Forever Dinner

The week flew by. We finished the fifth song—called Forever Gravity—and spent enough time to learn it properly as well as to practice the other songs.

Then Saturday evening arrived. Aki, Professor Fuku, and I planned to meet outside of the apartment buildings. I was completely fine, but I started to get nervous as I walked there. I couldn't understand why since I had stopped thinking about Professor Fuku as a crush. It felt like I was cheating.

Aki and Professor Fuku were chatting when I arrived. They wore very elegant dresses. They had told me to wear something nice as well, so I wore one of the fanciest outfits Aki chose for me.

"Look at that gentleman over there," Professor Fuku smirked.

"Right? I knew that outfit would fit him," Aki said.

"You chose it for him?"

Aki proudly nodded.

"Well, it looks incredible on you," Professor Fuku said to me.

"Thanks. You two look beautiful as well."

"Thank you!" Professor Fuku smiled.

"Me, especially. Right?" Aki smirked, but I knew it wasn't from happiness.

"Y-Yes. You, especially…"

Professor Fuku chuckled. "Shall we go?"

Aki and I nodded.

We started walking, following Professor Fuku. But I still didn't know where we were going.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"To my car," Professor Fuku answered. "I made a reservation at one of Japan's oldest and most famous places: the Araki Restaurant."

"Really? Isn't that place super expensive? And don't you need to wait like six months?" Aki asked back.

Even she didn't know where we were going.

Professor Fuku nodded. "But I won a coupon in a raffle at the university. On top of giving you a twenty-percent discount, it allows you to skip the queue."

"The university does have quite the connections," Aki replied.

"Indeed."

We arrived at the parking lot and got into Professor Fuku's car. She sat in the driver's seat, while Aki and I sat together in the back seat. Just as the car turned on, Aki held my hand. I looked at her and she simply smiled at me.

The car rose into the air until it reached one of the established traffic lines at a certain height, then it slowly started going forward. The lines weren't visible by eye, they only appeared on the car's panel screen or you could use your glasses—although it wasn't very useful.

Everything was automatic, meaning that Professor Fuku didn't have to do anything. Still, the law required someone to sit in the driver's seat in case something happened, but nothing ever really happened; the cars were very secure.

The three of us chatted a bit as we traveled there and arrived twenty minutes later. Using a car was slower than any public transport, but it was a lot more comfortable.

The car parked itself and we got out of it. Aki never stopped holding my hand as we walked to the entrance. An employee opened the door for us and welcomed us. It wasn't necessary at all, but the classical theme of an Araki Restaurant was one of its selling points.

We approached the reception and Professor Fuku talked with the receptionist. She instantly recognized the reservation and asked us to follow a waiter to our table.

The entire place wasn't only classical, it was fancy too. It had a lot of ornaments and overly-decorated lamps, tables, chairs, and walls with old paintings. Everyone wore elegant suits and dresses too. I had never felt that out of place, but it was an interesting experience.

We sat at our table and the waiter gave each of us a menu printed on paper.

"They really went all-in with the classical theme, huh?" I said.

"Yeah, but I like it," Professor Fuku replied.

"Me too," Aki added. "You don't, Kaito?"

"I don't like it, but I don't dislike it either."

"So, you're neutral about it."

I nodded.

"Well, that's our opinion about the appearance," Professor Fuku said. "Now let's order something to give our opinion about what matters the most: the food."

We started looking at the menu. I recognized half of the dishes, but the other half were extremely old or exclusive to the restaurant. Still, all of them were exorbitantly expensive even with a twenty-percent discount. I noticed Professor Fuku was a bit nervous as she looked at the menu.

"Professor Fuku, we can help you with the bill."

Aki nodded.

"No, it's fine. I already knew the prices, but seeing them in person is still shocking," she giggled.

Worried, we continued looking at the menu until a waitress arrived. She asked for our orders. Professor Fuku chose one of the most expensive dishes available, Aki chose the second cheapest, and I chose the cheapest one. It was the one I was the most interested in anyway.

