Agung's soul practically attempted to leave his body for a second time as his back hit the cold wood of the headboard. His eyes were dinner-plate wide, locked onto the sterile, snapping sound of the latex as Maki pulled the gloves tight over her knuckles.
"Maki-chan! Wait! Wait, wait, wait!" Agung stammered, his hands coming up in a defensive 'stop' gesture, the golden sparks of his Creation Magic flickering out of his fingertips like a dying lightbulb. "The deal! I told Eli! We had a verbal contract! I said no needles! I specifically mentioned that sharp metal entering the skin is where I draw the line as a 35-year-old man!"
Maki didn't stop. she took a slow, deliberate step into the room, her purple eyes glinting with a mix of scientific curiosity and lingering resentment. "A deal with Eli is a deal with Eli. I haven't signed anything. And as a medical professional, I have a duty to ensure this 'interdimensional traveler' isn't carrying any exotic pathogens... or just lying through his teeth."
"I'm not carrying pathogens! I was killed by a sterilized truck!" Agung wailed, his slightly chubby frame trembling. "And I have a quadrillion dollars! I'll buy you a whole new hospital with gold-plated stethoscopes if you just put the medical bag down!"
Umi stepped up beside Maki, her arms crossed and her expression as unyielding as a mountain. "Money cannot buy the truth, Agung-san. Or should I call you 'Stranger'?"
"Call me Agung! Just... a different one!" He looked at the bag Maki was opening. "Is that... is that a blood pressure cuff? Okay, I can handle a cuff. It's just a hug for my arm. But if I see a syringe, I am using my Creation Magic to turn this entire room into a giant marshmallow and I will hide in the fluff!"
Nico leaned against the doorframe, a wicked smirk playing on her lips as she watched him squirm. "Oh, look at the big, scary 'Creation God.' Terrified of a little piece of stainless steel. You really are an otaku, aren't you?"
Eli stood slightly behind them, holding the stack of parchment he had written. She watched his genuine, pathetic terror—the way his double chin tucked in as he tried to pull away from Maki—and felt a strange, painful tug in her chest. It was exactly the face the 'other' Agung made every time he had to get a booster shot.
"Maki," Eli said softly, her voice cutting through the panic. "The papers. Look at the way he reacted. He didn't try to use his magic to blast us away. He didn't try to buy us off with the quadrillion until he saw the gloves. A man with the power to create galaxies is choosing to stay in this room and be poked by you because he's afraid of being his father."
Maki paused, her hand hovering over a cold, metallic tray. She looked at Agung—sweating, slightly chubby, and looking like a kicked puppy despite having enough power to level the city.
"Fine," Maki huffed, though she didn't take the gloves off. "No needles. For now. But you're going to sit on that bed, and you're going to answer every single question we have about this 'Pekalongam' life. And if you get one detail wrong about the children..."
She reached into her bag and pulled out... a very large, very heavy-looking reflex hammer.
"...I'll see how your 'Creation' body handles a knee-jerk reaction."
Agung let out a breath so long it sounded like a deflating balloon. "I can work with a hammer. Hammers are blunt. I understand hammers. Just... please, keep the pokes to a minimum."