**Revision v.1 Completed 03 Jul 17**

Disclaimer:

The characters and setting of Omamori Himari are properties of Fujimi Shobo and Milan Matra. Please support the author and publisher by buying the volumes in your country or region. I'm a fan of the series and all, but hey, it's not mine. And never will be. I only write for fun, not for profits. That's what a fanfic should be all about.

Also, all other characters referenced in the story, including OCs, belong to their respective owners.

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Useful notes:

Chuck Schuldner – American guitarist and vocalist for the metal band Death, known to most metal fans as the Father of Death Metal. Died of a recurring brain tumor in 2001.

Willie Adler – American guitarist for Lamb of God, a heavy metal band based in Richmond, VA.

"Dimebag" Darrell Abbott – American guitarist for metal bands Pantera and Damageplan. Shot and killed in 2004 while performing with the latter.

Devin Townsend – Canadian solo artist and former member of defunct band Strapping Young Lad.

Miyavi – Japanese solo artist

EST stands for Eastern Standard Time. The time zone extends to the eastern part of the United States, Canada, parts of Central America, and the Caribbean

JST stands for Japan Standard Time. This timezone is also shared with Korea, eastern Indonesia, and parts of Russia

Beast Wars – a CGI Transformers series that aired in the 90s, taking place before the original G1 cartoon.

Madison Square Park – A park located in the Flatiron District of Manhattan. Broadway and Madison Avenue border this park.

A genkan is an entryway in Japanese homes where people take off their shoes before entering the main part of the house.

Extra Round – On Skype with Rika

Chapter pic: Rika in her bedroom practicing her guitar riffs. Kuroka is busy sleeping on her bed pillow, while a curious Shirone watches Rika play.

9:40 AM (EST)

Hayashi Residence – Brooklyn, NY

Rika Hayashi was in the bathroom taking her morning shower, letting the cold droplets of water cleanse her body of the thick lather of soap as it ran down her fair skin and into the drain in white streams. It really felt nice, too, considering it's the middle of summer and she just spent the night sleeping in a hot room with nothing but her boyshorts on. Not even the high-speed fan in her room cooled her down.

She stretched her arms up towards the ivory-tiled ceiling with a content sigh. "Haah... Man, this feels so good."

After every bit of soap was rinsed off her body, Rika shut off the water and stepped out of the shower, grabbing a nearby towel on the rack and drying her hair with it. She then approached the fogged-up mirror and rubbed it clean to get a clear view of herself.

Even though she dresses like a tomboy sometimes, it didn't hide the fact Rika was beautiful in her own right. Her long and flowing (dyed) brown hair complimented the irises of her almond-shaped eyes. Her nose was small and narrow, and her cupid's bow lips were round and full with a rosy pink hue. Her body was no slouch to look at either, with a fit, yet full figure that she attained from all those times she spent working out at the Y with Gordon and Ronnie.

However, there was one particular part that constantly brought Rika concern.

The Japanese teen gazed down at the large, fleshy mounds on her chest before hefting them up and squeezing them a few times. She then let them go, watching them bounce around to her displeasure. Back in fifth grade Rika was a modest B-cup like her mom when suddenly puberty kicked into high gear all through middle school, leaving her chest close to approaching D! It doesn't help that some of the boys at her school keep looking at them curiously, forcing Rika to switch to more modest clothes to divert their attention, with very little success.

She wasn't safe in her house, either, as her mother would perform semiannual body measurements, her lame excuse being not many Japanese girls are gifted in the chest department. That and because it was her duty as a mother to observe her daughter's growth. But Rika knows all too well she was only doing it for the lulz. How else was her mom going to ease up on her stress after dealing with her publisher all morning?

She lets out a heavy sigh while holding her breasts up with her arms. "Come on," she thought worriedly. "Just stop growing for once. I'm already at my limit."

