An Unexpected Second Round
The chaotic drinking session finally wrapped up around eleven at night. By the atmosphere, it could have easily stretched another two or three hours, but Ayla was already far too drunk, and Lorraine herself could feel the alcohol starting to hit her properly. At the very least, she needed to stay somewhat sober.
"Today was fun. If you have any more questions later, feel free to ask."
"Yes, Professor. I'll contact you next time."
Freesia, who had been matching drinks with Cael at their own little table, glanced over at Lucia exchanging contacts with Cedric in a warm, friendly mood. She turned to Lorraine with a clear "explain this" look on her face.
"Even I don't get it, so could you stop staring at me like that?"
"Wow! I think this is the first time I've ever seen Lucy act like that."
It was exactly how Lorraine had felt about two hours earlier. She'd had no idea Lucia could talk so smoothly outside of lectures or when she was with her friends.
A little while later, the driverless taxi arrived. They sent Elliot and Alain off first, then Cedric and Lucia left separately. Finally, Lorraine shoved the completely sloshed Ayla into the cab.
"She looks pretty bad, so we should head out first. Mind handling the rest?"
Freesia, whose eyes had somehow become perfectly clear again as if the alcohol had never touched her, waved her hand in a reassuring gesture.
"Don't worry. I'll get her a room nearby and make sure she sleeps it off."
"Thanks. Take care of yourself too."
"Yeah. It's the rear this time, so don't stress too much."
At Freesia's confident tone, Lorraine laughed and waved back, thinking she really was something else.
"Alright. See you next year, then."
Watching Freesia wave from afar, Lorraine slyly reached over and tapped Ayla's head.
"You told me to do this. Are you sure this was the right move?"
Ayla, who had been pretending to be drunk, suddenly sat up straight, stretched lightly, and shrugged.
"Who knows?"
What the hell did that mean? Wasn't she the one who said that if they left the two of them alone, things would naturally turn romantic?
"Romance virgin. From here on, we're in territory where theory doesn't apply. How aggressive is this kid Cael? How much interest does Lizzie actually have in him? There are so many variables. And even if none of that mattered, if they end up having a drink together, they'll at least talk about something, right?"
For now, this much should be enough to help Lizzie relieve some stress. After adding that, Ayla gave a sly smile and made a lewd hand gesture.
"Who knows? Maybe the wound a man gave her can only be healed by a man... Aaaagh!!! My head!! My head!!! My hair!!!!"
Freesia crouched down to meet Cael's eye level as he sat resting on the bench and placed her hand on his forehead.
"Are you okay? You're not feeling sick anywhere, right? Can you take a taxi?"
Cael nodded, his face flushed from the alcohol, and stood up.
"I'm fine. I handle liquor pretty well."
Sure enough, Cael's steps were steadier than expected. When she thought about how Ayla—who hadn't even drunk half as much as him—had been completely out of it, barely able to open her eyes until the taxi left, it didn't seem like empty boasting. Still, he'd looked pretty drunk earlier. Had she imagined it?
"Are you alright, Noona? You drank quite a lot back there."
Freesia laughed as if the question was ridiculous. Beastmen had incredibly strong bodies with powerful resistance to all kinds of toxins, and Freesia, who carried half that blood, was no exception. While not as strong as a pureblood, her body was far tougher than most humans or elves. No matter how much she drank, the effects wore off quickly.
"Still, I don't feel right just sending you off in a taxi. I'll get us a room. You can sleep there and head back once you're sober. Let's see, there should be a decent motel nearby..."
After searching for a while, she'd just found a suitable place when Cael, who had been staring blankly at her, called out as if he'd made up his mind.
"Noona."
"Hm?"
When Freesia looked up at Cael—who was a full head taller than her—and tilted her head slightly, Cael felt like he finally understood what it meant to have his breath taken away. He swallowed hard. After briefly looking away in embarrassment and scratching his cheek, he gathered his courage.
"If you're okay with it... would you like to have one more drink with me?"
Freesia's eyes widened slightly.
