The Passive Income System

"Hey, Amane."

An hour had passed since the phone call, and we just lay helplessly on the ground. The sound of the gentle water and the cool breeze felt great.

Slowly and tiredly, I turned my head to face my partner in crime. She did the same and continued whatever it was she was going to say.

"Can I stay at your place? It's closer, right?"

"Huh?" I sat up and looked at Ruby seriously.

"W-What?" she stammered, but I didn't care about any of that. This was just too weird! I had put the strange thoughts to rest, but this was way too convenient for her to be asking that question now!

"Are you okay?"

"Yes! Sa-chan said it was alright if I stayed with you tonight. Though... she was kind of scary at the end..." Ruby's eyes darkened slightly, which made me sigh in relief.

"Phew~"

"Besides, being in the same apartment as a cute girl should make you happy!"

"You're right..." I nodded, seriously listening to my partner in crime's words. She spoke the divine truth, and I knew nothing would happen. If Sawako trusted me enough to let Ruby stay, then I couldn't let her down!

"Sure, you can sleep in my—" I paused.

I couldn't really let her stay in my room—mainly because only Sawako could. Now, if in the future the harem thing actually took off, then maybe, but for now, I had to think of something.

"I can sleep?" Ruby and I stood up, dusting ourselves off. In those meaningless seconds, I got an idea!

"You can sleep in the living room. I have a spare mattress somewhere in my place. My mom made sure of that!"

That wasn't a joke. When I picked up a little bit of the mess in my apartment, I found a closet I never used, and it had a mattress in it. Weird how shit pops up... so I left it at that. My mom probably put it there.

But thinking about it more, it was definitely there way before Mom came to visit. If it wasn't, then how did she carry it up the steps or into the elevator?

That one question alone made me realize just how much old Amane didn't give a single fuck. A true master of his craft.

Enough of that useless rambling, though. My stomach was already making demands, so I turned to Ruby.

"Wanna shop for groceries or just go out to eat?" I asked my enthusiastic partner.

"Hmm? Ah! KFC!"

"Sure! Kind of sad they don't have Popeyes here."

"Po-pe-yes?"

"It's an American place, but I do recall some countries having a location. Been a long time, though!"

Damn, nearly a month by next week! I think that's right... probably.

We walked side by side, with me closer to the road while she stayed on the far side. The cool night air made for a pleasant stroll as we joked around and enjoyed the weather. The KFC wasn't too far—about a 15-minute walk—but by the time we picked up our food and made our way back, nearly an hour had passed. The time didn't matter since I was enjoying it with a friend

Ding~

"Wow, you have a nice place!" Ruby was fascinated by everything—the nicer area, the security guard, even the elevator. Speaking of which, the two of us had just stepped inside and were now heading up to my apartment.

"How much does it cost to live here?" she asked, leaning lazily against the elevator wall, looking completely at ease.

"I don't know. My parents cover it for now."

"Eh?" Still relaxed, she looked over at me in surprise but then nodded her head like she had realized something. 

"Yeah, but I don't want them to keep wasting money on me when I can support myself. They could use it for something else, maybe something for themselves. Sure, I could've just stayed in my hometown and that would have been better, but circumstances are circumstances." I shrugged.

"Did something happen?"

"Yeah, just some bad people making me hate life. Decided that wasn't for me, so here I am today!"

"I'm gl..." 

Ding~

I heard her trying to say something but the elevator arrived at the floor with a loud ding. The elevator doors slid open, and I stepped out in a great mood completely forgetting to ask Ruby what she was saying. Food would soon be in my stomach and the thought was making me drool! 

We have enough for Mahiru. I should give her some.

My eyes drifted to the door on my left. It'd be a nice gesture. We got closer as friends the other night so one friend from the next, we should share! I can't comprise money yet though, Hahaha!~

Totally a joke but I knew Mahiru wasn't the type to waste money so I'm sure she'd only ask me if it was really a problem. 

Ding dong~

"Why are you ringing the doorbell at your own place?"

"I'm not. My friend lives here, and I wanted to see if she wants to eat with us. We ordered a lot…"

"O-Oh." Hearing my words, Ruby looked a little upset.

"Don't worry, I'll make it up to you."

"No, no, no! It's fine!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll still do it, though."

The smile returned to her face, and that was that!

Click~

The door opened, and the beautiful angel next door revealed herself. She looked exhausted, hungry, and completely out of it.

"Hey! Wanna join us for dinner?" I held up the food, and she stared at me, stunned. Then, finally, she noticed Ruby standing behind me and looked taken aback.

"I know I said I wanted to be your girlfriend, but I don't want to interrupt your alone time."

"E-EH?!"

"Pfft~ Well, this is the only time you're gonna be able to meet her for a while!"

"HUHHHHHHHHHHHH?!"

Mahiru and I turned to look at Ruby, who was making weird noises.

"Are you okay? He hasn't done anything to you, right? I know the other day was… exciting for you two."

Mahiru's face went completely red as she said it.

'Why mention it if you can't even handle it yourself?'

"I-It's 'cause I'm not his girlfriend… sjfjk—"

"What was that last part?"

She mumbled something, but neither of us could hear it.

"Nothing!"

"O-GUAH!"

Mahiru kicked me in the shin!

"W-Why did you kick me?!"

"Because you're messing with me!"

"Fine, fine, I'm sorry. Still wanna join us for dinner?"

She looked hesitant, but after a few moments, she nodded her head.

"Cool! Me and Ruby will go set up. I'll leave the door unlocked, so just come in whenever."

"Okay…" She nodded again and slowly closed the door.

I turned to Ruby and finally walked toward my door.

"Think you can reach into my left pocket and get the key?" I shifted slightly to make it easier for her.

She didn't say a word. Instead, she just slid her hand in my pocket.

"Amane, are you sure this is the right pocket?" Her hand moved further, fumbling around but still not finding the key.

Even though, I knew it was in there!

"O."

'W-What a horrible time for this to happen?!'

"T-This is rather large for a key…"

"W-W-Well, uh… it's for a different type of hole, but just a little bit deeper—it's right there—FHJT?!"

'Of course, she grabs the tip!'

I was crying tears of awkwardness and joy.

I just really wanted to eat!