Be not a fool, I've no such time to waste

Proper? There were specifics to this?

"I'm pretty sure it'd be faster t'just hunt somethin'. Ain't nothin' 'proper' about protein. Meat's meat, and it tastes better cooked." Though eating it raw was never out of the question. It hadn't been until he was a teenager, that Inuyasha realized you could roast it with a wet stick of wood. Wet wood didn't burn. Vegetables were another story, in his experience.

If they were rotten, they tasted like shit. Same way poisonous mushrooms were disgusting. The difference was that rotten vegetables, he could force down if there were nothing else to eat. A guy did what he had to for survival. Inuyasha was fully ready to assert how his feelings were the right way...

...Then he remembered: He needed to stop doing that. Unlearning a century and a half's worth of self taught preservation and feelings was difficult.

"Keh," He shrugged dismissively. "I could have a million coins, and they wouldn't sell shit t'me. Gotta have a human with me, or a nice yōkai. I don't have the luxury of shopping by myself." The thought was mulled over a few moments, a glare cast at the perfectly slashed mushrooms in his hand. "Then again... humans are always out for their own skin. A million coins might be enough to change all of that."

He was doing what he could to avoid showing interest, though his ears had perked up, and remained in that fashion at the very thought of salt and pepper. A teensy bit of pepper, and a gradual amount of salt? That could be like heaven on Earth. It was once again, old habits. Never admit to wanting something.

That was begging for rejection. Inuyasha straightened his posture.

"Anyway, you probably have a better nose for vegetables." It was easier to say for his own pride's sake, than the truth that Sesshōmaru had a better nose for everything in comparison. "I'll do the hard part." A light smirk played across his features, enough that one of his fangs glinted in the afternoon sun.

"I'll get that protein you were talkin' about. Better hope it's proper enough for ya."

Of course, anything hunted would be fastest, and that would indeed… be a proper protein source. Sesshomaru would reluctantly admit that he was not a fan of tofu, though it was healthy and a valid protein source. He only tolerated it whenever Jaken mentioned it was healthy for young human children to eat. The soy-based product was not easy to procure, but Jaken had done his best to ensure the well-being of the children.

Every so often, he would treat them to a nice meal using ingredients sourced from humans. When they saw Rin waiting in the distance, looking healthy and happy, humans would bounce to provide the sustenance such a young girl would require to grow big and strong.

        ❝Why else do you think Jaken remains by this Sesshomaru’s side? His insolent mouth lives to see many days for his loyalty and his uses. He carries on well among humans as they nary feel threatened by an imp a third their size.❞

Though, Inuyasha could not understand Inuyasha’s reluctance to shopping for himself when the human Miko Kaede was an asset to humans and Demons alike. She had graciously taken Rin under her wing while Sesshomaru roamed the lands. Surely she could procure ingredients for Inuyasha to use for his travels.

Of course, rations do not last forever, but it would sustain him for some time.

        ❝Hn, you do that. This Sesshomaru will see what he can forage.❞

From the sound of things, a stream was nearby. Sesshomaru sought the sound in search of his first target. Seri, which was a water parsley, grew near streams. It’s white stems give an aromatic flavor to soups. If he could find Warabi, Zenmai, or Fuki, that could be nice too- as a valuable lesson.

On his search, he came across udo. These were good in some soups as they grew tender when boiled. He picked some, paying attention to the size of the stems. Near the stream, he found the Seri he was looking for. What else could he find?

Had Inuyasha found anything yet? Hm…

"Is that so?" Someone could use rosemary for grilling meat? That was something Inuyasha knew he could learn, grilling meat was the only thing he knew how to do when it came to the culinary arts. It was enjoyable, paying attention to scent to know what something would taste like. Perhaps something he could learn. Maybe that was an interest he had that he just didn't know.

"Keh," He made no effort to disguise his amusement. "Rice porridge is a big luxury to me. Sometimes my friends make it for me." He understood those same things. It was filling, kept you going for a long time, and the taste was something to savor. It was strong, in a way that was delicious, rather than overstimulating.

...Sesshōmaru was probably the only one who could understand. He acknowledged that his dog-like senses weren't as strong as his older brother's. Then his attention turned to the mushrooms, and a smirk found itself on his features.

