[Dante: You can talk to him from here, right?
Finn: I prefer our direct connection.
The boy sighed once more. A moment later, he came back to his senses and straightened up, but he was unable to keep it up for long. Kizuna must have noticed how nervous he was and struck up a conversation. Soon after, the mood at the table improved drastically, and Finn seemed to relax a bit.
The food arrived, and everyone returned their focus to their plates. As expected of a three-star restaurant, each bite was a journey through a land of flavors unlike anything served anywhere else. Finn and Kizuna were unable to hide their reaction, letting everything show on their faces. Suzuka ate in silence, keeping a neutral expression and acting as if nothing was different from her usual.
"The salmon is impossibly fresh, as if it had been caught only minutes ago. he balance of lemon and herbs lifts it without drowning the flavor. Simple, but so precise…"
Boris, on the other hand, went on to describe each bite he took. The only one keeping up with him, though her tone was a lot more critical.
"The fish is fresh, yes, but the seasoning leans too cautiously. It's missing the spark that would have made it memorable. Feels more like a safe execution than a bold statement."
Dante could only nod, acting as if he agreed with the old cook. His mind was somewhere else, however. He was studying the layout of the restaurant. The rooms, the passages, and the kitchens. He glanced through the eyes of the servers going into the other private rooms, looking for any faces he might recognize.
The place was meant to host the elites of society, so each of the patrons looked like they came from money. With Volcan's help, he quickly put names to faces. A lot of them were high-ranking employees in some corpos, others were trust fund kids business owners. A few of them were celebrities as well, but most importantly, there were quite a few gangsters as well, mostly from the Daggers. Those people were the main reason for why they took the risk of coming to this restaurant, but just as he was about to ask him to focus on them, Volcan spoke up.
[Dante, I believe you need to see this.]
A new screen appeared, showing the front entrance of the restaurant. The parked limo didn't look out of place, but when he saw the people coming out of it, Dante understood why his resident AI sounded a lot more serious when informing him about it.
Among the five that exited the long black vehicle, one in particular stood out. Despite the chilly weather, he wore nothing but sandals, shorts, and an orange tropical shirt, acting as if he were on a vacation on some island. His entire body seemed to have been cut from stone, with each muscle chiseled by a talented sculptor whose only job was to accentuate its shape. Follow current novels on NovєlFіre.net
The man didn't shy away from displaying all tattoos and scars littering his skin, but if one were to look closer, they would see more uniform lines among the chaos, left by extensive implant surgeries. Those scars were difficult to notice, not only because of the more prominent marks on his body, but also because no one would consider what bionics he has after looking at his face, half of which was covered by the gray plating from that monstrous-looking bionic jaw.
That man was the one and only Jaguar, leader of the Daggers.
Dante's face twisted in a grimace, and he turned to look at the one who scheduled their outing. They had already moved on to the intermediate course, and the boy had ordered Langoustine Ravioli, likely because the pasta looked familiar. Thinking it through for a moment, Dante realized it was likely nothing more than a coincidence.
La Soleil had a long waiting list, and the boy had to wait for months before he got the chance to make a reservation. Even if he knew his target was going to show up on this particular day, he never had control over which day he could schedule this outing.
'This is… going to be a problem…'
It didn't look like Rust Face was there for them, but he came with quite a big procession. Most of them were member of the gang, going by their rough appearance. The bodyguards were easy to spot, so those standing close to the big man himself were likely the high-ranking members.
'Did they have a meeting or something?'
As he watched them enter, Dante found himself faced with a dilemma. Should he pretend that nothing was wrong and stay until the very last minute, or should he take the safe route and make a quick retreat before they run into any problems?
He already knew that the place was a hanging spot for the Daggers, and he came here with the intent to gather some information. Running into the enemy's boss should have been a jackpot, but Dante didn't feel so lucky, already expecting this dinner to end in a disaster.
As he was busy weighing his options, the sound of a chair being pushed back drew his attention.
"I will be going to-"
The one who stood up was none other than Finn. Dante's command froze him in place, and the glare he directed at him said the matter wasn't up for discussion. With an awkward smile, Finn sat back down, confusion slowly taking over his face.
Dante stared at him for a moment then turned to look at his plate, which was entirely empty. It appeared like he was going to the toilet before the next dish was served, but Dante had his doubts.
[Finn: What's going on?
Dante read the messages and studied the boy's face. Though he tried not to show it, he appeared slightly distressed.
[Dante: Did you know?
Holding his gaze for a few seconds, Dante was soon convinced that the boy didn't know.