<Nocturnal Harmonia>

[Bloodedge]

When did Yugi find time to sleep? Obviously Makima was a little too old to be asking such a question; her generation didn't treat free time the same way his did. "Usually when I'm done jerking off, and for as little time as possible," he answered simply and shamelessly. As for the girl named Toga Himiko, Miko insisted that she was more normal than Yugi thought. Nonsense. "She's a batshit zealot with one of the most aggressive personalities I've ever seen on Albertus Animusphere's internet. Probably the wildest fuck ever, but that doesn't stop her from being a liability without even trying to be. It doesn't matter though. We'll probably be S-rank before vacation is over."

Shortly afterwards, while the Players and Makima were approaching the bath, one Shirogane Miyuki was in the restroom recovering from a nearly-crushed dick. What he didn't expect was to have it hardened again immediately, by none other than Miko. Luckily for him, Kaguya wasn't presently nearby to see that picture he brought up... or the throbbing erection he gained within seconds. At the same time, Yugi was enjoying the sight of every micrometer on Makima's person, from hair ends to toenails. One of his three selections was apparently a simple matter, another only possible, and the other... something for later. Yugi considered that fine, but one of those three required a special note. "If Ashikaga Himeko isn't available, I'll accept a meeting. I don't care if she's a Hunter or a fucking vegetable; I'm going for it," he declared. Shortly after that, Miko would be receiving a return text from one of her two targets. It read: Holy moly! How are you even comfortable wearing that? Is there anything else I should know about?!

[Apollymi]

Yugi was honest to a point that Makima could never really tell what was going to fall out of his mouth. In this particular case, he claimed he slept after jerking off for a little time as possible. "Kyah~" Makima's visage cracked around the idea of someone being far too honest. "I don't know if I needed that much honesty," Makima said looking towards Miko leaving a question in the air without asking it directly. "I... didn't sleep very much to begin with, though I am not currently a chronic masturbator or anything. I usually only sleep if I pass out for a couple hours, usually around midday. But I usually don't sleep after sunset without interference of some sort. You can be as productive or unproductive as you want when you are awake 45 out of 48 hours," Miko admitted. Makima could see that, given the girl's wandering thoughts, habits and her sensitivities to light and sound. Meanwhile, Yugi's take on Toga was one which Miko understood in theory but having spoken with the girl a few times she didn't believe. Besides that, the same qualities that he seemed to be upset about, were ones Miko herself shared. She was defending another girl's honor and her own. "Zealotry is only as bad as the god you choose. And anyone who is that much of a zealot wouldn't be a liability, they are too into the cause. And don't talk to me about Albertus Animusphere, that old man can have some me!♪~" Miko argued but they seemed to argue like this quite a bit. Makima observed how these two spoke to one another and found their banter to be closer to an old married couple, than that of a couple of teens who'd just met a couple of days prior.

No matter, both were coming along to that bath and she'd be enjoying a tub soak. Miko was at least comfortable enough to slip to the edge of the tub while also seeing Makima show off the whole of her form. As for Ashikaga Himeko, that one was mostly unexpected but... she was a great looking woman, if any had a chance of catching her interest, she'd count the lad among them. "Very strong feelings about that one. It will take a while but... if I can arrange such a meeting, I'll make it happen. She is a Hunter, but she's also S-rank along with her husband so there is a certain working relationship to be acknowledged," Makima had gotten the start of what she wanted, making sure her pets were looked after was also important. "I'll also be introducing you both to a pair of S-rank twins, they are A-rank on paper but that's for similar reasons to why you're currently E-rank. When the other comes back from her mission. They are a bit volatile, but I am fairly certain you can handle them now," Makima was certain of her decision in that case. All the while Miko was soon reading a text message, which had her face shifting immediately. Still a small smirk came to her face... I was hardly comfortable, but I consider it a confidence boosting outfit (⸝⸝¬`⩊´¬⸝⸝) I sometimes let other people dress me, that one was such a choice, I'm not wearing it now ↻(�� .̀ ̮.́)Ψ Ever one to apply a bit more pressure and push a boundary. Miko sat at the water's edge and undid the obi of her outfit. She tossed her hair around a bit and positioned a mirror out of the Inventory in front of her and behind her, making sure nothing outside of it was visible eerie light framed her semi-nude form as she took another picture and sent that to Miyuki as well, with just a tiny bit of nipple slipping out. Soon after she'd put that away, while keeping an eye on those bars to see if she saw in progress with the implied routes. She also sent that one to Ren, knowing she'd promised him the kinds she was already sending anyway. "Is she sending lewds?" Makima wondered finding the whole thing rather curiosu the girl really didn't seem the type given how skittish she appeared to be.

