Even more baffling when you’ve seen those phenomena firsthand, really. Maruki wasn’t entirely sure if Ichinose knew of his ties to Mikage-cho—though, truth be told, it didn’t matter all that much in this context. He was more interested in watching her expression twist into that delightful mixture of curiosity and disbelief.
Her reaction to the “phone number” bit was exactly what he hoped for.
He laughed out loud, free and fond, slipping a hand back into his coat pocket. “Yeah, sounds bizarre, doesn’t it? But I promise you, it’s real. Demons who give you a chance hand out their numbers like candy if you’re polite enough—or interesting enough.”
He rummaged around in his pocket again—not entirely focused anymore, clearly enjoying the act of showing off—and produced...a chocolate bar. With a faint, sheepish chuckle, he set it on the table like it was the most normal thing in the world. “Ah—emergency blood sugar protocol,” he muttered, as though that explained everything.
But then, finally: success.
From the depths of his coat, he retrieved two carefully guarded tarot-style cards, one nestled protectively behind the other. He glanced at the front card without needing to really look—he already knew which one had come to hand.
“Nekomata,” he said, holding it out to her with a certain reverence, but also something more playful underneath it. The design was intricate, feline, layered with the stylized flair of the Hermit Arcana. “Came to me after a bit of an improv comedian session starring me and Katsuya-san."
His smile widened as he offered the card across the space between them. “I don’t think the cards activate if someone else calls them, though. But do go on. Just call her name and she could make it here. You two might even get along."
no subject
Her reaction to the “phone number” bit was exactly what he hoped for.
He laughed out loud, free and fond, slipping a hand back into his coat pocket. “Yeah, sounds bizarre, doesn’t it? But I promise you, it’s real. Demons who give you a chance hand out their numbers like candy if you’re polite enough—or interesting enough.”
He rummaged around in his pocket again—not entirely focused anymore, clearly enjoying the act of showing off—and produced...a chocolate bar. With a faint, sheepish chuckle, he set it on the table like it was the most normal thing in the world. “Ah—emergency blood sugar protocol,” he muttered, as though that explained everything.
But then, finally: success.
From the depths of his coat, he retrieved two carefully guarded tarot-style cards, one nestled protectively behind the other. He glanced at the front card without needing to really look—he already knew which one had come to hand.
“Nekomata,” he said, holding it out to her with a certain reverence, but also something more playful underneath it. The design was intricate, feline, layered with the stylized flair of the Hermit Arcana. “Came to me after a bit of an improv comedian session starring me and Katsuya-san."
His smile widened as he offered the card across the space between them. “I don’t think the cards activate if someone else calls them, though. But do go on. Just call her name and she could make it here. You two might even get along."