After a few minutes of drying her hair and taking care of other business, Rika wrapped her towel around her body and headed upstairs to her room, its sign being a white board with guitar picks of various colors, each inscribed with Hiragana.

Rika's room was a bit decent in terms of size. It was moderate at best but at least all of her belongings managed to fit. It had all the basic amenities: a bed, a dresser, and a nightstand along with a flat-screen TV and a pair of beanbag chairs (her cats sometimes sleep in them). A radiator sat below the window to the backyard.

The walls of Rika's room were plastered with posters of famous guitarists, from legends like Dimebag Darrell, Buckethead, Chuck Schuldner, Hendrix and Slash to more contemporary ones like Miyavi, Zakk Wylde, Devin Townsend, and Willie Adler. A poster of guitar chords hung above her guitar amp for reference, while all of her guitars were placed on wall hangers near her bed. A candy apple red Fender Stratocaster hung right above the head.

Playing the guitar has been a lifelong hobby for Rika ever since she first got a taste of it back at a music store up in Manhattan. She was only five at the time, and her parents were originally planning on getting her a violin...

When she heard it. The sounds of shredding and sweep-picking coming from the huge speaker cabinet. The person playing was a man dressed in typical punk rock fashion - leather jacket, chains and all - and the guitar he was demoing was a red vintage Strat. His fingers were moving so fast on the fretboard they look like they were going to fall off any given moment, yet every note and chord he struck was clear and accurate, like a sniper hitting his target five kilometers away.

Rika's mind was completely blown away by the man's playing, so much that she started mimicking his playing the best she could. The punk rocker was a bit humble and modest when he said he wasn't at all good, but she clearly thought otherwise. It took Rika a lot of persuading with her parents, who believed she might end up looking like the punk until they finally caved in and bought her the Strat.

She then remembered showing her fellow Crewmates her new guitar and pretending to jam on it like crazy. Soon enough all of them pretended they were in a band, Ishani being the MC, Ronnie playing the drums, Dante slapping the bass, and Gordon playing guitar with her. Those were some good times, she'd have to admit.

After putting on her bra and panties, Rika got up from her bed and approached the dresser to pick out her clothes for the day: a dark blue tank top and grey jean shorts. Then after putting them on she went back to her bed and lifted up her pillow to reveal her iPad.

Today will be Rika's first time seeing Gordon on Skype. So far they only kept in touch via email, but she was getting bored with typing and told her neighbor in her last email to set up an account. She figured it would be better to have a live chat every once in awhile, despite the difference in time zones.

Also, she really wanted to see his face again. It's been many months since she last saw him at the airport, and it was heartbreaking to watch him board the plane. She wasn't the only one, though; Shirone has been down in the dumps ever since Gordon's departure, to the point of refusing to go along with Rika on her weekend skate runs with The Crew, simply because Gordon wasn't there. Rika was hoping this webchat would at least lift the white cat's spirits a bit. There has been times where she wondered if Shirone has some kind of crush on Gordon, given she's the affectionate type of kitty. The same line of thought went for Kuroka as well, though it's really hard to tell with her mischievous attitude.

But even with that, in the end, Shirone and Kuroka are just regular, plain old house cats she received as a birthday gift. Nothing more.

Situating herself on a back pillow, Rika woke up her iPad and began logging into Skype. "Alright, let's get started," she said.

10:54 PM (JST)

Gordon's House – Takamiya City, Iriya

In the confines of his bedroom, Gordon was sitting at his desk, watching an episode of Beast Wars on his laptop while chomping on a cinnamon bun. The black teen was already in his sleeping clothes, and he was almost finished with the episode when he saw a notification on his computer's taskbar.

Rika_Hayashi is online.

Putting his Beast Wars episode on hold, Gordon clicked on the notification and he was sent to Skype's main screen. The New Yorker recently set up his account a few days ago and has already added Rika to his contacts list. Now that his neighbor signed in, it should be a matter of time before…

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP!

A rapid beep emitted from the speakers before another notification appeared on the screen.

