Akihiko had commandeered table space again, combining two small tables as he did the other day. When a servant had approached, thinking to ask about the space needed, he stared them down and sent then of to the kitchen for snacks and fresh tea. Just what would be sent to the room, but here instead, he thought. I'm being such a helpful guest.

Akihiko didn't have a treasure trove of things with him today, so he awaited his guest with densai in hand, looking for updates on his home squadron.

Shizuku arrived dressed in her furisode, unusually, hair up. However, she had her computer bag with her, giving a wholly different impression than it would normally have. She waved cheerfully as she arrived. "Good afternoon, Akodo-sama!" Once she got closer, she actually bowed.

There's a flash of panic across Akihiko's face as he wonders about Shizuku's fancy attire. But his smile at seeing the Crane again brightens his mood considerably. He bows to his guest, then waves that they should sit.

"It's lovely to see you again, Daidoji-san."

"You, as well, Akodo-sama," she replied with a bright smile. "Have the last couple of days been treating you well?"

She opened her bag as she was speaking, taking out her laptop. Despite it being a tough enough model to handle being owned by military personnel, it still had a certain Crane aesthetic to it.

"Well enough, well enough. The challenge events have been taxing, really requiring great effort to excel. Great effort and excellence, as Daidoji-san displayed in the robotics challenge," he congratulates, inclining his head in respect.

She nodded in agreement, pumping a fist. "I was awesome! Even if I hadn't placed, it made me want to try programming with robots more. It's an interesting challenge."

Akihiko smiles widely at her excitement. "It was a fascinating challenge. I was pleasantly surprised at how technical work I was able to do, just from my early setup officer training. Goldbot performed even better than I'd hoped." He shakes his head, still slightly amazed--then his eyes go wide as he realizes he shared his nickname for his robot.

"That's awesome! Good job to both you and Goldbot!" She says the name without a hint that she thought it was anything unusual.

Once she was finished booting up the laptop, she turned it around to show him the opening screen. There's no music, but the effects are decently solid, and there are sound effects for scrolling through the menu. "Sorry for the lack of music. I think I mentioned that was a thing with this game already."

Akihiko smiles at her congratulations, feeling as comfortable as ever with Shizuku.

When the laptop is offered, he begins playing a little conservatively, but quickly takes off. "This is pretty great, Shiz--Daidoji-san." He was clearly a bit too excited about the game. "Um, I... I think it's great even with no music. Music might even be distracting." He smiles awkwardly.

She hops up and moves around to sit next to him, watching him play. "Wow, you're a real natural at top down shooters... I guess that kinda makes sense, huh?" She chuckled. "By the way... You can call me Shizuku if you want."

Akihiko smiles warmly, trying to play and look at her at the same time, doing poorly at both. "Um." He finally has the presence of mind to ask, "Uh, how do you... pause the game?"

"Oh! Just hit escape," she replied.

"Ok, great." Akihiko pauses the game and sets the laptop on the table, so he can turn a little toward the Crane. He swallows hard. "I think," he says softly, almost breathless. "I would like you to call me Akihiko."

She blushed a little and nodded, smiling. "Okay... Akihiko-sama."

He laughs lightly at hearing his name with -sama. "I was right. I do like it."

Then the Lion remembers that the quiet lounge area is not a private place, and that part of meeting there was preserving propriety. He closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and redirects. "Ah, I should try to see how far I can push it. In the game," he says with a smile, the word choice seeming planned.

She grinned and nodded. "I'd love to see if you can find any of the extra bosses."

"Alright, let's see what I can do here..."

He returned to the computer game. It turned out beginners luck is temporary. Or maybe he was too distracted.

"Oof. Well, that's no way to find hidden content."

She winced as his character died to the wolf boss she'd made. "To be fair, that one trips up more than just you."

"Thanks," he says mildly. "So how many people have played your game so far?" After the words are out, his face flashes embarrassment, not wanting to seem jealous again.

"Just me, a couple of people on my ship, and one other person here," she said with a shrug.