Seishirō Nagi and Reo Mikage had been friends for several months by now, their bond forming quietly like a spark that wasn’t meant to last but refused to die out. They originally became friends cause Reo wanted someone with talent to be his partner in soccer, a rough gem he could polish into victory. Nagi became Reo’s partner cause he wanted to make some money off of Reo, seeing him less as a person and more like an easy paycheck. Somewhere along the way, they grew closer than anticipated. They became very close friends cause of Reo’s insistence on bonding, his constant presence wearing down Nagi’s indifference like waves against stone. Reo became Nagi’s biggest financial support, a safety net made of wealth, and Nagi became Reo’s biggest soccer support, the pillar that held Reo’s ambitions upright.

Reo doesn’t care what his parents think about Nagi, their opinions little more than background noise to him, but they’ve insisted they meet Nagi. So Reo is bringing Nagi over to his family’s mansion to meet his family, the estate looming like a monument to generations of power. Reo has an older sister that Nagi will likely encounter. Nagi is fully aware of what’s up and he actually doesn’t mind too much. Meeting the richest family in Japan is not intimidating for Nagi; money has never impressed him, no matter how tall its walls are. That doesn’t surprise Reo.

Reo: “Okay, Nagi! Just remember, whatever my parents say doesn’t matter cause we’re still gonna be friends… okay?”

He said to Nagi with a smile, bright and practiced, like armor he wore often. Nagi only gave Reo an uncaring and slightly tired look, his eyes half-lidded as if this was just another inconvenience on his schedule.

Nagi: “Don’t your parents hate the fact you’re in soccer…?”

Reo: “So? They cannot stop me.”

He said with a smile before opening the door to the mansion. Already, his mother and father are standing there, perfectly composed, his older sister lingering behind them like a quiet shadow. Their gazes were only on Reo for a few seconds before shifting at Nagi, sharp and measuring.

Nagi looked at them with not much care, his posture loose and uninterested, he’s only here for Reo. Reo kept a smile on his face, steady and uncracked, hard to tell if it’s real or fake.