<Nocturnal Harmonia>

[Bloodedge]

And so, Yugi was at rest with one of his favorite female characters' original faces freshly laid with and resting atop his chest. These were moments to live for. These were moments that made Yugi glad he threw himself out that window about two days before. These were moments he sought more of. He didn't know what was better between the sex itself and the fact that it was Takeuchi Roze of all people. Taking the combination at face value, he decided to simply mark it as an ultimate victory. "Hands down, one of the most epic things ever. I'm gonna need a full round. Buuut... good luck next time. Don't hold back then," he warned, fully believing that twenty-minute display still wasn't everything Enju had to offer.

Around the same time, Anan was being stopped, but not by the lass he was railing. He couldn't free himself from the cell, but he'd mostly broken free of his own body's constraints. The black goat was nearly released entirely when Makima claimed he'd gone too far. He'd gone quite feral. Nothing resembling words could leave his mouth for the time being. Suddenly, his arms were raised again, bound once more to the cell's ceiling to prevent any further activity from his end. With horns rapidly retreating into his head and a body returning to its normal proportions, Anan could finally speak again. "Still no branding iron? Booooring~" he chanted. With that, he stared at Miko again. She had yet another challenge to issue. "Next time, no limiters on me, you get me out of here... you get left behind 'cause you can't walk out~" he threatened.

[BOND ROUTE UNLOCKED]

Bond Route: Akiyama Anan

Intimacy has reached 25%.

Route Activated: Feral Chain

Objective: Deepen connection with Akiyama Anan.

Current Progress: 25%

Reward Unlocked:
- Skill: Feral Surge (brief burst of raw physical power and goat-like agility)
- Passive: Primal Instinct (increased reaction speed and intimidation when in combat or high-tension situations)

Accept Invitation?
[ACCEPT] / [DENY]

[Apollymi]

Enju rested atop Yugi for a few moments, catching her breath. She didn't know what it was to be a fan in a situation like this, but it seemed to her he was good natured enough that she didn't have to worry too much. According to the lad this experience had been 'epic' and he warned her against holding back in their next full round. "Really? Well, if you're sure I'll start at the end next time~" she claimed casually as she worked to extricate herself from the lad in question and move to begin picking up her clothing again.

While that pair recovered, Miko was forced to end her own session. Not through direct interference initially but through 'Makima Intervention'. At first the animalistic man couldn't even speak, by the time he could he was complaining to Makima about a lack of branding. "Shush~ You've been properly exercised for the day... don't push your luck," Makima mentioned almost casually. As Miko stood and stretched in place she soon enough was seeing and hearing something interesting. She turned her head slightly to see the man now strung up behind her. She'd issued him a different sort of challenge, and he'd had another threat to offer. "We'll see♪~ I'll be worse by the time you see me again♪~ You're not going to walk away from me♪~" Miko said seemingly pleased. "I accept♪!~" Miko sang as she made all that extra mana into jelly for her use later given her skills and she redressed herself once more. "Though this man just tried to murder me with the meat, 25 percent is criminal♪~" Miko gripped but she figured the type of man he was, he didn't expect to see the same person twice. That was fine, Miko had no problem proving herself. "Oh? You got one too, good good. Enju you can return to your old room until they come back for you," Makima decided. "I need to talk to you both about something slightly more serious." And with that she'd be leading the pair back to her office for a more serious conversation.

[Bloodedge]

"Good strat. I'm gonna work on some new techs by then," Yugi said, his final sentence to Enju for the present. With that, he'd be moving right along to the regrouping phase... which apparently involved having to hear some complaints from Miko. She'd taken a new route, and didn't appreciate it spawning at only 25% despite the apparent attempted murder beforehand. "Free as your routes are, you've hardly got room to complain. Besides, half of Japan knows you're into that shit by now," Yugi said when reaching the others outside the cell.

Enju was sent to whatever her original location had been prior to self-incarceration. It seemed the goat man would not be set free just yet ─ likely to everyone's benefit. Now that a couple of routes had been gained from this basement trip, Makima had something else she was keen to discuss with the Players... something notably, though allegedly slightly, more serious. Yugi equipped his clothing as a full set while waiting around, soon to be walked back into Makima's office. Along the way, he had time to think. "Before you even start, just gonna say... probably a huge waste of time. But, go on. I have my time wasted by people I don't want to bone, so it's kinda whatever," he chattered.

