc Lord would drop some interesting loot for her Class and Type choices. And then it did, the loot drop at the end of this epic fight was one which she found to be relieving. "Woooah!~ Level 50!!~" she said only to see the messages about the increase in level as well as something about the creation of a sub-class of the ones she saw she saw one which had her attention. "Alter Ego... huh? I think I like the way that sounds. Miki is basically my alter-ego already. Plus, that isn't in the guidebook, it must be one of those intuitive things. It will help me get to the dragon!~" she chimed. She made this choice with no other research necessary. And then right after the selections had been made, her screen blinked white, and then her consciousness went blank as well.
Continue the Adventure Here.
A long journey had been taken in another world. Aiba Yugi had seen things, done things, experienced things he could have never imagined... and with people he could have never imagined having those experience with. Sadly, he was just robbed of the experience that could have changed him in an irreversible way. Ashikaga Kimiko was the name in his mind as he woke before the same computer he'd last seen in this world. Nothing seemed to have changed since he was transported to that other world, bar his computer shutting itself off. He sat in darkness with puckered lips when his eyes opened, having only a single thing to say. . .
"... Fuck," he muttered. Unbeknownst to Yugi, he was being watched through hidden cameras placed inside the box of a room he lived in. Three days had passed since he was sent to that world, and that was all it took for a hidden group to find him as one who disappeared playing Age of Eternity. This group was quite excited to finally locate a player who returned after vanishing, and in such a short amount of time to boot! Yugi, on the other hand, could not have been more disappointed.
He hadn't been dreaming. There was no conceivable way that he'd fallen asleep while gaming, and imagined so very much in what he thought to be a matter of hours. There was also that cryptic message from the Nexus to consider, but he couldn't be bothered to do so. What was he to do about the developing situation with one Ashikaga Kimiko? He felt a desire to find her; doing so would be a very easy task for him. Alas, there was an existence within himself that said otherwise. He'd given her the method of answering the greatest question he could ask her, and the only way that could be done... would be for Yugi to lead his normal life in this world─ that much he understood deep within.
Parting words? He was so close that last kiss might have helped her deeply... but alas it wasn't to be. A frown over took this girl's face. Who actually expected her to be okay with this parting? Her mind drifted as her eyes opened. Ashikaga Kimiko sat herself up in bed and leaned forward into her hands. She had been so close to what she wanted. She didn't dream that... right? She wouldn't have made up a guy in her head who fit all her necessary criteria? A single tear rolled out of her eyes and she heard a chiming as she moved back? What was that sound? It was... the sound of a jewel hitting the keyboard in her lap. She was once again in her own room and her own body. She was still wearing lingerie but added to her fit was this large red jewel on a golden chain necklace. It was so clear it reflected the color of her eyes perfectly. 'Sou ka... it was real. So I guess that was my actual warning for the game of tag this time?' she thought but... that didn't sit right with her. She threw herself out of bed pushing her keyboard to the side. Her projector was off and so was her set up but none of that mattered now because she needed to think. She stood and walked towards her private bathroom while rubbing away that tear. 'He actually wants to be found right? He actually likes me too?' she questioned. An old insecurity, part of what had fallen away from her in the other world, was rather suddenly back. She knew that he knew who she was, but what if he really didn't like her? Earlier in their adventures she'd been a bit worried and those worries resurfaced immediately. Anxiety plagued this girl as she showered water hitting her body and washing away everything, including the random tears she allowed to fall.
What she couldn't know, was that within this large mansion there were many extra bodies moving around. They were all looking for evidence of her disappearance. She'd come out of her shower wrapped in a towel with newfound purpose. Of course, she'd spent a large amount of time talking herself in and out of finding the lad. And she'd settled based on her own selfish desires. 'He really isn't the type to lead me on like that. I have to trust this... and find him. Ask him directly, and maybe...' she paused that thought. They'd spend far too much time together, she'd grown so attached to him. She really wanted to know him and didn't think it was weird at all. It could be considered like internet dating right? They liked each others personalities so they could like each other in actuality once they got past the awkward stage of it. Once she found him... it would be easy to know or not. Kimiko wasn't shallow, as long as he didn't classify as a fat-ugly bastard she could see herself easily finding the good in whatever form his body had now. As long as he was truly the guy she'd gotten to know and like... everything else would be fine. Aside from that... that final face looked like one she'd seen before... she simply couldn't remember from where. But... they went to the same school so he could have easily just been a face in a crowd. 'Or outside of it... he definitely isn't really a crowds person. Anyways, Akashi said I had everything I needed and I am pretty sure that face at the end was his... so...' as she walked across the room towards her closet her bedroom door opened. She'd already started using processes of elimination to narrow down her search. Assuming it was one of her parents she simply called out, slightly hostile because they were breaking up her concentration. "Oi oi, let me get dressed first. You guys promised to start knocking before you opened my door!"
'Shit. What do I even do now?' Yugi wondered. Aside from a budding relationship that surpassed all expectation, there were so many things in that world worth sticking around for. His sister, Yumi, could likely not exist in this world since her passing roughly one year ago. He never wanted for resources in that world, nor did he ever experience a dull moment. Many things could receive thanks for that, but there was one in particular that always came to mind. Now was no exception as the lad leaned back in his gaming chair, staring into the ceiling. 'I wonder if she'll actually want to go on a stupid wild goose chase like that─' he pondered. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that Kimiko could solve the puzzle, but he did wonder if solving it would even be a worthwhile endeavor. Time would tell, he supposed.
Lazing around to push his way through the funk seemed to be a good idea to the young man. Being in this world had long since become a cause of lethargy, and this return made things worse than ever before. Why couldn't he just have a bit more time? Oh well. This would either be for the best, or for the worst; there was nothing between the two options. Worse yet, the lad who thought to push through an encroaching bout of depression would soon be receiving a type of excitement he didn't want at all. . .
Meanwhile, Kimiko's place of residence was not nearly as vacant as it had been when she last left this reality. Her home had been invaded by the police force─ several officers and detectives even remained just outside of her room when she spoke aloud. Surprise appeared on the face of multiple figures. There was no one here but them, right? Ah, but that was certainly someone within a room that had been marked as a restricted area. "Who the hell is in there?!" spoke an adult male as four total members of his squadron aimed assault firearms at the bedroom door. "Come out! We have you surrounded!"
