Hospital Discharge Party Gone Wild
“Yah-hoo! Sorry to everyoneee!”
“Is she drunk?”
“I dunnooo.”
Rena whined back at Sakuya’s observation in a petulant voice. Before long, she slammed her head onto the table. Her groaning complaints made it clear to anyone watching that she was nursing a hangover headache. But the real wild one wasn’t slumped near the table—she was out in the middle, dancing on the stage.
“Stumbling drunk! The scenery whizzing by so faaaast!”
Iris belted out Takeshigedama no Kagerou with exaggerated staggers, as if she’d actually been drinking. The song was supposed to be mellow, with that signature bass groove echoing like a cave and a bouncy city-pop vibe. But gripping the mic and twirling her hood wildly overhead? It was pure rock ‘n’ roll chaos.
For a split second, Tae-il wondered if Iris had secretly learned some remixing tricks.
“Fading awaaaay! Farther and faaaarther!”
Now fully transformed into a wasted reveler, Iris shredded the stage with a piercing high note.
“This is really non-alcoholic, right…?”
Tae-il checked the ingredients label on the back of his cider can in a panic. Against expectations, it was indeed booze-free.
“Then what the hell did she drink to get this smashed…?”
“Hehe. Maybe she’s drunk on the vibe? Boop!”
“Ayane?”
“Yeah? What’s up? Did Ayane hear her name? Wanna sleep together again tonight? Hehe.”
“Keep risky stuff like that quiet in public…!”
She was smashed too. Tae-il hurriedly laid Ayane across his lap. She nuzzled her cheek against his thigh or buried her face in his stomach, but at least she was relatively tame. Thank goodness for small mercies.
“Haa.”
Tae-il let out a sigh. This whole discharge celebration party had started for his sake, but before he knew it, everyone had forgotten about him and was off doing their own thing. Only Ayane and Yuuya had stuck by his side from start to finish, serving as his trusty shields.
If it weren’t for those two, I’d probably be…>
Dancing on stage with Iris right now, no doubt.
The so-called “discharge celebration party” was anything but celebratory—it was a full-blown madhouse. The venue choice was the first red flag. Several spots were on the table, but they’d ended up at a club run by one of Asakura’s acquaintances. It was closed for vacation, so they’d scored it for free. As long as they cleaned up afterward, they could use the DJ equipment and every facility inside.
Everyone jumped at the chance. Tae-il had been intrigued at first, hooking up his laptop to the DJ gear and messing around. Surprisingly fun. For an electronic music devotee like him, DJing opened up a whole new frontier of possibilities.
Someday, if the chance comes… club music too.>
In Korea, it got dismissed as “just club tunes” with a weak scene, but in Japan and the global market, EDM was a powerhouse. Featured vocals layered over EDM tracks were especially appealing to Tae-il. Sure, the trend had peaked and was fading from charts now, but its power—sweeping Billboard once and still dominating Europe’s major scenes—was nothing to scoff at.
EDM’s secret weapon was its addictiveness. Repetitive and simple on the surface, but with melodies more intricate than most tracks.
If I layered in vocals like BARD did on those looping melodies…>
No full lyrics needed. Just a featured singer humming the vibe could build insane tension.
Even if nothing else, it could be a fresh challenge for Ayane, whose vocals are on the weaker side…>
Canon-wise, only Iris’s singing shone through clearly, but judging by voice actresses, Ayane was the weakest link. No solo singing career, limited genre range. Put simply: the type who sticks to safe karaoke picks to protect their image. Unlike Iris, who could sing but chose not to, Ayane straight-up couldn’t.
Still, Ayane’s voice has real uniqueness.>
A raw gem that could sparkle beautifully—it pained Tae-il not to polish it. He resolved to learn EDM basics. It’d come in handy someday. He lacked the depth to dive deep, but his biggest weapon was the vast, varied repertoire from his past life, grabbed young. Skill gaps could be bridged with technique, and more tools to supplement that technique were always better.
“Alright! Since we’re at a club, I’ll show off my secret dance move!”
“Iris dancing?”
“Yup! It’s the one Izumi did at the concert!”
“Back to BARD, huh.”
Sakuya gave a wry smile. She’d been thrilled enough about Tae-il’s injury to grab Izumi by the collar, yet here she was, still a fan.
Not that Tae-il blamed Iris for it.
“Like… this! And this!”
“Kyahaha!”
It was the kind of dance that made him want to blame her a little. If Rena, loosened up by the vibe and giggling uncontrollably, hadn’t burst out laughing, the mood would’ve soured for sure.
From head to toe, nothing about Iris’s moves felt natural. The problem? Every shoulder bounce—her exaggerated mimicry of stage Izumi—sent her chest jiggling dramatically.
“Jeeez…”
Tae-il couldn’t watch anymore and hung his head.
Iris was a succubus. No doubt—a lewd one sucking the life force right out of men.
