The Goddess Needs A Break!

Chapter 41 - Fine Dining

One long car ride later, there was a large establishment awaiting them. The building was truly reminiscent of a classic french restaurant. There were even gargoyles on either side of the triangular roof that helped enhance the ambiance of the restaurant.

Even with such a scene in front of them, a certain black haired boy was deathly silent.

Takei was incredibly nervous going out with a beautiful girl to a classy restaurant all of a sudden.

The car ride here was mostly silent besides some teasing jabs from his dad. Akari was also silent, although she was enjoying the situation since she got the chance to see a bashful Takei.

I said I liked a girl who wouldn't mind the silence... Is she trying to match my preferences?

While Takei was busy agonizing about the situation, the chauffeur was already ready to drop them off in front of the restaurant. It had taken Yuuto a while to find a parking space.

He stopped the car and turned around to face both Takei and Akari. "Alright kiddos, have fun tonight. If you're wanting to go further and grant my wishes though, I'll send you some money for a hotel!"

In response to such a tease, Takei looked at his dad with a deadpan expression. "We're absolutely not doing that..."

"What a shame," Yuuto laughed.

Despite his firm denial, Takei wasn't entirely opposed to the idea. Spending a whole night with such a beautiful girl was every boy's dream. However, the only thing holding him back was his respect towards Akari. He didn't want to force anything to happen between them even though he knew her feelings. It was a truly cowardly notion, but he was a cautious person at heart.

Deciding to reinforce his belief, Takei asked Akari for her opinion.

"Right, Akari?" Takei insisted.

"..."

There was oddly no response from the goddess.

Takei turned to his right and noticed that she was completely zoned out. There was a tinge of red on her cheeks, and she looked somewhat blissful for some reason.

Noticing this situation between them, Yuuto gave a wry grin and a wink to Takei.

"Okay you two, have fun tonight. I'll be back to pick you two up later."

Giving them one last farewell, Yuuto indicated to Takei that it was time to depart.

Takei nodded and realized what he had to do. "Okay, Dad. I'll see you later."

After saying his goodbye, Takei got out of the car and approached the opposite side of the backseat.

He opened the door and showed Akari the palm of his hand. "May I have the honor of escorting you?"

Thanks to Takei's heart throbbing proposal, Akari awoke from her stupor.

She glanced at his hand and then redirected her gaze to his face. Akari locked eyes with Takei and gave him a gentle smile.

"Please do."

As Akari answered, she grasped his hand simultaneously.

Takei pulled her out of the car gently and led her towards the restaurant's entrance while holding hands.

The scene of them holding hands was so natural, it was as if they were always meant to do this.

Entering the restaurant through the large glass doors, Takei showed the waiter their tickets and was led to a table with extreme care.

Then, Takei and Akari both sat down at a booth facing opposite of each other.

Not a word had been spoken yet since they were busy focusing on something surprisingly exotic that shook their expectations of this restaurant.

There was a thing here that was a bit out of place for a restaurant. That thing being a dance floor.

Yes, there was indeed a dance floor in the middle of the restaurant. The DJ would periodically play different types of music throughout the night ranging from energetic music, classy music, and lastly slow music.

Takei looked at that dance floor with a sense of anxiousness.

Why do I have a feeling that I'm going to be dragged over there?

He looked over to Akari, and saw a girl with sparkling eyes looking back at him.

Knowing what she wanted, Takei gave up and sighed. "Let's go after we finish eating."

"Yay!" A joyous voice was raised at Takei's affirmation.

As they were planning for the event that would soon happen, a waiter came up to them and asked for their orders.

Due to both Takei and Akari researching beforehand, they already knew what they were going to get.

"Chicken Basquaise."

"Boeuf Bourguignon!"

(A/N: Braised chicken recipe and French beef stew, respectively)

The waiter took their orders and left the table after telling them about the special event that night.

There would apparently be a dancing competition tonight with a prize of matching rings for the team of two that won. Obviously, the competition was designed with couples in mind.

The judges of the competition would be the volume of the crowd applause. Employees of the restaurant will then make a decision based off the loudness of the crowd.

After the waiter explained the event, Takei slowly turned to face Akari even though he already knew what she wanted to do.

Akari looked back at him with a determined expression and nodded. It was quite cute actually, and made Takei blush while he nodded back as a result.

Even though Takei and Akari weren't a couple, they were oddly in sync with each other when it came to such things. That's why Takei believed it was fine to enter the competition and give his best even though he hadn't had any formal dance training.

As both of them were strategizing about the upcoming competition, the waiter came back with their food.

"I hope you enjoy the food."

The waiter smiled and left after serving their food.

Since this was a fine dining restaurant, the portions were small and the prices were overly expensive. However, the flavor of the food would definitely be unmatched. As a result of the free coupon though, everything they ordered would be free so they had a bunch of leeway to order.

The two gave their thanks for the food and dug in. Not knowing if they made the right choice or not, they could only hope these dishes were nothing short of amazing.

Luckily for them though, lady fortune was on their side. As a result of choosing some french classics, of course the taste would be amazing.

"This is..."

"Heavenly, yeah most definitely."

Takei started the sentence, but Akari finished it. They were both in awe of the taste.

"But, somehow... It doesn't taste right..." Takei remarked.

Akari seemed curious about his opinion of the food though. "How so?"

"The food is good, but it doesn't taste right... I think I've been domesticated by your cooking," Takei stated.

"..."

Once again, it seemed the goddess had lost to the shame and embarrassment that Takei had inflicted onto her.

---

Akari's True Affection Meter: 45 -> 50%

Halfway to the top of the summit...

Sugar-san: KEEP ON GOING! MORE SUGARRRR!

Serious-san: ...