[Apollymi]

Yugi would be working on new tech for his next meeting with Enju and she would be amused by that knowledge. "Hai~" she said seeming to find no fault in his words. By the time he was heading out to re-equp his clothing and join a different conversation, Enju was preparing to leave the cells and head for a different spot. Still, she remained just active enough to hear that conversation between the Players and feel amused by it. Miko did get quite the odd number of freebies, but she assumed this was simply a gender different, it wasn't exactly a qualitative difference, "I don't stop you from bitchin' let me complain♪~" Miko asserted a she also reapplied her clothing. She tossed that hair of hers and seemed to have put herself back together rather reasonably before stepping out of Anan's cell.

Secretly, the girl couldn't have been more pleased if she'd tried. but the knowledge of a serious upcoming talk made her anxiety spike. "I really don't like conversations that start like that..." Miko murmured softly. Her brain often rapid fired potential issues, but... she was able to rest a bit easier with Yugi at her side. Once they were inside Makima's office, she'd be fighting the urge to pace in front of Makima's desk as she took a seat behind it. "You might think that but... some things need clarity to be comfortable," Makima decided was the best thought. Still, that little upturn of her lips wouldn't be going anywhere while she considered the way she wished to approach this particular conversation. "You two are growing exponentially fast, and the window in which I can comfortably deal with you is shrinking by the moment. Partly my fault but I also couldn't resist," Makima admitted in that moment. There was an odd amount of earnestness coming from the chairwoman as she sat with her hands clasped in front of her on her desk. "At the rate you are going, you'll be able to do anything. So what I need to know is, what is it you want? What are your plans? Your goals? How does your loyalty stretch past this current moment?" she asked the pair. A question like that made Miko tilt her head to the side. "I thought this was a doom flag, and instead it's gone a bit guidance counselor. My anxiety spiked for nothing," Miko decided looking to Yugi. She wasn't sure how to broach the question her honest answer was something rather queer and Miko wasn't sure if her words would set Makima at ease, or get her locked up.

[Bloodedge]

Miko didn't prevent Yugi's complaints, so she wanted hers left alone. He still didn't think it made any sense, but the same could likely be said about his complaints from the right perspective. "Whatever, but if you're gonna bitch, bitch. That shit was weak!" he asserted. Little else would come from Yugi between that moment and the arrival in Makima's office. He took some time to figure out what she likely wanted to discuss.

When they finally reached the office, Yugi immediately called her unasked question a waste of time. Makima posed that clarification was needed for comfort, and went on to cite their exponential growth. She didn't have much time left to eliminate them if they were going to prove problematic. The real problem was, she'd yet to fully realize the Players were only a problem to those who created problems for them... or to the sensibilities of others, depending on one's outlook. Yugi wanted to make a sexual joke about open windows and comfortably dealing with him, but there was more to come ─ and a better opportunity. A series of related questions were presented. What did they want? What were their plans? How did their loyalty stretch into the future? Miko lamented her unnecessary spike in anxiety leading to this questioning, but Yugi never had that reaction. No, he'd be looking at Makima directly to answer her questions in sequence... with some amount of seriousness, whether interpreted or otherwise. "Head. Getting laid, becoming an absolute fucking god, and curing the Eternal Slumber ─ in no particular order. Lastly... as far as your legs stretch? Nah, that's weak. Anyway... serious matter. Last question's the wrong one, isn't it? I'm pretty sure the answer is the same for both of us, and it's the same answer to a question I can ask you..." Yugi paused there, shifting fully into a serious demeanor. He held his hands on his hips, kept his posture erect, and maintained full eye contact with Makima. "How long until you decide to go from benefactor to opposition?"

[Apollymi]

Miko's complaints wouldn't be stopped but she was encouraged instead, to really put into it, if she was going to 'bitch' about things. "Hai, full rants activated♪~ No takebacks♪~" Miko asserted. Before they reached the office. Upon getting there the start of a conversation happened. There was a list of questions which made Miko raise a brow, Makima truly wanted to know something rather open ended by Miko's own standards. But she was a simple girl, she didn't consider anyone a problem except for those who were already a problem.