"Y'don't gotta tell me twice!" It didn't matter as much whether mushrooms were poisonous or not. Yōkai blood destroyed the effect. That didn't change how poisonous mushrooms tasted like shit. With a swift leap, and slash of his claws, the mushrooms were removed from the side of the tree. Despite how reckless it may have looked, the mushrooms were in perfect tact, and he hadn't destroyed the tree.

Inuyasha had too much experience with this.

It was pride, when he held up one handful of the shiitake, root and all. A smile, too, something Inuyasha didn't realize he was doing. For just this moment, things felt... almost normal. Call it wishful thinking, but this was where he felt most at home. Out in the wilds, where he truly grew up.

Then the hanyō did realize the stupid smile on his face, and quickly corrected it.

"Keh." Brows relaxed, though the bitterness towards his own slip up was present. "So... d'ya know how t'make stew?" Nonchalant as he tried to be, Inuyasha was embarrassed. It felt like he'd allowed himself belief in a stupid lie. "Y'don't suppose you could teach me, do you?"

It should have been easier to manage rejection from someone he was still learning to care about, right?

So why was his heart pounding so hard at such a simple question? So hard he knew if he could hear it, Sesshōmaru might be able to hear it, too.

Ugh... I got way too excited there.

The elder of the two watched as Inuyasha excitedly harvested the mushrooms he’d pointed out. With precision, Inuyasha harvested the fungi without damaging the tree nor ruining the fungi themselves. They would make for an excellent addition to whatever food would be cooked later.

Yes, he did know how to make stew, even if it sounded out of place for him to have it as one of his skillsets, but it was a necessary lesson for anyone to learn if they were to live on the road like he did. Instead of living the cushioned life of a Inu-youkai living among the clouds, he roamed the lands of Japan, guarding a particular human village from invading Demons.

Inuyasha’s question of whether Sesshomaru could teach him was a surprise with how forthright he was about his desire to learn a new skillset. His thoughts receded to the back mind, recalling old distant memories of old with himself and their Honorable Father. This was a skill Inuyasha would’ve learned from their Father had he not met his untimely death shortly after Inuyasha’s birth.

He could hear the way Inuyasha’s heart pounded in his chest after asking the question. It was no doubt the fear that his silence was an unspoken refusal.

A sigh

Once more, Sesshomaru must don the mantle of what a father would do for his son in the absence of their father. Knowing how to cook was an important life skill to ensure one is kept well nourished while living in the wilds.

        ❝A proper stew would require more ingredients than what we have handy now.❞

Which, in many more words would mean that if they could procure more ingredients to use, Sesshomaru could teach Inuyasha how to make a stew.

        ❝Finding a proper protein source or wild vegetables would work well for stew.❞

Wild carrots or Potatoes would work well in stews. While potatoes could be poisonous, if you knew how to handle them, you’d be fine. They were filling, and added a nice texture when cooked. Beef or pork were great in stew, but they weren’t used often as they were important livestock. Wild boar was sometimes too gamey, but using a careful blend of spices usually solved that issue.

If one were to ask him, he didn’t mind fish, because it was something that Rin often enjoyed preparing for herself- so he’d learned to acquire the taste of fish.

        ❝This Sesshomaru has salt and pepper.❞

Spices were a luxury seeing as they weren’t easy to come by, but someone of his caliber would of course have access to them. As he would often be separated from Jaken and the rest, he’d always carried the bare minimum of spices with him for such occasions.

        ❝Sometimes, humans will sell extra produce if you carry coin for trade.❞

It was a convenient way of adding more ingredients into stews without needing to worry about carrying perishable ingredients during travel.

The days that went by weren't terrible, there was enough that happened in Mukuro's day that it didn't feel super repetitive, that also made the days go by a bit faster and before she knew it, she was being handed a report of what was found out about her。

She had quickly flipped and sped read through a few pages and it was a bit scary about how accurate and well-documented everything was。 Mukuro had thought she had done her best to keep a lof of herself secret, it was rather impressive that this much was actually out there。 When Sesshomaru spoke to her, Mukuro's gaze moved to look at him for a moment before her eyes would dip down in thought。

Overtime, Mukuro did find herself becoming more and more comfortable with those around her and felt a bit of peace and ease while here too, something that she hadn't felt in a long time。 Staying here also meant that she would be in a place where she belonged, something a bit of a found family, and that was something that very much appealed to Mukuro。 As for the cons well。。。 Mukuro couldn't really think of any actual cons, because it wasn't like she'd be out of an income, there'd certainly be something to do here。

