A First Kiss Tastes of Wine
Something I had only recently learned was just how incredibly spacious inn taverns could be.
Back in my hometown, we had inns too, so I knew there were all kinds of them, but I never imagined one would have such a massive restaurant taking up the entire first floor.
Since alcohol was banned in the Adventurer's Guild and regular bars charged a fortune for food, these places naturally became gathering hubs where people could drink comfortably at reasonable prices.
But we weren't here today just to grab a simple bite to eat.
"Ta-da! This is Zurhel's most famous restaurant! And bar! And, despite the neighborhood, a sweet dating spot for lovers!"
"...And your reason for bringing me to a place famous for that is?"
Honestly, the fact that a famous 'date spot' was an inn rather than an actual restaurant was a bit weird... actually, no, it made perfect sense.
It was basically a literal interpretation of telling couples making out in public to 'get a room.' They just provided the room right then and there.
"Couples only come here because the food is amazing, not because it's exclusively for them! And while it's technically a bar, they mostly specialize in wine."
Sure, sure. Whatever you say.
"Though, turning a non-wine bar into a famous date spot for couples does sound like a decent way to make money. I can already picture what that would look like, though."
"Come to think of it, you hesitated earlier when I asked if you drank. Why was that?"
"Well, I can't really handle my alcohol. I like wine because the scent and taste aren't too strong, and it pairs well with so many dishes. Unfortunately, I'm weak even to wine, so I get drunk pretty quickly."
She hesitated over something that trivial?
"But this is the first famous restaurant I've visited since I started traveling, and I was lucky enough to go with you, eonni! I guess I just got excited and wanted to show off a bit... hehe..."
Seeing her so incredibly excited and adorable, I couldn't help but feel my own mood lift a little.
Personally, I preferred harder liquor over wine, but I wasn't particularly fond of drinking nor was I a heavyweight, so I rarely went out of my way to drink. Still, on a day like today, it didn't hurt.
"..."
Since she said they specialized in wine, I had expected a somewhat classy atmosphere. But this went far beyond a simple 'date spot'—the vibe here was downright erotic.
"..."
Looking at Meria, who had frozen solid beside me, it seemed she hadn't expected this kind of atmosphere either.
I recalled earlier, while we were resting in our room, when Meria had proudly pulled out her thick food guide book for us to look through.
When we looked at the descriptions for other restaurants, they detailed the interiors, the dishes, and the local delicacies. But this place hadn't really had much written about it.
Even if it was a date spot, a famous restaurant was still a famous restaurant.
If a family came here without knowing, the atmosphere would have been incredibly awkward.
"Well, we're already here, and it's supposed to be a famous place. I doubt it got that reputation solely because of the mood. Let's go in."
"Huh? Oh, yes!"
The proof that this place was explicitly designed for couples was that every single table was set inside a private room.
There wasn't a single open table on the first floor; it was entirely made up of private rooms.
The moment we entered, we were greeted by a long hallway lined with closed doors on both sides.
They were practically begging couples to come in and do whatever they wanted.
There were literal inn rooms right upstairs, did they really need to go this far?
What, were they supposed to get wasted, make out, and have sex right here in the dining room?
"The atmosphere is a bit... suggestive, but the food looks genuine. The prices, though, are also... I'm sorry. I expected it to be expensive, but not quite this..."
"Don't worry about it. I expected it to be pricey too. Besides, when else would we get a chance to visit a place like this?"
At my simple reassurance, Meria's face instantly brightened, and she began staring intently at the menu with excitement.
The room was dimly lit by a single small light on the ceiling, casting a moody glow. The walls were a clean, dark brown wood, practically screaming this place is expensive just through the decor alone.
"Then let's start with just one bottle of wine. I heard they're more famous for their noodles and bread than their meat. But we can't leave out meat! This grilled Kakurakos belly dish, served with all kinds of vegetables and glazed with honey—it's incredibly unique and delicious. And for the noodles... what was it again? Some kind of fish. Anyway, they make a noodle dish using a broth brewed from that fish, and it's supposed to be amazing. Oh, I tried it once a long time ago, and it was absolutely mind-blowing! It ruined all other noodle dishes for me..."
At first, she had been walking on eggshells, looking at me tentatively—perhaps feeling guilty about the prices or embarrassed by the atmosphere. But soon, her excitement took over, and she was chattering so loudly I worried the adjacent rooms might hear her.
