Right, the video has been posted, so let’s get back to enjoying myself. Maybe I should try some local food. I’ve seen enough food-porn anime to recognize a few kinds of foods and their names, so if I find an area that is likely to h-

“Mister Eikeli?”

I turn to the speaker. He spoke with an bit of an accent, but in fluent english. Standing broader and taller than most japanese and wearing a well-tailored black suit, he could be imposing if he wasn’t still a hand shorter than me.

He appears to have waited for me just outside the cafe, or perhaps in the otherwise unassuming car across the street, which has a similarly dressed man looking this way. Now that I think of it, that guy who took the table across from me might be- oh, he’s right behind me.

“That’s me.”

These guys seem pretty no-nonsense, all business, and more than a little bit suspicious, so I get ready to defend myself or escape if need be.

“We are from the Moriyu Corporation. Our boss would like to talk to you. Please come with us.”

“Uhh, why do they want to talk to me? What do they want to talk about.”

“Business.”

Shit, are they yakuza or something?

“Hey, you seem really suspicious, and I’m not going with you unless you give me a reason to. What do your boss want from me? What does your company do?”

He seems a bit surprised, then apologizes and pulls out a business card, which I notice has a URL, and explains that they work on ‘robotics and exoskeletons’ but can’t say more in public. I’m not entirely convinced, but it seems like a legit company when I google it, including two video in japanese. One which is just talk, and the other shows what’s must be a design-prototype, which the person is animatedly talking about.

They seems legit enough, and while it's slightly creepy how they intercepted me, oh, three hours after my (unannounced) arrival here, I did post a picture of looking at some part of Tokyo from the airplane window captioned with ‘travelling by plane for once’. How they found out where I went though…

“Alright, I will come with you.”

So I get in the car, which while unassuming from the outside is quite fancy inside, but stay alert and ready to magically bust out. As long as we're outside I could run away or at least alert others.

The men don't say much as we drive, so I go online and dangit, r/EikeliSpotting had someone on the plane with me, and someone also saw me in the cafe. Well that answers that.

I look up as the start to go down, under a building. Okay, so that's one safety gone. We park, and they open the door for me. After a set of stairs, I follow one of them into an elevator with no buttons aside for opening and closing the doors. One of the men we leave says something on a walkie talkie.

“He's waiting for you.” he says as the elevator comes to a stop, pointing at a large door.

I do a quick sweep of mana, finding no particular resistance, and that there seems to be a window I could smash out of on the other side of the room. The elevator cab leaves, so I guess it's time to meet this boss person. So far they're giving a lot of mafia/crime syndicate vibes.

So I knock, and a surprisingly accent free voice calls for me to “Please, enter.”

I'm not sure what I expected, but the room is pretty spartan, aside from a clutter of paper on his desk. The man himself is not very imposing, in fact I'd say he's more the opposite.

“Greetings, my name is Takeyoshi Hatakeyama.”

“Greetings Hatakeyama-san, my name is Lars Eikeli. But you probably knew that, since you brought me here. Your men didn't want to say any more than that you work with robotics.”

He smiles at my greeting, and turns apologetic by the time I finish.

“Very sorry, very sorry. We have strict rules. What we do, it must be kept secret. You understand?”

“I can understand the need for secrecy if you're working with new world tech or magitech, but I’d like to know why you called me here.”

“Apologies, apologies. You know honorific, yes? You watch anime?”

“Well, not so much lately, but enough that I have picked up some things.”

“Good! Do you like mecha? Super robot?”

“Hmm, not a fan of super robot really, I prefer real robo shows. I've always liked when they keep things a bit realistic, even with giant robots with sword and guns.”

“Hoho, our chief engineer would like you. What we do, we have two projects. We making a small, ah, exoskeleton, to help with many things. First we make for elderly and weak, to lift and walk, but also strong suit, for construction and other work.”

“I saw your video. I only understand little bit of Japanese, but I saw the suit. Looked like a design prototype, though.”

“Yes, that's it! We want to use the magic to make it, make it better than just computer and steel and plastic. But suit is not as exciting, also make the big robot, a real mecha!”

“Oh, like those Kuro… Something industries?”