Rika_Hayashi is requesting a video call.

"Showtime."

Gordon tapped the answer button and instantaneously saw a moving image of Rika appearing on the screen. The girl in question gave a welcoming smile at the young skater. "Hey, what's up, Gordon? It's so good to see you again!" she greeted with a chuckle.

"Yeah, long time no see, Rika," Gordon chuckled back. "What's goin' on?"

"Eh, you know, the usual. Summer, school being done, the increasing humidity..." she grumbled the last one out with an unsettling frown.

"Did it really get that bad?"

"Would you believe me if I were to say it nearly reached a hundred degrees yesterday, not counting the humidity?"

"Ouch," Gordon winced. "Did ya get sunburned?"

"No. My parents told me to stay home," she sighed before changing the subject. "So how are things going in Japan? Your host family not giving you too much trouble?"

"Nah, they're treating me okay like always. They've been doing these sorts of things for a while as a matter of fact, so they have no problem with me." He rested his hands behind his head. "So what's going on back home? Anything new I should know about?"

"I got a few."

"Okay, lay 'em on me."

"Well, the first one's gonna be a shocker to ya, but..." Rika breathed a long sigh. "Brandon has a girlfriend now."

"Say what now?" Gordon said incredulously. "Wh-When did that shit happen? And with whom?" He knew for a fact that Brandon likes to flirt with girls most of the time, but this is the first time he's heard of Brandon actually dating someone.

"It was a couple weeks ago, actually," Rika started to explain. "And as for who he's dating, remember the poster of that tall, blue-haired lady posing near a Rolls-Royce Dante gave you before you left?"

"I do. Still haven't put it up, though."

And for a very good reason. Namely because Himari would either give him heat for it or tease him about his choice in women.

"Her name's Callie. Callie Warner. Turns out she's a very popular model. Even modeled for Victoria's Secret and Frederick's a few years back."

Gordon found himself rubbing his temples in disbelief."Okay, lemme get this straight. You're telling me that Brandon Clarkson, one of the biggest flirts I ever have to work with in the history of the Golden Groomers - that Brandon - is dating someone who used to be a lingerie model?"

"Even I was stumped by the news," Rika scratched her head. "Heck, Callie herself even walked into the shop to greet Brandon the other week and caused a major uproar with the patrons. Seriously, I just don't understand any of it at all. What does she even see in that guy, anyway?"

Gordon ran his hand through his hair. "That's what I'd like to know. Haah… Well, as much as I really hate to say this, tell Brandon I said congrats. And good luck."

"That I can do. But you're gonna have to brace yourself for when you get back here. Ever since he and Callie started going out, they've been acting all lovey-dovey with each other. Ugh. Makes me wanna vomit."

"I'll...try and bear that in mind," Gordon hesitated before regaining his composure. "Anyways, what about the other Crewmates? They doing okay?"

"Yeah, they're doing fine as always," Rika answered. "Ronnie's helping his mom out at the flower shop, Dante's working at his uncle's deli, and Ishani's out visiting family in Jersey."

"What about you? You got a job?"

Rika gave a nod. "I do. It's at a local guitar shop up in Williamsburg."

Gordon immediately recoiled in mild disgust. "Aw come on, Rika. Hipsterville? Really? You can do better than that, y'know."

Rika rested her chin atop her palm. "I know, Gordon, but it can't be helped. The guitar store I usually go to already had their positions filled so I had to look elsewhere, and...well..."

"Fine, fine, I get it," Gordon waved off. "Just don't end up wearing those huge glasses, okay? Last thing I need is my own neighbor crossing over to the dark side."

Rika snickered at Gordon's joke. "Don't worry, I won't. Trust me. So, got any plans for the summer?"

"Glad you asked. Tomorrow me and some of my friends from school are..."

Before Gordon can speak any further, a loud, happy meow was heard from Rika's end. And he had a familiar feeling on who it might be.

"Uh..."