Mukuro could easily see that if she were to remain as a guest that she would be visiting quite often。 Mukuro also knew that if she continued to flip-flop on the idea of joining or not, she'd never figure out an actual answer。 So ultimately, it was better to make the decision now。

「I would like to join, actually。」 Mukuro said after taking a few more moments to decide, her gaze lifting up to meet Sesshomaru's。

As expected, their information network proved effective, as per usual. It was useful when you had youkai of various skillsets, which included speaking with spirits through spells. They were some of the most informative if you were well-versed with the skill as spirits lurked everywhere.

Mukuro had acclimated herself to the Gumi much like how the others have slowly become used to her presence among them. The children especially enjoyed spending time with her, so they’d be quite happy to learn that she’d become a member as well.

A brief flicker of approval crosses Sesshomaru’s features at her positive response.

        ❝Jaken, Sai.❞

Sai emerges from the shadows, holding a flailing green imp in his hands.

        ❝Properly settle Miss Mukuro here into the mansion.❞

She would be moved out of the temporary room and be given a proper one. She could decide for herself which of the wings she wished to settle in. There was a wing in each of the cardinal directions to choose from and each had different themes. The Eastern wing which had the most sunlight had rooms that was reminiscent of the sun, even seeming to retain warmth from the sun. These rooms were apt for those who preferred to always stay warm. The Western wing, which saw the most moonlight was designed to reflect a night sky, using a lot of darker materials. These rooms often stayed cool, which was appropriate for individuals who enjoyed the cooler temperatures. The Southern wing had a traditional Japanese aesthetic, suitable for Sesshomaru’s tastes. Finally, the Northern wing, which was closest to the entrance, had many rooms with flowers as the motif.

        ❝A welcoming banquet will be prepared later tonight.❞

The Kumicho turns to leave the room with Jaken in tow. There was much to prepare tonight. Sai turns to Mukuro with a welcoming smile. “Shall we tour around the Mansion for you to find a room that suits your fancy? We shall start with the Northern wing, where the rooms have a floral motif. As this wing is closest to the entrance, many who work in the real world choose here to live.” The doors of each of the sliding doors had a different floral scene painted. “We do not frown upon those of us who wish to integrate into human society. We have someone studying human medicine and another who is a day trader. I myself have some business in the human world,” Sai explains. “Have you thought on what you wish to do moving forwards?” If she wished to completely leave the life among humans behind completely, it was fine for her to never leave the mansion. It was also fine for her to enjoy both lives.

When the time skip had paused and Popo gave her the rundown of the contents of the contract, Mukuro would nod along as the points were listed。 Everything sounded doable and that last point was a very big perk。

「That's not too bad of a contract, if I'm honest。」 There wasn't any negatives as far as Mukuro could tell, she assumed Popo would have told her as much if there was, 「I'll sign it then, I don't see why not。」 Besides, Mukuro felt like she could be a bit more loosey-goosey with some of her decision given that she had unlocked that auto-save feature。

When the documents were slid over to her, Mukuro would sign where instructed and date the document。 All that was needed to be done now was give the documents to Kei or place them on his desk if he wasn't around。

Ah, idle time, that's what it was called。 Mukuro thought as Popo had explained it to her, that was what she was referring to earlier but she was also fine with the time skip that they had done so she wasn't too pressed about it。 

「Yeah, I'd like to do idle time this time around,」 she liked being able to walk around a little while the work day was going on, gave her a littie more insight on what would be going on around her。

“Alright! I’ll get that activated for you.” Popo paws at an invisible screen and Mukuro hears the robotic voice she’s always heard during system alerts.

𝔸𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕧𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕀𝕕𝕝𝕖 𝕄𝕠𝕕𝕖

Mukuro could now have an out of body experience where her body would be enjoying her lunch for the rest of the lunch hour, dropping off the signed document, and continuing with the rest of her day- that is, until Mukuro decided to pause idle mode.

She could roam around nearby where her body was acting on autopilot and do other things in her out of body state. Many players would use this chance to gather information and spy on game characters. Some others would take the chance to work alongside themselves to maximize the efficiency of their work. It was very convenient for any competitions based on progress.