Before leaving, the waitress also asked what drinks we wanted. They were free, so we all ordered one.

We sat in silence for a moment.

"How is Blostars doing?" Professor Fuku asked to break the ice.

"Wonderful," Aki replied. "It is challenging and all of the girls are very fun to work with."

"I'm glad to hear that. And what are your future plans for it, Miyahara?"

"I just hired a merchandising manager, so we will have something to sell to the fans soon. Hopefully by next week. And I also posted a job offer for a PR but, since the salary is quite a bit lower than the average, I haven't gotten any replies yet."

"All of that sounds great, but what about the middle term future? Didn't you want to be a galactical idol group?"

"Well, once we are popular enough and have enough money, we will travel to other planets. We'll keep working on songs and on growing the fanbase."

Professor Fuku sighed. "The plans sound very vague. I know you're doing something kind of new, but you should come up with proper goals and a feasible way of achieving them. I think I'll give you an assignment for it on Monday."

"Yes, Professor Fuku…"

"Aunt! Why are you scolding and giving him assignments outside of school?"

Professor Fuku giggled. "I'm sorry. I just want your business to be successful. I trust in you and I know your employees trust in you as well. Trust is a very important thing that is gained over time but can be easily lost in a snap. Make sure to keep it high, Miyahara."

"I'm going to give my best," I smiled.

"Excellent. And how is your relationship going?" she asked, referring to Aki and me.

I didn't expect that question at all, so I couldn't think of an answer right away. Instead, Aki answered for me.

"Oh, talking about relationships, do you want to be my boyfriend?"

I looked at her. "Eh?"

"Here are your drinks," a waitress said. She put the glasses on the table. "Your food will be here promptly."

She walked away and I still stared at Aki, speechless. She looked back at me with a serious expression. I glanced at Professor Fuku to see her reaction, but she was drinking her water.

"I mean, we've already kissed and slept together, but I want to make it official. And this is the fanciest place to ask you, so I'll be able to brag about it. Otherwise, you would've never invited me to a nice place and I wouldn't be able to brag about it."

"Aki!" I yelled in a whisper.

"What? Is it bad that I want to brag about it?"

"No! The other thing you said."

"That you would've never invited me to a nice place?"

"That we kissed and slept together!"

She smirked. "What about it?"

After frowning at her, I glanced at Professor Fuku, who frantically drank her water until she finished it. Then she stared at us with a smile, but I couldn't tell what kind of smile it was.

"Professor Fuku! Yes, we kissed and slept together, but we didn't do anything—Ouch!"

I felt a sudden and painful pinch on my thigh. It was Aki, who stared at me with a passive-aggressive smirk.

What is she doing?!

"It's fine," Professor Fuku said. "You're adults. As long as you're responsible, you can do whatever you want. Just please don't tell me about your affairs."

"Sorry, Aunt," Aki smiled. "So, Kaito. What's your answer?"

"I…. Yes, I want to be your boyfriend."

"Wonderful! Let's take a picture to remember this moment forever."

She slid on the seat to get closer to me and pressed her cheek against mine. A hologram projected in front of us from her glasses. It functioned as a mirror and also showed a countdown. Once it reached zero, the picture was taken.

"I'll send it to you," Aki said.

"I bet you look cute in it," Professor Fuku smiled.

My glasses vibrated in my pocket. I put them on and saw the picture.

Aki looks cute, while I look like I'm being forced to take it.

A waitress arrived at the table with our orders. She quickly yet carefully placed the bowls and plates on the table. Before walking away, Professor Fuku asked for more water. Then we started eating.

The food was good, but nothing extraordinary; it wasn't worth the expense. At least it was for Aki and Professor Fuku, who seemed to enjoy it.

They chatted a lot, while I was quiet for most of the time. Though they included me in the conversation as much as they could.

We returned home. Aki and Professor Fuku walked together to their building, and I walked alone to my apartment. As soon as I stepped inside, I received a notification on my glasses and put them on.

Someone finally replied to the job offer. They are called…. Wait, seriously?