Honestly, she hadn't expected a second round invitation at all. She'd heard him say she was the prettiest, but she'd assumed it was just something people said when asking to join a table. And back at the room when they'd all been hanging out, his pure and cute behavior had made her want to tease him, so she'd forced him to drink that bomb shot and generally given him a hard time.
It was just a little past eleven.
"Hmm, it does feel a bit of a shame to end it here. Shall we have one more? Do you know how to drink cocktails?"
The two headed to a cocktail bar that Freesia often visited. She naturally chose a quiet corner seat, but Cael kept looking around with open curiosity, as if this was his first time in a place like this.
"Is this your first time in a place like this?"
Cael nodded with the expression of a country boy who had just arrived in the big city.
He wasn't particularly fond of drinking, so he'd only ever gone to pubs or places his acquaintances suggested. He'd never set foot in a classy bar with this kind of atmosphere. Even then, he'd tried whiskey or brandy before, but cocktails were completely new to him.
When Freesia casually placed her hand on the terminal at the table, a clear notification sound rang out, followed by a holographic guide and a voice saying, 'Welcome, Freesia Vermillion.'
Cael's expression showed mild surprise as he looked over the menu Freesia had opened for him.
‘It's more expensive than I thought.’
He'd never had a cocktail before, but he obviously knew what they were—drinks made by mixing various ingredients together.
‘So the prices listed here are per glass…’
The cheapest one was 70,000 Krone. Some even went over 200,000. Of course he could afford it, but this wasn't the kind of place ordinary people could casually walk into.
He'd thought the older women seemed well-off when they kept ordering expensive drinks back at the pub and split the bill, but it looked like they were even more well-to-do than he'd realized.
But the bigger issue than the price was...
"Um, I don't really know much about cocktails. Could you recommend something?"
There were plenty of descriptions, but since he had almost no interest in alcohol, none of it made sense to him. Rather than picking something awkwardly and ending up with a weird drink that didn't suit his taste, it seemed better to ask for a recommendation from someone who knew what they were doing.
"Then how about this one? It's pretty safe and should be good."
When Cael hesitated, unable to decide right away, Freesia operated the terminal and ordered a Mai Tai for him, a Sangria for herself, and a few fruit appetizers.
A short while later, Cael examined the juice-like cocktail with fascination, then glanced at Freesia. She immediately understood what he was thinking, blushed slightly, and smiled awkwardly.
"That was just because I was a little tipsy earlier. This one isn't weird, I promise."
He looked at her skeptically for a moment, then took a cautious sip. It was much better than he'd expected. Compared to that nightmare of a bomb shot from the pub earlier... he'd only forced it down because he hadn't wanted to look weak, but it had been so awful he never wanted to taste it again. This, on the other hand, was something he could drink over and over if money allowed.
Seeing Cael quickly start sipping away after one taste, Freesia also took a sip of her Sangria. She'd asked for sweet fruit instead of tart, but it wasn't as sweet as she'd hoped. She'd been craving something sugary today.
Cael had initially been cautious, worried Freesia might get drunk again, but seeing her happily drinking along, he decided to stop overthinking and joined in. As the two of them chatted, laughed, and talked about all sorts of things, empty cocktail glasses gradually piled up on the table.
"Honestly, I didn't think I'd get to have a second round with you, Noona."
Freesia tilted her head slightly. Wasn't he the one who had suggested it first?
"I'm more surprised that you asked for a second round. I gave you a pretty hard time back at the pub, didn't I? When you suggested it, I honestly thought you were joking."
How many had they had? After drinking several strong cocktails in a row, Freesia felt pleasantly buzzed. She smiled brightly and rested her chin on her hand.
"Is the cocktail any good?"
"Some are nice, some are... not what I expected. And this one isn't great."
"Hmm. Want me to make you one?"
Cael, who had been grimacing at the bitterness of his Godfather cocktail and reaching for a melon slice, froze completely at Freesia's words. He stared at her with a somewhat dazed expression. Freesia grinned and pressed him.
"Why? Don't want to? You don't want to drink a cocktail I make for you?"
Cael couldn't bring himself to say yes or no. His eyes spun in circles as he looked down.