I couldn't understand half of what she was saying... but I figured it all boiled down to 'everything is delicious.'
Shrugging it off, I browsed the menu casually, figuring that letting Meria handle the recommendations would save me the headache of choosing and guarantee a good meal.
"If the low-alcohol wine isn't to your liking and you want something stronger, just let me know."
"No, low-alcohol is perfect. I'm not much of a drinker myself."
"To be honest, I've actually gotten drunk on wine before. Ah, but it's not like I completely lose my mind or anything! I just get super hyper, so you don't need to worry."
If her energy levels go any higher than this, I have every reason to worry.
There were only two or three items per page on a menu that was barely four pages long, yet Meria flipped through it with sheer delight for ages before finally calling the server.
I'm starving...
To make matters worse, she kept the server there for a solid five minutes, asking 'how is this?' and 'what's the difference between that and this?' until I felt embarrassed on her behalf.
We had customers who held up our servers with endless questions back at our restaurant too, but most of them were just creeps trying to flirt with my sister rather than actually wanting to know about the food.
"I'm sorry. It's my first time at a place like this, so I had a hard time deciding."
"Don't worry about it. It's my first time too, so I was just staring blankly, having no idea what to choose."
Truth be told, if it weren't for Meria, I probably would have gone my entire life without ever stepping foot in a place like this.
It wasn't a matter of money; it just felt like a massive rip-off, so it had never appealed to me.
As we chatted about random things, the food arrived much faster than expected, filling the table.
"The scent and taste aren't overpowering, so it's really easy to drink. But if I keep mindlessly sipping it because it's so tasty, I'll get drunk in no time."
I can definitely taste the alcohol, but if it's this light, wouldn't it be better to just drink grape juice?
I kept that thought to myself.
"The subtle buzz is actually quite nice."
I wasn't sure if the meat dish was just naturally delicious or if the chef here was exceptionally skilled, but experiencing such a delectable sweetness from meat without any sauce was a novel experience.
I had eaten meat that tasted sweet because of the sauce, but for the meat itself to possess such sweetness...
Meria seemed to find it fascinating as well. Even as she chewed, her eyes were already darting around, trying to decide what to eat next.
The only worrying part was that she loved the food so much she was happily chugging the wine along with it.
She wasn't gulping it down like beer, but still... it made me uneasy.
"Hiccup."
Well, look at that.
"Ahaha... I guess I ate too fast. How embarrassing, getting the hic—hic."
I could guarantee it wasn't from eating too fast. Meria's face was completely flushed.
"Sigh..."
"You're not having a hard time, are you?"
"No! I just sighed to try and shake off the buzz. Don't worry, I am absolutely not drunk."
After that first hiccup, Meria's eating speed slowed down noticeably, but her pace of drinking wine didn't slow down in the slightest.
This was getting dangerous.
"..."
Sure enough, my fears became reality. Meria's eating slowed to a crawl before stopping entirely.
"Meria?"
"Ah, yes? Hehe."
I was feeling a bit tipsy myself, but did she really get this drunk after sharing just one bottle of wine?
"I'm so glad the first friend I made on my journey was you, eonni~ Everyone else I met either didn't travel for long, or only went to dangerous places..."
Dealing with drunks was my sister's specialty, not mine. The only things I knew how to do with drunks or troublemakers were argue and fight.
"It's hard to explain the details, but... it was always difficult for me to make friends. So..."
Meria trailed off with a goofy grin, then stood up, mumbling about needing to use the restroom. She immediately stumbled, and I caught her before she could hit the floor.
"Hehe, thank you."
Was the only reason her silly, giggling face looked so adorable to me because I was drunk too?
Her half-lidded eyes, her flushed cheeks, her petite stature, her cute features.
What if it wasn't that I lacked interest in romance, but simply that I had never met anyone who was my type until now?
"Eonni..."
Meria wrapped her arms around me, her fingers nervously twitching against my back. The sudden proximity and the heavy atmosphere made my brain short-circuit. I couldn't push her away, nor could I bring myself to do anything else.
"Gasp..."
Meria's lips slowly drew closer, but I didn't pull back. I just stood there, frozen.
To be clear, it wasn't just because my brain had short-circuited that I remained still.
It was simply that I felt... if it was Meria, it would be okay. I felt that even if we went further, I wouldn't dislike it. And so, I allowed what came next.