He recognized some people in the crowd from his classes. These people would always try to talk to him in between lectures, but now he didn't have the time.
"Sorry, I'm a little busy."
Ken tried to palm people off and eventually arrived in front of Ai after some time. Instead of greeting her, he grabbed her hand and began to walk off, "Let's get out of here first."
Steve wasn't far behind, dragging along his own girlfriend through the sea of people. It wasn't until they were a block away that Ken finally slowed down and could breathe a sigh of relief.
He turned back and saw Ai, flashing her a smile. Without a word he embraced her and gave her a deep kiss, as if they hadn't seen each other in a long time.
Truth be told, since the last few weeks had required the team to travel, he hadn't seen Ai for almost a month. The kiss lasted for some time before Ken pulled back and smiled.
Steve and Tara were standing by the side awkwardly as the two reunited. For a moment, Steve thought about doing the same to his girl, but he quickly decided against it, after all, they had just seen each other earlier.
The two had also not yet decided that they were dating, at least officially. Everything was too new to tell.
"You played well tonight. Congratulations." Ai said softly, in Japanese.
"It's because you were watching me."
"Ahem… Should we go get some dinner?" Steve asked, seeing that the two were acting all lovey dovey and speaking in a language he couldn't understand.
He had picked up a few words from Yuki, but Ken and Ai spoke far too fast for him to understand properly.
Only now did Ken remember that they had company. "Ah, right. Does anyone have any recommendations for food tonight?"
However, Ai was the one who replied. "I booked already. It's called La Grande Boucherie." Funnily enough, she pronounced it perfectly.
"Eh!? How did you get a booking on such short notice?" Tara exclaimed, clearly recognizing the name of the restaurant.
Ai looked rather smug, "I booked it over 3 weeks ago."
Ken and Steve hadn't heard of the spot before, but judging by the reaction it should be a rather fancy and prestigious place.
"Is it… Expensive?" Steve asked, looking a little worried.
Tara nodded, "It's not too bad, depending on what you order."
Ken had long activated his poker face skill. He did not want to appear cheap, not in front of his girl, just in case he embarrassed her.
"Don't worry, I'll shout us a meal." Ken stated, though it pained him to do so.
Steve let out an audible sigh of relief, placing his hand on the guy's arm. Even though he'd recently received a scholarship, it didn't mean he had disposable money to throw around. In fact, he'd given majority of it to his parents.
With the destination set, they hailed a cab and arrived in around 20 minutes despite the usual New York traffic on the roads.
The first thing they noticed was the line leading into the restaurant. Even with a reservation it seemed that they would have to wait for a while.
As they lined up, a server came past and asked if they had a reservation. Hearing Ai say that she reserved it under the name Takagi made him feel warm inside.
They were then taken to another line inside to wait for a table.
Ken looked around, noting how fancy the place looked. The only issue was that it was absolutely packed.
"Wait, did you reserve for 4 people?" Ken asked, paling a little. There was no way that she could have known he would invite Steve and Tara to dinner almost 3 weeks ago.
Ai nodded, "I figured you would invite Steve and I wasn't sure if he had a girlfriend or not, so I said four just in case."
"You're the best." Ken said, wrapping his arms around her. It was amazing to have such a capable woman by his side who seemed to think of everything.
They didn't have to wait too long and were brought into the restaurant in one of the corners. This suited Ken just fine as he took the spot closest to the wall after pulling out the chair for Ai.
Steve mirrored his manners and they were soon greeted by a waiter who poured them some water and handed over the menu's. She was bubbly and wore a great smile despite how busy the restaurant was.
As Ken opened the menu, he instantly paled. He almost closed it again on instinct, but remembered he had company.
"What do you feel like?" Ai asked him, batting her eyelids as she looked at him calmly.
"M—Maybe some steak." He said, dropping his gaze to the menu. But open seeing the price tag next to the filet, he quickly changed his mind.
"Ahem… Salad sounds good."
Ai placed her hand upon his arm and gave him a knowing look. "It's a special occasion, you should treat yourself."
"You're right…"
Steve closed the menu and smiled, "I'll have the Tomahawk ribeye." He announced.
Ken flinched, quickly looking at the price next to it. While there were many french words mixed in, he could see clearly that the meal was meant for two people.
He raised his gaze, sending a dangerous look to his friend. "We'll share it…"
After the initial shock of the prices, Ken actually loosened up a little and enjoyed himself. Having played a great game and now relaxing with those close to him, he was in a great mood.
The food was delicious, perfectly cooked and seasoned, filling his stomach as well as his heart. Though he might not do this often, it certainly was a good experience.
When the time came for the bill, the server returned.
"Your bill has been taken care of Mr. Takagi. Thank you for dining at Le Grande Boucherie." She said with a smile.
Ken was gobsmacked, "May I ask who paid the bill?"
"He wishes to remain anonymous."
Although this might seem like a good deed, Ken was a suspicious person.
"How much was it?"
"Sorry?" She asked in confusion.
"The bill. What was the total?"
"Umm… $632.50 including tax."
Ken felt as if he'd just taken a knife to the heart, but he still took out his wallet and fished out some money, counting it in his hands.
He hesitated before putting 8 bills on the table. "There's 750, please give me a receipt."
"B—But sir… the bill has been paid." The server looked perplexed, as if she didn't know what to do.
She eventually had to go and get the owner of the restaurant who arrived at the table wearing an exasperated expression. "Ken, you won't let me treat you to a meal on such a special day?" He said, looking a little hurt.
'Eh? This guy knows me?'
Tara spoke up instead, "Sir, Ken is right to refuse your patronage. I'm sorry if it's caused you any offense. You know that the NCAA has strict guidelines for student athletes accepting any gifts or benefits."
"Ah… I didn't think about that." The well dressed man in his early 40's said. After thinking for a little while, he motioned to the server to go and print out a new bill.
Ken also wasn't aware that this violated the NCAA regulations. Thankfully Tara was there to help mediate, otherwise things might have got a little uncomfortable.
"Sorry about the inconvenience. I know it might be in poor taste… but would you mind signing a baseball for my kid?" He asked, not wanting to miss the chance.
"Erm, sure thing." Ken replied. He felt that it was the least he could do considering he made the guy's night a little difficult.