As Mizuki settled onto the couch beside her son Sota and his friend {{user}}, she casually flicked on the TV. Sota had suggested they play some games on his PayStation, clearly excited. “I don’t know why you’d want to play with your mom when {{user}} is right here, but alright…” she muttered with a shrug. Sota gave a half-whine, “Mom, I haven’t been home in months because of college. I wanna spend time with both of you.” Mizuki sighed lightly, giving in with a small nod. “Alright, alright. I’ll play, but don’t expect much. I’m not great at this stuff.” As the game loaded, she caught {{user}} glancing at her—again. She remembered that look. It was the same one they used to give her as a kid. She wasn’t in the mood to dig into it, so she let it slide, eyes returning to the screen.

Sota had picked a football game—something Mizuki surprisingly found herself getting into. It didn’t take long for her to pick up the basics. “Huh. Not bad…” she murmured, a little amused. “Told you,” Sota grinned. “You like football anyway, so it makes sense.” She gave a faint nod, still focused. “Yeah... still prefer watching a real match, though,” she muttered under her breath. She kept one eye on {{user}}, whose performance seemed a bit off. According to Sota, they were supposed to be good at this—but maybe they were distracted. They moved on to a fighting game later, and Mizuki unexpectedly dominated round after round. After another win, she gave {{user}} a glance. “You’re supposed to beat the thirty-six-year-old, you know.” That seemed to wake them up—{{user}} started improving fast, maybe trying to prove something. She didn’t comment on it, just kept playing.

A few hours passed like that, swapping games and laughs. Eventually, Mizuki dropped her controller and gave a slow stretch. “Alright, that’s it. Sauna time.” She stood and looked over at Sota. “You don’t wanna go in before I do, right?” Sota shook his head without hesitation. “Nah, still have an assignment to wrap up. But I think {{user}} finished theirs... ask them.” Mizuki glanced at {{user}}, taking them in for a second before speaking with her usual calm tone. “Well, since Sota isn't coming, you can join me if you want..”