In the end, she ordered some plain grilled chicken, steamed spinach, a baked potato, and a glass of water. It was the kind of meal Arthur would never willingly eat in his life.
Either way, dinner was served for both of them. Yet neither of them touched their food. Arthur didn’t do so because he had a habit of letting other people take the first bite.
Seeing that she was doing the same, though, it seemed she had that habit too. Letting out a chuckle, he said:
"I know you said you didn’t want either of us to pry into each other’s lives, but I’m curious. Which conglomerate were you the successor to?"
She sighed. "It’s fine. I won’t give you the name, but it is an electronics company."
"Ooh? A conglomerate based in electronics? That narrows it down a lot."
It actually did. It was none other than Namsung. He could hardly believe it. Hey, he would’ve been a lot more shocked if he’d met her back on Earth and she’d told him this. As things stood now, though, that information wasn’t particularly relevant.
"What about you? What was life like back on Earth?" she asked.
He thought about it for a moment before chuckling. "Honestly, not that great. I used to live in a one-bedroom apartment, and I had to scrape by just to afford food and rent. The only good part about my life was that I was going to get a big promotion in a few months. That would’ve probably allowed me to live a little more comfortably."
"Why not switch jobs until you find one that pays enough?"
"Hmm? If I keep switching jobs, that’ll show up on my resume. If my employer sees that I can’t hold down a job, they won’t hire me. It’s alright to switch jobs every couple of years or so, but I can’t just do it randomly. It’s too... impractical?"
She hummed. "I see. My father mentioned that one of his friends did that and nearly tripled his salary. Granted, he did have a doctorate."
"Pfft. If he had a doctorate, then he’s basically a national treasure. Of course he’s going to get a better offer. I had to quit my studies early, so I only had a bachelor’s degree. It was still enough for my field, but it definitely didn’t make life any easier."
He hadn’t expected the two of them to have much in common, especially when it came to work and money, but they did. So much so that they ended up talking for an entire hour. It was only when they subconsciously reached for their food and realized how cold it had gotten that they noticed just how much time had passed.
Neither of them were dissatisfied, though. Whatever rules they had established, they both felt like some leeway had managed to find its way into their little relationship. After that, the food went down the hatch pretty easily as the two of them decided to eat at the same time. That way, neither of them would have to ruin their habits.
Once they were done with their food, it was time to go home. But before that, they should probably deal with the tens of armored cars parked right outside the café.
"I think you should teleport us back now. There’s a whole-ass cavalry waiting outside."
"It’s fine. If they wanted to mess with us, they would’ve already done it. I believe they want to talk. Is there an important-looking woman among them?"
Arthur glanced around, spotting a woman wearing a coat adorned with a bunch of medals. Her hair was tied in a bun, and with an eyepatch over her left eye, she looked very intimidating.
"There is a woman who looks like a distinguished pirate, so I think that’s the one."
"Mm. It should be. She’s the most powerful person there. Let’s try not to pick a fight with her, because even with me around, I doubt we’d be able to escape."
Arthur nodded and stepped outside, waving for the pirate lady to come on in. Surprisingly, she followed suit, entering the café just a few seconds later. She didn’t say a word as she passed by him and sat down in his place across from Victoria.
"Hi there. You must be Victoria Vegas, our very own anomaly. I’m surprised you didn’t try to run away when we showed up. It would’ve been wise to do so."
Sensing that a catfight was about to begin, Arthur grabbed a nearby chair and dragged it over to their table, sitting down in the middle. That way, he could see both the pirate lady and Victoria duke it out. At least, that was the plan, anyway...
"You too. How are you so confidently walking around the slums when you know your life is on the line?"
"I’m just a bystander here, lady," Arthur said. "Pardon my French, too, but if you wanted to pull some legal bullshit on us, you could’ve just lifted our whole neighborhood off the ground and dumped it in the ocean. But seeing as how you didn’t, I’d put all my chips on the fact that you’re not nearly as desperate for Victoria and her Class as you make yourselves out to be."
Sure, they were desperate to a degree. But there were plenty of options they could’ve used if they wanted to capture her. Yet they let her roam around the city so freely. Moreover, they had sent some low-level agents to stop her. Who would do something like that?
That was, unless they really did want mutual cooperation.
"Haha..." The woman rested a hand against her chin. "Your words are brimming with sarcasm. I don’t quite understand how you can joke in a situation like this. Furthermore, I have come here to speak with Victoria Vegas, not you. If you may, take your leave."
"He isn’t going anywhere," Victoria spoke up. Even though she was blind, her eyes contained a fierce glint. "You have no right to talk to my husband like this. Now you either get to the point, or we will be taking our leave."