Kimiko decided on her clothes. It was pretty late, but she could go out and visit her favorite arcade and wait out the start of the school day while she thought over the clues given to her by Akashi. Instead of an answer or barging in from her parents, Kimiko received silence initially. So, she began picking out her clothing, within her walk-in closet. A nice set of lingerie white lace with red trim were what she chose throwing them into her bed from within. 'I'm going to find him. I wonder if he'll have a preference... maybe I should have chosen something different?' she questioned her wardrobe choices but continued pick her favorites. Soon after a small black pleated mini skirt and a long sleeved sweater with a cross like silver marking in the middle. This was her favorite and because it was a turtle neck she could easily hide the necklace she wore which was also on her bed. She stripped the towel from her hair and tossed it into the shape she normally wore, while striding in just her towel. "WHAT!?" she stepped out of her closet and opened her bedroom door. What kind of new staff had been hired in her absence or how long had she been gone? She hadn't checked the calendar yet and her phone was still charging so it was off. There was a bit of a break in her memory, so perhaps someone would be surprised to see her. She opened her door and immediately became furious. Four assault weapons were pointed at her and she saw caution tape across her door. "RUDE! You're pointing guns at me in my house? Who let you in here?" she questioned immediately seemingly unafraid. But if the cops were here perhaps she was gone for longer than she would like to have to explain. She needed more context clues to figure out how she would handle this situation. But outraged rich teen would at least get the start of the job going.
Meanwhile at an internet café a while away from Yugi's house someone was watching the cameras. They'd seen him reappear and had been shocked by it. A series of hushed phone calls later within the private room of this café and someone was soon madly typing away on a computer screen. This was a hack and was set up a couple of days prior to this one. It would lead of course to the lad's computer screen turning on while he looked at it and begin relaying several sets of instructions.
We've been waiting for you to return.
Now that you know the truth, nothing will ever be the same.
Put on some clothes and pick up your phone.
We charged it for you.
Leave your place and walk a block down the street.
Towards Shibuya Crossing.
More instructions to follow.
Do not deviate.
We will not harm you.
The instructions were a bit too specific for them to be fake. And to prove that he should comply at the end of the message which turned on his computer, he was given a point of view photo of him exactly as he was at the point the messages started. Several over the course of seconds as he read so he couldn't deny the reality of the situation.
Whatever person had made their way into the Ashikaga household, they were to be considered an intruder and a suspect in more than a single case. Ashikaga Kimiko had vanished with neither rhyme nor reason behind her disappearance, and even a single day of letting the case sit was viewed as absurd. More importantly, it had been discovered that she was in possession of the game called Age of Eternity after being reported missing. Who could the culprit be?
These officers were immediately shocked the moment that door opened. This girl, in her bath towel, was recognizable even to the few who weren't fully aware of the missing person. "Ashikaga─" said one gun-wielding male who went on to discourage the aim of his comrades. Clearly, none of them expected the missing girl to appear angry, in her bedroom, after a bath. The man who spoke up would soon be speaking again, into a receiver this time. "Sir, we've found... Ashikaga Kimiko. Hai. No, sir. She's at home... in a towel. Sir, but she's─... Hai." It seemed whatever person this man answered to, required something of the group. "Ashikaga Kimiko, we would ask that you come with us immediately. This building is under quarantine, and you are being considered a suspect in numerous missing persons cases," he said to the girl. "Please, come quietly. We will at least give you a chance to get dressed."
All the while, Yugi was met by a surprising stranger as well. In his case, his gaming computer was hacked into, and used to relay a message. He raised a brow, thinking this to be an impossible occurrence. 'What the fuck? Nobody should be able to get past my security,' he thought, knowing he possessed what could be viewed as some of the world's best protocols due solely to the situation of his upbringing. Surely enough, though, there was proof provided in the form of an image series. The images... were of Yugi himself, as he sat there receiving the message. Being given these bits of proof, he threw his head back and let an exasperated sigh escape him. "Ugh, fuck!" he exclaimed. 'Don't tell me I wound up in an isekai scenario within the best game ever, and came back just to be thrown into Welcome to the Game. This is bullshit. . .' Yugi did have one thing to say. Since he was being watched so closely, there was a single question that came to mind. "And if I tell you to go fuck yourself?"
It seemed in the case of one Ashikaga Kimiko she was at least recognized by one of the individual cops present. He went on to discourage the others from holding her at gunpoint. That was one thing in his favor in the moment. She also still became privy to the conversation he was having on the walkie-talkie with whoever his superior was. From what she could gather from this side of the conversation it was being demanded that they bring her in, a sigh escaped her as it became obvious that something bad was happening here and she wasn't just going to get to visit her favorite arcade and think through her main objective which was locating the lad behind the name Geno Killer. On a brighter note at least the man before her had tried to be reasonable... and she was about to find out exactly how reasonable this man was as he confronted her with some strange information. "Uh-huh..." she said with a little bit of an attitude. Why were so many things always getting in her way? Regardless this man had at least offered to let her get dressed. "I'm closing my door. I'll be out in 2 minutes. And I'll accompany you. I won't answer a single question without a lawyer or one of my guardians present and I need... your name." she said looking directly to the man who'd been speaking to her. After she received this information she would go on to get dressed and emerge from her room in two minutes time as promised. She would be dressed then, in her red turtle neck sweater with the sliver cross on the front. Tucked into her neck line a large gemstone necklace she'd already become quite fond of. As well as the black pleated mini-skirt. She'd finish her look with some thigh high socks and also bring out a large pink designer hoodie and a large pair of sunglasses. After all being spotted in custody wasn't at all on her list of things to do.
In the meantime the lad known as Geno Killer was experiencing just as many inconveniences to his return as well. Though he'd done nothing wrong and shouldn't have been on anyone's radar he was on someone's. His question to the world at large was indeed heard and with it would come an answer. Strangely though it was more of a threat than anything. Across his screen came new words and with those words came the exact nature of this group who'd offered to simply have him come along without fighting.
If you do, we'll come get you.
And you won't like it.
To prove this point a red laser pointer dot appeared over his shoulder through his window directly over his computer screen. Proving there were physical eyes on him nearby enough to make his escape impossible. The invitation he was extended was technically undeniable. He would either do as they asked nicely or they would make him comply by force.