So now, Makima was watching the pair of children process that list of questions she'd asked them. Miko's face was as always overly honest, she hadn't even considered anything like being compromising. Oral service, sexual favors, becoming stronger, and curing the Eternal Slumber. "One of those things is lightly noble. The rest are... pretty base," Makima observed. Apparently, the last question was wrong and he had a better one. One that could be asked of her and them in reverse. "How long before Makima went from being their benefactor to their opposition? That serious demeanor was well beyond the years she figured this boy had. It was almost too mature for the silliness she'd gotten used to. In fact she found herself studying the pair and would find that seriousness was mirrored by emptiness in the face of Miko. It was obvious she was being neutral... "That question is one that relies solely upon how you behave and if you get in my way. I have no reason to oppose you so long as what you want doesn't contradict me. In fact I'd rather use you both than get rid of you, which is why we're having this conversation," Makima was honest in how she chose to speak on that point. Miko nodded her understanding.

[Bloodedge]

Within his list of answers, Makima found a single noble cause, calling his other answers base. Yugi shook his head. "Pretty base? Pretty real. Hard goals are for classes, weak games and jobs; I don't want my life as a powerful magical person to be boring because I gave myself a bulletin board. As for the Eternal Slumber thing... it's not that noble. As far as I'm concerned, most of this planet could fall asleep and never wake up. I'm not a hero," he ranted.

There was no argument from Miko after his question was asked. True enough then, they thought that similarly. Well, it was an easy conclusion to reach. Makima's thoughts would be shared afterwards. Just as he expected, her answer to that question was... 'it depends.' She'd rather have them than lose them. That sentiment was shared. So long as they didn't oppose her, she had no reason to oppose them. The chairwoman offered that response as such a matter of fact, pointing out the purpose of this conversation, but... Yugi had already prefaced his clause. "Another waste of time saying all that," Yugi said as his own matter of fact. "Per my previous statement: the same answer to a question I can ask you. You're too useful, too hot and too powerful to make an enemy of ─ physically, magically and politically for that last one. I want you to open your legs, not your hit list," he rambled, not quite done yet. "Apart from my raging boner ─ did I mention the raging boner? Apart from that, there are some obvious things here. You could have ended us during those first meetings. You could have let us die in the job-change quest. You could wipe us off the face of the Earth right now. Alternatively, I could tear down your power structure with a single sentence spoken at the right time, to the right person. But look at us both, not fucking each other over. And apparently not fucking each other at all. Cough, cough. Nudge. Wink," Yugi concluded, looking far more serious than his words were becoming the longer he spoke.

[Apollymi]

Makima found the answers that Yugi gave to be base for the most part aside from the curing of the Eternal Slumber. Miko knew that last one to be for a very specific purpose. But many things were cured simply because a single person mattered to someone, she couldn't fault him for that. Nor did she fault him for not being a hero, heroes were... fundamentally flawed individuals. The fact that he understood that much about himself, only made him appreciable to Miko. Makima also appreciated his personality. Anyone who could potentially kill for whatever reason, was someone she could appreciate his sentiment wasn't lost on her, nor was his reasoning. "In fairness you can't really trust a hero. I'd rather have a perfectly reasonable anti-hero, dark-hero or an anti-villain," Miko confirmed, leaving her life in the hands of a hero would probably require trust building exercises across something longer than a human lifetime.

That one aside, the question that Yugi had asked was indeed one that Miko would have asked. Her own nature only allowed her to retaliate to the actions of others, both positive and negative. And in that same moment Miko completely relaxed listening to Yugi's rambling speech and absorbing it in full. Makima did the same only smirking when the lad's tangents lead him back to his hornier nature. "That brain of yours, is so good and so easily distracted," Makima decided. "But if that is how you feel about it, I suppose this conversation was indeed a bit wasteful," Makima stated. "If you won't turn against me, I have no reason to do anything but indulge you both. So, benefactor I'll remain. And you little one, you've been avoiding saying anything likely on purpose," Makima pointed out and at that time, Miko held her hands up in surrender again. "I am a simple girl... I want the people I like to lead good lives. And I want to partake in the new buffet that opened up in front of me," Miko confirmed of her own life desires. With that Makima looked at both children a mental block seeming to disappear, if they weren't going to be a problem then they were her new best assets and thus would be used and pampered in turn.

