Soju with Pork
Batori and Saran... I started thinking they had more in common than I realized.
Both of them were homebodies, and they both had fewer people in their lives. There were also personality traits like that...
When I thought about it, this was the very first time I'd ever had dinner with Batori.
"Th-that's right..."
"And I only just learned today that your favorite food is meat."
"Hehe... hehe..."
Batori's taste in food was meat, of course.
I had heard she absolutely adored meat of every kind—pork, beef, chicken, duck, and so on—so it was only natural that Saran and I were connected through that.
After all, Saran loved meat more than anything.
Of course, Saran had a little bit of a gluttonous streak, but that was fine.
That was why the place we had come to for dinner was none other than a Korean barbecue restaurant.
It was... well, it was a place that felt more suited to three men than three women, but I figured it would satisfy both their tastes perfectly.
We had come to an all-you-can-eat pork place.
One person was fifteen thousand won for unlimited refills. Even just considering Saran's appetite, I thought we would definitely get our money's worth.
"Hehe..."
"Hmm."
Saran and Batori stared at the heated grill, which was growing hotter and hotter.
On the side, an enormous variety of pork cuts had already been prepared. Probably all of them were for us, and the portion I would eat... it would only be a small part of that.
After all, I wasn't the type to go to a meat restaurant and just eat meat anyway...
"Hehe..."
"Hmm."
They would handle it themselves.
Honestly, right now it wasn't just the flavor of the food that mattered to me.
If this dinner together turned into more private time...
For Saran, it would be good to have even one more person to talk about work with, no matter who it was.
For Batori, it would be good if she could learn to be a little less afraid of people.
It was a little disappointing that these situations only ever happened because I was there, but that was just how things started. Nothing could be perfect from the beginning.
I was only acting as a sort of bridge to help the two of them get closer.
"The grill is ready."
"Should we start grilling?"
"Yeah, put the meat on."
"Neep~"
Saran, whose senses of heat could detect temperature, kept watching the grill until the signal came. Then she started putting the meat on.
Using her heat-sensing ability on the grill felt strange, but...
-Chiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiick...!!!
"Ooh."
The delicious sizzle that came with the meat hitting the hot surface made that thought disappear.
It was a little awkward since I had grabbed the tongs, but the meat would be delicious even if I overcooked it a bit.
Once it was properly done, we could cut it with scissors, and then they could eat it however they wanted.
"Everyone, please enjoy your meal!"
"You two enjoy yourselves too."
"I will enjoy mine as well."
I had worked the whole day, after all. I was a little tired.
I would fill my stomach first, then start a light conversation to help the two of them bond.
-Chiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiick....
"Huhuhu..."
It looks delicious.
.
.
.
"Want a drink?"
"I'm close to home, so I'm fine. What about you two? Saran, you drive, so... a driver? Batori, a taxi?"
The conversation had been heading in that direction while we ate, but the words came from Saran.
Alcohol.
Pork without soju just wasn't right.
Even if it wasn't a company dinner, when you were hard at work grilling samgyeopsal, soju was the only drink that made sense.
That was just common sense, and the rule.
Since the place was right in front of the Hero Association, I could walk home easily. But the other two might not be able to.
"I walked here today."
"Me too..."
"...Can you both drink and go home?"
"Yeah."
"Of course!"
"...Then... how about we order two bottles first? I don't know how much you two usually drink."
Three people clearing two bottles was no problem at all.
Just thinking about the time Saran and I drank lightly together...
Two bottles would be enough for Saran and me to finish even if we were alone. With Batori, there would be no issue.
And...
"Well, if you get too drunk, I can just bring you home."
"...Really?"
"R-really?"
"Yes. The distance is only a little over five minutes anyway."
Of course, since I was so weak, carrying them home might not be easy. But at least I wouldn't just leave them on the street.
After ordering the two bottles of soju, we went back to eating.
The main topic was heroes and the Association.
Basically, all three of us were connected to the Hero Association. The two women were active heroes, and I was staff.
It was only natural that we would talk about that.
"But Saran, I've been curious. If your hero rank was ever listed somewhere, how do you think it would be?"
