Chapter 117: Drink in Moderation
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 117: Drink in Moderation
At first, I only planned on having one can.
But as I drank, one can magically turned into two, and two into three.
In my old body, this much alcohol wouldn't have even registered, but since it was my first time drinking in this one, I felt a pleasant buzz.
Meanwhile, Li Meiling, who was downing her beer at a speed incomparable to mine, was already on her fifth can.
Considering it had only been about thirty minutes since we started eating, she was drinking at an astonishingly fast pace.
"Aren't you overdoing it?"
When I asked in a worried tone, Li Meiling tilted her head.
"I'm not drunk."
"Your face is pretty red for someone who's not drunk."
"It's true! Watch this!"
With that, Li Meiling shot up from her seat and spun around in a circle.
It was a precarious move, with the dinner table right in front of her.
"See?"
"I get it, so just sit down!"
I hurriedly sat her back down before she could cause an accident.
Li Meiling grinned and settled back into her seat.
The impression she'd given me until now was somewhat stiff, but it seemed the alcohol had helped her relax.
After taking another sip of beer, she picked up a slice of sashimi with her chopsticks, dipped it in soy sauce, and asked me a question.
"By the way, do you have a girlfriend?"
"Huh? Me?"
"Yeah."
It was a bit of a random question for the situation, but I answered honestly.
"No, I don't."
A junior had confessed to me not too long ago, but I politely turned her down, so that doesn't count.
"Why not?"
"What do you mean, why not…?"
Honestly, I didn't really have an answer.
I was busy with my studies and training, so I never felt a particular need to get a girlfriend.
Of course, I wasn't against the idea if the right person came along.
"Hmm…"
Having hit a sore spot, she hummed thoughtfully, looking me up and down. Then, she suddenly placed a hand on her chest and said:
"What about an older woman?"
"Huh? An older woman?"
The unexpected term made me blink.
"Well, I'm five years older than you. It's not a weird way to refer to me, is it?"
"I… guess not."
Ever since I'd overdone my training and become a muscle-bound macho man, I hadn't called anyone 'nuna' [older sister], so the feeling was quite novel.
"Want to try calling me that?"
"Uh… Meiling-nuna?"
As I mumbled awkwardly, she rested her chin on the table and smiled brightly.
"Being called 'nuna'… it's not as bad as I thought."
I was momentarily captivated by her dazzling smile, but I didn't let it show and just stuffed some food into my mouth.
"So, are you going to answer my question from before?"
I swallowed the food in my mouth and replied.
"Weren't you just joking anyway?"
"About half?"
"So the other half was serious."
I held my chopsticks in my mouth and gave it some serious thought.
A college student girlfriend who's five years older…
Setting aside her nationality for a moment, it would almost certainly have to be a long-distance relationship.
She was in Japan on a tourist visa, after all.
Furthermore, as a world-famous, top-tier female fighter, she must have countless people asking her out.
It would probably be like Minato's case—a normal relationship would be impossible.
I nodded and said, "Yeah, I don't think it would work."
"Oh? That's a shame."
Meiling said this with an expression that didn't look the least bit disappointed, then drained the rest of her beer can.
As a slightly awkward silence fell, I asked her something I'd been curious about.
"By the way, what's your master like, Meiling?"
I'd heard before that he was one of the seven fighters known as the 'Legendary Seven Fist Masters.'
But the only one of the Seven Fist Masters I knew was Sasha's father, Ivan, and my impression of him wasn't exactly positive.
How could I like someone who tried to kill me just because I wouldn't become his disciple on our first meeting?
Anyway, upon hearing my question, Li Meiling opened a new can of beer and spoke.
"He was one of the fighters from the 'Golden Generation' at the first GOF tournament, held eighteen years ago. That first GOF, held to determine the strongest in the world, was on a completely different level. If I had participated back then, I probably wouldn't have even made it to the quarterfinals."
"Was it that incredible?"
"Most of them are retired now, but the tournament was packed with figures who could easily be called the grandmasters of their respective fields."
Honestly, just hearing about it, I couldn't quite picture it.