A cocktail was a drink made by mixing various base spirits with liqueurs, fruits, spices, and more. While there were many detailed differences, the fact that it involved mixing multiple alcohols made it a very, very distant relative of a bomb shot.
And the bomb shot that Freesia proudly called a "cocktail" she'd made by hand was absolutely undrinkable. He'd only forced it down because he wanted to look good in front of her—and honestly, because he'd fallen for her at first sight. Otherwise, he never would have touched it.
Naturally, Freesia knew exactly what he was thinking. After all, she knew better than anyone that the bomb shot she'd made earlier couldn't possibly be called a cocktail.
"Just kidding. How could I make you drink something like that?"
Good grief. So she knew it wasn't drinkable and still made him drink it? And then casually asked if he wanted to try another one? She hadn't seemed like this at first, but this noona had a serious mischievous streak.
Watching Cael's startled face, Freesia thought he was incredibly cute and smiled warmly. She wondered if she'd been like that at his age, wearing her emotions so openly. Seeing someone express themselves so honestly felt refreshing. She really had gotten older... No, scratch that. She'd simply become a bit more of an adult.
A little later, when the slightly slushy Cassis Frappé arrived, both Cael and Freesia examined the glass with mild curiosity.
"So they have ones that are half-frozen too."
"Yeah. These are usually called frozen cocktails. By the way, I didn't know Cassis Frappé actually had this kind of aroma. First time learning that."
"You've never had it before?"
"Nope. Never had the chance. I wanted to try it when someone else bought it for me."
Cael tilted his head at the cryptic remark but ordered another Cassis Frappé.
She wanted to try it when someone else bought it for her? Did it have some special meaning? It was a bit pricey, but one glass wasn't a problem. Especially since she'd bought drinks for him back at the pub.
"Then this one's on me. It's getting late, so let's make this the last one and head out."
When the second Cassis Frappé arrived shortly after, Freesia looked down at the glass with a complicated expression. It looked like strawberry juice with ice floating in it. Did this kid even know what this meant? Watching him sip away and exclaim about how refreshing it was, it was clear he had no idea. This sly little brat.
"Hey. Do you know what Cassis Frappé means?"
"No. Is there something special about it?"
He really didn't know anything. Well, he had said he'd barely ever had cocktails.
"This drink... has a rather special meaning."
When Cael asked what she meant, Freesia picked up her glass and gave it a gentle swirl. The soft clinking of the ice was pleasant to hear. She hadn't expected to hear it this way, though.
"This drink carries the meaning of 'I want to kiss you.' In other words, you just told me, 'Noona, I want to kiss you.' You didn't know that, did you?"
Cael barely managed to stop himself from spitting out the liquor still in his mouth. His face turned bright red—far too red to blame on the alcohol—as he stammered out excuses. Freesia let out a light chuckle.
‘So this is how I end up trying it.’
She could have drunk it alone anytime, but because it carried a rather romantic hidden meaning, she'd wanted to try it when someone else bought it for her.
Her ex-boyfriends from the few relationships she'd had in the past had been so dense that even when she gave them obvious hints—or practically spelled it out—they never caught on, so she'd never had the chance. To think she'd finally get to try it like this. Life really was unpredictable.
She took a small sip. The sweet yet slightly tart finish made her understand why it carried that meaning.
When she subtly glanced over, she saw Cael looking down in embarrassment, sipping his cocktail. Yet he kept stealing glances at her.
The look in his eyes seemed to say ‘Maybe? Could it be?’ Freesia thought, ‘Should I?’ and gently swirled her cocktail glass.
Even if he'd given her the Cassis Frappé without knowing, he'd shown interest back at the pub and by asking for a second round...
"Shall we?"
"Huh? W-what?"
Getting this flustered over just a kiss. How adorable.
"Why? Don't want to?"
It wasn't that he didn't want to. In fact, he really wanted to. He'd thought just getting her contact info while drinking together would be a success.
"I've only ever heard about it. I've never tried it, so I don't really know why it has that meaning. And I'm curious."
Freesia studied her glass for a moment, then straightened her posture. She gave him a soft, warm smile, lightly clinked her glass against his, took a sip, and swallowed.
"Want to check with Noona?"