“Hmm, yes, but without magic it is boring. Can't stand and walk, and the power issue and more. But you! You use lots of magic, even fly almost too space!”

“Well,” I mutter, rubbing my chin. “Only a bit over halfway, so not really space. Not yet. ”

“But really high, much higher than plane!”

“I guess.”

“We want you to help make robot real. Eh, see what I did?”

I chuckle at his infectious excitement.

“So you want me to help with the magi tech parts? There are some things I can't help with because of a contract, but most stuff I can.”

“Oh yes. We need better power, and to control the robot. In one of your videos you talk about mana crystals for powering your artifice, yes? And you have made these!”

Be pulls out a stone from his desk, one of the trinkets I’ve made. By the looks of things it’s an advanced version, the kind you need to supply mana but have more control, and it makes heat. Good for keeping your hands warm when it’s cold out.

“Ah. Yeah, I can work with both of those. But I'm here in a tourism visa, so I'm not allowed to ‘work’ here, whatever that means.”

“That is no problem. Is not breaking law to just talk, and we can do contract online after, yes? But secret! this little thing is just a little bit of business, no one will notice, no one will say a thing.”

That's… A good hook to ask him something I've been wondering about.

“Are those tattoos?”

“Yes?”

“Aren't tattoos frowned upon here in Japan?”

“Yes.”

“Like, associated with yakuza?”

“Ah, yes. Don't worry, just not say or do bad things and you are safe, no problem.”

“I… see.” and will leave it at that, noting that he didn’t say anything about himself.

Well, as long as they don’t want me to do anything illegal. Next we turn to business, something closer to an agreement, and I mention the process I've started to hopefully get permission, which he heartily approves.

He understandably doesn't want to share too much until we have a contract, but we talk a bit about what each party has managed so far, just not how. He's especially interested in my research in golems, mostly the parts I didn't use Aspect Magic puppets for, but even those could be used as reference points.

The informal meeting doesn't last all that long, as he already cancelled some stuff to sneak me into his schedule, so after giving him contact info, I return to my quest try to japanese food, as made in Japan. I manage to find an area with scattered stalls, cafes, and other eateries, and end up led by smell to a rather… pink cafe. With cakes, oh so many cakes!

My vocabulary is sorely limited, but a ‘sumimasen’ makes the small group of young waitresses quickly discuss between themselves for a moment before offering a sacrifice. Or they could be fighting about who gets to serve me, but from my understanding the former is more likely.

When I ask if she speaks English she freezes for a moment then shakes her head. With communication as limited as it is, I end up just pointing at the menu and gesturing about size with a questioning look, in response to which she gestures that they're not particularly big. After thinking it over for a moment, I just point at two separate pictures and say “this and this, onegaishimasu.”

She does a short bow before hurrying over to the kitchen. I'm getting quite a few looks, even though I made sure to subtly look around so I can apply the ‘when in Rome’ principle. Then again, I'm white and tall, even for a Scandinavian, in a rather, uh, unmanly established whose clientele seems to be primarily girls and young women. Yeah, sure, that granny too.

Then again, if they know my name it might just be that I'm famous. Don't they know I have drastically improved hearing? Oh well. I’d have liked to know what they're saying about-

“Ah, arigatou gozaimasu.”

Oh dang, this looks and *sniff* smells really sweet. Well, “itadakimasu.”

I let out a satisfied sigh as I put down the final plate in front of an increasingly impressed audience. Not sure if it's good-impressed, though.

And while I got distracted from my original objective to eat Japanese food, I regret nothing.

“Um, you- are- Lashh Ehhkuri?”

The girl fidgets, having apparently worked up the courage (partially thanks to her three friends it sounded like) to walk up to my little table.

“I am Lars Eikeli. Hello. Can I help you?”

“Um, Um, the, um-”

Aaand she's talking really fast in Japanese.

Kawaii… hebi?

“The wolf serpent?”

“Yes! Cute woof-sehpento!”

I glance at the oldest of the employees, assuming she's a has a higher position and/or better grasp on the English language.

“Is it okay?”

She tilts her head.

