"Thank you again, Reiji-tan! See you tomorrow!"

Haruna waved happily despite the tired look on her face, poking her head through the car's window.

Reiji watched as the taxi drove off, his smile vanishing the instant it turned the corner.

He looked over at the black SUV parked on the opposite side of the street when its headlights turned on.

The engine started, and it crept forward, slowly veering towards him as it came to a halt at the entrance of his apartment building.

Reiji swung the back door open and climbed in after bracing himself for a brief second.

"Boss! When did you get a girlfriend??" Baldy exclaimed as soon as he sat down, his smooth head somehow shining despite the lack of light.

"Boss, introduce us to her! We need to check if she's worthy!" Beardy added, his tone mixed with excitement and worry.

"I'm not fucking Mjolnir, what the hell do you mean by 'worthy'? And she's not my girlfriend, I'm just tutoring her for the midterms."

"Miyolonir? What's that, Boss?"

'Oh right... That doesn't exist here.'

He was still trying to adjust to some of these differences, but occasionally he'd let something like this slip.

"R-Regardless, it's not what you guys are thinking, so don't make a big deal out of it, okay?" Reiji muttered.

"Hmmm, I don't believe you, Boss."

Beardy had a cunning smile etched on his face as he stared at Reiji through the rearview mirror. Baldy caught on quickly, and a similar grin slowly spread as he glanced back.

"Aww! Boss, are you shy?"

"What? Oh geez, don't do this or I'll genuinely jump out of this car!" Reiji snapped, his hand reaching for the handle in a threatening manner.

"Hehe, don't worry. We'll keep our mouths shut in front of the Big Boss," Beardy chuckled.

"Tch, you guys are not going to let this go, are you?"

"You know us so well, Boss."

Reiji practically melted into his seat, trying to recover his mental energy for what was bound to be a nerve-wracking night.

"Where are we even going, anyway?" he asked.

"There's a Maximus 4-Star restaurant nearby, and the Big Boss wants to have dinner with you there," Baldy replied.

The call he received when they'd finished studying was from his dad, who simply told him that they would be having dinner together before hanging up.

Reiji was a little too exhausted to agree, but he felt that at least it was better than being handed another task.

'A Maximus 4-Star? That's going to be my first time in such a high-class restaurant,' Reiji thought.

The rating system for restaurants in this world was slightly different than the Michelin stars he was used to in his previous life.

Instead of three, there were a total of five stars that a business could strive towards.

It encompassed everything from taste and ingredients to ambience and service, claiming itself to be the most holistic and reliable honor that served to highlight the best restaurants in the world.

In fact, it was so hard to get a 5-Star rating that there was no such establishment in Japan at the time.

There were fewer than 15 in existence in the first place, so it wasn't a lie to say that the one they were heading to was essentially one of the top locations in Japan.

Tomoe Sensei herself was part of the 4-Star club in her prime, and she was one of the best chefs in the game, so Reiji started to get excited despite the other factors that could dampen his mood.

'Well, at least there's one thing to look forward to...'

***

Reiji gaped in amazement at the beautiful building in front of him. The architecture was incredibly unique, with a spiralling metal beam encircling the circular establishment that served as the restaurant.

It was clearly designed to look like Saturn, and Reiji couldn't help but admire the intricacies of the carvings on the ring.

"This is crazy," he mumbled.

Something like this should definitely have been explored in the game, at least in the cooking club route, but it was never mentioned once.

He wasn't sure if it was because it might not be as good as the rating suggested, or maybe because it was the exact opposite—where it was too exclusive and pricey to justify the students visiting them on the school's expense.

Or it could simply be a completely different reason.

"Let's go," he sighed, walking through the elegant front doors that slid open automatically.

Baldy and Beardy followed behind him, wearing their usual black suits. On the other hand, he was wearing a pair of sweatpants, trainers, and a comfortable jacket over a black t-shirt.

He stopped before walking through the second set of doors, which were transparent.

'...I look like an idiot.'

From his angle, he could see the reception.

Behind it was the dining area with less than 20 tables taking up the large space. Each table was occupied by what Reiji would describe as the 'elite', wearing extravagantly expensive gowns and tuxedos with the accompanying jewelry and accessories.

In contrast, he would've looked slightly homeless were it not for his handsome appearance giving him some leeway.

