Hironori’s gaze returned to both Akito and his father when he realized that the list of rules and regulations had ended. [i]’Shorter than I imagined’[/i] His smiled betrayed his sarcastic thoughts. It wasn’t the best idea to ruin whatever foundation of trust that was built between his betrothed and his father so his focus returned back to the conversation at hand. “So modest, isn’t he?” 

“Absolutely!” Hiro’s mother chimed in before spewing ideas about him playing the game and even getting the servants to practice and have fun as well. 

While the latter choice didn’t phase him- he actually thought it was a nice idea- the former of the two options made his smile falter ever so slightly. His parents didn’t notice it, but Hiro quickly straightened up again. Watching the sport was entertaining to Hiro. He enjoyed watching all the people come together and have fun, of course! However actually partaking in the sport… Hiro wasn’t very upbeat about the idea. The thought of all running back and forth and possibility for injury didn’t sound very fun, but his stepmother looked so excited- even his father was curious about the idea. After all, he used to play the game too when he was a bit younger. 

And then Akito spoke. [i]’Only if you want to…’[/i] Hiro rubbed his shoulder, stealing a glance at his parents who were still discussing the idea. “Oh, I…” Hiro gave a nod. “It doesn’t look too tough. Sure, I’d love to try.” It wasn’t a complete lie. Hiro didn’t think the sport looked too hard to learn, so if he had to then that would be the least of his worries. He also did want to find something that interested the both of them since he and Akito struggled to find multiple similarities. Despite not believing this activity would be one of those things, he gave it the hopeful chance that he would ‘learn to enjoy it’. “Learning new things can be fun.” 

Both of his parents nodded their approval, but instead of a response, Hiro continued eating his food before it got cold. “Oh, what a great idea! I can’t wait to see you two out having fun together- though of course, we’ll try not to pester.” Jezura giggled. “You do need your personal space after all.”

“Mother now you’re just [i]trying[/i] to embarrass me.” Jezura responded in a fit of soft giggles mixed with apologies. Hiro chuckled and rolled his eyes. Sometimes his stepmother acted just like a child and it was rather amusing most of the time. Hiro was just glad she was happy. He relaxed into his usual expression and pushed his bowl away, indicating that he was done. One of the servants quickly responded and retrieved the empty dish from him. 

With a grunt, Satoru raised a finger at Hironori with a surprisingly pleased look on his face. “It’s good you’re getting out to do something like this. Keeps you from being all cooped up inside with those books.” He looked back down at his food, taking a bite. “Not that being book smart isn’t a good thing- just, you need more skills. You need the experience.” He became more focused on his food along with his wife to notice Hiro’s puzzled expression. 

[i]’You expect me to gain experience from playing games? Guess I shouldn’t have given them expectations.’[/i] Hiro cleared his throat and nodded. “Yes, of course father. I’ll...do what I can.” His smile was brief; just enough for them to not expect anything wrong. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll go...stretch my legs?” Hiro couldn’t think of a good enough excuse to leave, but bowed his head before leaning over and kissing his stepmother’s cheek. “Try not to stay on your feet so much. You worry the servants, and father.” He smiled when Jezura giggled and nodded. 

“I suppose I can take a break for a few minutes. I do get tired a lot quicker lately...” She began to ponder over how long she had been carrying the baby and then if she had a taste for something she wasn’t eating at the moment. While her mind wandered, Hiro bowed to his father and Akito before heading out.