“So, what do you want to do? Maybe observe some of the other workers? You could observe some people you’re suspicious of to determine if they’re human or not.” She could also just roam around and come across new people too. She would effectively be like a ghost, but no one would be able to notice her, not even those with heightened spiritual senses. Perhaps those with an uncanny sense for instinct, but that was just about it.

((I've been monitoring myself for the past week: I'm not well. I do not wish to impose my unstable emotional state onto others, so I'm stepping away.

I do not know when I'll return. If you have my discord, this is a reminder that if I'm ever on red status, please give me space as that means I'm probably close to crashing out.

Please do not ask me about why I'm upset as that riles me up too much. If I wish to talk about it, I will. I'm sorry about this, but I'd rather step away than impose onto others and have my guilt for doing so eat me alive.

Rin's influence... why didn't that surprise him? The girl was like refined sugar. The difference was that she didn't kill him with overpowering sweetness. The only reason Inuyasha knew someday it would exist, were the old days. The days he could visit the other side.

"Keh. Rin's too kind for her own good." It made him worry, more than it should have. "Sometimes she asks for help sniffin' out herbs. I can't say no around her." It wasn't that he'd say no to begin with. Just... the way she smiled. People who smiled so brightly needed him more than any other. Before he could take another step, Inuyasha's right ear flicked.

"Hn?" He stood silent, before golden eyes glanced curiously at the very herb Sesshōmaru pointed towards.

"That?" Back to the usual gruffness. "You can use that for food?" Inuyasha recognized it, but not as an herb you could eat. Rosemary. He couldn't think of a reason Sesshōmaru would lie. "I don't really know how to make stew." His gaze drifted upwards, his frown steady. "I just know how to burn stuff until it tastes better than raw." Eyes temporarily closed, arms slipping into his sleeves.

"Do you know how to make it?" Perhaps the question sounded a bit too optimistic. It had been some time since he'd last had something so warm, and flavorful. "All I've seen is someone throw a buncha stuff in a pot and stir it. When I tried it, it tasted like crap." Now was when his feet moved. Inuyasha knelt, showing a delicate touch as he picked the herb. It was done so in a way that wouldn't damage even the roots. Those could be useful, too, in how he knew it worked.

"If y'don't, it's still good to pick up. The scent, these ones're good for if y'get hurt. They help with bleeding if you use three of their leaves, and if you make a tea with 'em, it helps with stomachaches."

Indeed, Rin was too kind for her own good, including approaching an injured Demon out of concern. Even if he’d snarled at her out of instinctual defensiveness, she still attempted to show him kindness. What resulted in that was her untimely death and demise of her entire family. It was this that sparked his journey to learning sympathy for others. She, revived through Tenseiga, then traveled alongside himself and Jaken until she could be given to a human settlement for refuge.

        ❝Rin has her ways of asking for help to the right individuals.❞

A valuable skill of hers, knowing who to ask for assistance. It was as though she had some keen sense in knowing the good heart of others.

        ❝Yes, it can be used for food. Stews or grilling meat.❞

Of course, it was also necessary to carry other essentials to cook with, but that often required trading with humans or sourcing them from other Demons. Jaken normally took on that role, and the imp carried the seasonings. Sesshomaru himself did not carry any such items on his person, but he was able to recognize different herbs by smell or by sight.

        ❝A good stew would require more ingredients than just meat and this one herb. You could learn to make rice porridge.❞

Though it wasn’t a fancy dish, it was carbohydrate heavy, so it was sufficient for energizing the body and keeping it fulfilled for longer. It was high in fiber and easy on the stomach. Nutritionally, it was also adequate.

Sesshomaru looked around in an effort to see what else could be foraged for food. He stops at the sight of some mushrooms. They were edible.

        ❝Those are edible. They work well in stew as it releases lots of flavor. You’ll usually find them on trees.❞

He pointed to some shiitake mushrooms growing off of a dead, decaying hardwood tree,  where they were often found. Sesshomaru never directly answered the question, as was his normal way of communication without Jaken nearby, but he did take the time to explain things to Inuyasha.

        ❝Hn, you’ve learned well.❞

Jaken normally knew all about the medicinal benefits of plants as it was hid job to be learned of all matters so Sesshomaru could focus on his strength.