"Now then, what are your immediate plans for the next couple of days? I'll be lifting the lock down soon and while I can contact you directly I'd rather have some idea of your movements ahead of time," Makima said sounding like their new administrators.

[Bloodedge]

"Never trust a hero," Yugi agreed. "I'll never choose the many over the few. Those are my few, and fuck you and all those other people I don't even know," he added, nearly barking at the nonexistent hero they were discussing. He hated the idea of playing hero, even though some may have called him the hero of gaming. That was not a self-imposed title, so it didn't matter to Yugi.

What did matter, was keeping Makima onboard... and not making unnecessary enemies of useful, powerful individuals. When she spoke to the distracted nature of his brain, Yugi presented an argument immediately. "Wrong again. Getting under your skirt is the higher priority for me; don't let yourself think otherwise. There's always some figurehead, some other method, blah blah blah. I'm banking on you because ─ and I'm sure you know this, but ─ holy mommy of god-fucking-DAMN the boner I get!" he asserted. Soon after, Miko was offering her simplicity, her life preference. Yugi thought similarly enough to nod along with what she said, awaiting another opportunity to state another point. Before he could manage that, however, Makima questioned their immediate plans. With the lockdown lifted, they'd likely still be accompanying Kaguya and her... thing. "Hmm... Shirogane's probably not gonna cancel just because of a lockdown. We'll be at onsen for two, maybe three days... though I'll probably be gone one of those days to find someone."

At the same time, as luck would have it, there was a certain blonde male exiting a brand-new violet Ferrari in front of the Hunters Association. He sported a very expensive black suit with a dark teal button-up, a yellow tie with prismatic pattern, and a pair of emerald earrings set in gold. Large, dark sunglasses concealed his eyes as he looked up the building before entering. Sensing that man's presence, Gojo lifted his head and sniffed the air. "Hoho. Smells like real money around here."

[Apollymi]

Miko nodded her agreement to the idea of never trusting a hero. "That is a surprising take for two so young," Makima decided. A lack of trust in heroes and a lack of traditionally heroic behavior out of a pair so young, to Makima was indicative of a realistic understanding of human nature. No matter, Makima also didn't trust heroes or those who displayed heroic tendencies, she felt that kind of altruism wasn't truly possible. In fact such a stance would make Makima rate their emotional maturity even higher than it already appeared.

Ah, but what about the potential for these kids becoming her enemies? It seemed that neither actually wanted that. It would seem that Yugi wanted nothing more than to get into her pants. Makima wasn't willing to throw her body at problems as a proper adult, but allowances were often made for her favorite people so she could at least see the potential forward movement for Yugi. For Miko she had a much simpler way of moving in life, Yugi agreed so both were earnest in their desires. "Those sorts of expectations are easily managed. I'll continue monitoring and managing your growth..." Makima decided with a fair amount of firmness. Keeping this pair growing and entertained would mostly keep them docile, she could eal with that. And when Yugi reached the right level of power to be worth a lay that could potentially be amusing as well. Makima also saw the overarching reinforcement of her power structure. Miko had proven herself capable of handling the rowdier people and seemed to enjoy them... and both seemed reasonable enough for public or private events. They were among the most manageable pets she'd ever had, with only the minor issue of making sure they kept their clothes on in important moments. "Onsen, huh? And a bit of travel probably for that one you asked about. Fine... and you any plans beyond the onsen?" she asked of the girl. "Hm, I do plan to find my therapist, I've been spiraling and I'd rather not trauma dump on anyone, probably the same day he goes out to avoid any oddities. Beyond that I do have one other arrangement but I haven't gotten a call back about it yet, but that usually isn't too much," Miko offered. "Sou ka, is Shirogane a bondmate? And the name of your friend from the job-change quest, her evaluation should be moved up," Makima offered the group. "Shirogane is technically a potential bond mate, but he's a bit too... rigid to be honest with I don't plan to tell him too much but I will still see how far I can push it before I get too distracted, as for the girl from the question, Shinomiya Kaguya. She's my bestie..." Miko asserted. Still, Gojo's words were heard by both Makima and and Miko, Makima smirked but still managed a brow raising at the surname attached to the girl from the dungeon. She thought she recognized such odd movements but Miko tooked a bit curious, why wouldn't she... something new was headed their way.