I finished eating and got up to put away my trash and tray since I had no reason to stay any longer.
"Alright, since you've got the money and I'm done eating, I'm going to go ahead and head out," I said.
The only one who looked disappointed was Ruby, which honestly warmed my heart a bit. I could see myself being friends with her, but the others, especially Aqua?
I don't think I need to say more, right?
"We'll talk later, okay?" Ruby said excitedly, but I thought nothing of it. She didn't have any of my contact information, so it was highly unlikely that we'd ever speak again.
"Sure," I replied, waving her off without mentioning that little detail, and made my way home.
[8 PM]
I'd been there way too long. After getting out of the shower, I put my phone on the charger and headed to bed. It had been a long afternoon, and I needed to recover for tomorrow.
Falling asleep wasn't hard, and the warm shower only made it easier.
{Hours Later}
RAH~! RAH~!
"Ugh…"
'I shouldn't have set my alarm to bird sounds…'
I quickly grabbed my phone and shut off the alarm. Thankfully, I always turned the brightness down before bed, so I didn't get flashbanged.
"Message from a 0092 number?"
The number wasn't one I recognized. With how I organized my phone, if it were someone I kept in contact with, it would've been labeled.
I opened the message, and my jaw dropped.
[Hello~! This is Ruby! I just wanted to say thank you so much for helping us! Also, you're surprisingly easy to find (don't worry, I'm not a stalker… probably 😜)]
'I… You know what? I wasn't even upset or angry, just baffled at how she got my number.'
I didn't feel anything in response to her message. I appreciated it, but she had no idea how much I didn't really care. Still, since she was being so nice, I figured I could put in a little more effort. No need to be a jerk for no reason.
I texted her back, even though it was 3:42 AM. She had sent her message at 1:30 AM, so I figured an early response was fair game.
[No problem 👍]
I got up and started walking out of my room.
Ding~!
'No way she just responded that fast. I'm going to make breakfast! I'll look at her message later.'
Food was more important than that text. I had training with Saeko today, so God knows I'd need to eat well to avoid any issues later.
I grabbed the ingredients from my fridge and cabinets. I was just going to make a basic breakfast, but with my newly upgraded cooking skill, I figured it was time to see if there was actually any difference.
'Speaking of.'
"System, explain Cooking."
[Description: At Level 3, cooking demonstrates intermediate proficiency, allowing for more complex and flavorful dishes. Buffs include moderate energy boosts and small healing effects. Your meals might even impress others and improve relationships.]
So, then, if I really focus, this breakfast should be the best damn breakfast I've ever made!
Since precision and attention would impact the overall meal, I didn't need to be told twice to put extra work in. The best part was that all my skills were level 3 or above now because of Mahiru, except maybe for the Kendo skill, which I got yesterday with Saeko.
It was level 2 and almost level 3 because of her intensive training. Again, Level 3 was nothing impressive as it just served as the average of someone who practices in the craft, so I was really just average.
"Eggs go here... bacon there, and bread over here. Grea-?"
Ring~ Ring~
Who the fuck is calling me at four in the damn morning? I walked out of the kitchen and towards my annoyingly loud phone. I was pissed! I just wanted to eat, but of course, I got sidetracked or interrupted.
"Why is she up?" I questioned while answering the phone. "Hello?"
"Hey, Amane!" It was Ruby, who was somehow still as energetic as when I met her.
I took a deep breath to avoid unintentionally snapping and replied.
"What can I do for you at 4 AM?"
"I wanted to ask if you'd like to come watch us film the video today?"
"Today? Uh..."
"Is today not good?" She sounded quite disappointed for some reason. Perhaps she just feels bad that I gave her $3,000. Maybe she wants to feel like she worked for it?
"Yeah, I got training at my club today, so if it's before 6 PM, then I can't make it."
"You're in a club! What kind?"
"Kendo. Just joined yesterday, actually."
I took my phone off the charger, making my way back into the kitchen and getting everything warmed up.
'I won't be paying much attention, but I really need food.'
"K-Kendo?! That's not what I had in mind..." She mumbled under her breath, but I think she forgot that we were on the phone.
"What did you think?" I cracked open three eggs into a bowl, and using a whisk, I made them blend splendidly. Hearing the sound, she changed topics without even answering my question.
"What are you making?"
"Breakfast."
"..."
'Damn, that might have been too direct.' I cleared my thoughts and fixed my response.
"A simple breakfast. I just want to test my abilities. Eggs, bacon, toast, and all that!"
You see, for anyone wondering, eggs were a creation of heaven. Any form of eggs tasted delicious, but obviously, people had their favorites. Not me—I just love eggs! This fine morning, I would be making a generous amount of scrambled eggs—possibly six eggs' worth—for myself. Perhaps Mahiru, if she's willing to try something I've made!
"Sorry~! My brother texted me, and I zoned out."
"Here I thought I was rude..."
"No, no, I know calling someone at 4 AM is worse!"
I raised an eyebrow at her words.
"So you knew and still did it?"
"I knew you were up, though."
"I—that. Hah~ Fine, fine, you're right. Still, a warning text would have been nice."
"I did. Did you not see it?"
'No fucking way she did.' I paused on my eggs for a second, while making sure they didn't burn, and looked at my notifications. Lo and behold, there it was!
[Can I call? If you don't answer in like 10 minutes, I'mma do it anyway! 😊]
"Ruby-san." Honorifics slipped out, a part of old Amane taking over.
"Y-Yes?"
"Shouldn't it normally be, 'I'll get back to you later,' instead of 'I'mma do it anyway'?"
"Um, is that normally the case?"
"Of course it is!" I lectured her a little bit, and she finally seemed to get the point of normal courtesy. In the same instance, I finished one set of eggs, moving the pan onto a slightly warm stovetop to keep it warm. I moved onto the bacon, placing 10 pieces perfectly on a pan.
'Alright, and at this temp... 12 minutes? Fine then, I guess.'
"Hey, Amane!" I put the phone on speaker and listened while getting my breakfast finished up.
"What's up?"
"I'm sorry. Normally, people just always answer, you know?" She really sounded sad. I didn't feel bad, as I meant everything I said in that lecture, but I revealed a truth that most people know in this world!
"Ruby, you know that pretty people have better privileges, no?" I put the bread in the toaster but didn't put it down. I usually let it sit until the bacon got closer to being done, and then...
'Ah shit! I only have strawberry jelly! Disgusting... Butter it is, then!'
"Y-you really think so?"
"Ruby, it's not a matter of opinion so much as it is fact."
The phone call went silent, causing me to look over, and yes, the call was still ongoing. She just wasn't speaking.
'Seriously? Has she not heard that enough? Whatever, my breakfast is more important.'