During the flow of conversation, I asked the question that had been on my mind.
Rank. Among heroes, it was like a measure, but there was also a little exaggeration based on looks or fame.
There was no more objective standard than that. And since the Association's personnel department decided it every time, it was the only way to ask.
Especially for Saran, since she had special reasons for not being listed.
"B-Class."
"B-Class is really high, isn't it? There's only about fifteen A-Class... and B-Class is under a hundred."
The ranking system was pyramid-shaped.
There were S-Class at the top, but they were so rarely active that we ignored them.
A-Class, B-Class, C-Class, D-Class, E-Class.
The difference between each grade was basically four times.
Thinking about that... B-Class really was a high level. But since she was basically a secret agent...
"Wow, waaaah..."
"So amazing..."
"Y-yes..."
Even Batori, who had been quietly eating meat beside me, was stunned by Saran's answer.
She was right to be.
I had vaguely guessed Saran was strong, but I hadn't known exactly how strong.
But hearing her say B-Class, I started to feel it.
"If Saran had debuted as a normal hero, she probably would have been super popular."
The thought came to me naturally.
"Why?"
"Because you're so strong, and you're so cool and pretty."
"...Really?"
"Yes, from the first moment I saw you, I thought you were incredibly pretty."
"...Really."
Saran answered bluntly with my words and downed her drink in one go.
Was it not to her liking?
But if Saran had really been an ordinary hero, wouldn't her name have come up in the community every day?
After all, she was the type of person who had a unique taste for stepping on cool, capable seniors.
Just like the Nine-Tailed Fox A-Class.
Saran must be the same.
"...Assistant! How was I? M-my first impression..."
"Batori was adorable. The moment you walked into the cafe, I startled. It was fun."
"U-um... is that so?"
Batori, who had grown taller and looked prettier, was still incredibly cute when she was small.
I just answered like that.
More conversations flowed back and forth.
We were drinking and enjoying the delicious meat, so there was no chance for silence.
And because Saran and Batori kept talking to me first, asking me questions again and again, I just kept answering.
"Eh... eeeee...!"
"Ah..."
And the result of all that...
Batori got drunk.
At some point, she had been quietly sipping, and now she was head-butting the table with her horns like she was wrestling the table.
"...I'm not drunk."
"Haha..."
"I'm not drunk."
Saran...
At some point, she started saying she wasn't drunk, and just kept repeating it.
There were a total of... five bottles on the table.
One I had drunk, and the other two belonged to Batori and Saran.
Of course, I had stopped when I thought I had drunk enough. But because both of them kept drinking...
The two who were drunk...
First, we paid the bill, and then...
"Um, Saran? You're not drunk, right?"
"I'm not drunk."
"...Then can you help carry Batori? I mean, carry Batori with you?"
"Eh... eeeeee...!"
"Got it."
...She was the most normal one.
I asked for help from Saran, who wasn't completely drunk and wasn't smashing her head into the table like Batori.
She was a little hazy-eyed and dazed, but at least she didn't seem completely gone like Batori.
She was steady enough to hold me up, and she nodded and answered my words. It was really fortunate.
So... somehow, I managed to bring Batori to my house with me.
During the walk, Batori head-butted a street pole a few times, but to calm her down, Saran extracted a little poison from her fangs and rubbed it on Batori's skin. The dosage went wrong...!
"Huu..."
"She's drunk."
"U-uu... ee... "
"I guess so."
I had successfully brought Saran and Batori to my house.
I had done it.
"Haa..."
...Because I had failed to adjust the paralytic poison to calm Batori, she was still on the floor making strange sounds. Saran kept insisting she wasn't drunk, but...
Still, it was home now.
I just needed to lay them both on the bed and let them sleep.
I was worried the bed was too small, but Saran and I were both tiny.
I pushed Saran to one side, put myself in the middle, and Batori on the other. Somehow, it should work.
For now... for now...
"...I should brush my teeth and rest for a bit..."
I only wanted three minutes of rest.
Really, please.
I had already finished my shift, and today wasn't even a company dinner.
Why was I this tired...?
Thinking about having to go to work tomorrow, I started to feel a little, very little, sad.