Can anybody find the hidden SpongeBob reference? Can anybody find the hidden Call of Duty reference? Betcha 20 bucks you can't find both.
From Twilightiger1602:
"... If their relationship ever built up to that point, that wouldn't be a bad thing, but he could tell from Yuzuru's current level of embarrassment that she was far from ready for that step.
Would anything like that happen between them? Who knows?"
We know! And it'll be sooner than you might think, Mikey-boi! *Devilish Laughter*
As for that bit with Yoshino, it definitely does feel like that, yeah. The only way for her and Michael's relationship to go any further than that would be for Yoshino herself to take the first step. Given both her real age and well, Yoshinon, it could go either way... that and whether or not you yourself feel comfortable with it. Again, it's your story, so it's ultimately your call.
Now, for Yuzuru's day, as you said, it is just full of surprising twist and turns at every corner, which I definitely liked. Definitely feels a lot more like an actual date than following a script by a bunch of perverts (Ratatoskr) or your boyfriends Amicable Ex (Origami). Just because you've got advice from someone doesn't mean you have to follow it down to the letter; Just take said advice and do what you will with it... though that last part of it was less of a twist and more like a Morton's Fork. They go to Alien Denai, they get a face full of adult content. They go to the Hospital, either Yuzu and/or Mikey get caught in Origami's trap. You could say, either way someone... would've end up in "Bondage's".
... That sounded a lot funnier in my head I swear.
As for the impromptu date with Kurumi after Michael had her buy a painting for Yuzu in secret (Smooth move, by the way), it was... alright. A bit bare-bones and to-the-point admittedly, but it's made up for it with Mikey and Kurumi's usual back and forth flirting. Seriously, for someone who's supposedly a dog person, he sure knows how to play with that kitty-cat lol.
Though on that note, when Kurumi mentioned Mikey telling the truth, my mind kind of went with option C: Telling the spirits of him potentially leaving Japan. Given that you've set that up as a moral dilemma for Michael, he's bound to tell them sooner or later... in fact, I'm willing to bet that the Spirit's figuring that out themselves, along with Mayuri's budding emotions, is what's going to cause Kerubiel to go haywire. Only time will tell.
On that note, now the only ones left are Kotori and Tohka. Let's see what the former has in store for her step-bro/roommate... though knowing her stubbornness and pride, something's bound to go wrong. Bet on it.
Kotori: What did I just say about betting!?
*Blocks Kick with Elbow*
Kotori: Wha!?
Me: Please, I've been dealing with Tsundere's like you since I was ten. You're going to have to try better than that, honey.
Kotori: Oh, you think your cute!?
Me: Bitch, I'm adorable!
Bakuganman: Writing Yoshino as a candidate for a relationship is one thing, and going any further (like a lemon or whatnot) is where I normally draw the line. Kotori is a exception because like I said before, she and him are roommates more-so than bro and sis. However if the fambase wants it to go further with Yohsino, then I'll respect the wishes of them.
Heard interesting discussions on Twitter about Lolis while we are on the subject. Its not an age, but a body type. I can see both sides of the argument, with my current girlfriend fitting this category as she is over 21 and has a small frame. Ngl, I'm afraid I'll snap her in half sometimes.
Aside from your cringe bondage joke (can't lie, I nearly painfully died when I read that), glad you liked Yuzuru's date. Not much changed from the canon movie admittedly except some context and even giving the Twister Twin a new picture for her room. Kurumi's additional date was a bit low, I'll admit that, but her date wasn't just to spend time with Michael. You'll see why to an extent in this part, but more in part 9.
Mayuri Judgement - Part 8, Kotori Cooking:
When Michael figured what Kotori's ideal date would be like… food shopping wasn't exactly what he had in mind. They (and by "they" that meant "him") literally restocked just before summer break hit, meaning they had plenty of goods for a good while. Not only that, unlike the other girls who started in the morning, Kotori didn't start this date (or even come out of her room) until the afternoon.
Why? He didn't know.
"Are we dating right now, or just shopping for the kids?" Michael asked, him pushing shopping cart while Kotori was walking next to him. Both were dressed in their usual casual outfits at the moment.
"Yeah. This is what I want to do, so stop complaining." Kotori said, calmly.
"I'm not complaining, I just…" Michael paused. "… expected more. That's all." He said, though if shopping was the only thing Kotori wanted, then this was basically a repeat of Yoshino's date. He didn't have to work too hard, just mostly enjoy his time with the current girl. He did appreciate this, having a feeling Tohka's might be insane from all the notes she had been taking since day one.