Seriously, why the hell do people like that even exist in a rom-com world?
It was getting to the point where I was curious about what the original story was even about, but I set that question aside for now and asked her, "Have you ever met any of the other Seven Fist Masters?"
Li Meiling shook her head.
"Basically, the Seven Fist Masters are people who rarely engage in public activities. In all my time competing on the world stage, I've only met one other direct disciple of a Fist Master. That was Michael, the runner-up in this year's GOF."
"Michael?"
"He's an American who uses Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. A typical grappler."
I made a mental note of the information she gave me.
It might come in handy someday.
As we chatted and enjoyed our meal with drinks, it was soon past 10 PM.
I felt like I could eat more, but we decided to clear the table before it got any later.
We didn't want to be a nuisance to the inn staff.
After calling an employee to clear the table, I opened the bedroom door to go to sleep.
"……."
As if it were planned, two futons were laid out side-by-side in the room.
Meiling, standing next to me, commented, "Looks like the inn staff misunderstood."
I quickly pulled the futons apart, one to the left and one to the right.
"I wouldn't have minded sleeping close together, you know?"
"That's not something a young lady should say."
I chided her gently before lying down on my futon.
Maybe because I'm taller than most people, my feet stuck out from under the covers.
But it was summer, so it wasn't cold, and I decided to just deal with it.
Seeing me lie down, Meiling lay down on the futon next to mine.
"You're not going for another dip in the hot spring?"
Meiling answered, her voice tinged with a slight laugh.
"I told you the day before yesterday. I don't really like staying in hot water for too long."
Right, she had said that.
"Well, it's not like today is our only chance. I can just go tomorrow morning."
If that's what she wanted, I had nothing more to say.
When the alcohol was making me tipsy, I'd wanted to sleep right away, but now that I was actually lying down, I couldn't fall asleep.
In fact, my mind was crystal clear, as if I'd taken a stimulant.
I had been trying my best not to think about it, but now that we were in this situation, it finally hit me.
I was about to sleep in the same room, alone with a woman.
Of course I was nervous.
The lights were off, and as I lay in the dark room staring blankly at the ceiling, Meiling asked, "Are you asleep?"
"…No."
"If I said anything stupid while I was drinking, don't worry about it. I was just in a good mood and spouting nonsense."
She fell silent for a moment after saying that.
"You came all the way to Mount Fuji today because you were being considerate of me, right?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"You don't have to pretend you don't know. If your only goal was training, there are plenty of quieter places than a tourist spot like this."
She took a breath before continuing.
"But thanks to you, I had a really fun day. It's my first time in Japan, and I think it's going to be a very good memory."
I knew she was under a huge misunderstanding, but the atmosphere was so warm that I couldn't bring myself to deny it.
So, I kept my mouth shut and decided to act as if that had been my intention all along.
"I'm glad you had fun."
"Yeah. Let's come again if we get the chance."
After that, she said nothing more.
Judging by the sound of her even breathing, she had probably fallen asleep, thanks to the alcohol.
I glanced over at her once before gently closing my eyes.
*
Chirp! Chirp!
"……."
I opened my eyes to the faint sound of sparrows.
An unfamiliar ceiling.
And an unfamiliar-feeling futon.
Blinking my heavy eyes to adjust to the light, I belatedly remembered that I had slept at the inn last night.
Normally, I would have been out for a run at dawn, but it seemed I had overslept because of the drinks from the night before.
I didn't want to leave the warmth of the futon, which had been heated by my body temperature, so I wrapped myself up in it and turned slightly to my side.
And I was shocked.
"Gasp!"
"Mmmh…"
Because right in front of my nose was Meiling, practically half-naked, as if the belt of her yukata had come undone in her sleep.
I immediately shut my eyes, intending to feign sleep, but as befitting an active fighter, Li Meiling must have sensed my movement. She stirred and rubbed her eyes.
Her eyes met mine as I was frozen with a stiff expression. Still half-asleep, she smiled softly and asked if I'd slept well. But then, she seemed to realize her rather revealing state of dress. Her gaze flickered down, then back up to me. Looking at me, she said playfully,
"Pervert♡"