@fangsofdestruction from X

"Of course not, you--"

Inuyasha cut himself off. Right. They were trying to get along now, and he knew his brother well enough to know that was his way of saying he would. This had been his idea, after all. It was only right that he do the majority of the prep work, and he was the one who was making camp here anyway. A sharp exhale sounded through the hanyō's nose. A momentary glare at the ground, before Inuyasha shook his head.

"Right." Not angry, yet clear he was keeping himself in check. The effort he was making alone spoke volumes.

"Keh. I prefer collecting the firewood myself, anyway." No matter how his tone came off, it was true. He preferred doing all the prep work himself. If you wanted a job done right, you did it yourself. "Let's get going, the sun's goin' down. This stuff is easier when you can see what you're doing."

With every step of his bare feet, there was soft silence. Inuyasha had no more than the clothes on his back, and the satchel slung over his arm. "When's the last time y'ate somethin'? Got some dried fish I didn't finish."

An offer. Like he knew what Sesshōmaru partook in when it came to food. Inuyasha ate anything, so long as it didn't overstimulate his sense of taste. He'd choke, in the sense that it would be too strong, and gag him. Or it'd make him sick, one of the two.

"It's not fancy or anything. I never did learn how t'make anything other than with a campfire."

Even though a small part of him wanted to.

Sesshomaru had always had Jaken or Rin collect the firewood for two reasons. Firstly, Jaken was Sesshomaru’s retainer, and it was his duty to do the grunt work that was beneath Sesshomaru to perform. Secondly, should Rin decide to leave from underneath his wing to live among the humans, it would be a valuable skill for her to learn- to know which kinds of wood were the most apt for lighting a fire.

Would Sesshomaru know these things himself? One may think he wouldn’t, but that wasn’t true. He’d at least on one occasion camped outdoors with his father, and the task of procuring firewood had been placed on his shoulders. He’d learned which species of trees burned well and which would result in a horrid smell. Which burned longer and which wouldn’t alight due to the retained moisture.

Though Sesshomaru was now used to staying in place to safeguard the campsite from rogue Demons and humans alike, he still followed Inuyasha’s directive. As one would term it, Sesshomaru was acting the ‘team player’ that the situation called for- cooperation.

When was the last time he’d eaten? Perhaps a day ago? Though Sesshomaru could control his metabolic rate, he’d also trained himself to keep his mind sharp even while foregoing food for a time. This was necessary training for when he’d find himself on the battlefield as a ready supply of rations could be a luxury.

Initially, eating human rations was something he’d turned his nose to, but with Rin’s insistence influence, he’d grown somewhat accustomed to partaking in human food on occasion. He couldn’t deny wishing to indulge Rin’s desire to share the food she’d prepared with her own two hands. She’d puff with pride every time he’d finished a bite of her food that it was somehow… endearing.

Now, Inuyasha was seemingly attempting to share his rations with him. An act that wasn’t lost on Sesshomaru as sharing food was oft an act of bonding for humans.

        ❝This Sesshomaru has become accustomed to human food through Rin’s influence.❞

Sesshomaru’s golden eyes look around and a clawed finger pointed at an herb growing nearby.

        ❝This can be used for stews.❞

Truly, many things could be thrown into a stew to produce a nutritious meal to help tide you over during travels.

((I did try to finish off everything across my blogs, but I wasn't able to because I couldn't focus. I think that's my sign that I need to take things real slow and basically take a break.

My emotional and mental state has not been well as of late because of IRL reasons. I honestly do not know when I'll feel okay enough to return. I'll try to check in on the dash when I can, but I won't be doing any asks/thread replies until I return.

"Hardly, I don't make friends until usually the 5th meeting. By then I should remember their face." He denies them being friends for now, but he's not saying it's off the table. "Besides, you don't know my name." He's purposefully avoided saying it for this express reason.

So it was an issue of acclimating to the humanoid form and flying with the newer form. "Can you at least glide? Feels like that should be easier than flying. Learn small and then big."

As the old saying goes, baby steps before you start running. He could imagine it would be difficult to adjust to a new way of flying as you'd have to also unlearn what came naturally to you before and learn a new method. "Keep at it, I guess. Rooting for you or something."

What a fascinating name for an unfortunate individual. Does he ever take off his hat? In that case, does he become not-hat guy? The thought was pretty amusing, he'd admit.