"Oh. Here. Minced meat is on sale." Kotori noted some big saving as they walked by the meat section. She picked up 2 packages. "How are these?" She asked him.
Michael gently took the packages from Kotori to examine them. "Both are fine actually." He said, but held up one of them. "This one's slightly more expensive, but only due to the weight." He then dropped both in the cart before pushing it along, the pricing irrelevant to him.
"Oooooh, interesting." Kotori said in awe, and it sounded serious too. That gave Michael some pause.
"What do ya mean 'interesting'? You and Tohka are the only ones who go food shopping with me!" Michael said, not understanding why she would say something so dumb.
Kotori frowned a bit for him not getting what she was doing… okay, maybe her first execution was rather stupid, she'll try something else…
"… Look! Over there!" Kotori called and pointed like a child would when they see something interesting, then ran around the front of the cart to force him to stop and watch her, her long twin tails flowing behind her.
She ran down the snack aisle. Cookies, crackers, chips, etc. But where Kotori ended up going was towards the candy; more specifically, the lolipop section, where the exact same brand of lolipop that she sucks on stood near the center of the aisle.
"A new flavor!" Kotori continued, picking the new flavor of candy up. "Can I get one?" She asked him when he caught up, speaking in a child-like voice.
Michael cocked an eyebrow now. What on earth has gotten into Kotori? And why was she talking like that? Was she mocking him? "No one said you can't." He answered before continuing down the current aisle, as maybe they can stock up on extra snacks anyway.
Kotori watched him go, slightly disappointed and annoyed at the same time. He still wasn't getting it!
XXX
They left the store with only 2 bags and were currently walking side-by-side. Kotori glanced over at them. "Their not heavy, are they?"
Michael was very much confused while getting slightly annoyed. Why was Kotori asking stupid questions, and talking like that when doing so? This was so out of character for the Kotori he knew that he felt he must have fell into a parallel universe. But to answer her question: Was the stuff heavy?… No. If he wanted to, he could also pick up Yoshino with no issue (which he could do anyway). Perhaps even with one arm and without a drop of Spirit Power to enhance his strength.
"No, their really not." Michael resisted an urge to snap at her.
Kotori was getting a bit annoyed herself. For a guy who was pretty intuitive she had to admit and also calls out some of the other Spirits on their bullshit which included her, what she was trying to do for him went over his head! She also had to resist the urge to snap at him, but instead stopped in her tracks.
Maybe this was a bad idea… no… this was her date…
"… wait." Her single word did make Mike stop and turn around to look at her, which now he was getting a bit concerned. She looked to be having an internal dialogue… and why was she attempting to reach into her pocket? Her had was looking like it was going to go in, but then she would pull it away… what was wrong with her today?
Kotori finally just went through with it, and her hand dove deep into her pocket. It came out as a fist so Michael could not see what she was holding. After hesitating yet again, she then took the black ribbons out of her hair, letting her hair fall down naturally. This only lasted for a few seconds because she reapplied those ribbons to her hair.
Only… they weren't black…
...
...
Michael was speechless… he's only seen those white ribbons one time and completely by accident, in her room stuffed in a drawer along with pictures of her when she was younger and with some guy with blue hair. And in those pictures, she was wearing these white ribbons instead of the black ones.
This was the very first time he has seen the white ribbons in her hair in person… and she was smiling up at him, but it was a different kind of smile than her normal one, what least the one he was used to.
"I'm taking one!" Before he could react, Kotori snatched the closest shopping bag to her before placing her free hand into Michael's now free hand. "What are you waiting for, Onii-Chan? Let's go!" She said, saying that in the childish tone from before.
It was at this very moment Michael finally realized what Kotori was doing. For the longest time, he has seen her wear nothing but her black ribbons, or always in "Commander Mode". Those white ribbons represented a part of her life that had some deep-seeded trauma for her after the loss of her brother, and most likely since then, she has always been very strict and authoritative… a mental defense for her like how Miku blamed humans (particularly men) for her suffering, both Yamais' always fighting one another because neither wanted to disappear, and even when Origami once wanted to kill every Spirit then specifically Kotori for the destruction of her hometown and the loss of her parents.
Each of those girls had finally moved on from those thoughts… and now so did Kotori. This was the innocent side she had always kept locked away, implying this is why she didn't start her date in the morning like everyone else… she was finally opening up to him.
Michael could only smile back at her before they both walked home.
