After walking what feels like way too far for the inside of a house, we finally arrive at a grand dinner table with an old couple sitting on one side of it.
Me and Sara sit down opposite from them, immediately, two butlers fill our glasses with expensive-looking wine.
"So you are the rumored boyfriend, Reo was it?"
"Yes sir, I'm humbled that I get to date your daughter sir."
I slightly bow my head as I say those words. Maybe a bit over the top, but this seriously looks like a royal castle, so I might as well act accordingly.
"Well, at least you have the manners. But I won't give my daughter away that easily!"
"Dear! Calm down, let the boy introduce himself first."
Looks like the mother is the more rational of the two.
"My name's Reo, I'm in the wo-" - Sara pinches my back to stop me from talking about my actual class. - "Arghm, as I was saying, I'm in the bronze class, same as Sara, that's how we met actually."
"Hmm… So you're nothing special, just average! And you think you can date my daughter?!"
"DAD! Are you saying I'm also average?!"
"N-No of course not sweetie, I wasn't talking about you."
Sara's mother is staring daggers at her father, meanwhile Sara herself is pouting. Better change the topic before I get crushed by this heavy atmosphere.
"S-So what do you do for a living Father-in-law?"
"Don't call me that! And for what It's worth, I work as a chief-executive at one of Japan's top ranking guilds…"
He looked really proud, guess I should complement him a bit.
"Wow, truly amazing! To think someone of such young age is able to become a chief-executive, you must be really strong!"
He's now genuinely glowing with pride.
"Hmpf, you have a way with words kid, I'll give you that."
"Stop making the kid praise you Harold!"
"But he said it himself Nancy!"
Looks like they're really just a sweet old married couple. Although Sara still looks a bit uncomfortable. Looks like Nancy also noticed that:
"So, Sara, can you tell us a bit more about Reo? Like what his favorite music is for example?"
"Euumm… aahh…"
She darts her eyes towards me, signaling that she really needs help right now.
"You know honey, remember how I'm always talking about 'the king'?"
I hope she knows that I'm talking about MJ, I'm not actually a huge fan or anything, but it was the first thing I could come up with.
"R-Right… 'K-King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard' right h-honey?"
…
Are you kidding me?! Is that some sort of obscure band or something? What a dumb name!
"Oh I also really like their songs, maybe you're not that bad after all kid."
HAROLD ALSO KNOWS THEM?!
"What's your favorite song of King Gizz, Reo?"
Fuck…
"Ah, euhm you know, I can't pick a favorite really, I honestly like all of them…"
"Really? Even 'Fishing for Fishies'?"
"Y-Yes?"
"Interesting… I think I can understand your character a bit better now Reo…"
He… He understood my character because of 'Fishing for Fishies'?!
Luckily our talk gets interrupted by a bunch of butlers entering the room with all kinds of dishes served on actual silver platters… So that's where that saying comes from…
I get a big plate with a juicy looking steak on top of it shoved in front of me. Just from looking at it my mouth starts to salivate.
"Enjoy you food Madam, Sir."
"Y-Yeah, thanks a lot."
How are you supposed to interact with these butlers?! Sara and her family aren't saying anything either.
After embarrassing myself some more with something that definitely couldn't be called proper dinner etiquette, I finally managed to eat the entire slab of meat. As I had fantasized before, it was truly heavenly.
"So Sara, how are you progressing with your mana-cultivation, did you hit the cap? Do we have to buy you a red cartridge already?"
"No dad, progress is rather slow, but I'm not ready for the red cultivation cartridge yet…"
*SIGH* "If only you had half the mana-pool of your little sister…"
"WELL SORRY I'M NOT HER!"
Wow, that came out of nowhere, looks like she has been bottling that up for a while.
"Harold! Don't compare her to her little sister all the time! She obviously doesn't like it!"
"What? I was only saying the truth! She just has to work a little harder in order to catch up to Eva."
"All you ever talk about is how Eva is superior dad!"
"Well can't I be concerned about my own daughters anymore?! I just want you and Eva to get along better."
"I HATE YOU DAD! AND I HATE EVA TOO!"