The three of us walked without any real direction, letting the evening air wash over us.
The downtown lights were dazzling, but my mood was a dark contrast to them, maybe because every person we passed seemed to be laughing happily, making the difference even sharper.
Anyway...
"Why are you staring at me, Manager?"
The temperature had dropped now that the sun was gone, and I could feel the stares of people around us constantly drifting toward Ruby.
It was no surprise. No mask could hide her face, and that figure of hers was dressed in clothes that showed off a lot.
"Here."
"What’s... huh?"
I took off my jacket and draped it roughly over her shoulders. Once it settled, it also covered up the parts people had kept sneaking glances at. That should do it.
"It’s getting cold. Even if you don’t feel it now, just keep it on."
"Huh? Um..."
I looked away from Ruby, who was blinking dumbly with my oversized jacket swallowing her up, and trudged on with heavy steps.
"Audrey, what kind of meat do you want?"
"Pork belly... or tripe would be good, I think."
"Alright. Let’s walk a bit and just go into the first place we see."
For someone who looks like she’d be elegantly cutting a fancy steak, she had simple tastes. I just wanted to find any barbecue spot with the two of them and pour some soju over my grumbling stomach.
"...Hmm."
We hadn’t gone far when I heard Ruby make a thoughtful sound and felt her looking at me.
"What, are you teasing me again?"
"No. I was just thinking... I don’t think I’ve ever gotten something like this before."
"Hmm, not the thing itself..."
Before I knew it, she’d slipped her arms into the sleeves. She let the fabric hang way past her hands and looked at it, then brought the sleeve up to her face with a curious expression and sniffed it.
"It smells like you, Manager."
"I didn’t give it to you to smell."
"It’s okay. Yeah, it’s a nice smell."
But somehow, she’d gotten quieter. It felt like she’d found something new and was carefully figuring out what it was. Anyway, Ruby being this quiet was kind of nice in its own—
"By the way, Manager~ already taking care of your woman like this...? Hmm?"
...There it was.
The moment I thought, ’She’s pretty when she’s quiet,’ she reverted to her usual self in seconds and threw herself at me, hugging me tight.
"You were really bothered by those guys staring at my body, huh? Because only you get to look, but those jerks were getting a free show?"
"As if. More importantly, get off—"
"Don’t worry, Manager. My bare skin... that’s a view only you’re allowed~"
"...Saying that, haven’t the other inmates and I already seen it enough?"
"Other women don’t count. That’s basic common sense, don’t you know?"
"Is that so? Seems like common sense fell apart while I wasn’t looking."
In the end, this was how it was even at the last moment. Anyway, if they were going to bicker, I wished they’d at least get off my arm first.
I walked on, swallowing a sigh amid their endless arguing, until finally a pork belly place caught my eye. We brightened up at the sight and went in.
And then.
"Over here! Three servings of pork belly and a bottle of soju!"
"Alright, got it!"
Exhausted in every way, I ordered alcohol without a second thought. That transparent stuff in the green bottle that would bring on today’s final disaster.
"Keuh—!"
My already burning insides flared up even worse.
"Manager, why are you drinking on an empty stomach? You’re such a manly man~"
"That’s not manly, that’s what you call an idiot, Ruby."
What were they even talking about? I grumbled to myself and quickly slapped the thick pork belly onto the grill. What I desperately needed now wasn’t a fight with idiots, it was delicious meat.
"Manager, want me to grill that?"
"Forget it. You can’t cook."
"Aish... this isn’t cooking, it’s just roasting it over fire? I can totally do that~"
"Absolutely not."
For some reason, a sudden whim had hit Ruby, who never lifted a finger at home, and she was rolling up her sleeves and insisting on helping. But no matter what she said, I desperately defended the tongs. Because just thinking roasting meat over fire was easy was already a bad sign.
However, there was someone present who disagreed with me.
"Manager, I’m saying I, of all people, will grill the meat for you for a change? So hand over the tongs, quick."
"...Fine. Give it a try."
So Ruby, her pride on the line, forcibly snatched the tongs from me.
"Hmm-hmm, this fire seems a bit... weird, you know?"
In the end, after she’d burned several pieces of meat to a crisp, she sheepishly handed the tongs back.
"Ahaha, this is a bit different from the fire at home... Um, Manager, want to try again?"
"Give them here."
"That was the most aesthetically unpleasing meat I’ve ever seen in my life, Ruby. Actually, I should call them lumps of charcoal, not meat."