/Akashic POV\
After I walked into the room Naomi froze for a minute before she threw herself into my arms.
"Akashic!!"
I felt her muffled sobs as she cried into my chest. I tried comforting her, letting instinct take over as I gently placed my hand on her head like I used to, letting my other hand rest on her back.
We stayed like that for awhile as I looked around. Everyone in the small room looked at us and smiled, I could even see Aunt Karin's eyes water.
[+200 Satisfaction Points]
A few minutes later we separated as Naomi finally let go, holding only a piece of my shirt.
"You lied…" she said while looking up at me.
"Sorry about that, I'm back now." I apologized, a smile growing on her face.
*Growl*
Before I could say anything more, the sound of stomach growling reached our ears and we all turned to look at the originator as she blushed in embarrassment.
"W-what? I told you I was hungry!" Lena hid her embarrassment by shouting, making everyone smile as we used the tablet on the table to place our orders.
Everyone already cleared space for me right next to Naomi so I sat there, waiting for the tablet to be passed to me.
Once it was my turn I looked at the menu and saw that even though I told her I was paying, Aunt Karin had only ordered the cheapest things on the menu. I knew there was no point in persuading her, she wouldn't change it.
I scrolled through the menu, looking at their options. They had different foods, from steak, pasta, seafood, and vegan options.
After looking for a bit I found what I wanted. I just ordered the best steak they had and a few more entrees and drinks.
Most of the foods I ordered I'd never eaten before, but since my new physique I've had a much bigger appetite so I just ordered a lot.
When I finished I passed it to Naomi and as she held it I saw her eyes widen.
"A-akashic…that…might be too expensive." She looked at the tablet and then at me as we made eye contact.
"Oh, I didn't look at the price. It's fine, I'm paying for it. Let me treat everyone for your birthday." She opened her mouth to object but no words came out, she accepted it and silently ordered something.
I felt my phone buzz in my pocket, indicating that I received a text. I grabbed it and checked since not many people had my number so it had to be important.
I saw it was from Sierra, she was telling me that they were on their way to their main house to talk to her father about the contract.
I sent a short text and told her I'd talk to her a little later.
Looking up I saw the tablet was now in the last persons hands, Lena.
She was hesitant and looked at me, I playfully winked at her and mouthed 'it's fine' she blushed and smiled, her small hands quickly tapping away at the screen as she started ordering a lot.
I knew how much money I had but still had a feeling she'd end up spending it all on food.
Luna looked at her and shook her head, looking at me apologetically.
Once finished, we all sat and waited for everything to be delivered, engaging in small talk.
Mostly it was Lena asking about my car and If she could take more pictures of it.
"Oooh! How about this one? Is this yours too?!" She held up her phone, showing a picture of me getting in my other car.
"Oh…yeah. We go to the same school, you can see it when we get back." Having a picture taken of you without your knowledge is a little weird but I can't lie, I didn't mind, I think I liked the attention.
[+10 Satisfaction Points]
And that proved it.
Soon the door opened and a waiter came in bringing our drinks of choice before placing down some appetizers.
Lena immediately shot towards them and began eating.
Naomi just sat there leaning against my shoulder while being quiet.
"Are you okay?" I looked at her and asked.
"Yeah, I'm just happy you're here!" She said with a smile on her face.
I grabbed the drink that was handed to me and thanked the waiter, taking a sip of it my body felt ecstatic, it tasted great.
I don't know what it was or how much it cost but it was definitely worth it.
The atmosphere was lively— mostly due to Lena— but we had a good time talking to each other, I even became closer with the sisters.
It was honestly a great time and it made me glad I was still alive. Just seeing Naomi smiling the entire time made me happy.
A deep desire rose in me, I wanted to do everything I could to protect her happiness.
Our food arrived earlier than expected and it was amazing, my cooking skills did pick out the imperfections but it was just some minor things, it was still delicious.
A lot of food Lena and I ordered came into the room throughout the course of the dinner, it honestly shocked me how much she could eat.
Aunt Karin got full so she just talked to us. Luna was quiet as usual but every now and then she'd say something.
Lena was enjoying her food but still remained in the conversation. And Naomi was getting tired.
All the crying earlier and now the food, I could understand.
She leaned on me again and closed her eyes, I pressed a button on the tablet so I could pay and I went to pull out my card. I didn't want to move Naomi too much so I navigated carefully, getting to my wallet.
Looking at it, the wallet was pretty worn down, I needed to get a new one soon.
I grabbed my card and tapped it on the little card reader.
The total ended up being about $794.83.
On top of the food I ordered the first time, I ended up ordering more due to my increased appetite so it came out to that. It wasn't a very high end restaurant either so the consumption wasn't bad.
"Thank you for today!" Aunt Karin gave me a hug when we stood up, thanking me.
"It's the least I can do after everything you've done for me."
We woke Naomi up gently and led her back to my car.
There was enough space for everyone so I arranged to take them all back.
The girls were still staying at the hotel so I took them there.
I excepted Lena to take this opportunity to take pictures but she tended to Naomi and made sure she was alright instead.
My opinion of her went up a little more, though it wasn't bad to begin with.
Seeing three beautiful girls in the backseat all caring for each other, deep in my mind my thoughts started spinning.
I shut them away as soon as I realized what I was thinking and I was met with an unexpected notification.
[-10 Satisfaction Points]
'What, why?'
I thought on that for awhile as I made my way to the hotel.
Naomi was sleep now so I found a temporary parking spot at the front and got out, carrying her while Lena and Luna carried the food bags.
I made my way to the elevator with them, ignoring the looks casted our way.
They pressed the buttons, leading up to the top floors.
We got out and I followed them through the hallway, eventually making it to the room they were staying in.
It was quite spacious and looked nice, but I didn't look around for long, taking Naomi to the bed she had and placing her in it, taking her heels off and putting a blanket over her.
She still had a dress on but I wasn't going to take it off, and it was cold in the room anyway.
"Today was fun, you guys down to go out tomorrow afternoon?" I asked them.
"Of course! The first date is always the most important~!" The more and more she says stuff like that the more confident she gets.
"Yep, whenever you're all ready let me know and I'll pick you up. I have a few things I need to get anyway." I still needed clothes as well.
*Ding*
Suddenly a text notification sounded, diverting our attention.
I knew it wasn't me because I put my phone on silent during the party.
Looking towards Lena, I saw her staring at her phone with a weird look on her face.
She seemed put off by whatever she saw.
It was a strange mixture of sadness and anger.
"Hey, are you okay?" I walked closer to her, concerned.
Though I'd just gotten to know her, after tonight I'd considered us friends and was worried about her.
"U-uh yeah, I'm fine….don't worry about me, just get ready for our date tomorrow!" She started off her sentence in a low voice but gradually increased her volume, putting on a fake smile.
I looked at her for a little bit, examining her facial expressions before sighing, something was definitely wrong but If she didn't want to talk about it I couldn't force her.
After I said my goodbyes I left, making my way back downstairs so I could take Aunt Karin home.