XXX
When they got back to their home, Michael was preparing dinner with the groceries they bought. Kotori even before the white ribbons would help him prep, and this time was no different… well, except this Kotori was much more talkative.
They both heard sneaking sounds by 2 others by the door to the kitchen/living area, but decided to ignore it for now.
"Kotori chose a dine-in date with Salisbury Steaks… how clever!" Yoshinon said while Tohka was licking her chops as she peeked in through the door.
"It's delicious…" said Tohka, and part of her wanted to barge in… but respectfully held herself back. This was Kotori's date, and even without the rules in place, she barely had any time alone with Michael despite working together.
"Look what I made, Onii-Chan!" Kotori said, presenting the meat she prepped. When Mike looked back, he saw she made an animal face with it.
"Aw, cute. You made a teddy bear." He said as the ears were round like a bear.
"It's a bunny!" Kotori frowned.
"Who you trying to convince, yourself?" Mike said jokingly. Kotori grumbled cutely at this. "A Salis-bunny steak… actually has a nice ring to it."
"You better make my steak twice as big or I won't forgive you." Kotori said.
"It won't fit in the plate if its the size of your head." Michael said back before going back to what he was doing.
Kotori then put her "sails-bunny" steak down before sneaking over to the grocery bags to pull out her lollipop. She was about to undo the wrapping, but then noticed Michael didn't see her as he was focused in cooking. Not wanting to tell him and it too obvious, she instead kicked the cabinet to make a sound for him to react to.
It worked and he looked back to see Kotori holding the lollipop while staring at it like how Tohka would towards food, but shrugged his shoulders and went back to cooking. Kotori grumbled a little louder before kicking the same cabinet, a bit harder this time. Once again Mike looked back, and this time Kotori was staring at him with an expression that seemed to ask him: 'what are you waiting for?'
…
...
Took him a couple of seconds, but he got the message. "Ahem." He walked over and took the candy away. "Not before dinner." He told her in a scorning way, making her cutely grumble and look down. He then gave her a head pat after a few seconds where they both smiled.
This was so stupid… it was really, really stupid… but; they both were enjoying themselves.
The steaks were eventually done and dinner for 2 was served, the fresh aroma of them filling the air. Tohka and Yoshino had to resist the urge to break down the door, though it was surprisingly Tohka who held Yoshino back even though the Princesses mouth was nearly watering just from the smell alone. As Mike and Kotori were fully aware of their presence, Kotori swapped ribbons.
"Come on in, you two." Kotori called them out, surprising them.
"I made 4. One for each of us." Michael added. This made the two spying Spirits very happy to hear, and unable to contain themselves any longer, they rushed into the room to sit at the table. As you'd expect, Tohka and Yoshino were extremely pleased with the results. Tohka's eyes lit up, and Yoshino was rocking back and forth in her chair before her and her puppet gave a synchronized thumbs up.
"Great cooking as usual, big bro." Kotori said. While this was nothing special, Mike couldn't help but smile in thanks. And even though she was back in Commander Mode and it was unknown if the white ribbon side of her will ever return, he could tell this was the best date either Kotori could have asked for.
"… mine needs some more seasoning, brb." Michael said, getting up off the table to get some more condiments for his steak. Once he went back into the kitchen, he opens the top cabinet where the spices were. He then grabbed what he wanted and turned to the left instead of the right to head back to the table. "Anybody else wan-…?"
…
SHATTER!
Michael froze for a good 5 seconds with his mouth wide open before dropping the seasoning, which shattered and made a mess all over the floor. The reason: the blond girl in the white uniform was watching him from the back door that lead outside, which was located on the other side of the kitchen so it made a blind spot for the other girls.
Watching him at a train station… fine.
Looking at his house during the same night… also fine.
Seeing him at an arcade on a date… creepy, but forgivable.
Spying on him from an alleyway on another date… reeeeally pushing it, yet can be overlooked.
But now… standing not even 4 feet away from him… in his house?… Pretty girl or not, he had to draw the line somewhere.
"Michael! Are you okay?" Tohka was the one to jump up from her seat and immediately ask once the 3 girls heard the glass break and see Michael just standing in one spot with a shocked expression on his face.
Hearing them made him turn his head towards them. "Is this girl one of your…!" Mike was saying while pointing in the direction were the mysterious girl was standing, but when he looked again, she was gone. After contemplating the situation, he dashed out of through the back.
"Michael!" Tohka called out to him in concern, but Michael just kept moving, figuring since the exit was so close unlike back in that alleyway, there was no way the blonde could have gotten too far.