[Bloodedge]

"Yeah you did," Yugi said about the honesty he presented Makima. He remained a teenage boy, totally shameless about his masturbatory lifestyle... which had all but disappeared overnight, given the amount of action throwing itself at the Players, both sexual and non. That aside, the topic of Toga was a point of disagreement between Players. Miko didn't have the same thoughts about zealotry that he did. "Completely wrong. She's the kind of zealot who'd completely crash out over a stray statement; I've seen it a hundred times from her already. Put that in person, she'll slip up eventually. Now are we gonna dismiss this, or am I gonna have to say it doesn't matter another three times before you stop arguing with the wrinkle?" he huffed.

The Ashikaga family apparently had two S-rank Hunters at its head: both Himeko and Tokiomi. That was a rather powerful setup... but it only made Yugi wonder about some things he heard from Irkalla earlier. If Himeko was the goddess sibling that one spoke of, he might have an easier way in than Makima could ever arrange. No matter. According to Makima, there was an S-rank pair of twins functioning as False Rankers ─ certainly the green-haired individuals they had seen the male of. "That's fine. I could use some S-rank volatility ─ and if she's hot, even better. We could also use... a testing Gate. We got the Shadow Army at the very end, so they haven't seen any action yet," he added to the list of requests. Content to soak and relax from there, Yugi wondered what the remainder of their night would entail. There was something they'd been discussing at length; maybe they could fill the time with that, being a bit closer than they would be in Miko's childhood home. "How far are we from the forest right now? We could probably put them to use out there before morning."

[Apollymi]

Makima apparently needed the kind of honesty the teen boy would shamelessly spout. She supposed much like the playfulness she observed, it did quite a bit to humanize him. "If you say so~" she claimed hands up in mock surrender as she leaned her head back. The argument of the pair seemed to be reaching its end. With commentary concerning the idea of Miko beginning to argue without use of a wrinkle and the lad claiming the internet girl was exactly too much of a zealot, what would Miko do in this case, she gave it some thought and then smiled. "Hai hai♪~" Miko finished while sticking out her tongue at the lad. Makima wasn't sure if that constituted the end of an argument but decided the better of interfering just to find clarity.

In the same few moments, Makima received acceptance from both Miko and Yugi about a pair of twins. S-Rank volitility was what Yugi was looking for. Miko who only gave the thumbs up, had already pegged the personality of that green haired male a little and figured he'd be as aggressive with her as she tended to like. "She's definitely attractive they both are... their oddities are more psychological but should mostly be fine," Makima claimed having given the situation surrounding that pair a bit of thought. Beyond that point there was a need for a gate to test their new army. "Your gate request is easily handled. Though that will put you on call for the next one that spawns. Do you want an A-rank Gate or a B-rank gate?" Makima asked almost casually. She had no problem giving them that sort of assignment. Miko looked at Yugi and knew the answer. "A♪~" she chirped. If the Shadow Army couldn't handle it, she was sure they certainly could. "The Aokigahara Forest is approximately 10km northwest from here maybe a little more... if you want to use the main entrance. But I thought you two were on vacation do you really intend to work that much?" she wondered of the pair. Sex and grinding seemed like their main forms of fun... she wondered briefly if she'd accidentally adopted another pair of workaholics. Still, Miko would be putting away those mirrors and standing up, assuming they'd be going soon, she'd be settling on another outfit shift. A dark skirt, pair of thigh highs, short heeled hiking boots and a deep purple hoodie for her to slip up over her head. when they needed to move about.

[Bloodedge]

Yugi supposed he'd be adding a crazy green-haired woman to his rotation in addition to the Genokiller-obsessed girl. A bit of craziness was fine, and indeed a turn-on for Yugi. It would be even better once they either reached the desired power level, or didn't have to worry about their identities for some other reason. One stepping stone toward that end was growing their Shadow Army though, so there were a few things to add in that regard. "Definitely A-rank. Bonus points if there's a flying thing," Yugi chimed.

It seemed they were even closer to Aokigahara Forest than Yugi thought. Ten kilometers was part of a workout routine, easily done by the Players on foot in their current states. "It would be so much easier if the lockdown stayed. I'd just hop on the Spider Queen and tell her to go. That's why flying thing, by the way," Yugi said as he, too, started removing himself from the bath. Makima mentioned their vacation and asked if they intended to work that much. Yugi didn't view things that way. "Work? Fuck that; I want a solid place to fuck in," he countered. Finding a base wasn't work in Yugi's opinion. "Besides, Player Housing is the thing to look forward to in an RPG. It's where you get the whole party together for laughs and... other stuff if you've got the right DLC~" he added. Yugi would be donning a shirt and jeans patterned similarly to his jinbei, the usual boots included, as he stepped away from the water. At the same time, Miko was receiving a message... but it wasn't from Shirogane Miyuki. No, this one was from Amamiya Ren: a photo taken and sent from his old smartphone... featuring the System phone showing Miko's recent picture, covered in Ren's ejaculate. She'd only be getting the response from Miyuki a few seconds after that. His was a message that had been deleted and re-typed half a dozen times before it sent. Wow that's extreme. So would you let me dress you?

