Oh ho. Well, if there's any flirting to be done, then Kaji will keep the momentum going. The smile stays on his face, and he pitches his voice down a little. "Likewise, a good choice. Hmmm."

Unlike the other matches, Kaji starts this one out more defensively. He has things that could immediately take her card, but, instead, he chooses to put the Caterchipillar card in the Bottom Center space. "Let's see how you like this one..."

There was definitely a strategy in mind, because Kaji can't help the twinkle that shows in his eye, and the way his smile grows when she places the Grat card there. That was exactly the outcome he was hoping for.

Kaji places the Vysage card in the Middle Left space. The Vysage's 5 against the Grat's 1, no other conflicts: Kaji takes the card.

"Sorry," no he isn't, he's smiling too much to be.

"There's a little bit of everything that goes into this game. Numbers and luck, sure, but it's also about territory control. It's not just what moves I can make, but what moves can I make you make?" He isn't looking at the board when he makes his next move, but at Akane, herself.

As if to prove his point, Kaji puts down The Iron Giant card in the Top Right space.

6 on the Grand Mantis' 5, no other conflicts: Kaji takes that card.

Kaji puts his own Abaddon card down as a formality. Technically, its 8 takes the Blue Dragon's 3, but it doesn't really matter.

Final score is 7 to 2, Kaji.

"Of course!" Kaji grins and sticks out his hand again to shake. "And you've got good instincts. A little more practice, and I'm sure that you'd have beaten me."

"You're newer here?" He can't remember running into her at the last few Hero get-togethers.

Kaji smiles encouragingly. "You have been adjusting fast, then. I'm impressed. I've been here...let's see." Kaji visibly counts on his fingers. "Almost 22 months."

"I was in the first 'group' of us," air quotes. "Lack of a better term. Nobody knew for sure what was going on, but the people had their stories, which they were happy to tell us. The advisors to the castle, Biggs and Wedge, they knew to expect us, got us settled in fast, partnered us up with the moogles." Kaji's moogle, Shinji, is hovering in the audience, the Scholar mortarboard hat precariously balanced on his head.

"And the rest is history." Kaji smiles. "And then you came to join us. I'm sure others have said it, but welcome again."

Kaji's head slowly tilts to the side. "I don't know if 'nice' is the first word I'd use, but this place has its moments." More moments of peace here than in Tokyo-3, really.

"Let's see. History to keep in mind. The following people are jerks and are probably screwing us around:" Kaji proceeds to count off on his fingers. "Palitulu, who pretended to be a court advisor for about the first year we were here. The brat moogle, Artemicion, who was previously running Mognet Central, but ran his own people into the ground double-dealing." No, Kaji doesn't take Artemicion's betrayal personally at all.

"Kalki, who still owes me dinner and is probably dead. That old guy calling himself a Sage in the continent to the West? Jerk. Big jerk. And we don't need him. Give him time, he's probably gonna contact us again saying that even though we failed his first test, he's 'willing to give us another chance,' because he's desperate for attention."

"On the flip side, people who look like they are jerking us around, but are actually not? Cid. Keep on his good side, he's keeping this Kingdom running for us. Um, Kurma and Prajapati. They were previously working with the Heran Empire, but their top priority is to keep the people alive. They've got little to nothing to do with this whole Calamity business."

"I find that the who can be a lot more valuable information than the what, you know?" Oh dear, does she have Kaji's number already.