"I- Uh..."

I wasn't really sure how to follow up after that. I mean, is there any conceivable way in which I can still save my first impression?

His ever-widening and impossibly smug grin was telling me no.

"Are you sure you invited the famous Maximillian Louve over for a simple challenge?" he asked, though it sounded a bit more like bragging.

Whatever it was he was trying to ask, it went straight past my silver-haired head.

"What?" I asked with a slight tilt to my head and a brow raised.

"Are you sure you invited the famous Maximillian Louve over for a simple challenge...?" he repeated with as much confidence as a retold joke whose punchline never landed.

"Um... yes...?" I honestly replied.

He chuckled.

"You don't need to be so modest," he said, leaning closer. Too close. "If you want, we can skip straight to the point and ditch the extras."

Oh! I think I understood what he was trying to say now. Kind of.

"Sure, here!" I said rather excitedly as I handed him one of the controllers sitting on the nearby table.

"That's not what I-" he attempted to say before I interrupted with two firm claps. Within a flash, the lights were off and the television was on.

It occurred to me that I didn't know how to turn the game on.

"Oh, um, Millie, could you turn the game mother and I played last time on?" I kindly asked.

"Of course, my lady," she swiftly responded.

Hehe, there we go, now we're getting straight to the point! Which was... oh, right, it was to wipe Max's smug grin off his face.

Taking a seat on the far right of the sofa, the same game as before popped up on the screen. A dot was bouncing back and forth between two lines over and over.

Max sighed and took a seat on the sofa as well. On the almost far right of the sofa, which, in case you didn't realize, was right beside me. The dim light of the tv revealed an unamused look on his face.

"This game? Really?" he complained.

"Yes..." I responded. "Is there something wrong with-"

"It was designed for women and children. Beating you at this will hardly prove anything," he interrupted.

For perhaps the first time in my life, I felt irritated.

"...Like I said, is there something wrong with-"

His smug grin returned.

"Women? Yes," he interrupted once again.

I could hear Millie emitting a low growl and Amber's bloodlust was palpable.

"Like what?!" I asked rather angrily.

He looked at me in a mocking disbelief. Then he just... laughed. That's it, that's all he did before going silent again.

"We're starting," I said as I bit down on my lip. I now have personal motivation to wipe the stupid grin off his face.

"Sure," he said, sounding somewhat disappointed. It was as if his time was being wasted.

Minutes passed and, just as before with Magnolia, the ball's pace began to increase up to surprising speeds. I was angry, but my anger was focused and I was determined to beat him no matter the cost. From the corner of my eyes, I could see Max somewhat focused as well. He seemed rather surprised by the fact he needed to focus to this degree. Knowing victory was at hand, I gave the game my full attention.

Just a bit more, and—!

"Yes!" I happily squealed as I triumphantly scored.

"Hmmm," he mumbled. His face had a lingering trace of annoyance and he was clearly not very impressed, which managed to take away from my rush of victory. "Decent."

"Decent?" I questioned, still irritated he didn't want to admit it was his loss. "I beat you!"

"I let you show your worth," he said with a sigh. "And I've decided I'll accept your challenge."

"But, that was-"

"Your best? I hope not," he finished for me. "Little sister, do us a favor and put the other game in, you know which one."

Wait, what? A different game? But... I've only played the one...

"Oh, and Amber, be a doll and fetch me a drink," he commanded of her.

My friends both, incredibly hesitantly, set out to complete their tasks. If they weren't professionally obligated to serve, I would be genuinely concerned for Max's safety.

As Amber left, the new game popped up on the screen. After a minute of tinkering through menus, Max had it ready.

"I've never played this before..." I admitted.

"Oh? That's a shame. But it shouldn't be a problem, after all, I had never played the previous one," he admitted in kind.

"Y-You haven't?" I asked. I couldn't tell if he was lying or not.

"Of course not. I haven't played this one either," he said, pointing towards the new game on screen.

"...That much is probably true," Millie added. "He had me choose a game neither of you had played, and this one just came out recently, so..."

"Oh..." I said, relieved that this wouldn't be completely one-sided. "That's fine then, but, um... Could we practice it for a few minutes at least?"

"Fine by me," he agreed.

Maybe he's not that bad after all?

Regardless of my opinion on him, I turned my attention back to this new game. To begin with, we had to choose a character from a roster of many different kinds of fighters. My eyes drifted towards the small, pink, fluffy-looking ball character. It seemed cute. Max chose a character that kind of resembled himself. Kind of. His character had ears kind of similar to his own werewolf ears in addition to a tail... kind of resembling Millie's. Kind of.

When we started practicing, I realized we had to fight each other with the characters. Oh, maybe I made a bad choice... I also didn't want to see my pink ball of fluff get hurt...

Fearful and regretting, I continued to spar with Max as I gradually got a hang of the controls. It wasn't too difficult and I actually managed to regain a bit of confidence.

Just as that confidence returned, however, Max took notice and leaned in close, whispering.

