The Drinking Party (2)
Risa lifted her glass with an impossibly excited grin and shouted a toast. I already knew her personality had a few screws loose, but I never imagined it was this bad.
Having finally run out of patience, I gave her a solid knuckle to the crown of her head.
“Ack! Why did you hit me!”
“Considering the toast you just made, Miss Risa, I believe you actually deserve to be hit more. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“Huh? But it was such a good one! Wishing for success! Wishing for progress! Se—”
“Right! Everyone, let’s make a toast!”
I cut Risa off mid-sentence and swiftly raised my own glass. As if they’d been waiting for the cue, the entire group clinked their cups and drank deeply.
“It really was a good line, though…”
Of course, unlike everyone else, Risa drank with her lips poked out in a pout. I understood the meaning, but did she really have to say it out loud?
I drank while inwardly shaking my head at the absurdity. The bitter taste of society slid down my throat. Then I immediately popped one of the snacks in front of me into my mouth.
‘Wow, fuck. This is heaven!’
After drinking nothing but water every day, alcohol made the whole world look different. It felt like I’d stepped straight out of hell and into paradise. I could honestly say that since the moment I possessed this body, I had never been this happy.
— Disciple. Disciple. Hurry and let me into the Bow of the Beginning. —
Miroel, who had been watching the whole situation from the side, began begging for a drink. Her eyes were literally sparkling with how badly she wanted it.
‘If I don’t give her any, there’s going to be a huge problem.’
Thinking that, I quietly picked up a bottle of liquor. I then brought both the bottle and a few snacks over to the Bow of the Beginning.
— Woong. —
The food and drink were instantly absorbed into the bow.
Fortunately, no one noticed because they were all busy talking among themselves. Who would pay attention to someone simply offering food to a bracelet anyway?
“The world really has advanced. This liquor is incredibly delicious.”
Miroel was just as excited as the rest of us as she drank. Hmm. One bottle should be enough for her. She wouldn’t be foolish enough to chug it all at once.
We kept chatting and drinking together like that for a while.
Then, a short while later—
“Everyone!”
Once the mood had properly warmed up, Risa started stirring things up again. I wondered what ominous thing she was about to say this time and felt a flicker of anxiety.
“How about we all play a game of Truth?”
The words that came out of her mouth were completely unexpected. We weren’t children—what was this about a truth game? I naturally assumed everyone would refuse.
But then—
“Hmm. Not a bad idea.”
“I agree.”
“Truth game… sounds fun.”
“Besides, when else would we get to do something like this?”
Contrary to my expectations, the female members of the group—including the Saintess—reacted positively. And they kept glancing at me while they spoke.
What the hell? Is this a hidden camera prank?
While Baran was panicking at the sudden declaration of a truth game, Risa was inwardly pumping her fist.
‘Hehe. Just as I expected!’
She had already spoken with the rest of the group—excluding the Saintess—beforehand. She had suggested that this was the perfect chance to hear Baran’s true feelings. Everyone had agreed.
Perhaps because Baran was blind, he seemed strangely dense about certain things. Their original plan had been to get him drunk. People usually spilled their secrets when they were intoxicated, after all.
But—
‘Just how strong is his alcohol tolerance?!’
Contrary to their hopes, he remained completely sober. In fact, the rest of the group was getting drunk faster than he was. With no other choice, they moved on to their second plan.
That plan was the truth game. If they played this, they would definitely get to hear what Baran really thought.
“You want to play Truth?”
“Yes!”
Risa nodded enthusiastically at my question. Then Aria asked,
“Are there any specific rules?”
“It’s simple! We draw lots, and the person with the highest number gets to ask a question to the person with the lowest number!”
“And if someone can’t answer?”
“Then they obviously have to drink! Using the liquor in this big cup, of course!”
Risa pointed at an enormous cup and flashed a mischievous smile. After hearing her suggestion, the rest of the group eventually agreed. It seemed they had grown tired of simply drinking without any entertainment.
‘This isn’t a drinking game, it’s practically an interrogation…’
While I was inwardly dumbfounded, Risa pulled out the lots. Her preparation was truly impeccable.
“Then everyone, draw!”
The moment she spoke, everyone reached out. I did the same. The next instant, Sherry showed her slip with an ecstatic expression.
“I’m first! Who’s last?!”
She shouted while looking straight at me. Unfortunately, the person who drew last place was Luden.