That attitude was precisely what these men, particularly the one receiving their orders, did not want to deal with after seeing the girl beyond her room door. One man spoke for all the others, but the intent was that of another who stood above even him. Despite acknowledging within himself that there was no logical reason to bring this girl in without hesitation, he was under direct orders to do so... but he certainly wasn't going to drag a towel-wearing girl from her own home into an interrogation. He could only nod when Kimiko claimed no questions would be answered without the presence of a lawyer or guardian, but most troublesome was the moment she claimed to need his name. A bead of sweat trickled from the man's forehead, and he gulped. "Uh... Gojo. Gojo Satoru... desu," he spoke nervously. In the depth of his soul, he felt he would be out of a career rather soon. The shameful thing was that he had only recently graduated from the required schooling to become an officer, and performed well enough to be put in something resembling a position of power.
Many thoughts crossed his mind. What could he do next? He supposed he was good-looking enough with a reasonable amount of charisma when necessary; he could find a job that paid well enough somewhere. Something could suffice after his dream went to waste. For now though, he had no choice but to await the girl getting dressed. It didn't particularly matter what she chose to put on; whatever her comfort determined would be fine. Once she emerged with a few layers, it seemed the time had come. "Are you ready?"
Answering 'no' was not an option for Yugi, apparently. If the statement that he would be retrieved wasn't enough, this mysterious group was willing to aim sniper fire at the lad through his only window. Who could have wanted his attention so badly? Surely it was some political nonsense they wanted; it wouldn't be the first time he was approached by politics who knew who he was, and what he'd done. There wasn't really much choice; he had to get moving. "Fine, fine. Whoever you are though, if I don't think this trip is worth my time, I'm punching you out," he declared while reaching to a nearby chair filled with discarded clothes. From there, he retrieved a few articles worth throwing on. He went without a shirt, simply throwing on a red vest he favored along with a grey pair of cargo pants.
The name of this officer was given with a bit of hesitation. He looked quite young and given her attitude upon opening her door, she could at least reason that he might have felt a little intimidated by her question. If she was going to complain about anything she now had his name. She could use that information to throw him under the bus if she felt like it but... that wasn't necessarily why she wanted the information. "Gojo Satoru, ka..." she said committing it to memory before she was dressed. When she opened her door a few moments later she had no doubts the lad probably thought his job was at stake. Still, he'd reasoned enough to try and present some arguments to his superior and that was commendable. Still the question he asked at her emergence made her chuckle just a tad. She turned those dazzling red eyes towards this man and smiled. Though it wasn't the kind of smile she would have given her resident Geno Killer it was definitely the kind that made her an idol at her high school and made people trust her. It was one that was practiced with intention and it came only with a reminder. "Gojo-san, remember what I said about questions. Lead the way," she said casually more than content to take this trip to the police station. To prove this point she zipped up her hoodie and threw on the overly large sunglasses she was used to donning for the kinds of activities she got into at night. The only thing missing was her usual baseball cap, but she thought to forego it given the nature of her still wet hair. High pressure and high stress situations were nothing new to her. And she didn't find a police presence intimidating only annoying. Her parents should have been on vacation so if it wasn't too far after her disappearance then... there was no reason for the police to be involved at all. So figuring out why they were so interested in her was her main objective while they were after her.
The threat made by the resident Geno Killer after her figured out there was no way out of his situation was laughable to the person at the other end of the screen. Of course, he hadn't the slightest idea of who was seeking him or why. As such he wouldn't know what was going. Still, the person on the other side had at least a slight sense of humor the message which appeared on his screen was a simple but pointed answer.
You're more than welcome to try.
Remember to grab your phone and turn towards Shibuya Crossing.
You'll receive further instructions at the intersection.
And just like that the tiny red dot disappeared as he dressed. What a strange evening the two were in for, though admittedly for very different reasons.
That smile may have incited faith in the peers and partners of Ashikaga Kimiko, but for Satoru, there was an entirely different meaning to be taken. He had already resigned himself to the idea that he would not be employed within a matter of days at most. As such, that smile was nothing more than the frightening confirmation of his impending doom. With the statement that came along with it, he could only hang his head and turn toward the entryway. "... Hai. This way, ma'am," he said while leading Kimiko, as well as a group of other officers, toward the station.
Only a short amount of time would pass before a small group of four, Kimiko included, were in the leading officer's car en route to their destination. They passed by Shibuya Post Office on their path to the police station, lights blaring without sirens. The passing emergency vehicles were noted by a certain male pedestrian on his way to Shibuya Crossing. The young man in question was none other than Aiba Yugi, after finally getting himself together enough to begin his journey. Naturally, he wondered if this police presence had anything to do with where he was being called. The car did travel in the same direction he happened to be headed─ at least on this street. Whatever the case, something worrisome was afoot. "Yare yare," he wondered aloud, checking his phone while walking along. "Got my phone hacked too, I'm guessing? Maybe it would have been a good idea to buy a guy an Uber or something. That'd be one way to convince somebody to go along with a thing. Yeah... I bet it's cheaper than snipers, too! Who even has the money for snip─" He paused, having given consideration to a very specific thought. Ashikaga Kimiko surely had the money to hire something like a sniper, and likely the connections as well. Was it possible that she identified him so quickly, and this was all part of another puzzle he would have to solve before reaching her location? It didn't seem very realistic, but he could at least hope for a moment.
Kimiko soon enough found herself in a car on the way to the police station. Her eyes darted around the car taking in several pieces of information in the meantime. Presently it was approximately three days after she'd defeated the Orc Lorde. Ah, that did indeed explain why such a commotion was underway. Her phone had several unanswered text messages from her father which was indeed unusual. While it was perfectly normal for her to ignore text messages from her mother she usually answered ones from her father promptly. This didn't bode well at all. But still didn't explain the police presence at all. If her father thought she was missing he likely wouldn't have used the police to figure out where she was. So... who then called the police? And more over what kind of questions did they think she could answer? As the girl sat deep in thought her brows furrowed. She watched the passing bodies and movements across the streets several pedestrians caught her eye, even the lad in the grey cargo shorts moving about as her face remained hidden behind her sunglasses. 'I am going to have to come up with some excuse as to why I was unreachable for days at a time. The police aren't going to like how this sort of thing ends for them but... Gojo Satoru doesn't deserve what is likely to happen,' she thought carefully. 'Ugh and I have to work on my smile... that one felt wrong.' She thought, never giving consideration to the fact that fake smiles would feel wrong now that smiled for real so often. Even so, it was still received by those who didn't knew her the way she intended so... she supposed it was a problem for another day. She found herself easily devising pretty standard answers to questions which should be asked of her, assuming of course they thought them pertinent, including how she got in and out of the house without rousing any suspicion.