Rika looked away from her iPad's screen. "Huh? No, Shirone! Don't pounce on the-!"

The iPad was easily knocked away from Rika's hands and fell to the floor with a sharp thud. It wasn't long before the black skateboarder saw the feline responsible staring right at him with her bright, golden yellow eyes.

"Myah~!" Shirone mewed happily.

"Whoa! Haha. Hey Shirone, what's up? It's been ages since I've seen ya, y'know."

Shirone nodded before letting out a sad meow, her ears drooping.

"Damn, she must be really upset about me leaving," Gordon thought guiltily as Rika picked up her iPad and brought Shirone to her side.

"Jeez, I'm really sorry about that, Gordon," she apologized, petting the white-furred feline. "Shirone's been really down ever since you left. She really misses you."

"I can plainly see that. You really feel that way, Shirone?"

Shirone gave a slow nod in reply.

"Look, don't worry about me too much, 'kay?" Gordon assured. "Besides, Rika misses me as much as you do. And I know Kuroka must be, as well. By the way, where is she?"

"Her usual spot," Rika said with a flat gaze.

"Of course." Obviously the black cat would be lazing about in the living room couch when she's not going around causing trouble.

"So what were you gonna say before Shirone jumped in?" Rika asked.

"I was gonna say me and a few of my friends from school are heading out to the beach tomorrow," Gordon explained, as the brunette tickled her cat's chin. "They said they wanted to throw a welcome party for me, or something like that, I dunno."

"That's really nice of them. Sounds like you're gonna have a lot of fun in the sun, then."

"For real. I know it's not Coney and all, but hey, a beach is a beach either way." He gave a quick yawn before moving on. "Speaking of Coney, are you guys still planning on heading there sometime?"

"Yeah, definitely," Rika said, adjusting her hair to her trademark side ponytail with Shirone scurrying out of her way. "We're also heading to Central Park and Union Square later on."

"Cool. What about Madison Square? You guys still doing that?"

"Yeah, of course," Rika smiled, using a scrunchie to secure her ponytail. "I'm really sorry you can't make it to all of them, though," she apologized.

"Hey, it's cool, it's cool. There's always next year...'cept for winter," Gordon muttered out. While there are a few sunny days out there, he is none too fond of the freezing temperatures, and that's not even counting the wind chill. He may be well-muscled, but even he has his limits on how long he can stay in the cold.

"Yeah, winter's not really my kind of season either, snow be damned," Rika agreed. "I'm more of a fall person myself." She decided to switch gears in the conversation when she saw a pair of hands resting on Gordon's shoulders.

"Uh...Gordon?" she began asking, pointing to them. "I think there's someone hiding right behind you."

"Hm?" The skater looked back to where Rika was pointing and nearly jumped out of his seat when he saw Himari's face.

"Whoa! Himari, don't sneak up on me like that!" he said in Japanese. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

Himari let out a playful giggle in response as she hugged Gordon's neck, her cheeks touching his.

#######

Back in New York, Rika frowned inwardly at Himari's display of affection towards Gordon before brushing it away with a faked smile. "I'm guessing she's the host family's daughter you mentioned in your emails, huh? Care to introduce me to her?"

"Uh...sure, why not," Gordon obliged. "Himari, I'd like you to meet Rika Hayashi. She's my next-door neighbor from back home and a very good friend of mine. Rika, this is Himari Noihara, my host family's daughter," he introduced the girls to each other, switching to Japanese for convenience.

"I am pleased to meet your acquaintance, Rika-san," Himari greeted politely.

"Y...Yeah, nice meeting you too, Noihara-san." Rika returned the greeting in her native tongue. She was a bit stumped by Himari's antiquated speech pattern, however, finding it strange for a girl her age to speak that way.

It wasn't long before Shirone returned to the Asian teen's lap. The white-furred feline let out a questionable meow when she saw Himari on the iPad's screen with Gordon, but was caught off-guard by Rika's petting.