"Care to make a bet?" he asked with a sly grin.

"...What kind of bet?" I asked, not entirely sure where he was going with this.

"Simple," he continued, still whispering. "If you win, I'll do whatever you want."

"And if you win?" I asked, mostly out of curiosity.

He slung his arm around me and onto the sofa itself. He was, however, being careful not to touch me... yet.

"Go on a date with me."

A date? Like... the thing I often saw couples doing in the park? Like... where they held hands and kissed? Sometimes unnecessarily close to me?

Wait, wait, wait... H-He's not implying he wants to do that, is he?!

"A d-date?! I... I-I, why would I..."

At first, I couldn't think of a reason to risk accepting, but the image of the mousy maid he disrespectfully handled entered my mind. She was scared of him. He's been rude to Amber and Millie, too, so...

"Fine," I boldly stated. "But if I win you have to apologize! Not to me, but to the others!"

His unadulterated arrogance shone bright in his cocky grin.

"Excellent. I'm ready whenever you are, then," he responded.

I noticed Millie tighten her fist, though she did so in silence.

I gulped. I hope I'm not making a mistake.

"Um... I'm ready."

And just like that, the game started with a short countdown:

"3..."

"2.."

"1.."

"Go!"

Our characters dashed off towards one another with great haste. My pink, fluffy ball took the first hit, making me cringe. Sorry lil' cute puffy thing! I managed to break out of his initial onslaught and slip in some hits of my own. Sorry cute little humanoid were-creature Max is playing! W-Wait, no, I'm not sorry! After a few bouts back and forth, Max began a new strategy. He started spamming the same annoying dash attack over and over.

"W-What are you doing?!" I asked, baffled at his simple yet effective tactic.

"Playing the game," he boasted a bit too bluntly.

I felt a vein bulge in my forehead. This was definitely the most irritating thing he's done yet.

In order to escape this ludicrously overpowered deathtrap, I began doing the one thing I had yet to attempt: mashing every button in desperation!

"Pfft, do you think that will help you?" he mocked. "You may as well concede and-! What?!"

Completely bewildered myself, my character had somehow fallen asleep and, in so doing, somehow sent his character flying across the screen. How does that make any sense?! I-I mean I'm not complaining but, what?!

Unfortunately for me, his character just barely managed to survive the lethal blow and, upon regaining his foothold, he rushed back towards me at full force.

If I can just dodge this then I can-!

A small but sudden gust of wind struck me in the eyes, causing me to flinch. By the time I opened them back up, I was unable to react to his final attack. My poor, delicate ball of pink fluff was sent into oblivion and beyond...

He had won.

"What? But I..." I said as I turned to Max in shameful defeat. How could I have lost? How could I let a draft of wind distract me like that? How could-

"You cheating runt!!" Millie exclaimed in a fit of anger, surprising me. "I saw that, don't pretend I didn't! You flicked air into her eyes with your ear, didn't you?!"

"He did?" I asked, astonished.

He dismissively sighed.

"How terribly rude to wildly accuse your honored guest of such a deliberate and malicious act. My ear simply twitched, what's wrong with that? Can you prove my ear was what caused her to lose focus? Or are you just trying to create excuses for her loss? Learn your place, maid."

I felt my blood boiling. I felt shame and disgust. I felt betrayed. I felt like I let everyone down.

"Did you cheat...?" I asked, simply craving the truth. Would he lie like that...?

"No. I promise you I did not cheat," he said with unparalleled confidence.

I didn't know to believe him or not. I don't trust him, but we don't have any proof either, plus-

"Besides, we never said we couldn't cheat," he smugly added.

His words practically confirmed that he did cheat, but... he's not wrong. We never said what we could and couldn't do... as long as one of us won. My chin drifted downwards in sync with my heart. I was in tragic disbelief.

"This Friday?" he said as he closed my mouth for me with a single finger. I felt my heart do an anxious, terrified skip.

"That's ridiculous!!" Millie continued to assert. "You cheated and you know it! The bet is off, she doesn't have to do anything!"

"Oh? Perhaps I need to have a word with father that little sister is stirring up trouble for House O'Sang... We wouldn't want that now, would we?" he casually threatened.

Millie's face turned cold and her tail drooped down.

"Y-You wouldn't."

How can Max treat his sister like this? I don't understand. Why is no one doing anything? Where did mother go...? She would know what to do. I'm scared. I don't want to deal with this anymore. I don't like this. Why did I agree to this? Amber warned me, yet I did it anyway. But, Millie put her trust in me... but I failed. I'm a failure.

But... I'm the only one who has power here. It's my responsibility to address this situation. He's... he's in my house!

"Enough," I demanded as I shakily gripped his hand by the wrist, gently lowering it from my face. "I-I will honor the bet and go on a date with you... this Friday... but I will only do so if you apologize to Millie. A-And Amber! And the maid who escorted you here!"

He was wide eyed and his ears were sticking straight up. I think I wiped his smug grin off in the process.