At the same time as the car passed the lad at the intersection, he received a series text messages.
Yes we hacked your phone.
Ubers are expensive.
A little exercise won't kill you.
Turn left and walk past the large screen. Below it there is a door covered by graffiti.
Follow down the hall and enter the first door on the left.
Have a seat.
The person sending these messages still hadn't moved from where they were sitting. In fact, they were basically just hacking various points nearby the lad and had bugged his phone for audio playback so they could hear things he said.
The words Yugi spoke were to no one in particular. He hadn't been expecting any sort of response to his rant, but it came through his phone nonetheless... and even while he was having such a pleasant thought to the contrary of his current predicament. His eyes widened when the messages appeared. This was probably the most invasive experience he'd ever been subjected to, but he imagined that sniper still had eyes on him this very moment. Honestly, the idea of getting inside was suddenly very appealing, even if he was walking right into a trap. "One: Snipers are more expensive. Two: I really want to know how you managed to hack into my stuff. Three: It'd be a lot less creepy if you called instead of sending texts that respond to my fucking voice," he said. When this was over, he'd have to get rid of this phone... as well as his computer. The number of odd jobs he'd have to find just to replace them would be ridiculous, but he could at least ditch the apparently terrible security features. Either way, he would be following the instructions given, lest he be shot or something ridiculous like that. Into the suspicious graffiti door he went─ what a wonderful idea. . .
Apparently this lad, known to most as the Geno Killer was one who didn't like the idea of being spoken to through his text messages. That being said, the person who was answering him had nothing directly to do with how this interaction was taking place. Even so the answers would come swiftly and without much prompting.
Snipers are already with us. They are free.
You'd have to talk to the person who does the hacking.
I don't talk to people I've never met before.
All of those things were simple to understand. A secret organization like the one she belonged to had many people on payroll and lots of people who didn't know the truth of anything. In the case of their resident hacker, she was simply the best computer expert that money could buy. She didn't like interacting directly with people though and knew nothing of the true depths of the organization. As such the person who was sending the text messages and organizing this meet were different from the person who hacked his computer and phone. The boy was now in the hall way, this much she new, so she made her way into the room she'd sent him to from the other side. By the time he reached the door, she'd be sitting across from him. A purple haired girl with golden eyes that seemed to be a bit too bright for the kind of lighting currently present within the room. They were hyper reflective and on her wrist was a large metal double set of rings which didn't move up or down her arm even though it was much smaller than the opening itself. Several things were wrong here, but pulled up over her head was a cloak. "Yo, they've been waiting a long time to meet you... Geno Killer. I wouldn't know, I'm not into games but apparently they've been waiting for you..."
Well, Yugi was at least acquiring some information as he went. Whatever this organization was, they had snipers handy without requiring any outsourcing. The person in charge of hacking his technology was not self-incriminating enough to address him themselves, and the one talking to him would not send their voice through any traceable form. Information was shared freely enough that this was not a 'professional' organization, yet they were certainly skilled and efficient. "Gotcha," he said, for no reason other than the fact that he understood enough. Sadly, this was not Kimiko's doing at all; she couldn't have even been involved. On the other hand, this was not done by anything resembling a government official, though that was just as much a negative. Whatever he was walking toward was an underground organization.
Soon enough, he entered the room he was being led to. There was a woman within, whom he assumed to be the one sending those annoying messages through his computer and phone. She looked... very strange. If he didn't know any better, he'd say she had been cosplaying as an Age of Eternity custom character at a convention recently. This only made her claim of not being into video games even stranger. As far as her knowing his identity as Geno Killer... Well, that much was to be expected from anyone capable of hacking his computer. Standing next to a chair opposite this stranger, he pocketed his phone and crossed his arms. "Ugh. Get to the point, yeah? You lot obviously didn't send hackers and snipers after me to have a friendly chat, so what do you want? If you're talking pay, I might even listen... Y'know, since there's no way I'm keeping compromised technology after today."
Yugi's understanding was very strange. Still it was acknowledged, as the lass who sat across from him stared blatantly she noted that he didn't actually take a seat. Apparently he had no desire to sit and have this conversation as civilly as she would have liked, but she'd been warned of this possibility. Their 'Hacker' was a girl who claimed that given the things she'd found in the lad's gaming history he likely wouldn't be very friendly after the hostile entry into his privacy. That didn't really matter though as what they had to discuss was something much more serious. "Fine. Be that way... I just wanted to talk with someone else who'd seen it... the way the world is supposed to be..." she mentioned but she still seemed unfazed by the lad's antics. "Whatever the case, I can't talk on money or anything like that, that's what the Bishop does. If you won the competition money is part of the prize but that isn't the real goal... or rather the money wouldn't be useful here," she said with a casual roll of her eyes. "So, then until he arrives I am technically tasked with making sure you know the basics..." she said making it clear that she was open enough to take questions and given the other bits of information she'd divulged she garnered he would have at least a few before the person who actually wished to see this lad arrived.
Meanwhile hearing the lad's conversation he received another text message. This one from a very different person. Obviously this hacker had a bit of a conscience and sent him a text message explaining herself.
Sorry about the hack. Your setup was amazing though, I doubt anyone besides me could have done anything about it. I just did what I was paid for ya' know?
I'm not really deeply involved with these guys... and as a point of good faith there is an app there I designed to mirror both your original systems. When you're done, it will restore your system back to normal, and change your numbers and IP addresses while booting my access. I already stole my cameras back as well.
Gomen.