"I take it that must be your cat?" Himari asked with a giggle.

"Yeah, she is," Rika nodded. "Her name's Shirone. C'mon Shirone, say hi to Himari-san," she told her cat.

Shirone had a quizzical look on her face before turning her head to Himari who gave the kitten a quick wave.

"Shirone, don't be rude now," she urged. "Just say hello."

Shirone nodded at Rika with a soft meow before looking back at Himari on the iPad's screen. The little feline proceeded to give the blackette a shy wave with her paw, causing Himari to laugh a bit.

"Heh-heh-heh. And it's a pleasure to meet you as well, Shirone-chan," she greeted back.

"See, that wasn't so hard now, was it?" Rika cooed to Shirone, smiling while tickling her chin which earned a light purr in return.

"Aww... Hahaha," Gordon chuckled, resting his chin on his palm. "Man, I already miss having you two around, you know that?"

"Same goes for us here, Gordon," Rika replied, noticing her fellow Crewmate letting out a loud yawn while stretching out his arms. "Wow, getting tired?" she asked, switching back to English.

"Uh-huh," Gordon answered drowsily. "Yeah, I think Himari and I are gonna call it a night."

"Okay, I'll leave you two alone," Rika said, watching Himari leave her tablet's screen.

"I...should probably ask him. It probably wouldn't hurt to," she considered in her head. "Hey, Gordon? Can I ask you something real quick?"

Gordon turned his head back. "Yeah, what is it?"

"Plug your headphones in first."

Gordon let off a shrug before doing what Rika told him. "Okay, got 'em plugged in. Now what do you wanna tell me?"

"Has Himari...always been the affectionate type towards you?"

Gordon raised an eyebrow at the brunette's request. That really came out of left field, but he decided to answer it anyway, albeit with some lies sprinkled in. "Yeah, sometimes she is. I just brush it off most of the time. Why this all of a sudden?"

"I'm just...you know, a bit concerned is all," Rika clarified. "Remember what I said about how most Japanese natives see blacks like yourself?"

Gordon nodded. "I still remember that, yeah."

"Well, just don't let Himari take advantage of that. From what I can tell, I think she may be trying to score one over you."

A large bead of sweat rolled down Gordon's forehead. Rika can be quite imaginative sometimes, but she might be right on the money given what he had to go through. "Yeah, I'll...keep that in mind. Anyways, I gotta go. Tell everyone back home I'm safe."

"I will," she promised. "Night, Gordon."

"Yeah. See ya."

Rika watched her neighbor sign off, in turn bringing back Skype's main menu. After logging out, she got off her beanbag chair and went to her bed, placing her iPad on the nightstand.

"Please be careful with that girl, Gordon," she thought worriedly. "If something happens to you, then..."

The Japanese teen shook her head. "I'm letting myself get carried away," she said to herself. "Anyway, I better get some breakfast. Maybe that'll clear my head a bit."

11:27 PM (JST)

Gordon's House – Takamiya City, Iriya

Gordon let out a relieved sigh as he closed his laptop. He then got off his chair after removing his headphones and made his way over to Himari, who was sitting on his bed.

"That went better than I hoped," he said, sitting next to her.

"I think it was really nice meeting one of your friends from your hometown," Himari smiled.

Gordon gave a light nod. "Glad you enjoyed it. By the way, how long were you behind me?"

"Right when you mentioned us going to the beach tomorrow," Himari explained, retaining her smile.

"I...see," Gordon said slowly. It was no surprise Himari overheard his webchat when she approached his room from the shower and snuck inside out of curiosity, using her stealth to get behind him and surprise him when the moment was right. Strange enough, it was something Kuroka would do at times. That cat always have a habit of pouncing on him from behind after hiding in who-knows-where.