That’s when Ayane, locking eyes with his downturned face, blushed and giggled mischievously.
“Hehe. Shin-nyun, so bold~.”
“A-Ayane?”
Mistaking his lowered head for a kiss invite, she puckered up and thrust her lips forward.
“Shin-nyun. Ayane’s lips hurt. Quick.”
“You’re drunk too, huh.”
Tae-il double-checked the can’s label. Non-alcoholic.
“There.”
He forced her eyes shut and pressed down on her protruding lips with his thumb.
“Muuu! Mmph!”
Ayane squirmed in protest. Tae-il watched her adorable struggle with a fond smile, then lifted his head at the weight on his left shoulder.
“Senpai?”
Yuuya, looking just as tipsy.
“Mmm…”
Her face flushed like any drunk’s, she rubbed her cheek against his shoulder.
Tae-il frantically scanned for the adult in charge.
“Sensei! Isn’t this a real problem?!”
“Not my fault.”
Asakura, glasses off and attitude dialed up aggressive, chugged her beer while glaring at him. Chest puffed out mobster-style, legs crossed cockily—it screamed seasoned drinker.
“You got non-alcoholic stuff, right?”
“Yup.”
All the drinks, snacks, and junk food had been bought at a convenience store en route. Only Asakura, who’d whined solo about wanting booze, grabbed beer separately.
Beer. Seeing everyone sloshed, Tae-il couldn’t help suspecting it.
“You didn’t slip them any beer, did you, Sensei?”
“Wanna die?”
Asakura crumpled an empty can in her left hand.
“I might be a flawed educator, but I don’t feed booze to innocent students, got it?!”
“A-ah, yes…”
“Ruining my buzz, jeez…”
Tae-il mentally noted: even the haughty Asakura Yukiko got weird when drunk.
But if it’s just beer making her drunk…>
Some folks handle everything but beer poorly. Tae-il had seen plenty in his past life. He was the opposite—strong genes made him a heavyweight. Fermented stuff like wine got him, though. He hated booze anyway after college idiots’ antics, so he rarely drank.
“Heh heh heh. Kiriko, wanna join? Rare day off. Relax.”
Asakura offered a beer to Kiriko, who sipped water quietly.
“No thanks.”
Kiriko, sunglasses on even in the dim club, shut it down flat.
“Appreciate the offer, but I’m still on duty…”
“Aw.”
Asakura chugged regretfully.
“You’re called a servant, but really a bodyguard, right?”
“Pretty much.”
“Tough gig. Guarding a handful like Arisugawa can’t be easy.”
“You get it…!?”
“Play along, sure. Heh.”
“Whaaa… Why am I tearing up…?”
“Heh. So, comfort shot?”
“Eh? B-booze is… a little…”
“Just one. No one gripes about driving after a single beer, right?”
“Sensei Asakura’s kinda dangerous…”
Tae-il sighed shortly. He wanted to intervene, but his lap was Ayane territory, shoulder claimed by Yuuya—no moving.
Like resisting a natural disaster.
Powerless, he got swept away.
“Ahh.”
He looked up distantly, like gazing at far mountains. On stage, Iris and Sakuya chatted mid-dance.
“That dance you did earlier? Not supposed to go like that.”
“Huh? Why’re you so good?!”
“Dance like sports—master steps gradually, and it clicks fast…”
More jiggling. Sakuya’s light outfit amplified it.
Tae-il ducked his head again. Ayane’s headbutts forced it down too.
“Ugh. Shin-nyun, stop hitting Ayane’s head…”
“Lord…”
Why this trial upon me?>
Tae-il prayed. Past life meant gods existed. Please, not the author.
“Hey, Shin!”
Seeking god brought Rena—crawling across the table, calling him Shin—right to him. Her unfocused blue eyes scanned lazily.
“Rena, you too…?”
“You!”
“Y-yes!”
“No more scaring people by getting hurt!”
“I-I’ll be careful!”
“Damn right! I was worried sick! If I lose you now, I’ll really…”
Rena sniffled. Tae-il panicked, wiping her tears hastily.
“Haha. Sorry. I’ll watch it. Promise.”
“Sniff! Yeah… Oh, and!”
“And?”
“Stay my cushion forever! That’s an order!”
“Huh…?”
“That sky-blue lady’s too heavy!”
Rena thumped her own chest.
“I’m light!”
Compared to Izumi, yeah. Same spot, easier on Rena.
“So. That’s. Whyyy!”
Thud.
“Re-Rena?”
Words unfinished, her head lolled.
“Mmph!”
Right onto Ayane’s lips.
“Mmm! Shin-nyuuun! So bold!”
“Mmph… Something touched my lips…”
“…”
Eyes shut, they say you survive a tiger’s den with wits. Lose them? Dead.
Tae-il wanted to die. Here, death was salvation. For sure.