"...U-Understood?" I asked for clarity.

"...Understood," he said after taking a moment to collect himself.

As if on queue, Amber returned with Max's carbonated drink on a silver platter. The mousy maid was with her too, for a reason I could only assume explained why Amber took so long.

"Your drink, Sir Louve," Amber said as she presented his requested drink, completely unaware of the current situation.

Max paused for a moment, his face somewhat neutral. He eyed me for a moment before speaking.

"I'm not thirsty. Sorry, Amber," he reluctantly said before pausing for a brief moment. "For everything."

Amber's professional mask completely evaporated. I could tell she was in shock given how the glass audibly clattered upon the shaking platter in her hands. Even so, she remained grimly silent.

Max's eyes lowered onto the mousy maid next.

"I'm sorry for disrespecting you as well, Meredith."

He knew her name? I didn't know her name...

"A-Ah, um... I-It's fine, Master Louve! I-I'm not worthy of an apology..." she responded. Did she really think so little of herself?

Max shrugged before turning towards Millie who, the whole time, had been watching with bated breath.

"Sorry, little sister," he said, still somewhat neutral toned though I could tell there was something else hidden in his voice. If it was genuine remorse, I certainly couldn't tell. "Thanks for the invitation."

Last, but not least, he turned to me. He still had no grin to display, no arrogance to show off. Nothing.

"I'm sorry for wronging those of your household. I'll also admit some of my words were... unnecessary. I apologize for that as well, I simply can't resist getting under my sister's skin."

Millie's face twisted back into an annoyed knot.

"However, I will not apologize for winning in the way I did. I'll admit you're surprisingly better than expected, so I couldn't risk losing. After all, how could I pass up an opportunity to go out with a cute girl?"

I felt a flutter in my belly and hate that I did.

An awkward moment of silence passed as all five of us just... did nothing.

"Well, I'll be going. See you Friday..." he said before realizing he lacked critical information. "...You never told me your name, did you?"

"Oh, um, you can just call me-"

"Don't tell me. It'll be my first question on our date. See you Friday."

And then he took his leave. The only ones aside from me remaining in the lounge room were the three maids, and each one had something to say.

"Wow..." Millie spoke up first. "You were amazing, like really amazing. I mean, you didn't beat him, but I've never seen anyone put him in his place like that except for Lady Magnolia... I really thought you were her for a moment there!"

"W-Well, I just, you know..." I bashfully responded. "I'm not like mother..."

"But you totally are! I find it hard to believe you weren't always her daughter!" Millie affirmed.

I felt a prideful warmth swell up. I wish I had always been Magnolia's daughter.

"Heh... I-I mean, if you say so...."

Turning around to face the others, however, I was jump scared by how distressingly close Amber was.

"DATE?!" she screamed in utter astonishment. "I leave for a few minutes and you end up on a date with him?!?!"

"Uhhhhhh," I uh'd. "L-Lost a bet?"

She pinched the bridge of her nose with her free hand and chuckled.

"Lil', you are unbelievable... I knew this was a bad idea, but to think you'd end up on a date with my ex..."

"...Your what?" I asked, unfamiliar with the term though I think I might have heard it before.

"My ex. As in, ex-boyfriend. I don't want to talk about it, either," she explained. Or, well, didn't explain.

"Oh," I responded in the only way I knew how. Or, well, didn't know how.

"Well, I don't know how you did it, but you actually made him apologize to me. Good job, I mean really," she said, praising me and offering the drink originally intended for Max. "If I didn't know any better I'd say it almost seemed as if he meant it."

"T-Thanks," I said as I accepted both her praise and the fizzing drink.

I was surprisingly delighted as the cool beverage touched my tongue. It certainly wasn't blood, which I still think is weird that I instinctually compare everything to now, but it's still icy and sweet. In spite of the fact I had loss and in spite of the fact I now apparently have a date on Friday... which is the day after tomorrow, I think? Well, in spite of those things, I feel good about myself. I don't really feel like I lost at all and those thoughts made me happy.

The mousy maid gently approached me.

"Um... Meredith, was it?" I asked upon noticing her.

"Y-Yes! That's me! Uh... I-I have a message from Lady O'Sang," she squeaked.

"Oh! You do? What did Mag- What did mother say?"

"S-She said, um... that she, regrettably, will not be home until tomorrow morning..." Meredith relayed.

"Oh..." I said, disheartened and disappointed, especially compared to how I felt just a moment ago. "Did she say why?"

"N-No, she didn't. The only other thing she had to say was this: Sorry. I promise to show you the garden tomorrow."

"Ah... Ok..." I said, still depressed from the news. I wanted to explain everything to her as soon as possible...

I wonder though, what is she doing?

-Inside a snowy cabin in a far off place-

"...How's your new heir doing, Maggy?" a weak voice belonging to an elderly woman spoke out.

Magnolia couldn't help but morosely giggle at the woman's choice of question, especially knowing that the two haven't met in almost a year.

"My heir is... full of surprises."