Graduation Day (3)

After the last person received their diploma, the room full of busy adults quickly thinned out as they all rushed back to work now accompanied by their children.

Aria looked around the room and sighed sadly. Even though she hadn't expected anything from them, even a basic congratulations would of been better than ignoring her existence.

As she was about to leave the room on her own and head back to their dorm for her final night there, Aika rushed up to her and dragged her across the room. Before she was even able to blink let alone figure out what was going on, they had arrived by Aika's parents.

Aika spoke enthusiastically and gestured with her hands, totally different than the reserved image she had shown minutes ago, "Mama! Dad! This is Aria, my roommate and totally awesome best friend. The one I asked for help about a couple weeks ago."

Snapping out of her daze, Aria bowed her head slightly and smiled at them. "Hello, Mr. and Ms. Suzuki."

The two elders were pleased by the appearance of their daughter's friend and her respectful attitude towards them. They both nodded at her and her father spoke in return. "It's a pleasure, we've heard good things."

Uncharacteristically, Aika's ears turned just slightly red and she swatted at her parents with her hand. Why did they have to go and embarrass her in front of her best friend?

Slightly annoyed with her parents for saying she talked about Aria, she called out to them.

"Mama, can Aria come to dinner with us?"

"Of course, if she wants to... but doesn't she need to eat with her family instead?"

Hearing that, Aria cringed slightly and shook her head. After nearly a minute of hesitation she said, "I'm not close with my family..."

Thus, the group moved on from the topic to avoid poking any more sore spots accidentally and walked to the same car that had initially dropped Aika off. This time there was no driver and Yuna Suzuki, Aika's mom, climbed into the driver's seat with her husband sitting in the passenger seat.

The two girls slid into the back seats of the car and once everyone was seated, Yuna sped off towards their favorite restaurant.

As the car drove down the roads of B City, Aika's dad looked over his shoulder at the girls sitting in the back and questioned, "So, Aria. What're you doing now that you've graduated high school?"

Aria hesitated for a little while as she thought about what to say, eventually she decided to go with a generic answer. "I'd like to go into some type of business."

He wiggled his eyebrows at her playful and asked with a voice full of curiosity, "Oh, what type of business?"

Suddenly, Yuna's hand slapped him on the shoulder and she called out, "Max! Leave the girl alone!"

After being yelled at, Max's head drooped and he looked like a puppy that just got it's new toy taken away.

Feeling bad, Aria decided that it wouldn't hurt to explain and make him feel better. "I just don't know what I want to do yet."

Yuna sighed and rubbed her forehead before glaring at Max. "You don't need to humor him, he can be weirdly pushy sometimes."

"Oh, I don't mind... I'm just not used to it."

Several minutes later, they pulled up outside the most expensive Chinese restaurant in B City. Nine Heavens was known for having a wait-list almost a month long and cost $1000 just to place a reservation on a normal table.

As they walked towards the Host, a valet came up and took the car keys to park the car for them. When they arrived at the entrance, the host recognized the powerful people in front of him and checked his memory for where they were to be seated.

Once he'd checked he called out to them meekly, "Follow me, Mr. and Ms. Suzuki, and if I may say your daughters are quite beautiful. Though not as much so as you of course, Ms. Suzuki."

Aria expected someone to correct the Host, but no one even spoke to him for the rest of the journey there. She assumed that they just didn't find it worth wasting the energy to speak to him.

Looking around, she examined the room they'd been taken to. It had ancient looking sliding doors and a table with golden detailing of dragons and other creatures she couldn't recognize at first glance. Although she'd heard the rumors of Nine Heavens before, she had never been here herself. Before she left B City, they had yet to open and once she returned, she didn't have anyone to go to such a restaurant with.

Noticing the unwelcoming atmosphere, the Host scurried out of the room the moment he got a chance and passed along the danger to someone else.