Shikikan's new house looked marvelous on the outside, and it looked just as marvelous on the inside: The floor was lined with fresh tatami, the walls decorated with various symbols and paintings, and the futon that would normally be on the floor was raised on what appeared to be a makeshift, if not well made mattress stuffed with straw. The residence was large enough to house a separate bathroom, a guest bedroom and even a kitchen where the tatami there was replaced with tile to make it easier to clean.
"I could get used to this place." Shikikan chuckles as he looks in the closet to find various uniforms, including a traditional kimono, already prepared for him. Once he's fully explored his new home he makes himself comfortable, stashing away his old nation's uniform and trading that out for the one that was prepared for him. This new uniform fit Shikikan like a glove, and on top of having more recognizable insignias the Sakura Empire's emblem was clearly shown as a pin. "Now to see what everyone's been up to." And with that, Shikikan checks the time- mid morning - before he heads out into the bustling new world to greet everyone.
"Whoa! Is that the new shikikan everyone's been talking about?" Various passerbys ask in awe, and Shikikan only chuckles as he gives a thumbs up. He continues walking around, stopping to chat with various people, and eventually he finds himself next to a stand where a catgirl with green hair and an oversized shirt is seen advertising various products.
"Nya? Are you the nyew Shikikan?" The catgirl asks.
"Yep, that's me. Who are you?" Shikikan replies.
"I'm Akashi." The catgirl, Akashi says. "I'm responsible for fixing up any damage that you guys take. I'm also deep into the business department as you can tell. Anyways..." She mumbles as she fishes through her stand before pulling out what appears to be a normal frying pan.
"Wait... Isn't that just a normal frying pan?" Shikikan asks.
"Hmm hmm hmm!" Akashi giggles. "This is no normal frying pan nya! This is Akashi's revolutionary self heating frying pan! No need to worry about not having a heat source, you can heat this pan up absolutely anywhere and cook what you need without a hassle!"
"How much is it?" Shikikan asks.
"You can get this for the low low price, of only ten thousand yen." Akashi giggles, her eyes practically lighting up at how much money she's going to get out of the product. Shikikan looks at Akashi with confusion until the catgirl is snapped out of it by a mighty thwack to the head from Akagi. "NYOUCH!"
"Are you going about doing that weird... Commercializing thing again?" Akagi asks, tails fanned out like a peacock. "Please, this isn't the first time you've done this."
"Sorry nya... That hurt!" Akashi says sheepishly as she takes down her stand and heads off.
"Besides, the one time you actually let me use that it exploded on me!" Akagi calls out as Akashi continues to walk away with her head down, feeling defeated.
"Wait... It exploded on you? How did that happen?!" Shikikan asks.
"You see that over there?" Akagi says as she points off to the left of the shrine. Shikikan notices that there is what appears to be the remains of a wrecked house, looking as if it had been burned down. "I think that explains it all. Anyways it was a good thing that I ran into you again."
"Do you need me for something?" Shikikan asks.
"Not at the moment. I'm still letting you get used to things around here." Akagi replies. "Instead I wanted to introduce you to someone who will be staying with you. In a sense she'll be your guide around the whole place." And with that Akagi moves her tails to reveal a girl with honey badger ears and a big fluffy tail. She sports long black hair and mellow yellow eyes, and she wears a unique looking miko that's white with pink floral patterns paired with gray heeled boots. "This is Naganami. Please treat her well."
"Hi!" Naganami says. "It's nice to meet you Shikikan!"
"Um... It's nice to meet you too." Shikikan says, not sure how to react to the overly bubbly Naganami.
"Goodness me quite a bit of time has passed." Akagi giggles. "How about we all get to know each other better over lunch? It's on me."
"Sure thing." Shikikan chuckles. "Lead the way."