By the time he got out via the back, the girl seemed to be long gone, but unwilling to give up until he had some answers, he ran around the entirety of the building until he ended up at the front… she truly had vanished into thin air. That's the 4th time he saw that girl seemingly spying on him. Kurumi he could tolerate, but this was a bit too much for him because at least Kurumi was consistent and therefore, predictable.
Was it all in his head?… Was that girl just a figmation of his imagination? Of his own stress? Now that he thought about it, he only started seeing this girl just one day before discovering the orb…
"Michael!" That was Kotori this time, coming out of the front door along with Tohka and Yoshino, surrounding him. "What the hell was that about?! You just bailed out!" Kotori added, A mix of concern and slight annoyance in her voice. Mike did turn his head toward Kotori to answer her…
?: Stress perhaps?
A voice echoed in the night, but it didn't take long for the owner to reveal themself. Just a little down the street under a streetlamp, a dark pool opened before a certain someone arose from it. "Ku-ru-mi Toki-sa… KI!" She did a few twirls as she arose.
"That's not cute." Michael said dryly… it actually kinda was, but he wasn't going to give her the satisfaction. Kurumi just giggled, either because she wanted to or because she knew.
"You don't have to be so sour." She said.
"What are you after?" Kotori got defensive, she and the other 2 Spirits crowding around Mikey just as a precaution, but didn't release their power at the moment. Even though Kurumi was sealed like they were, they still did not fully trust her.
"Nothing at all. Is it wrong for a girl to have a chat with a handsome guy?" Kurumi teased them. She could tease the Spirit trio more boldly, but decided against it. She came to Michael for an important reason, though he just so happened to rush out of his own house and save her the trouble. "I won't bite. I promise." She added, adding an elegant bow with her dress upon promising.
"… guys, go inside." Michael said to his surrounding protectors.
Tohka looked back at him with genuine concern. "Michael…"
"Go inside." He repeated, his tone a little more stern but not to the point of outright demanding them. More like him saying it was okay.
None of them moved right away, but looked back-and-forth between Michael and Kurumi. Eventually, Kotori was the first one to head back into the house, though she continued to eye Kurumi until she made it into the front door. Shortly after Kotori started walking, Yoshino followed behind her. Only Tohka stood the longest, and even took steps toward the house but then back protectively in front of Michael; but she too went to head back inside upon request.
Just before Tohka got too far away, she felt warmth grab her hand. Looking back, she saw Michael had a gently grabbed it, then looked back at him to see him looking straight into her eyes. "… I'll see ya in the morning, okay?" He said, making the Princess a promise.
Tohka felt her heart beat a little faster for a moment before it went back to its normal speed. All she did was stand there before attempting to walk back…
*smooch*
Like Yuzuru, she planted quick kiss on his lips and released a few breaths afterward. Not like an "I love you" kiss. It was mostly for reassurance. Tohka gazed into his eyes for a little bit longer before she slowly walked back so her fingers grazed off of Michael's hand, heading back into his home and leaving him alone outsides with Kurumi. Michael just kept staring at the door.
"She is the most precious thing." Kurumi teased, somewhat ruining the moment and making Michael growl (she did not appear to hear it however). "Gotta say, compared to me, she's definitely Second Girl." She added.
"What do you want?" Michael asked quickly and the moment Kurumi finished her jab while also looking back at her. "If this's about owing you, I already paid you back."
"I'm pretty sure you owe me again for your own phasing and entering this week." Kurumi said, and it was obvious to what she was referring to.
"Can you not be watching me like an owl every night? Just for Aleph?" Michael asked, punning one of her powers.
"Actually aside from last night, I haven't in quite some time. Feels a bit lonely." Kurumi admitted. "I've been doing a bit of investigating for the past few days, and there's been some interesting things happening around you lately."
Michael assumed the 'interesting things' she was talking about were his dates with the other girls. "Yup… never a dull moment with me around, huh?"
"It would appear so…" Kurumi said, then looked up directly above. "Especially when one of them's hanging around." Now at first Mike brushed this off as Kurumi trying to be cute again… that is until… "… Ah, did it just flicker? It's like a star."
Mike eyed the Nightmare very carefully, seeing what she was doing and… wait a second… Flicker?… Hanging around?… No way… did she?…
"It's so big too… how is it staying there?" Kurumi continued. Michael jaw slowly dropped… the orb… could she…? Before actually asking, he pointed at her accusingly.
Michael: Shape!