Oh well. I summon the puppet in question under the table and have it peek out in the seat towards the wall from me, then levitate up over my arm, coming to rest wrapping around my head (and face). It makes a cry as I push it away from my face, mirrored by the squeal of the girl, who holds out a hand.

The older woman just smiles, so I assume it is okay, despite it being an animal. A moment later, the fuzzy noodle gets mad pets and pats and boops and scritches, so I politely mute the perceptions from the puppet.

They're gentle enough so that I can just leave them to it and letting it react mostly on instinct.

“Excuse me?” A woman in her late teens or early twenties addresses me, after having quietly chatted with her friend.

“Hm?”

“Do you have others?”

“Other puppets?”

A nod.

“A couple, but I mostly make them as I need to.” I glance at the pampered fur-noodle. Or want to, I suppose.

She appears to relay this to her friend who looks positively surprised, then says something very insistently, and then she turns back to me and excuses herself. What's that about?

After a few more minutes I whistle, make the puppet return to my side (to several disappointed ‘aww’s), and unsummon it. It's not like I need the theatrics, but since they fully treat it like it's its own being, I'll play along.

The rest of the day is relatively uneventful, but as I go through comments at the end of the day I notice quite a few comments suggesting things to do in the area, wondering if there is any particular reason why I’m here, or asking if I’ll do my usual thing and sell my services.

I did mention in the vlog that I basically decided to go here on a whim (but had thought of it for a long while), but make and pin a comment thanking people for their suggestions and stating a bit more clearly than in the video that I plan to sell stuff (both stuff and services), after making sure I can do so legally.

Probably thanks to the timezone difference, I don't feel particularly sleepy once night comes, and after failing to fall asleep for a while I give up. Instead I give in to the little thought which wondered how Tokyo looks at night, and then started going “No~one sleeps in Tokyo, da da daa dada da.” so thanks, brain, I really needed a song I know exactly one line of stuck in my head.

On a whim (I've followed a lot of those recently…) I decide to have some fun, and change my appearance. When I exit the lobby elevator I look like a young woman of European-Asian ancestry. Admittedly the clothes are a bit, uh, makeshift, but hopefully it passes as some kind of fashion.

I wonder if there's an aspect of clothing? If there were, you'd think I'd have it by now. Then again, I'm just using weaving various fibers into fabric, and I haven't exactly studied clothes. At least not any more than just noticing that their aspect affinities are dependent on what they're made of - wool has hints of that animal, cotton and others plants of, well, plants, and synthetic fibers… synthetic, I suppose, with a tinge of an oil and/or hydrocarbon related aspect. I should probably try to isolate and learn that.

When it comes to ‘real’ clothes I’m just wearing a sleeveless top and long skirt. The leggings (thick enough for spring night air) and the sweater with sleeves reaching to my palms are both part of my body. Well, the same way hair and nails are, so not entirely? It's not like I haven't used the method before, but it's usually to not have to carry around actual clothes when in a non-compatible form, and not in a pretty crowded city.

It's… exciting, in a way, and combined with the unfamiliar surroundings and form, I'm a bit nervous. Well, it's in character. Speaking of, the Japanese have that belief about ghosts no having feet, right? Or was that China or Korea, or both…?

Either way, hovering isn't illegal, so lift myself just off the ground, getting rid of my legs halfway up my shins, and finally use a few illusions to appear slightly blurry and falsely transparent. For the cherry on top, blacken my irises, and then I'll just bind the spells to my clothes so I don't need to focus on them.

Perfect, I'm already getting looks and people are giving me slightly more space than they give to others. Ehehe, and my odd laughter can finally be used for something product--well, something more fun than being poked fun at by friends or worrying mom.

With no plan I end up just wandering for a little while, avoiding train stations and lines to avoid unfortunate associations. Not that there's many of them in this area. I also find some interesting looking places (most closed, unsurprisingly) and end up eating at one of those small noodle stalls or whatever they're called. In not sure if I should commend the owner for not asking questions or, I don't know, complain about the constant stare.

Oh well. The food, whose name I don't know but it had pork and rice, was good, and it was refreshing. Back to the hotel, brush my teeth again, and hopefully get some sleep this time.