But the New Yorker felt kind of bad lying to Rika about Himari being his host parents' daughter. The truth is, when he arrived at the house, there was no one inside. Heck, the door and gate weren't even locked to begin with. What's more strange was the note he found in the genkan along with the house keys saying the house has been rented out for him for the year, written by someone initialed "A.D." It wasn't the first time he saw those initials, as they also appeared in his acceptance letter back in Brooklyn, right next to the superintendent's and principal's.

Just who on earth was this "A.D." character anyway?

"Young Lord?"

"Huh?" Gordon was snapped out of his line of thought by Himari's call. "Oh. Sorry, I was thinking 'bout something," he told her.

"Did it concern me?" Himari teased playfully, placing her finger to her lips.

Gordon gave the blackette an unimpressed look, causing her to giggle a bit.

"Oh, come now, I only jest," she assured him before changing the subject. "Well, I will admit it is getting late for us, so let us sleep in for the night."

"Yeah, got that right," Gordon yawned before laying down on his bed. Himari soon followed suit, laying down next to him and resting her head on her master's chest.

"Good night, Young Lord," she said.

"Night, Himari," Gordon said back, petting her hair.

Himari giggled before she and Gordon slowly drifted off to sleep, the black teen's hand still tousling her hair.

"Meow... This feels so good..." Himari smiled contently while her cat ears and tail popped out.

3:24 PM (EST)

Rika's House – Brooklyn, NY

Rika was in her bedroom getting ready to go to the Y with Ronnie, who was let off work early by his mom. Kuroka and Shirone were on her bed, playing with a rubber ball. She would go for yarn but it would be too much of a hassle cleaning it up.

After changing into her workout clothes, which consisted of a magenta tank top with a black sports bra underneath and black shorts, Rika grabbed her cell phone from the nightstand and met with her cats.

"Alright, you two," she began telling them, petting their heads. "I need both of you to be on your best behavior while I'm at the gym, okay?"

Both cats let out a confirming meow as they watched Rika leave the room, grabbing her gym bag and running shoes before closing the door behind her. They then waited for the brunette to leave the house, playing with the ball as they did.

"Mom, I'm off to the gym with Ronnie!" Rika notified her mother in Japanese.

"Okay, be careful in there!" Saki cautioned.

"I will!"

Once the slam of the front door was heard, the black and white cats stopped playing with the rubber ball. Shirone gave a discerning look towards Kuroka, who nodded as the black-furred feline closed her eyes. A purple aura began enveloping her body, followed by a transparent purple dome that slowly expanded until it encompassed the entire room. The walls were bathed in purple light for a few seconds before it quickly faded.

The cats leapt out of Rika's bed and landed on the floor. As soon as their paws touched the carpet, they began to glow in a blinding white light that quickly engulfed the room.

A few seconds passed before the light began to die down. However instead of Rika's beloved cats, two new figures took their place.

One was a short, petite girl with white hair and golden yellow eyes. The girl's hair had two long side bangs going past her shoulders and loose bangs covering her forehead at the front, while the back featured a short bob cut.

The other was a young adult woman with long black hair that flowed to her back with split bangs at the front and yellow eyes. Contrasting her petite, flat-chested companion, her figure was much fuller with greater emphasis on her chest.

Their physical differences aside, both girls do share two common traits, one being their eyes having catlike pupils instead of round pupils.

The other would be the pair of cat ears atop their heads and a pair of tails swishing behind them, both matching their hair color.

They were also standing buck naked. Let that sink in for a minute.

Done yet? Okay, back to the story.

The black-haired catgirl stretched her arms out while swaying her body side to side, causing her breasts to jiggle from lack of support.

"Nnng... Ah, it feels good going back to this form again, nya," she grunted out in Japanese before turning her head to her white-haired companion. "So, how did your webchat with Go-chin go, Shirone?"

"It turned out well, Kuroka-oneesan," the petite catgirl known as Shirone smiled, also speaking Japanese. "Seeing Gordon again really made me happy."

"Really, nya?" Kuroka, the older catgirl, asked.