While this woman spoke, Yugi occupied himself by inspecting the cause of his phone's additional vibration. He had another message, and it was from the hacker herself. Of course, he still kept an open ear for whatever dribble the purple-haired girl had to offer him. He even managed to respond while reading the unnecessarily-long text. "Way the world's supposed to be? Bishop? Competition?" he questioned in sequence. All the while, his eyes scanned the message in his phone. Everything was so annoying, and even the claims of kindness made by the hacker would receive no compassionate retort. With a sigh, Yugi let his phone fall to the floor before stepping on it, crushing the device under his heel. Either he'd find a way to acquire another phone later, or he'd do without one; it wasn't like he had many people to text or call anyway.
"Sounds dumb," he said. "So you're all in some freaky cult church, and you want me to take part in some competition full of freaks who think the world isn't the way it's supposed to be. Do you really think one competition can change the state of the whole world? Nothing works that way, and there's no way I could be helpful to your weird cause even if it could be that easy. Besides, you're not exactly offering any incentive. Well... unless 'we'll shoot you unless you cooperate' counts as a reason to join a gang of nutcases."
'Sound's dumb?' did he even understand what he was saying. She could tell he knew the truth and yet he was content to make it seem as if they were crazy. This unfamilar and wrong world wasn't where she wanted to be. "You really think that after you've seen it? What the world is like when everything works... when our powers work?!" she frowned intensely, her hand slamming down on the metal table hard enough that her fist was left as a print but she showed no sighs of visible pain or distress. Those guys were really so sold on this guy actually being capable, of letting the world be restored to what it was supposed to be. And yet, he acted like they were all crazy. Were these 'Geno Killer' obsessed people wrong? Did this boy just go on vacation or something and not to the other side? Did he own a copy of the Gate just because? "You're supposed to be a link, because you're the only one to go there and come back while being from here. The rest of us, ended up here while being from there we didn't get to go back... to be stuck here is an affront to who I am..." she said with a sigh as she calmed herself. "Whatever, no one here has actually ever shot anyone for not helping... but the Bishop won't like it. The competition is supposed to help open the gate and flip this world back to what its supposed to be. I'm not religious nor a nutcase I simply know I don't belong here..." she said. If this lad wasn't here to help she could hardly tell what the higher ups would actually want with him. Whatever the case, it wasn't her job to question, she was promised the world she knew and everyone else was a means to an end.
"Yeah. Dumb," he said, though his brow rose when he acquired a new tidbit of information. They knew he'd been to another world, where 'their powers' worked. One could only be discussing the situation he'd recently been pulled from, at this point. When more was said, it became quite clear that at least this woman had come from the world he so recently left. That made sense of why she looked the way she did, but claimed she wasn't into video games; why would she be after living the way she did before? "Sou ka. I figured it was a two-way street. Either way, I'm not sure what makes you think I'm supposed to be some link to open the path to that place. Just play the damn game, and you'll probably end up there anyway," he claimed.
Bishop this, Bishop that. The identity of this mysterious man was going to be bothersome from what Yugi could tell thus far, but he was more interested in the here and now. Finally taking a seat in the chair he casually flipped backwards, he stared into the purple-haired woman's face. "You're leaving out important information as well, y'know? You keep saying shit like competition, but that means too many things. What sort of competition are you even talking about? Besides that, you say you're not some cult of religious nutters, but you're following someone called a Bishop? Why?"
This girl's brow rose in suspicion as the boy stated that he thought it was a two way street. He was only partially right in this assumption. People did apparently travel from one world to the other in both directions but the streets didn't work two ways. The path he'd taken to get in, and the one he'd taken to get out were invariably separate. More like two parallel one way streets which never crossed paths but connected their two opposite directions. "If that worked for us everything would already be as its supposed to. That game... doesn't feel right and whatever method it uses to create gates between here and there can't be accessed by those who come from there," she explained tersely. The truth of the matter is after being picked up by this group, she'd tried this game they spoke of, but couldn't get into it. Nothing about its workings drew her in. Though she could see clearly it was based on the world she was from, it didn't draw her in properly. It was like the land of her birth rejected her understanding of it. And that was the single most distressing fact of ending up in this world.
It seemed that Geno Killer took issue with her use of the world competition but that was the word she'd been told to use. When the whole thing was explained to her, she'd called it a war. "Propaganda, is what they call it. When they described it to me I called it a war. But they said in this world people wouldn't participate in something called a War because it means something different. But you know what I mean right? You've been there so you understand that a War isn't whatever this world thinks it is. The War grants a prize and the prize is the wish... that would right this fallacy of a place," she explained. Perhaps she'd still get what she wanted out of this situation which was a conversation with someone who understood both sides. Not just the ones trying to push back into the other world, but someone who could pick apart these things she was being told. "Bishop is what our leader is called... Arch Bishop, in actuality but there he would have been called something different. But he said this world didn't appreciate the word. That it had too many negative associations," the girl explained. "Someone like that should be called a Witch." She gave this information freely because it was simply her desire to do so.
Something was missing here. His assertion of the path between worlds being a two-way street was taken in an interesting way, as the purple-haired woman had previously been incapable of returning to her world by playing the game. "Sou ka," he muttered. "Not just the game itself, then. I figured as much." It seemed there was a greater puzzle to solve after all. If things went his way, he would have but a single reason to remain in his world, but he thought both himself and his person of interest would both be keen to stay on the other side instead. Of course, that would be to assume things worked in his favor. Either way, finding the path to that other world would be ideal. Perhaps he could work with these strange people after all. . .
Another question was answered, though not fully in the way he would have preferred. The competition previously mentioned was, in fact, a war of some sort. When this woman spoke of said war, a wish being granted at the end, and so on, something did come to mind. When he scoured through the files of Age of Eternity, Yugi had seen a great deal. Discovering the Ryuuko was a major boon, but quite a few scrapped or hidden ideas were seen... including something that had been called a war. "So let me guess... You want this world's Holy Grail, and someone in-tune with the other world enough to use it? I'm guessing not just anybody can make that thing do something, if it's even the same type of thing as the ones over there," he surmised. As for the aforementioned Bishop, there was yet another link to be made simply by uttering the word Witch. "So your Archbishop is a Warlock from there. I never actually ran into one of those, and I'm glad I haven't yet. By how easily you just ruined a table, I'm guessing they managed to keep even more power from there than you did? No way are you able to do that, with that frame, using any normal amount of human ability. So then... you're looking for someone who keeps as much power as the Witches do, maybe more, to make use of the Holy Grail and let all of you cross the border."
