The grand entrance of the exclusive restaurant, "The Silver Dragon," would normally send a thrill coursing through the veins.
But Ichiko and I weren't normal people.
For both of us, access to these places that one could only dream of ever entering was merely another average Monday night.
Rather than the customer being the one with anticipation of steeping into this building of opulence and influence, it was the restaurant that waited nervously, gulping as the two of us got closer to the entrance.
Before we could even get close to the door, waiters had already opened it for us.
Ichiko was in a red dress that sparkled even though there was no jewelry or glitter on it. I myself was in a black suit.
I didn't feel like dressing up for the occasion but Mother grabbed my shoulders and said, "Don't embarrass your partner."
The two of us walked inside at our own pace, not worried about how long the waiters had been keeping the doors open for us.
As a member of the esteemed family, respect was an accustomed companion of mine but tonight, it seemed to ripple through the air with an electric charge.
The maître de of this restaurant was known as an embodiment of grace. He was usually extremely composed but as he escorted us, I could see beads of sweat on his forehead and his face looked fearful of making a mistake.
He guided us through the opulent dining hall where the rich and powerful mingled.
Whispers of intrigue trailed in our wake, curious gazes followed our every step like a dance between awe and curiosity, while a few recognized us and bowed their heads as we walked past.
Despite our youth, Ichiko and I were treated as royalty for our families held the power to move mountains.
Ichiko, an important figure in the Asano clan, I never imagined that I would be having dinner with her in a million years.
As a matter of fact, I didn't expect to have a dinner date with anyone.
I just wanted to get stronger, correct Bell's novel identity from a side villain to the protagonist, and return to Earth.
But like the surprises that never stopped coming, she had invited me out to dinner tonight and I felt like there was no choice but to accept the invitation.
I wondered what she wanted to discuss. What tangled threads did she want to unravel with conversations?
"We've arrived," said the maître de.
We were in a special place in the restaurant that was on average, only reserved once a year. Here, we had all the privacy to ourselves.
After handing us the menu, he said, "We'll be leaving the two of you alone. If you need anything, just ring that bell and we'll come as soon as possible."
Ichiko didn't verbally respond. She just nodded her head as if to excuse the worker from the room.
As the door closed, it truly was only Ichiko and I left alone in this exclusive space.
As our bodies sank into the plush seats, a symphony began to play outside our room, and the smell of luxury and excess wafted through the air like an invitation to a life of indulgence.
The scent of exotic spices began to mingle with the delicate sweetness of the flowers that decorated the exclusive room we were in.
Sitting on opposite sides of the table, if we tried to, we could've easily fitted forty people in this room.
Above us was a crystal chandelier that cast an ethereal cascade of light, painting the space in a celestial glow.
As we silently perused the menu, Ichiko was the first to break that silence.
"Bell, I'm glad you chose to accompany me to dinner tonight," she said, placing her menu down.
"It wasn't a hard decision to make," I responded with a gentle smile.
"How was your day at the Jasarath Academy?" she asked with genuine curiosity.
When she stated the name of the academy, it reminded me that the academy actually had a name.
The shitty god never stated it in his novel so I had grown accustomed to just referring to it as the academy even though with Bell's memories, I did actually know the full name.
"It was fine. Nothing too crazy or out of the ordinary," I responded. "Speaking of the academy, is it alright for you to miss a week at your school?"
In this world, there were twenty major schools. Obviously, Jasarath Academy was the best one but the rest was respectable in their own rights.
If my academy was top three in all the categories, the other schools specialized and were the best at a specific category while not being that great in others.
For example, Ichiko attended Sakura High, a school that was considered the best place to learn and hone your swordsmanship. It was also a top-three school when it comes to forging.
"Thank you for the concern but I always finish my assignments, exams, and essays a few weeks ahead of time just in case I have to leave the country," she explained.
"That's very diligent of you," I complimented.
"What are you going to get for an appetizer?" she inquired.
"I was thinking of getting the ham and Swiss sliders," I answered.
"I'll have that too then. What about your main dish?"
"I heard that the seafood dishes here are particularly exquisite so I was going to order the teriyaki shrimp noodles. It's been a while since I've had noodles," I told her.
"What a coincidence. I was also planning on ordering the shrimp noodles," she said, covering her mouth as she let out a silent gasp of shock.
"I... see," I responded, chuckling.
"Obviously we need to get a dessert to finish the course. What do you recommend the two of us should order?" she asked me.