Kurumi: (smirks) Square.
Michael: …
Kurumi: (still smirks) …
Yeah. She sees it.
Now Michael had a mix of shock and relief. Relief that someone else could see it, further confirming that he was not crazy, but still shocked she could see the orb, as well as apparently they were the only two beings who physically saw it.
He the slowly clapped, akin to the slow clap meme. "… okay. Great prank. Ha, ha. You can snap the ball away now." Michael said.
"While its sweet you think I have THAT much power to summon an invisible ball of Reiryoku, why isn't my Reiryoku signature in there?" Kurumi 'asked'.
That was actually a test by Michael to see if Kurumi could truly see it and not just fucking with him like she normally loves to do. The fact she called out the fact her energy was not present in the sphere confirmed this, and also confirms she either knew of the orb the whole time or maybe that was the important thing that came up when she waved off her turn in the dating rotation. Either way, it felt nice that he wasn't alone in seeing this strange phenomenon.
It finally suggests that maybe humans and those who have energy in said sphere could not see it for that reason, with Michael himself being the one exception as he technically does not own the energy currently residing in his body… there were still flaws in that logic, but it's the best Michael could come up with right now.
Michael gained a serious face before speaking again. "Kurumi… if you know something, please spit it out." He said, pretty much begging despite his serious tone. "Obviously normal humans and the others can't see it, but why us?"
Kurumi only continued to smile at him, obviously knowing something. "It's not an easy story to tell, nor it is a simple one." She said. "But your not wrong in your dealing with it."
Michael frowned at her. "Can you not talk in code this time, Kurumi?!" He raised his voice to her, not too loud so the entire block could hear him, but loud enough to get a reaction out of her. She was taken aback by it.
"For the past few days, I've been working my ass off, trying to show everyone a good time so that a hot air ballon doesn't explode!" Mike continued, now walking towards Kurumi. "Now YOU come along, standing under a streetlight, menacingly; claiming to know what and why this is happening; only to for the Yud-th time dick around with me!" He added, now halfway towards her, and her face was starting to show a bit of regret. "All the while keeping everyone else in the dark as a ticking time-bomb is floating over the city that only I can see!" He pointed to himself while emphasizing 'I'.
Hearing the mix of fear, anger and guilt in his voice made Kurumi feel that maybe she had gone a little too far, not even considering how Michael must feel. But he wasn't done just yet. "… Do you know… how much… it's fucking killing me?… Not able to let the others know what the fuck is going on?" Mike said slowly, making sure Kuurumi heard the emotion in his voice. "Because from what me and Fraxi-cord gathered, telling the others what star is hanging around up there could risk that very same star exploding, and it would be all. My. Fault!"
Michael was literally right in front of Kurumi by this point under the streetlight, the girl frozen at the clear emotions spilling out from him, which he didn't do often. He let his last statement resonated with her for a few seconds in silence before gently grabbing both of her shoulders. Since Kurumi was in her partial Astral Dress where her shoulders were bare, she could feel the direct contact.
"Kurumi… for the love of whatever God put me in this line of work, if you know something, anything… just say it." Was the final sentence he gave her.
Kurumi was at a loss for words. There have been times that she could count on one hand when Michael would act this way. One was with Miku, another was with Kotori and Origami when Origami attacked Kotori, another one was the Rinne situation and [in his eyes] his failing to save her, and again during Tohka's Inverse when he clashed swords with her multiple times… that battle in particular teared him apart, in more ways than one.
During her investigation into that sphere, she concluded that it and that new girl were connected… in fact, the girls Reiryoku had a very close similarity to Rinne's, along with a certain girl that flashed in Kurumi's memory… a girl with pale blue hair…
Kurumi mentally shook this off… he wasn't ready… wasn't ready to know the full truth…
"… I really don't know." Was her answer, which was half a lie. While there were some dots she couldn't connect, she understood what was going on for the most part.
It's not that Kurumi didn't trust him, far from it. She gave this boy all her power when she really didn't have too, but finally gave in after he offered her a better life and another chance yet again even after denying him over and over prior. It might not have been for very long, but so far he was making due on his promise. Her not having to look over her shoulder every 5 seconds was one plus, having a warm bed to sleep in was nice, and even home cooked meals were also good bonuses.
Call it her going soft, but the reason for her holding back this crucial information: she wanted to protect him… protect him from the harsh reality… attempt this new lifestyle, just a tad bit longer.
"All I could learn from my investigation was that she's connected too it." Kurumi added.
