Nouveau Riche
Adam gazed through the car window, simply passing time as lights flew by. He watched as Roy drove uphill, bringing him to a place Adam doesn't recognize.
"Isn't this… where those rich people go?" [Orion]
"It's the Blue light district." [Felix]
The buildings seemed to reach high into the sky, and the people were adorned with extravagant clothing. There was one certain building that seemed to tower over the rest, and it also seemed to be their destination.
"Alright, kids. Almost there." [Roy]
He pulled up to the front of the building, where many people came and went. There appeared to be valets dressed in red, taking the visitor's cars and parking them in another location.
"Hey, make sure you don't scratch my car." [Roy]
Tossing his keys to a nearby valet, he motioned towards the students.
"Let's go." [Roy]
The four entered the building, somewhat confused and in awe. The interior design was more lavish than they could've imagined.
"...Is this how the rich live?" [Orion]
The walls inside were covered in gold, and the tiles black marble. It also appeared that the stores lining up the walls had their names carved into diamond.
"Ignore it. This is just the lowest level." [Roy]
"The lowest level…" [Adam]
Seeing as how Adam's voice seemed to trail off, Roy felt a bit bad. That is, until he thought to himself:
"Nah, I helped him enough that it's not even a handicap anymore." [Roy]
The four approached an elevator, where it seemed there were a few people guarding it.
"Pardon. Name and card please." [Stern Guard]
"Roy." [Roy]\
The guard looked at him blankly.
"...And card please?" [Stern Guard]
"Are you new here?" [Roy]
It was then that another guard came up running.
"M-my apologies, sir! He's new!" [Senior Guard]
The guard grabbed the back of his coworker's head and lowered it.
"Ow! What are you doing?!" [Stern Guard]
"Shut it!" [Senior Guard]
The guard turned to Roy with a kind smile, and motioned him towards the elevator.
"Please go on ahead." [Senior Guard]
"Hm." [Roy]
Roy stepped into the elevator, whereas the others trailed behind with increasing confusion.
"...Are you a nouveau riche?" [Adam]
"I'm surprised you know that word. You know… with your lacking vocabulary." [Roy]
Unable to retort, Adam simply mumbled to himself.
"...Prick." [Adam]
The elevator ascended quickly. Strangely, there weren't any other passengers allowed when they left the bottom floor.
"...Hey, how high does this go up?" [Orion]
"I think… three thousand feet?" [Roy]
Felix's eyes widened upon hearing that.
"How did they build it? I'm sure it would topple over from wind or earthquakes." [Felix]
Roy shrugged.
"I'm not an architect. Don't ask me." [Roy]
The conversation ended the moment they reached their floor, namely floor five hundred ninety nine. The doors opened to a man in a black suit greeting them with a tablet in hand.
"How many?" [Cheerful Staff Member]
"Four." [Roy]
"Name and card?" [Cheerful Staff Member]
"Roy." [Roy]
The staff member seemed to be troubled by the response. It was not until he scrolled through the tablet that he continued speaking.
"Is there any preferred seating you'd like?" [Cheerful Staff Member]
"The usual." [Roy]
"Understood. This way please." [Cheerful Staff Member]
They were led through a noisy quiet dining area, even though it was jam packed with people. As they walked, Adam could feel his feet sink into the exquisitely designed carpet under his feet. It was quite surprising to see something or such quality covering the entire floor.
"Please go on through. Another person will guide you." [Cheerful Staff Member]
He opened up a purple curtain, leading to another room. This time, the room had a more ordinary carpet, and practically no people dining there. However, there was classical music being played in the background.
("This feeling… Mana?") [Adam]
Strangely enough, it felt like there were copious amounts of mana in the vicinity of the room. After looking around a bit, another staff member approached them.
"Hello, I'm Carlos. I'll be your waiter for today." [Carlos]
"Mhm. I'll have everything on the menu. Bring it to my usual spot." [Roy]
"Eh?" [Carlos] [Adam] [Orion] [Felix]
Everyone was stunned, but the staff member quickly collected himself.
"C-certainly. I will be right with you." [Carlos]
Giving a slight bow, Carlos hurried to the kitchen.
"...You do have the money to pay for this, right?" [Felix]
"Of course. I may not be as rich as your brother, but I'm up there." [Roy]
Roy acted as if he owned the place. He walked around the dining area until he found a suitable table and sat down.
"What are you guys waiting for? Sit." [Roy]
"..." [Adam] [Felix] [Orion]
Though somewhat hesitant, the three took their seats.
"Now, while we're waiting here… How about I tell you guys a little something?" [Roy]