[Apollymi]

It would seem a few crazies would be added to the male Player's list, while Miko would be set up to receive at least one of her own and perhaps... a few odd choices from Makima herself. No mater, there was something else to attend to, the pair wanted an A-rank Gate confirmed by Yugi himself who also apparently would apply bonus points if what was inside could fly. "Okay, it might take a bit longer for something that flies. Still I suppose they appear frequently enough," Makima claimed wondering what kind of flying thing would appear by the time she was ready to hand off such a mission to the Players.

There was a relatively short trip between them and a place they could begin entering the forest they were seeking. Still, it would have been much easier to do if the lockdown had remained. Yugi explained this and Makima nodded, "I suppose it would be quite terrible to have a random giant spider scaring the people. Still, with the Dungeon breaks all cleared even I can't hold a lockdown forever~" Makima claimed. Beyond that point apparently house hunting didn't count as work to the pair, as such a thing was basically a place for the teen boy to have sex. To Makima's surprise, Miko was pointing at the lad and nodding along with him, "That♪!~ Also I'd like I place I can scream and not break half the glass in the neighborhood," Miko said looking pouty. She'd really enjoy having sex in her childhood home, but even before the shift, it was far too obvious what she was up to, thin walls and not enough distance to cover the sounds. Beyond that there was apparently camraiderie to be found in Player Housing, as Yugi put it. "Oh? Is that how it works. Well, then I suppose this is part of your vacation then. I won't keep you from it. I would still like a tour if you end up finishing up the setup~" Makima uttered. While she was speaking the pair were getting dressed and Miko was once again in her phone. Smirking as she got the notification of another cleared quest objective and the visual signs that Amamiya Ren had liked what he'd seen. Damn, bitch boy... no one told you to go spilling my snacks all over the place (˶˃⤙˂˶) You're gonna have to make it up to me ( ｡ •̀ ᴖ •́ ｡)💢 Miko's first text had barely been sent when she was seeing a reply. Given the amount of time between that image going up, and those words popping up... she had to assume he'd taken quite a while to decide what to say. A smirk came to her face which was a little bit malicious. I wouldn't mind letting you choose something like that (,,>﹏<,,) But I'll have to trust you won't choose anything too embarrassing (๑ > ᴗ < ๑)

[Bloodedge]

A flying creature of some sort would serve the Players well. At the very least, it would be a much better alternative to a giant spider crawling around in the middle of Tokyo, even at night. Yugi also gave consideration to using the centipedes, but it would be another issue entirely if they dug giant tunnels underneath the city. "Yeah, definitely flying things. All we've got now is big and obvious, or big and foundation-destroying," he stated. It seemed both Players were ready to part ways with Makima on that note, but... there was one more thing to address. "And yes, that's exactly what she's doing. It's good practice; you should get into it too. It might count as one of the things we need for daily quests."

Yugi let that statement hang in the air, knowing Miko could either confirm or deny. Whatever the case, she'd definitely be finding a boost in two Intimacy ratings: 10% for Miyuki and 8% for Ren. The only message she'd receive back at the time, however, was from Miyuki. I don't know what you'd consider too embarrassing after that bikini. Maybe we try a few things here and there to see where the line is? You wear nice underwear. That message came from Miyuki much quicker than the previous. Either he was confident now, or he was rushing before entering the same room as Kaguya. Either way, the message to Ren had been read... but there was no typing presently. "Are we good to go, or...?" Yugi asked.

[Apollymi]

A flying creature for the pair to turn into one of their Shadows. Their current creatures were either obvious or foundation destroying. Makima chuckled, "Well, if you had to chose, go obvious... we're already an island nation, no need to start us sinking~" Makima noted. Beyond that point there was something to be said about the fact that Miko was posing for lewds in the middle of their conversation. According to Yugi, Miko was sending lewds and it was apparently good practice and something perhaps Makima should get into, in case it became one of those things could count towards their daily quests. "Oh, are you taking those for Bondmates then?" Makima asked as a point of curiosity. Before an answer would come... Miko would be seeing those increases in Intimacy as well as a new notification which would be read to her, but would catch her attention visually for a moment.

[BOND ROUTE MILESTONE REACHED]

Bond Route: Shirogane Miyuki

Intimacy has reached 25%.