“It’s me…”
“Ah…”
Sherry’s face fell at Luden’s answer. She shook her head with a disappointed sigh.
‘Hoo. It’s fine. I still have another chance.’
Baran was bound to draw last place at least once. There was no need to be so disappointed yet.
“Miss Sherry, please ask Lord Luden your question quickly!”
“Oh, right. Of course. Do you like any of the boys here?”
Luden jumped at Sherry’s straightforward question. She had been subtly showing interest in me, but being asked so directly made her face burn with embarrassment.
‘W-what should I do?’
If she answered yes right now, things would definitely become awkward afterward. With no other choice, Luden chose a different path instead of answering.
She grabbed the cup and poured the liquor straight down her throat. The amount was so large that even after swallowing continuously, the cup still looked full.
Gulp. Gulp.
After drinking for what felt like forever, the cup finally emptied. At the same time—
“Ugh…”
Her vision began to blur slightly. Everyone stared at her in shock. No one had expected her to down the entire penalty cup in one go.
“Wow, Miss Luden, that was impressive. You really finished it in one shot.”
“Well, it is a penalty… Anyway, let’s continue quickly.”
Luden stared intently at the lots as she spoke. Her eyes clearly said she was determined to make me draw last place this time.
We drew again. But the result was different from what she hoped.
“First place is Lord Luden, and last place is Miss Lillia!”
The one who drew last was none other than Lillia. Luden clicked her tongue openly and turned her gaze toward her.
‘Good. This actually worked out perfectly.’
There was one thing Luden had been wanting to ask Lillia. During the field observation period, exactly what had happened between her and Baran? She had heard bits and pieces but never the full story.
So Luden asked without hesitation.
“What happened between you and Baran during the observation period?”
“Hmm~ I didn’t expect you to check me like this.”
At those words, everyone’s eyes—except the Saintess’s—turned toward Lillia. In truth, they had all been curious. After that day, Lillia and Baran had become unusually close.
“You’re asking how we became close rather than what incident occurred, right?”
“Yes.”
“It’s simple. Baran saved me, so I gave him a kiss as thanks.”
““?!””
The entire group jumped in shock. No one had imagined there had been such an intimate act between the two of them.
“R-really?!”
“No way!”
“Ah…”
Aria, Luden, and Sherry stared at Lillia with burning eyes. Lillia simply gave them a cheeky smile in return, as if asking whether any of them had gone that far with Baran.
In an instant, sparks flew between the female members of the group. I let out a small sigh as I watched them.
“Haa. Miss Lillia, didn’t you kiss me on the cheek? Please don’t say things that could cause misunderstandings.”
“A kiss on the cheek is still a kiss, isn’t it~?”
The women let out sighs of relief at my words. Still, the fact that she had kissed my cheek meant she had clearly taken the lead!
“Uh, umm…”
Risa scratched her cheek as she watched the girls. She hadn’t expected their newly formed alliance to crumble so quickly.
‘Well, if Baran draws last place just once, everything will work out.’
With that thought, Risa decided to simply sit back and watch without taking any responsibility. She had no idea that I had been deliberately avoiding last place using Mind’s Eye the entire time.
About an hour passed like that.
The women kept checking each other while playing the truth game. In the end, none of them managed to stay completely sober. Except for one person.
‘Hoo. It looks like I’m the only one left.’
Aria glanced around. Everyone except me had passed out. Normally she should have been among them, but she had secretly used holy power to dispel the alcohol’s effects. As a result, only she and I remained.
“You really are strong with alcohol, Baran.”
“Ah, I’m not exactly weak.”
“Hmm. Still, I didn’t expect you to stay this sober.”
“Hahaha. It’s because I drank less than the others.”
Despite saying that, there were an enormous number of empty bottles around me. It was obvious I had drunk quite a lot.
‘It’s surprising that he isn’t drunk, but…’
It didn’t matter. Baran was still somewhat tipsy. Aria staggered over to my side, pretending to be drunk.
I stood up with a worried voice.
“Are you alright?”
“Ah, yes. I think I drank too much. The room is spinning.”
“Well, after drinking that much, it’s only natural.”
“Yes, huh—?”
She staggered and naturally fell toward me. As she put her weight into the fall—
Thud!
The two of us ended up falling together. In that instant, I was completely shocked by the current situation.
‘Wait, what is this?’
Aria’s rear had landed directly on top of my ‘that place’ and was pressing down on it with considerable force!
Surely this wasn’t intentional… right?