"I don't really remember faces or names very well. Maybe a side effect of all my memory loss." Or perhaps, it was simply that he could barely scrounge the energy to care about others enough to really remember things such as names and faces. Hard to say if he'd remember Durin's name later- no, that's wrong. He'd remember the name Durin for obvious reasons... but he might not remember the face.

"Usually takes me 3 meetings to remember a face. Congratulations, I may remember your name after the first meeting." Yes, that was a joke TM.

Wind was definitely a big helper, but birds could fly even without gusts of wind pushing them up. They just had to move their wings in a way to keep the air flow moving underneath them to propel themselves up.

"Maybe you need to work on how you move your wings by studying from example."

Sesshomaru appreciated the sentiment being returned. Sometimes, it was nice to speak to someone else about Rin and Kohaku. They weren’t his own children by any means, and had only been under his wing for a short while, but he’d continued to watch over them as the years passed, giving them gifts whenever the timing worked out. They had their own human villages that cared for them, so the time spent with him was short- but the pain still stung worse than some of his injuries sustained from battle.

He couldn’t imagine the pain she’d feel having lost the children she’d truly raised as a mother to her children.

The children in the Gumi were troublesome, but cute all the same. Their presence was both comforting and also a painful reminder of those who have long since left him behind. These being Demon children filled him with the hope that they would outlive him so he wouldn’t have to bid farewell to any more children. Perhaps, their presence can offer Mukuro some comfort as well.

They certainly enjoyed clinging onto anyone who would give them attention (primarily Kazehime, the most spoiled one of the bunch), so feeling lonely was difficult to achieve within the Gumi.

“Thanks!” Kazehime sections each piece of the tangerine and eats them one at a time to take her time savoring the treat. It was when she got to her last couple of pieces when she looked up at Mukuro and held out a slice for her in her fingers like she wanted to feed the kitsune. “This one is the biggest one! It’s juicy!” You know, as thanks for peeling the icky skins from the tangerines. She saved the big ones!

“Kazehime likes lots of fruits, but she doesn’t like pineapples and kiwi. YUCK.” “It makes your tongue feel all weird.” Tama agrees, not knowing it was because of the enzymes in the fruits that made the tingling sensation if you ate too much pineapples or kiwi. “Kazehime likes meat the most, though. Hebisuke can eat fruits, but he usually just drinks water.”

        ❝Morning dew bathed in moonlight retains some power of the moon spirits which bodes him well.❞

"Yeah, see? Water." Kazehime proudly puffs out her chest. She's a very smart weasel, yes she is! Praise her, please.

「You're welcome,」 Mukuro said with a bright smile as she watched Kazehime happily snack on the peeled tangerine pieces。 When a large piece was held up for Mukuro, she accepted the piece with a smile。

「Why thank you very much!」 Popping the piece into her mouth, Mukuro happily munched on the juicy piece of tangerine that was offered to her。 There was a small hum that left Mukuro's throat when it was pointed out that Kazehime and Tama didn't like pineapple and kiwi。 Mukuro knew why pineapples and kiwis did that of course, but she wasn't going to explain that to the children right now。

「I also like to eat plenty of fruits, watermelon is my favorite。 I also can't eat many kiwis because it makes my tongue feel all weird。」 Although, for Mukuro kiwis also made Mukuro's throat a little itchy so maybe she was a little bit allergic to them, but it didn't seem like much of one。

Her eyes look over at Hebisuke when he is brought up in the conversation and then back to Kazehime when she puffs out her chest proudly。 With a soft laugh, Mukuro softly patted Kazehime's head, 「very good~」

Seeing Mukuro interact with the children without them feeling unnerved by her presence was a good indicator of the possibility of her being a good match with the Gumi, especially considering Tamako took well to her. She was the wariest of the children given her history.

The children were allowed to play for a bit longer before it was time to eat dinner and they were called by their parents. Hebisuke did not necessarily have to eat food, so he didn’t go to eat. Instead, he lay on the giant rock to take a well-deserved nap. Keeping the two girls in line was tiresome work.

Mukuro’s food was delivered to her room. Days would pass in a very similar fashion and in time, more and more Demons grew used to her presence. The ones leading the charge in investigating her life did a good job making use of spells and talking to neighboring Demons. The ones who had identities in the human world had their own paths to investigate. The report was drafted and sent off to Sesshomaru who read them over.

