The moment Aria saw the elderly woman enter the room, she immediately stood up from her chair.
A bright smile appeared on her face.
“Grandma, these are my friends.”
The old woman smiled warmly at them.
“Welcome, children, to the Nightfall House.”
Aria stepped forward excitedly.
“Let me introduce everyone to you.
This is Shin Yamato, this is Suzumi Amamiya, this is Jennifer Wilson, this is Roy Moretti, and this is Shuyong Akira.”
Bali nodded calmly before speaking again,
“Alright.
Then let me introduce myself and my dear friend’s granddaughter properly.”
She gently placed a hand on Aria’s shoulder.
“My name is Bali Nightfall.”
Then her eyes softened slightly.
“And this is my friend’s granddaughter… Aria Starfall.”
The moment the surname Starfall was spoken aloud—
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Shuyong lowered his head silently.
Roy’s playful expression disappeared completely.
Even Jennifer and Suzumi looked stunned as they quietly looked down.
Only Shin stood there blinking in confusion.
“…Why’s everyone suddenly acting so formal?”
He casually pointed toward Aria.
“She already knows how weird all of you are anyway.”
Aria immediately burst out laughing while Roy covered his face tiredly.
Bali smiled faintly before speaking,
“You children continue talking.
I’ll return shortly.”
Then she looked toward Aria for a brief second.
“I have to personally pick up someone important.”
After saying that, Bali slowly walked out of the room with the staff following behind her.
The moment the doors closed—
Clap!
Aria suddenly clapped her hands once.
Immediately, all the staff members inside the room quietly left as well.
A second later, the bright lights of the room turned on completely.
The serious atmosphere instantly disappeared.
Aria stretched lazily before flopping down onto the couch.
“Listen,” she said casually, “just act normal like before.”
Shuyong stared at her blankly.
“…Your grandmother’s condition is perfectly fine, isn’t it?”
Aria looked away innocently.
“She’s fine.”
Everyone: “…”
Aria coughed awkwardly.
“Okay, fine.
It was just an excuse to drag me home.”
Roy folded his arms and sighed dramatically.
“By the way… you’re seriously a Starfall?”
Aria looked confused.
“…I never hid it.”
Roy immediately pointed at her.
“You also never told us!”
Before Aria could reply, Roy continued complaining,
“And you’re not the only one hiding things either.
Jennifer never told us that her family is connected to a gangster family.”
Jennifer instantly looked offended.
“Excuse me?!”
Shin’s eyes widened dramatically.
“WAIT— Jennifer is secretly dangerous too?!”
Jennifer crossed her arms proudly.
“My family is respectable.”
Roy smirked.
“Respectfully criminal.”
“Roy.” Jennifer smiled sweetly.
“Keep talking and I’ll make you disappear.”
Shin immediately moved away from her.
“Scary…”
Meanwhile, Suzumi looked at Aria seriously.
“So… exactly how rich are you?”
Aria thought for a second before answering honestly,
“…I don’t know.”
The room fell silent again.
Shuyong slowly pointed at her with a blank expression.
“That answer alone proves you’re insanely rich.”
After a moment of silence, Shin suddenly raised his hand like a student asking a question.
“Okay, wait.”
Everyone looked toward him.
“So… Bali Nightfall is your grandmother’s friend, right?
Which means she’s not actually your grandmother?”
Aria nodded casually.
“Yeah.”
Shin frowned in confusion again.
“Then why are you staying here instead of being with your real grandmother?”
Aria stretched lazily against the couch before answering,
“My grandmother is coming here tonight for dinner.”
She sighed dramatically.
“There’s apparently some huge party being organized too.
And according to Grandma Bali, there are going to be ‘special surprises’ for me.”
Aria made a tired face immediately.
“I seriously hate surprises.”
Roy laughed lightly.
“That explains your reaction this morning.”
Aria groaned.
“You have no idea.
Whenever rich family members say the word surprise, it usually means trouble for me.”
Shin tilted his head curiously.
“By the way… doesn’t it feel weird being from such a rich and powerful family?”
Aria blinked before shrugging casually.
“Not really.”
Then she pointed at herself proudly.
“I mean, look at me.
Do I act like some rich princess?”
Everyone stared at her silently.
Aria continued dramatically,
“No matter how rich I am, I still live like a completely normal person around you guys.”
She spread her arms confidently.
“Haven’t you all already seen how uncivilized and wild I actually am?”
The room instantly burst into laughter.
Roy smirked.
“That part is definitely true.”
Suzumi nodded seriously.
“You literally climb walls instead of using stairs.”
Jennifer added calmly,
“And you once jumped over the school gate because you were late.”
Shuyong sighed.
“You also started a fight on your second day at school.”
Aria immediately pointed at them in betrayal.
“Wow.
Instead of defending me, all of you are exposing me.”
Shin grinned proudly.
“That’s what true friendship is.”
A few minutes later, the doors of the room opened again.
One of the head guards walked inside respectfully and bowed slightly.
“The outfits prepared for all of you are ready,” he informed politely.
“Please get changed.
The event will begin soon.”
Before anyone could even react, several staff members entered carrying expensive garment bags.
Shin’s eyes widened dramatically.
“…Why does this suddenly feel like a royal wedding?”
Aria, meanwhile, looked completely uninterested.
“Too much effort,” she muttered lazily.
Soon, everyone was guided to separate rooms to get ready.
After some time—
One by one, they finally returned.
Suzumi walked in first, looking absolutely elegant in a beautifully designed formal outfit that made her look like a princess from a royal family.
Jennifer entered right after her, wearing a dark luxurious dress with silver details that perfectly matched her cold and confident aura.
Even Shin, Roy, and Shuyong were dressed in expensive formal suits now.
For once, all three of them actually looked rich instead of chaotic.
Shin fixed his collar proudly.
“I look handsome.”
Roy glanced at him once.
“Confidence is important.”
“Was that sarcasm?”
“Yes.”
Before Shin could start arguing, the room’s door opened once again.
Everyone turned toward it, expecting Aria to appear in some luxurious royal outfit.
Instead—
Aria casually walked inside wearing oversized baggy clothes and loose pants like she was about to sleep instead of attend a grand party.
The entire room fell silent.
Roy stared at her blankly.
“…That’s what you chose to wear?”
Aria looked down at herself casually.
“What’s wrong with it?”
Shuyong rubbed his forehead tiredly.
“We’re attending a high-class party, not opening a street food stall.”
Aria dropped onto the couch comfortably.
“Clothes are clothes.
As long as I’m wearing something, it’s fine.”
Jennifer looked horrified.
“You seriously have the fashion sense of a homeless raccoon.”
Aria pointed at her immediately.
“Raccoons are cute.”
Suzumi sighed helplessly.
“You’re literally from the Starfall family.
How are you this careless?”
Aria crossed her arms proudly.
“Because comfort is more important than rich people drama.”
At that exact moment, the head guard looked like he was suffering internally.
“…Young Miss,” he said carefully, “Lady Bali specifically prepared a custom outfit for you.”
Aria immediately looked away.
“I suddenly can’t hear anything.”…