'The two of us?'
"A simple vanilla ice cream sounds nice," I told her.
"It does. Let's get that then," she said before ringing the bell in front of her.
We were seated on opposite sides and yet, it felt like Ichiko was sitting right next to me, leaning over, copying everything that I was doing.
The waiter didn't take more than ten seconds to arrive and after ordering our three-course meal, we were asked what drink we wanted and the two of us just chose a simple glass of wine.
Even though we were underage, the restaurant wouldn't dare point that out. They would just have to pretend they were blind and deaf about it.
"How has your day been so far?" I asked.
"It was... interesting to say the least. I did a little bit of sightseeing as I'm in the so-called mecca of the world. This city is diverse and extremely beautiful."
"Not as beautiful as you," I responded in a purposely joking tone.
She laughed but I could see her ears blush ever so slightly.
"I heard your finals for the semester are coming up in a few weeks. Any concerns for your classes?" she asked.
"Nope. I'm pretty confident I'll pass all my classes with an easy A," I responded nonchalantly as if it wasn't a big deal.
"That's impressive for someone who missed most of the semester," she said with genuine admiration.
The two of us continued to share a conversation about nothing too majorly important.
Surprisingly, even without flowers to admire and speak about, the dialogue continued to flow like a river, carrying us deeper into the realm of shared passions and the occasional laughter.
Words spilled forth, infused with a blend of excitement and concern.
Even when there was silence, the atmosphere between the two of us never felt awkward.
I reckoned this was because Ichiko's elegance and my faked elegance were able to keep a sense of life in the room regardless of what was or wasn't happening.
If anything, the silence only allowed for this greater sense of "nobility" as the sounds of our knives and forks sounded like a second symphony as we ate with perfect etiquette.
Honestly, I wanted to eat the noodles as if they were instant ramen but I held back.
With our glasses raised, Ichiko said, "Cheers to our engagement, our union of ambitions, and the future that awaits us."
"Cheers to that."
Lost in the harmony of scenes and the enchanting atmosphere curated by the restaurant, as I was taking a sip of the wine, I felt this subtle shift in the air that sent a shiver down my spine.
A premonition whispered something into my ears and my instinct honed through years by the original Bell flickered to life.
My senses were on high alert.
My eyes darted around the room, scanning for telltale signs of danger before the rest of my body and mind could react.
With an explosive force, the serene ambiance shattered like the fragile glass of wine the two of us held in between our fingers.
A torrent of malevolence hurtled towards us as from the shadows emerged dark figures, eyes glittering with malice like shards of obsidian.
In that tumultuous moment, a swift blur materialized beside me, a guardian angel in the form of Jerman, my loyal servant, and steadfast bodyguard.
With his two daggers in hand, he blocked the attacks that were closest to reaching me.
It wasn't only Jerman as an Asano bodyguard, the one I had seen in the car when I arrived home from the dungeon.
With his bare hands, he deflected the nearest two attacks as well.
Our bodyguards were here to protect it but there were a total of fifteen assailants that had encircled us and although they blocked four of the attacks, there were eleven more arriving in half a second or less.
They were rushing towards us and I needed time to think.
Time and movement stopped around me as Urisha's ability activated.
'Finally, you use me, master. I was getting bored.'
'Forget how you're feeling!' screamed Liona. 'Master is being attacked right now!'
'Silence you two. Master is thinking right now,' said Kimi.
Noticing the angles that these assassins were striking us from, panic could've surged through my veins, threatening to strangle my resolve, but I refused to succumb so easily.
'Use me, master!' yelled Liona, realizing what my priorities were.
Luckily, I hadn't had the opportunity to waste Liona's remaining time for his ability to begin the reset so I had more options.
Deactivating Urisha's ability, immediately Liona's was activated and my body rushed forward like a blur in space and time. By the time it stopped, I had reached an empty part of the room with Ichiko in my arms.
"What the—" she muttered in her native tongue.
As the assassins aiming for the two of us were met with air, our two bodyguards were able to take advantage of that panic and eliminate three of them.
Jerman had sliced the necks of two of them and the Asano bodyguard had shoved his hand into someone's chest and pulled out their heart.
"Over there," said one of the dark figures in Japanese which I was able to understand somewhat because Bell Agnus was trained to understand multiple languages as a child.
As if they shared a hivemind, five of the assassins came rushing toward us while the other seven moved to block the two bodyguards from reaching where we were.