Chapter 131: Dinner and Proposition (1)
Long story short, the chaos of the fitting session ended, and Aster's team finally finished changing into proper clothes. They wore attire fitting enough for a black-tie event!
Of course, now that they were wearing hard-to-move-in, expensive clothes, it was impossible for them to simply walk toward the Yeon Hwa Restaurant. Thankfully, the clothing store of Tina's uncle offered a service to deliver them to their destination riding a limousine-like flying car.
"My money..."
Aster grumbled, looking at his card's balance, which dwindled to barely a million once more. However, having a set of high-quality clothes for special occasions was a big plus, so he considered it an investment instead.
The drive from the clothing store to the Yeon Hwa Restaurant was long, as they didn't take the high-speed way, but instead, took the ground path, reserved for public transport. Of course, the limousine they were on was also considered "public transport," like a taxi, so they weren't going against the transportation laws and road laws in any way.
About half an hour later, as if matching their timing, they arrived at the Yeon Hwa Restaurant, a part of the Yeon Hwa Hotel's large building. The building itself was avant-garde, covering a land area of over 1 square kilometer. It looked like a lotus flower from above, with each "petal" being a complete building facility itself.
The Yeon Hwa Restaurant was in the central petal area, the highest one, overlooking the entire city at over a hundred meters tall. The restaurant covers a total of five floors from there, and Aster and the rest headed to the highest one, practically just below the rooftop floor.
As they entered, they quickly found that there was practically nobody on the floor but one person, sitting on a large table with seats prepared beforehand.
"Aster! I've been waiting for you. Please come, sit down."
The person is wearing a sleek, form-fitting silver evening gown made from shimmering silver fabric. The light was reflected from various angles, causing her attire to sparkle like stars with every movement, accentuating her beautiful appearance that would make anyone stare in awe.
The fact that she wasn't wearing much jewelry other than her earrings gave more focus to her face than her apparel; her current attire was well coordinated!
"Sorry about that." Aster smiled lightly, touching the edge of his tux. "We had to buy clothes just to get in here, so it took some time."
Aster's attire was a simple three-piece tuxedo. The jacket was a deep midnight black, with its satin lapels catching the light just enough to hint at its luxurious fabric. Under it, the medium-gray vest added a touch of contrast, complementing the white shirt that peeked from underneath.
The trousers, sleek and streamlined, were jet black, just like the shiny shoes adorning his feet. Overall, he looked like a certain famous agent in movies, looking gallant and dashing.
"Oh! Looks like I inconvenienced everyone. Sorry." Lorelai apologized after giving Aster's attire a once-over. "But that suit really does suit you. You look handsome in it."
"Thanks." Aster smiled, accepting her words as simple lip service.
However, someone else took it a bit more personally. "Stop flirting with my darling, will you? We're here just to accept your gratitude, not for him to go on a dinner date with you!"
Tina moved forward, attaching to Aster's left arm.
She was wearing a midnight blue dress, hugging her curves and highlighting her hourglass figure. The design was daring, exposing a large part of her chest and back, a sight that would make simple men ogle her.
The skirt has an asymmetrical hemline, a longer back, and a custom hole where her tail was peeking out. As her tail was usually hidden under her clothes, it was Aster's first time seeing it. It was about a meter long and had the same color as her hair: black from the base, and slowly turning blue as it approached the tips.
"And you should stop too, Vixen! This weakling has already said that he's not yours many times; when will you understand that?!"
As if to counter her, Kali moved forward, attaching herself to Aster's right arm.
She wore an icy-silver gown with a high neckline, adorned with complex embroidery that resembled snowflakes, the bodice following her tight figure. Her skirt flows gracefully to the floor, with a gentle flare that creates a sense of effortless grace, with a long slit on the right side adding a hint of allure.
Same as Tina, there's also a cutout for her tail to pop out of, showing a thick tail of pure silver, bristled up as if she were angry.
"Ehehe, I guess K and Tinya are still the same even in this high-class atmosphere," Cassy commented as she moved ahead of the rest, sitting across from Lorelai. "I'm looking forward to what food we'll taste, and if Star's cooking is better than it or not!"
Her attitude was perfectly suited to her attire: fluffy and dreamy. She had a white, fluffy fabric around her neck, fitting the soft peachy-orange hue matching her vibrant orange hair.
The bodice had a sweetheart neckline, emphasizing her moderate-to-large chest, similar to Tina's. The skirt was voluminous and layered and billowed around her like a cloud, falling to mid-thigh with a gentle, floaty feel. Unlike the previous two, she didn't have a cutout for her tail. Instead, behind her was a large ribbon, placed on her lower back.
"Alright, you three. Go on and sit down, or else the dinner can't start." Liz sighed while pulling the two cats away from Aster.
Unlike the rest, who had girly designs, she pursued a more militaristic style, with a high-collared deep sapphire blue dress covering her neck down to her shoulders and chest completely. The front was held together by thin gold clasps, giving her an expensive, and regal atmosphere. Furthermore, it was tight-fitting, following her curves perfectly.
On her arms were long gloves reaching beyond her elbows, made of thick white, expensive leather, adding elegance to her appearance.
"..."
Looking at the table, however, a problem occurred.
With Cassy sitting across from Lorelai, it made two pockets of chairs beside each other. In short, Aster can only sit beside one of the two cats, and not both!
"Should I move seats?"
Cassy asked, more than willing, but Aster quickly waved his hand.
"No, it's fine. I'll be sitting here." He said as he sat to Lorelai's right.
After he sat down, Tina managed to slip out of Liz's hold and sat beside Aster, snuggling to him like the lonely cat she was. Kali saw this and felt a little irritated, but decided to let it pass for now. She moved to Cassy's right, sitting down, with Liz sitting between her and Lorelai.
As everyone finally sat down, the host pulled the bell in the middle of the table, and waved it a few times, releasing a relaxing chime.
After she put down the bell, she turned to Aster and smiled. "Although I have something to ask of you, I guess we should eat first."