I desperately racked my barely functioning brain, trying to remember what had happened the night before.
But then...
"Hmm? Manager~"
No matter how hard I thought about it, nothing particularly suspicious had happened yesterday.
While I was still deep in thought, I heard a strange, uneven sound from beside me and turned my head.
Ruby was laughing.
Silently.
Tears had gathered at the corners of her eyes as she shook with the effort of holding it in.
The moment she saw the look on my face, realization finally dawned on me.
And she completely lost it.
"Pfft... Ahahah~ Ahaha, ahahahah~!"
She rolled around on the bed, clutching her stomach as laughter poured out of her.
"...Get out."
"Wait, wait a second, haaah..." Ruby gasped between fits of laughter. "I laughed so much. My stomach, pfft... Kyahahaha~!"
"I said get out."
"Eek!"
I rolled the deliriously laughing Ruby up in the blanket until she looked like a caterpillar trapped inside a cocoon, then shoved her off the bed with my foot.
Still cackling like a broken woman, she hit the floor face-first.
That seemed to bring her back to her senses, at least a little. Ruby finally managed to stop laughing and pushed herself upright, though she was still struggling inside the blanket.
"Ahh... I really haven’t laughed that hard in ages." Ruby wiped the tears from her eyes. Then her expression suddenly brightened again. "Oh, right. One more thing before I go."
"...What?"
Ruby’s gaze slowly drifted toward my lower body.
"Manager, you’re surprisingly big~ Eighteen? Maybe nineteen?"
"Get the fuck out!"
Only after spouting that nonsense and getting hit square in the face by the pillow I threw did the blonde lunatic finally spring out of the room, looking utterly delighted with herself.
...Is her own amusement really the only thing going on inside that girl’s head?
"Haa... I really feel like I’m going to lose my mind."
At this rate, I’d be the one getting raided before we ever stepped into a Gate.
All because of that crazy woman.
Letting out a sigh deep enough to make the ground cave in, I checked the time on my phone.
It was only seven in the morning. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
Although, considering I’d fallen asleep earlier than expected last night, calling it only seven might have been a bit of a stretch.
After changing into some reasonably light clothes, I shuffled out of my room.
"Manager, good morning."
"Ah, yeah. You’re up early, Audrey."
When I entered the living room, I found Audrey sitting elegantly on the sofa, watching TV. She was dressed in a crisp white shirt and dress pants.
For a moment, it felt as though I’d accidentally walked onto the set of some luxury apartment commercial.
But still...
No matter how aesthetically pleasing a suit might be, wasn’t that uncomfortable to wear around the house?
"Looks like Ruby caused another incident this morning," Audrey said, her eyes still on the television. Then, after a brief pause, she added, "Or did you two really... do it?"
"As if I would."
I dropped onto the empty sofa beside her.
Silence followed.
Ruby was loud enough simply by existing, but whenever it was just Audrey and me, the apartment immediately became quiet.
It wasn’t particularly uncomfortable.
If anything, it was a welcome silence.
Still, leaving things completely quiet felt a little strange, so I searched for something to say.
Then, something suddenly came to mind.
"Audrey, can I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
"Did you... happen to come into my room yesterday?"
"Me?"
"Ah, never mind. Forget it."
I had a vague memory of Audrey coming into my room and stroking my head, but seeing her tilt her head in confusion, I figured it must have been a dream.
To think I’d dreamed about something like that just because I had started relying on her a little.
Feeling strangely embarrassed, I quickly turned my gaze away from Audrey.
That’s when something on the television caught my attention.
[Here is our next report. The government recently established a convict unit in consultation with the Hunter Alliance to subjugate the S-rank Gate that erupted in Port Harrow’s Namdong District. However, criticism and protests against the government’s decision have continued for several days. Let’s take a look at footage from the scene.]
[As a mother raising a child, I am appalled that such a reckless plan was carried out without any consideration for the safety of ordinary citizens or any meaningful public consensus...]
At the time of their arrest, public opinion had been relatively favorable.
But now that some time had passed, the atmosphere seemed to be changing.
Besides...
Compared to a distant and almost unreal danger, like Stratford being destroyed because the operation to subjugate the Port Harrow S-rank Gate failed completely, an immediate threat that might or might not even be standing right in front of you was always going to feel more important.
"...Does it bother you?"
"What do you mean, Manager?"
"The way people talk about you two," I said, gesturing toward the protest footage playing across the large television. "Like you’re some kind of disease."
Audrey glanced toward the screen.
Then she simply shrugged.
"Whatever they say, it’s still better than being locked up in prison."
"Well... I guess that’s true."
Besides, the initial backlash was supposed to die down soon enough.
As long as we kept a low profile, large organizations like the government and the Hunter Alliance would take care of managing public opinion.
In the first place, Ruby and Audrey had been chosen partly because their backgrounds could be presented in a more favorable light.
I’d already received requests for their cooperation too.
Whenever circumstances allowed, they were expected to volunteer at facilities supporting disadvantaged people.
They were also supposed to take part in Gate subjugation training sessions where the Association could get impressive-looking combat photos.
That material would probably be used for publicity to help calm the public down.
...Though I wasn’t sure how effective any of it would actually be.
"Manager, you seem more worried about this than we are."
"Huh? No, well... I wouldn’t say I’m that worried."
As I awkwardly scratched my cheek, Audrey spoke again in her usual indifferent tone.
"Is that concern really for us, Manager?"
Her eyes shifted toward me.
"Or is it for yourself?"
"...."
The question sounded casual.
Almost indifferent.
But it was sharp enough to pierce straight through me, leaving me momentarily at a loss for words.