The report had details on her age, who her parents were, some of her past employers, where she’s lived, and information on any relationships of note such as friends or lovers. The investigation did yield that she had no meaningful relationships with any major rivaling factions, so it was true that she had somehow been tasked by humans to take out Sesshomaru. How he’d caught the eye of a human, only he would know- if he didn’t forget. The follies of the insolent humans was far beneath him.

With the report in hand, he hands the report over to Mukuro for her to confirm or deny what was written in the report.

        ❝You are now clear to leave if you wish. If you’d rather join our ranks, that too can be rearranged.❞

He was the one who could give the final say, after all. With everyone else having gotten acclimated to her, it wouldn’t be difficult to welcome her in.

        ❝You need not join if you merely wish to be a guest. The children would enjoy seeing you again.❞

Ultimately, it was up to her to decide.

Mukuro would give a small nod when Popo answered her question, it made sense but it didn't hurt to ask of course。 A little smile would appear on her lips when Popo offered to read over the contract and give a summary, Mukuro would nod again and accept his offer。

「Understandable, and I would like that very much, thank you。」 Normally, Mukuro wouldn't trust anyone but her to read over a contract but Popo was designed to help the player and she had no reason to doubt that he would be truthful when delivering a summary of the contract to her。 

Upon hearing that there was an item that could grant a temporary time-stopping ability, Mukuro's interest was piqued。

「That's good to know, thank you Popo。」 Mukuro already knew the answer if she had asked what the parameters of getting that item were, so she didn't bother asking. She'd just have to be on the lookout for possible side quests or events to get that。

「Yes, please,」 Mukuro gave another small nod when Popo asked her if she'd like the contents of the contract summarized to her。 「Hmn,」 Mukuro hums softly as she thinks of what to do with the time skip option。

「Let's go ahead and do the time-skip, I'll want to work at my desk and also chat with co-workers。」

“Alright, sounds good,” Mukuro did say that she wanted to commute to work without skipping time forward, so that’s what they did. Nothing else eventful happened after triggering the event with Kei.

Just as they got to work, the time skipping feature was activated, as per Mukuro’s request. As she stated, she would work at her desk diligently while also chatting with a few co-workers here and there. It appeared that nothing special of note happened because the time skipping didn’t pause for the majority of the working period. It was around lunch time when the time skipping paused as Popo had finished reading over the document and had the contents summarized:

You agree to not speak of being non-human around the human employees.

All non-human employees are obligated to help keep the existence of non-humans a secret from the human employees. If anyone is at risk of being found, you agree to step in so as long as you are able to and it would not also compromise your own human identity.

If you find any non-human acting suspiciously, contact Kei Seimei for any follow up actions.

You agree to not cause any harm to human employees in and out of work.

For a period of two weeks, you’ll be put on a probationary period to see how well you can act the part of a regular human employee. If you pass, a list of all non-human employees will be given to you for reference. This list is to be memorized and then promptly burned to prevent the contents being leaked to the human employees.

“So pretty much, act like a regular worker for two weeks, and then they’ll give you a list of all the non-humans. The system will then automatically incorporate this information any time it names someone for you.” This was going to be very useful for when Mukuro wanted to find the love interests as all of them were non-human. “As long as you agree to the terms, you are to sign your name in these spots here, date the document and hand it back to Kei.”

Popo slides the documents over to Mukuro for her to sign if she wanted to. “By the way, you can time skip like you did earlier to advance time quickly, or you could do idle time, which gives you an out of body experience so your body does work while you can do something else.” Mukuro did ask about skipping time, so it did as asked, but perhaps Mukuro had it confused with when she’d done idle time before?

Popo could’ve suggested this sooner, but what is a little feline to do? Tiny little playful pranks are harmless~ Also, this was a veiled lesson that sometimes, the system would sometimes act in ways not totally in her favor.

The game too, could play tricks on her in sneaky little ways.

"Hat guy?" What kind of name was that? His ears twitch again with curiosity. Was that some kind of affectionate nickname? Some guys do give such odd affectionate nicknames for each other. There was someone among the adventurers who liked to call him 'Silver ears' for instance.

It'd be nice if someone had answers for him, but a part of him feared that any effort put in would be a futile effort, and that alone would be soul-crushing. His ears droop at the thought of disappointment.

"Guess there was something special about when they were here with you, like giving you the confidence to fly." Without confidence, there was a limit to how much your body would be able to withstand.