It seemed to this lass that the boy before her had been at least thinking about how the two places related. She had no real knowledge of it, she simply knew this world was absolutely wrong and she was tried of being here. Ah... but there were more interesting things afoot. The lad known as the Geno Killer apparently had a summary of what was going on here, given the little bit of information she'd supplied him. And much to her general surprise most of that information was correct or as correct as she'd been given anyways. "That would be the general idea yeah, but someone actually had to go and come back. That's the hard part though... until now, none one who's gone over has ever made their way back..." she explained the part of the situation she understood completely.
Her difference in words did enough to get the mind of Geno Killer working. "Sou ka, they said you were a top gamer and that it came with an amount of cleverness that was unusual. I didn't see how those sorts of things could be related but..." she stopped talking. "We found you immediately so I guess you haven't tried yet. It's harder to get them to work here but sometimes... they do. There are a couple of places that allow the use of those abilities. They are planning to stage the war there." she explained more of the plan. And a small smile appeared on her face. She was going there to feel more like herself and fight as she was born to do.
"No one, huh?" he questioned rhetorically. He knew this to be false information, but they clearly didn't know about the other person he knew to have been returned here at the same time as him. There was no other way; he'd seen her disappearing while he felt himself doing the same. Ashikaga Kimiko was here... but none would have reason to suspect her as a player of that game. Anyone searching for Geno Killer would have suspected him to be involved with any sort of gameplay. Regardless, he wouldn't dare incriminate her at this point. "So you want... or rather, you need someone from here, who's been touched by the other side?"
His every question was leading, all for the sake of understanding why this odd group sought him in particular. Surely this Archbishop in question had made some prior attempt to create the gateway. Speaking of attempts, though, it was believed that he had no abilities from the other world simply because he hadn't been trying. That made sense. If he could retain any amount of his skills though, he would become something quite ridiculous. "You want me involved in what's obviously a combat tournament. I've got other shit to do. You realize I'm a high school student shuffling between part-time jobs, right?"
A nod came from this lass, it was obvious that she didn't know about the possibility of anyone appearing. What he went on to say were about what she expected of his current brain output. They did indeed need someone who had done both things, one or the other wouldn't be enough. Time and time again such things had been tried and they'd never gotten close enough to get anyone back where they came from. Perhaps what was missing was the touch of crossing both ways, perhaps that would let the proper wish be made. "Yes. That is the hope. Someone who has gone both directions is capable in a way those of us who can only go one are not. It is thought they'll be able to make the right wish. And currently they are betting on you..." she said with a fairly lax attitude. If this boy could do what they wanted she could return her life the way it was meant to be. Not this fake version of her world but the real one she remembered in her dreams.
"Combat is a means to an end. We can all use our powers during those time periods. We are trying to right the wrong of the world... restore it. If that wording makes more sense to you." she offered watching. It was unclear looking at this lad where his mind was leaning. "And we know of your situation, if you participated in the competitions you'd be awarded prizes... if you won at least. You'd actually have to be capable of harnessing some power though to guarantee that sort of thing," she stated. She wasn't allowed to speak of money in any direct way as it referred to this world. But they were at least preparing to keep everyone who was involved satisfied in someway, and if this was all it took to guarantee this lad's participation then she had no reason to keep the information from him.
Hope. What a stupid, stupid word. The problems of this situation were piling up in Yugi's mind as he learned new information, and he already knew all he needed to determine his answer in the end. "Still dumb. You guys would suck at gacha games," he proclaimed. Sliding his way out of the chair, he took a single step away. They had already made it clear there would be no shooting in actuality, and he didn't have reason to believe the Archbishop's ire was something worth being concerned about just yet. "You don't have any reason to believe a person like me would be the answer to your problems, and you haven't even tried enough methods to solve it otherwise. Besides that, I didn't once hear you say anything to make me think you considered any other explanations for the situation. Why would the world be wrong? I went one way, and came back another. What you're talking about is time travel. I can tell you several reasons time travel isn't the case here, and every one of those reasons just adds to the reasons why I'm not doing shit for you people. It pisses me off when people don't even think their way through something that could be way simpler if they did."
As he spoke, there was the strangest occurrence. Unbeknownst to him, there was a brief shift in his dark brown eyes─ a temporary change to the color red. He'd had enough. There was, however, one other thing of importance to be addressed here; he had an interest in meeting one person. "Oi, hacker! You're obviously the only one being proactive about anything, so do me a favor and step out where I can see you," he said. There were words to be shared with the hacker, and he was done speaking through technology in that oh-so creepy way. Given how the hacker had been in touch with him thus far, he assumed this very room was bugged as well.
Meanwhile, the police holding Ashikaga Kimiko in custody finally made their way to the station. An interrogation room had already been arranged, and the officer named Satoru stood next to the table while they awaited the interrogator, and apparently Kimiko's lawyer. "Anything while you wait, ma'am? Coffee? Tea?" the man asked. Sure, he would be losing his job by the end of this ordeal, but he was resolved enough that such a thing wouldn't stop him from doing it. Besides, he understood this to be an inconvenience that he wouldn't have forced on anyone without proper reason.
"Gacha...games?" this word was unfamiliar to this purple haired lass but the other person who was indeed still monitoring this situation found herself coughing immediately. She felt like that statement attacked her. Still this meeting seemed to have reached a falling out. By the words of this lad, he had no intention of helping them at all. This was fine, they didn't expect much though apparently the higher ups had higher hopes. "Suit yourself, you might not end up with us... but you'll definitely end up there. If those eyes are any indication. The world is wrong..." she said in reference to the random color shift in his eyes, obviously he was in the other world at some point. She had no reason to assume the existence of two different places. And time travel? What could that possibly be about, all of this was well above her interest levels and paygrade. At the very least she might get to fight him later... as such it might be worthwhile in that case. She wasn't the type to chase beyond her orders and she'd already done what was necessary. No one could say she hadn't put in more basic effort than normal. "Go then. I don't really care."
