[✧゚・*♚*・゚✧ ] It is true that he had heard of the group Eve, and Eden, but he didn’t exactly connect the fact that Tomoe truly was a part of the group. A part of him thought that a possible successor to any enterprise wouldn’t be easily allowed to partake in such activities as it could hinder their chances of taking over it there was such a need for it.
It was a Hell of a time just getting his grandfather to agree to allowing him to attend college and Graduate school in a major that was unrelated to business. He promised that he would work hard to becoming an heir all the while learning about his much preferred topic.
Here Tomoe was, just bragging about his accomplishments, the freedom that he had, and the fact hat he seemed to be happy with his life at the moment. In contrast, Ponsol was forced into this, and was constantly stuck in a power struggle between him and his brother as the preferred heir for the corporation. He was being worked to the point that he’d sometimes get sick because of some underhanded plot of his grandfather’s.
❝Yes, it has been a while and you have changed a lot since then.❞
『Annoying. If you just wanted a bragging partner you could talk to me at any other time but at a party like this. People like you always take forever to brag and cause a scene if you don’t put them up on a pedestal. I’ve got not time for that today, you curly dirt rag.』
Though he was thinking this, the smile on his face never faded. All those years of practicing his polished smile was not forsaken.
❝You’re right, I have heard of the group and the many exploits. I
was unsure at first as to whether or not it was the same Hiyori
Tomoe that I was thinking of. It’s good to know that I was right. ❞
As annoying as it was to be made into a bragging partner so arbitrarily for someone he didn’t know too well on a personal level was annoying, it was the fact that getting to know him and get on his good side was more beneficial to him, especially if it allowed him to get into better contact with someone more influential in his family, such as his elder brother.
A bitter mental frown at the thought. It was both ironic and hypocritical of him, but he was not going to let such a chance slip past him, even if it just so happened to be an action that he personally did not like being done to himself– approaching him for some selfish gain, that is. He was fine if it was business related to a point, however.
That’s the only way you get further along in life, after all.
❝I must say it’s truly an honor to get to speak to you so closely as
I am now. You don’t get a chance to meet a popular idol like this
very often. It truly is a shame that you couldn’t bring your canine
friend along with you. I’m sure Bloody Mary would have made for
a lovely partner to come to such a function with. I do enjoy dogs.❞
That was no lie, but it was a lie to say that it was an honor to get to speak to him so closely and that it wasn’t very often he got to meet popular idols. He had plenty of chances and he was able to use his own connections to get what he wanted. Still, once again, fake pleasantries.
❝Haha, you think too much of me~ I came here today by myself.
I didn’t bring a partner along with me today, i’m afraid. It would be
cruel of me to bring someone to such a lackluster gathering such
as this one. Perhaps at a livelier function I may bring someone
with me to serve as good company. Is that going to surprise you?❞
A chuckle as he stops a passing waiter to take a glass of champagne off his serving tray.
The fact that Hiyori was allowed such freedom, being an idol and left to do whatever he pleased -even the random classes he was taking completely by his own volition- should be more than enough proof of the lack of expectations put over him. He was a useless second child. Not even being bright and having a knack for dealing with people was enough for that to change.
So why bother? Why bother getting in fights with the parents that didn’t cared about him or the brother that looked at him like he was trash? It was easier to let them be disappointed.
And even if that kind of thoughts really bothered him and hurt, Hiyori found no reason to make a big deal out of it. Who likes to hear sob stories? No one ever. It only lowers the mood and makes everyone pity you. So of course, he’d rather talk about all the good things in his life, because he had plenty to be grateful of. Like being in this new country and being with his close friends -his family- Eden. Which was yet another brand of annoying, evidently.
“Have I? Well, you sure have changed too! You were smaller, and I believe you were a bit sickish too? I’m glad you seem to be better now”
The comment was the result of him quickly browsing his memories of business partners from his father. He might not be all that good with faces, but as long as he had a name, he could easily bring back the information, his memorization skills being top notch.
“Mnhmm! That’s indeed me and my unit! I didn’t doubted someone like you would have our name in mind, a good Hiyori”
He smiled, full of justified pride. Eden was the one thing he had built and worked hard for, along with his close friends. And though Ponsol’s pleasantries didn’t felt completely sincere -maybe it was something in his tone, or in his eyes- Hiyori decided to not care about it. He’d just accept the praise as it was, not going too deep into it. Even if Ponsol was only doing it to get closer to his brother that was fine -despite his cheerful personality, he wasn’t as easy to trick as you might think, and it would take you lots of effort to get anything useful out of him.
“Do you? Dogs truly are the best friends you could ever ask for! Loyal, brave and extremely cute. Want to see some pictures of my beloved Bloody Mary? I have a whole album of them in my phone”
He was quite literally SPARKLING by now, hands quickly fishing for his phone and browsing through several folders in search for the one. Yes, even if you said no it was too late now. You were doomed to seeing dog pics. And Hiyori had plenty. You could see his dog -a really tiny dog that didn’t filled the name at all- was living the life of luxuries... And as he showed the pictures he continued talking.
“You’re right on that! Poor Bloody Mary would have gotten so bored tonight! Maybe when there’s a better party I can bring her! And then I can formally introduce her to you and you can introduce me the lovely person that will be your company for the night! We’ll have so much to talk about then I’m sure~"
And now he was making plans all of his own. He was truly a bothersome person, and it was plenty hard to discourage him when he had selective hearing.