"Why didn't you tell me to dress up?" he hissed quietly at the two men beside him.

They glanced at each other awkwardly, rubbing their noses with aggrieved expressions.

"We just thought you wanted to make a statement, like last time," Baldy responded with a groan.

Reiji thought back to the time he visited his dad when he wore a hoodie and jeans, and facepalmed with exasperation.

"Guys, I didn't even know where we were going until we left. What statement would I even be trying to make?"

"Sorry, Boss, we'll remind you next time."

Reiji shook his head and was about to turn back when he noticed Beardy's lips twitch upwards.

"...Wait a minute," he said, narrowing his eyes as he stepped closer to the muscular man.

"W-What happened, Boss?" Beardy stammered, avoiding direct eye contact by looking sideways.

'This fucker... I knew it!'

Reiji leaned in, grabbing his collar to pull him down to eye level.

"Is this payback for ratting you out?"

Beardy looked at him silently, and then a slow but evil grin grew on his irritating face.

"Rats get stuck in a rat trap in the underworld, Boss," he laughed smugly.

Reiji stepped back with a devastated frown, wiping away a non-existent tear from his eye.

"Of all people, you were the last person I expected to stab me in the back..."

"What?? What about me, Boss? I would never betray you! I didn't even know about this, I swear on my Grandpappy!" Baldy yelled with a hurt expression.

But they both ignored him, quietly staring at each other.

Beardy then crossed his arms with satisfaction.

"This is my victory, Boss. Give up and accept your fate."

Reiji tilted his head and smirked.

"Oh? Is that so?"

He turned to Baldy, who was standing off to the side gloomily.

'Come to think of it, I haven't gotten back at this dumbass yet.'

"Baldy, can I trust you?"

His face lit up instantly, and he stood at attention before replying, "Of course! I'd lay down my life for you, Boss!"

Reiji patted Beardy on the back after seeing his confused reaction.

"You're still a greenhorn at this business, young one. Better luck next time," he whispered in his ear before dragging Baldy off to the bathroom next to the reception.

***

"Now we can enter," Reiji said while adjusting 'his' collar.

Beardy blinked in astonishment, shifting his focus to Baldy, who was fidgeting with Reiji's jacket uncomfortably.

"You... What just happened?" the hulking man asked in bewilderment.

"Keep up, old man," Reiji snorted, walking towards the reception desk to finally get to his table.

He was now wearing a suit, which paired quite well with his earrings and messy haircut if he was going for a roguishly formal look.

However, Baldy's suit was slightly bigger, because even though their heights were almost the same, Reiji's muscles were leaner than his thick ones.

But it was almost unnoticeable, so it wasn't really an issue.

'A loose suit is a fashion statement in its own way, I guess,' he comforted himself.

"Hello, welcome to Saturn's Ring! Do you have a reservation with us today?"

The pretty lady at the desk smiled sweetly at him, though there was a hint of appreciation in her wandering gaze.

"Uh, whose name is the reservation under?" he asked, looking back to the two men who were both unhappy for their own reasons.

Beardy sighed, accepting his failure with great dejection before stepping up.

"We're here for the Yagami Room."

The receptionist stiffened up instantly, her flirty look replaced by a polite and respectful demeanor.

"I apologize for not recognizing the VIPs. Please forgive me. Right this way," she stated, leading them into the restaurant.

'VIP? What the hell?'

Reiji raised an eyebrow as he followed behind her, the heels of his loafers clacking against the marbled floors.

He wanted to ask his henchmen, but thought he might as well hear it straight from the source since that's where they were going anyway.

The woman walked past the tables towards a large door at the back, with the other customers watching them curiously.

Well, they certainly looked out of place.

Especially a certain someone.

Some of them laughed while pointing at Beardy and his getup that looked ridiculous on his buff figure.

"Oh my.... Baldy, you should have dressed for the occasion!" Reiji teased.

"..... Boss is truly fit for the throne."

Reiji's face hardened as he muttered, "Tch, good one."

The receptionist opened the doors and stepped to the side, bowing slightly as they entered. A decently sized private room came into view, with a small rectangular table in the center that was covered by an exquisite tablecloth and had two large plush chairs around it.

The chair opposite where Reiji stood was occupied by a familiar man, his aloof aura bringing down the temperature of the room by a few degrees.

Yagami Daichi raised his head with a cold glare.

"You're late."

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