The boy's upset words reached their spy in question and she though scared slipped out from a side door with a bag slung over her shoulder. She had on a plain black fluffy hoodie and a black pleated miniskirt beneath but that was about all one could tell of her outward appearance. Atop her head a messy ponytail in a fiery red color and golden orange eyes. "You really didn't have to say that like that you know. I did apologize after all. This isn't my normal kind of gig..." she explained her two fingers touching each other. She was abjectly curious about what he said about gacha games she'd gotten lots of advice about them but her own luck was absolutely abysmal. She could use another opinion on that matter, though the lad before her seemed like he might be a little too cranky to give that sort of information freely.
In the meantime, Ashikaga Kimiko found herself sitting in a chair in an obvious interrogation room. It was a bit disturbing. How did they expect people to be comfortable enough to talk to them in a place like this? The girl crossed her legs at the knees and sat back with perfect posture. How long would she have to wait? Did these people realize the kind of space they were putting between her and her goals. She would have been fuming, if she had all the information she needed already. Still this young officer who feared for his job was once again showing he was the only person she'd come in contact with since her return who was even remotely reasonable. He offered her a choice of coffee and tea. How strange. She'd already mentioned she wouldn't be answering any questions and as such she only smiled again. His resolve to treat her decently even after she gave him the option not to, needed to be rewarded. Even so she'd remind him of this option he kept refusing to take. "Gojo-san... the questions~" she teased just a tad. Perhaps that part of her was a bit more obvious than she'd originally given it credit for. Still she wasn't one to let a bit of good will go to waste. "Gomen, I am only teasing. I'll take a bottle of water if you have it." How easily she fell back into old habits. She had to watch her figure for now, no overindulgences. And after her mind began to drift again, how to find the Geno Killer? Would it be fruitful enough to search for him online? Did she need some idea of what his face looked like? What did she know about him that should make him easier to find? All these questions passed over her mind and she began working through each of them as their own trees of thought figuring out the amount of time and resources that would be required to see one from the beginning to the end.
"Stay away from them. A gambling addiction wouldn't suit you," was all Yugi had to share with the purple-haired woman. According to her, he was going to end up involved in this 'competition' whether he did so with them or not. She mentioned his eyes, which was something worth thinking over. No matter; her earlier statement gave him all the confirmation he needed when addressing the hacker.
He was right; the hacker was listening, and she was close as well. She emerged in all the shady attire he would expect from an organization like this, but that didn't really matter. "I don't really care," he said about her apology, and about how this wasn't her normal type of 'gig' so to speak. "I didn't call you out to bitch at you or anything. Your work's really good for you to be able to hack my shit, but... a warning." Yes, there was something irksome about this entire scenario. Mostly, he had a problem with the fact that there was a competition, and an entire group sought to recruit him. What had been so recently said by the purple-haired girl was the final nail in the coffin to a theory he'd been holding since earlier in the conversation. "Wipe everything. If it's not too late, wipe all the evidence you have on me as well. That one's partially for personal reasons, but besides that... I'm sure the other groups like yours are going to come looking for me too. Who knows, I might change my mind about this whole thing later, but I've got more important things to do right now."
Kimiko was certainly a difficult one to deal with for Satoru. After his offer of something to drink, she once again reminded him that she would be answering no questions without a lawyer. He sighed, assuming he would not even be allowed to ask questions which provided her some amount of comfort during this ordeal. Ah, but it was apparently mere teasing. Maybe he wasn't cut out for this cop business anyway. Whatever the case, he sighed again before nodding. Off he went afterwards to retrieve a bottle of water.
Alas, Isao would not be the one returning. Instead, Kimiko was visited by a male with an average build, naturally white mid-length hair with no particular style to it. Though quite handsome, there were no notable features on his face, nor any particular shine to his golden eyes. He could be described as the epitome of the color white, wearing a white suit which went down to his ankles and perfectly matched his hair, underneath which, he wore a long-sleeved blue shirt that matched the color of his earring, of which only the scuffs were visible. The suit itself was white on the outside and black on the inside, with the suit's ten buttons, edging, cuffs and minor details on the inside and outside being gold in color. Matching his hair and his suit, the trousers and shoes worn by him were also white. Perhaps the most striking detail of his suit was the opulent high-neck collar, which had an intricate, black and gold design, with the most noticeable feature of it being a large gold collar clip resembling the infinity sign. He took a seat at the table, just across from Kimiko, and gazed endlessly into her face. "Konnichiwa... Ashikaga Kimiko," he greeted. "I thought I would have to find some alone time with you by force. Are you already tired of being back in this world, after being in the other for so long?"
Strangely, this man spoke without worry of being heard. There should have been cameras and audio surveillance in this interrogation room, but one would note that they had been... somehow, rather suddenly destroyed before he set foot in the room. As if he had no awareness of this destruction whatsoever, he sat before Kimiko, even mimicking the way she sat by crossing his right leg over his left knee, keeping his hands clasped in his lap with an unassuming smile on his face.
Aiba Yugi's request of the orange haired girl was a strange one. Meanwhile the purple haired girl thought over gambling and then rather astutely let herself fall into a very relaxed position. She didn't really care what else went on here. The girl with her orange eyes found herself looking at the lad with random curiosity. He claimed she should get rid of all the information she had on him, not as a favor to him but because it connected her to him. Along with everything about this organization. Strange for him to care what happened to someone else so randomly still there wasn't anything really to worry about. "Hm, this isn't my first rodeo or anything... I always get rid of that stuff. Hell I build computers and gear specifically for jobs from scratch and incinerate them afterwards. No harm no foul... I won't keep anything related to this, it will get rid of my plausible deniability. No worries," she said very easily. There was an extreme amount of truth in her words. Though she didn't like these strange jobs she took all the time, she was at the very least supremely conscientious in her work. With that the girl would go on to slip out of the door with only a casual wave over her shoulder. She was quite done here already and needed to get to the cleanup stage of her work so she could get back to spending her money.