Shirone gave an eager nod, earning her a pat on the head by Kuroka.

"Well, let's hope it stays that way, nya. I'd really hate for my little sis to be upset again, right?"

"Heh-heh-heh," Shirone giggled, her cat ears twitching happily.

"Anyways," Kuroka stopped petting her sister's head, "Since Ri-chan won't be here for a few hours and the barrier's already set up, how about we play some Street Fighter, nya?"

The suggestion attracted a sly grin from Shirone. "You're on. I call Chun-Li!" she shouted before rushing to Rika's Xbox.

"Wha-!? Hey, no fair, nya!" a shocked and surprised Kuroka shouted in protest. "Grr… Fine, then I'll use Juri instead! That'll teach you not to steal my favorite character!"

Thus, the nekomata sisters' day began with a few rounds of Street Fighter and Halo.

And that ends the first Extra Round, fellas! I'll admit it's a relatively short chapter, but I meant it to be that way. After all, Gordon is living on the other side of the world so there will be time constraints. But hey, at least he's willing to spare a couple of minutes with Rika. Speaking of Rika, it looks like she's already suspicions about Himari's actions towards Gordon. Could it be jealousy rearing its ugly head?

On an excitable note, the nekomata sisters, Kuroka and Koneko, finally make their full-fledged debut. Those two have always been my favorite characters in DxD, mainly due to them being sisters even though their relationship has been on the rocky side (I'm not gonna reveal the reason why, but for those who read the novels you'll know where I'm getting at). Here, however, their relationship is a bit more stable, and as a result Koneko shows a bit more emotion than her canon counterpart. There will be a few more DxD additions, with the majority of them being placed in New York. And speaking of additions, can you guys guess who Callie Warner really is?

And before I go, here's some extra info on Rika's guitars.

Extra: Rika's Guitar Wall

1) Fender Stratocaster HSS

Color: Candy Apple Red with chrome hardware and maple fretboard

The HSS Strat was the guitar that got Rika into playing, and is the oldest guitar in her arsenal. The plain white pickguard that came with it was swapped for a Rising Sun pickguard to match the red color as well as remind Rika of her heritage. Over the years she has done a few upgrades, namely the pickups and tuners, the latter featuring a mechanism on the top string that changes the tuning when pulled down. The Strat was Rika's main guitar in her first three years of playing until she got her Les Paul, where it then became her secondary guitar.

2) Unbranded acoustic guitar

Color: Natural wood

To keep other neighbors from filing noise complaints against them, Rika's parents bought Rika an acoustic guitar from a local thrift store. The condition was great for a second-hand instrument, only needing a change of strings to bring out the full sound. Rika mainly uses this guitar for more melodic music, with the only modifications done to it being a fresh set of tuners.

3) Epiphone Les Paul Custom

Color: Black with gold hardware and rosewood fretboard

The Les Paul has always been Rika's favorite guitar because of its classy looks and sheer tone from its solid mahogany body. However since her parents couldn't afford a standard Gibson, she instead opted for an Epiphone. Despite it being a tad heavier than her Strat and the neck being thick for her hands the time it was bought, Rika has gotten used to the weight and feel, and it became her favorite guitar since. Her only upgrade to it thus far were the pickups.

4) Epiphone Les Paul Classic 7

Color: Black with flame maple top, chrome hardware, and rosewood fretboard

After playing her Les Paul for a while, Rika wanted to step up her hard and heavy playing style by going for a seven-string guitar. Still wanting the Les Paul body style and the Gibson quality that came with it, she chose this limited-edition guitar. It is also Rika's most recent guitar, only having played it for less than a year. The upgrades she made to it were mostly cosmetic, with the control knobs, pickup rings, toggle switch cap and pickguard being blacked out to give it a meaner look.

Next time on The Brooklyn Demon Slayer: "Extra Round 2 – A Series of Vignettes and the Summer Festival"

This is KID2NR, signing off for now. See ya!