Route Activated: Pride & Prestige

Current Progress: 30%

Reward Unlocked:
- Skill: Guardian’s Resolve (briefly increases defense and generates a small protective barrier around a nearby ally)
- Passive: Steadfast Presence (when near Miyuki, Miko gains +10% damage reduction against physical attacks)

Accept Invitation?
[ACCEPT] / [DENY]

"Pride & Prestige, ka?" Miko saw a title pop for Miyuki's route, so he had a special conditional proper unlock. She'd accept it but continue to not share such information with him. Interesting. Still she'd be answering Makima properly. "Yeah, I did. I was checking on things, and it can increase Intimacy and depending on what it is it could count as a commemorative photo. Might be context dependent, I got one and it counted... though that one was a tribute I think is the right word," Miko confirmed. Still, there was much for the pair to do, and Miko was now... reading, a text. It came back much quicker than she expected and as she read her thought processes played across her face. 'Is that comfort? Or is he rushing? Could be either considering a conditional unlock...' Miko thought absently. Makima watched both teens and smiled at them. They had such interesting priorities, she couldn't fault them knowing sex wasn't exactly everything though it was a lot of things. "You're both good to go. Be careful. I don't know if you'll slip in before the security is tightened up or not... I'll text you if anything changes. And I'll also be texting you little one, for mani-pedies one of these days. Maybe when that one goes to find his other contact~" Makima stated. She didn't assume the girl would spend literally all day with her therapist or anything. She waved them off while leaning back into her bath, she'd enjoy it a bit longer. All the while Miko was constructing a text message, for Miyuki. I guess that's fair (⸝⸝> ω <⸝⸝) I won't know until I find it, but we can start with some underwear. I'll send you the next pair of cute one's I slip into (ㅅ´ ˘ `) Have a good night, Shirogane-san♪~

[Bloodedge]

Makima had one more question, specifically involving the commemorative images Yugi spoke of. She wanted to know if Miko was sending those images to Bondmates. That answer was Miko's to give, but Yugi would continue with a related clause. "One of the daily quest requirements is acquiring a commemorative memory for the System's image gallery. That usually comes up in critical, sexy event moments... but I guess images that are sent also count. Memorabilia and all that shit," he asserted. "So if you want to make dailies easier, one of those a day would help. It also looks like..." Yugi paused there, having a look at his current daily quest progress. He had everything done after an event with Tae, but some things were at double capacity ─ everything but the event and memory, in fact. "We're able to get a bonus reward for doubling-up. I just need one more route event and one thing for the gallery."

Regardless, the Players were cleared to leave. There was one addressed oddity about Miko's route for Miyuki, but Yugi didn't concern himself with that. "Cuck route gets to be special? That's weird," was all he said. With that, he was content to vacate the suite and make way for Aokigahara Forest. Along the way, Miko would finally be getting the last response from Ren: a second image with an even bigger load covering his System phone. That was his reaction to her latest text. Also along the way, Yugi sent a text to one Hayasaka Ai: Put on something with pockets.

[Apollymi]

If nothing else, Makima always got her questions answered by this pair. She found it interesting that they had no problems clarifying things, and also didn't truly find her scary. According to Yugi, pictures for the gallery were part of their daily quests, and she could send him one. They also had the ability to double up on those, "I suppose I'll send you something... I can't have you not getting prizes I can help with~" Makima decided. She'd pose for that after they left. "Ugh, I am annoyed. Brainface could have finished this earlier. I've done a bunch of route events that aren't being counted so I'd need both to double up. And a go at one of my other Bondmates, I suppose I'll be abusing Ren sometime soon unless I get a random pop," Miko murmured with pouty indignation. "Have a good night~" Makima chanted as she sent the pair off.

Beyond that the only important point was the idea of 'Cuck Route' getting special treatment. Miko thought about it, "To be honest, I figured it was just a little thing or maybe he wasn't a real target... he didn't even have a title for his route. It's weird, or maybe its an NTR thing, like he had to settle into it consciously?" Miko claimed seeming not to care one way or another. Ah but what she did have was a second picture of an image of hers, covered in spunk because Ren couldn't keep it in his body. That's it (ｰ̀⤙ｰ́ ) You're coming tomorrow to feed me and pay for all my wasted snacks you fucking pig, keep your hands off my meat or I won't show you all the nasty shit I was up to while you were sleeping! (╬▔皿▔)╯ While Miko texted a different target, Ai was receiving a text which she found to be most odd. She rolled over on her bed in the onsen and grabbed the jacket she'd been wearing before she stripped to comfort and she put it on. Weirdest request ever sent. And I've seen a few odd ones before~