After teasing that poor police officer the man left her presence. Kimiko managed to keep that same pleasant mask up for the next few moments until a white haired white clothed man made his way into her interrogation room. She stared at him with slight questions furrowing her brow. A hint of excitement in her soul as she thought he might have been the man she sought. He called her by name and took a seat across from her, making mention of her time in the other world but... something about that was wrong. 'I thought it might have been him... but everything about him leads me to believe that he's not rich here. Or at the very least he doesn't like it as an idea. No reason to assume he'd show up before me, dressed like that, when he claimed he wanted to be found either.' Her mind eliminated the idea that the famed Geno Killer would break into a police station just to see her. Especially in the case of being here. What was more, knowing it wasn't the Geno Killer she was looking for meant some other strange man had decided to speak to her instead. This man at the very least wasn't a police officer. That she knew, no police came looking that restful and well put together. They wore the stress of their jobs like badges on their faces and clothes. A level of unkempt was obvious even in the youngest of officers. She looked more at this man's clothing as he sat across from her in the same position she kept and noted the infinity like symbol around his neck. Those eyes of hers narrowed slightly and she began speaking aloud for the first time in several moments. "Do you work for my father? You're dressed a bit like you do. My statements about not answering questions stays and I'll feign ignorance about what you're talking about, unless you are here to get me out of this annoying situation."
The good news was that this new girl already intended to remove all evidence of this exchange. The bad news, of course, was that she hadn't done it already. This may not have been her first excursion into shady activity like this, but he doubted she previously had anything to do with world-crossing, or the types that were sure to be born of such an event. Perhaps she had at least dealt with matters surrounding someone like him in this world, but that didn't matter presently. All Yugi could do now, was hope she properly addressed matters that needed tending to. "That's cool and all, but I wonder what that means for the other organizations having people just like you... ones that would have been looking for me the same time you were. Maybe it'll work out though, right?" he asked, seeming quite sarcastic. Whatever the case, he was done with this strange cult, and content to make his way home again.
The question of the white-haired man was not given an answer. Instead, Kimiko offered a question of her own. Did he work for her father? Not at all; he had no clue who the man was. The internal musings of Kimiko were an unimportant mystery, but there was one fact that mattered. In a way, he was here to get her out of this annoying situation, though not at all for the reason she would have wanted. "Feign ignorance if you like. You can't lie to me; I know you were there. I'm sure you remember me," he said, offering his right hand to the girl. "Come. We have a war to enter. When we're done, you can finally become my wife. Or before, if that suits you~" Regardless of his words, he had a simple intention when offering his hand. If Kimiko took it, she would find herself sitting at a very different table─ a dining table to be precise, in a candle-lit room that seemed to belong in a European mansion. Of course, the white-haired male would still be in front of her... and so would be a rather magnificent turkey dinner.
"Eh, too much pessimism in you..." she mumbled as she left. His sarcasm was noted. She could at least feel good that she'd tried at least, and that was much more than could be said of another young woman.
A scoff came from Kimiko as she was content not to move. This man's hand extended over the table and her hands remained clasped in her lap. Whether he was here to help her or not, she didn't like the casual phrasing of his statements. Beyond that she had no intention of taking this man's hand without being certain he was the man she was looking for. She wouldn't be the type of person who gave off the wrong vibes and beyond all of that there was only one man's hand she wanted to take, regardless of the faces he wore. This man... he didn't feel like those did and his attitude also didn't suit her current desires. "So, I am not taking your hand. I very honestly have no memory of you or anyone like you. I have no intention of joining a war nor being your wife. Those things are especially true, when I have no idea who you are, or what is being fought over, and most importantly what the benefit is to me doing so...." she said swiftly. Kimiko was nothing if not a negotiator on her own behalf. There was no way she was going to put herself in a strange position and at the mercy of a man she didn't know outside of the watchful eyes of others. Beyond all of that, if he wasn't her resident Geno Killer she had no intention of helping him in whatever his goals were, she wanted to find that young man and continue on her budding relationship. That didn't involve a random marriage to a man who claimed they'd do so. Especially not with someone who didn't believe in her choice in this matter.
This girl claimed to have no memory of him, but that couldn't be true. He had every memory of her, and knowledge of her multiple faces. He claimed long ago that she would be his wife, and though she had never confirmed such a thing, he would have what he desired. "And why would you not? You joined the previous war, before we were brought to this pitiful version of the world. Between you and that boy... Yes, one of you must be Pride. I have decided that it is you, which is why you will be one of my wives. Who, but you, could say such a thing to the Archbishop representing Greed?" This man seemed to be initiating a bit of a rant, which had no foreseeable end to it. "I, Regulus Corneas, declare that you will be the best of them! There may be 78 others, but that doesn't matter. The love of Pride will outshine theirs! Now, stop toying around. We will return to the world we belong in, where the rest are. Once we gain the Holy Grail, we can raise a bridge to take us there... even if we have to tear this world apart to make it!" Well, he certainly seemed confident when making these proclamations. In fact, he truly believed there was no future other than what he stated.
This man before her seemed to have memories of her she didn't have of him. Interesting. She ingested enough science fiction as media to come to a general conclusion in that moment. Obviously they were from different points in the world's history. His words though were at least worth taking in and pulling apart between herself and that boy? Someone he saw as being equivalent enough to her for them to possibly have the same title. Yes... this was all the confirmation she needed that this man wasn't the one she was looking for. Moreover his little rant was full of things she could reduce even further down to useful information. He called himself an Archbishop of Sin and associated himself with Greed. This definitely wasn't something she could attribute to any of the Geno Killer's faces, though Pride seemed more likely she also knew the lad to possess something else at a much higher ratio, not that it mattered.
About herself she had but a few things to say, "Pride? That doesn't sound right about me... you must not know me at all." she said still sitting with those hands clasped together in her lap. "Though, admittedly nothing you've said in the last few moments makes much sense to me," she commented with nothing but that same serene mask of a smile upon her face. "First, even if I was the top, no girl wants to be in competition with 78 other women. If I am not someone's only choice I definitely have no desire to be just their top option... I have higher standards than that," She concluded easily the idea of destroying one world to get to the other also didn't sit right with her. "Second, if I did participate in a Holy Grail War, I wouldn't destroy anything. I have fond memories of this world and fond ones in that one. I'll have both worlds not one or the other. Your thinking is way too small for me. I'll get myself out of this..." she mentioned never once removing her eyes from this person. Her tone had been clear, concise and to the point though admittedly a tiny bit dismissive. She had no intention of getting involved. She had more important and better things to do. She didn't know what he expected, but she would definitely not be helping him destroy anything. Beyond all of that she had no intention of being involved in the destruction of her home world. Though she fully intended to return to the other one at her earliest convenience, those plans included a certain male individual she was in the process of tracking down.