Michael cocked an eyebrow. "She?" He asked, as considering who is in his life, that didn't exactly narrow it down.
"Why not ask her yourself?" Kurumi looked towards the ledge across the street before she responded. That's of course when Michael followed her gaze…
There she was… the girl who was just in his residence moments ago… now sitting on the metal bars observing the conversation between him and the Time Spirit.
Michael finally realized it… the orb… that girl… this all only started happening the moment he saw that ripple in the sky, and the next second he saw her. The next morning, that very same orb appeared, and the girl appeared more frequently; meaning the orb itself was somehow connected to this mysterious person who just happened to spawn into his lobby that very same night.
Before either he or Kurumi could say a word, the unknown girl jumped off the rails she was sitting on. She did so while not taking her eyes of those who could see her… that was a pretty decent drop too, as there were more houses down below. Of course, Mike let go of Kurumi and ran over to the railing, seeing the girl land on her own two feet without any issues. Her descent appeared to slow itself like Princess Peach could in Smash Bros via her umbrella.
Clearly: was not human.
One of Kurumi's shadow hands attempted to slither from behind the unknown girl, to which the girl surprisingly enough appeared to sense this and snap her head in the shadow arms direction…
ZAP!
With no current explanation whatsoever, the shadow arm was engulfed by volts of electricity, forcing the shadow hand in question to retreating back into the darkness. It was here the girl was shown to have her hand up with sparks dancing along her fingers until they fizzled out, then she took off, only for more shadow arms to try to grab her one after another: from above, the sides, below her, etc. She then evaded each one.
The girl was eventually cornered in-between buildings, with the shadow hands slowly edging toward their prey. It looked like the mysterious girl was finally about to be caught, as the Kurumis' hands' then darted at her like a snake striking…
*flash*
With her eyes flashing for a second, all the shadow arms impacted with a barrier of some sort very similar to Tohka's when she was unsealed and protected her against bullets, though this one was yellow in color. It appeared to be quite strong too, not breaking or faltering. With her safe, her whole body started glowing before it flashed in a bright light, but this was over in a second because after that… she was gone.
Mike and Kurumi were watching this over the rails, Mike himself staring with an open mouth at what he just witnessed. This new girl?… A new Spirit, no doubt about that. She seemed similar to Tohka, not attacking unless she was threatened first. The fact she was able to get away from Kurumi so easily was another testament to her power.
But he had to wonder: why was she here? What was her story? And for that matter, what was her exact connection to the ball in the sky?
"… Ara, Ara. Slippery one, isn't she?" Kurumi said after a moment, impressed someone was able to evade her power.
Michael looked at Kurumi, holding in his comment that she was one to talk. "… Kurumi? I'm gonna need another favor." He asked her.
"Oh?" Kurumi looked back at him.
"I hate to ask, but; can you keep an eye on her?" Michael requested. Seeing as Kurumi did allot already, he did feel bad asking for more. But he had the date with Tohka tomorrow and didn't need this new girl barging in. He could only imagine how Tohka was gonna take it… "Have Yous' watch the house tonight, and tomorrow keep our new friend away from me and Tohka. Last thing I need is her or a city block blowing up."
Now Kurumi was smiling at him, but he knew she may not agree without some incentive. "… I'll owe you anything." He added.
Kurumi's smile grew. "… Annnnnnnnything?" She repeated, cutely.
Michael just stared at her with a deadpan. "… reasonable and grounded in reality." He repeated Kotori's rule. "That includes me." He added.
Kurumi knew what he was implying at that last point. "Do you have to limit all a girls options?" She teased.
"Are you gonna help me or not?" Mike asked, his tone a little on the high pitch side, but it was still a genuine question.
Kurumi gave a playful thinking face with a finger under her chin, screwing around a little bit more. After some silence, she placed a hand on his cheek gently. "Heh. She won't get 5 feet within you." Kurumi said, agreeing to help out. She then took a step back where she began to descend back into shadows. "You have fun with Tohka tomorrow… show her a good time…" she added, admittedly a bit suggestively; then she was gone, leaving Michael alone.
With a sigh, Michael headed back into the house. He still had some unanswered questions, but there was only one final date to go on. Then, he can finally take it easy for the remainder of the summer hopefully. He'll just enjoy the last date with Tohka, and after all this, he needed some quiet solo bro time.
With the mission/case so close to being officially closed, and with Kurumi and her Kurumi army playing defense for him, nothing could possibly go wrong…
TO BE CONTINUED…