Caution: Do Not Serve Alcohol
The shopping spree went on — Rua, Juju, Himari, and even Sua, who had somehow gotten swept up into the group.
Juju picked out a hat and hairpins to match her clothes. Himari bought a sword-belt strap at a hunter gear shop. Sua chose a few small ornaments to put in Rua's place. And Rua… exhausted, spent the whole time asleep on Sua's back.
After hours of wandering the mall, evening was already drawing near.
"Mmngh…."
At the growl from her stomach, Rua opened her eyes atop Sua's back.
"……?"
She blinked blankly at her surroundings for a moment, then jolted awake and started thrashing. Only after a few seconds did she remember where she was and why she had come.
"W-what the—put me down!"
"Oh my. Unnie's awake?"
Rua hopped down onto the floor, her face burning red.
"I-if a person falls asleep, you're supposed to wake them up!"
"You could've slept longer."
"I can only apologize for failing to lay you down somewhere more comfortable."
"Hehe. Your cheeks were real soft, though."
Sua, Himari, and Juju each answered in turn.
"Uuuugh…."
Apparently they had even been touching her cheeks while she slept like the dead.
They really treated me like a little kid!
"Tch, whatever. If we're done shopping, let's just go home."
Rua crossed her arms and muttered it gruffly. The mall was starting to empty out, and a little of her spirit seemed to be coming back.
"Aren't you rushing things? Tomorrow's Sunday."
At Sua's words, the other two students chimed in at once.
"She's right. We should at least grab dinner first."
"This would be my first meal out since enrolling at the Academy. Please, Teacher."
"Urgh…."
She wanted nothing more than to bolt straight back to her room, but with the other three pleading like that, she didn't have much choice. Besides, she wasn't sure she could last until she got home anyway.
"Fine. We'll eat, then go. What do you want?"
"How about letting Himari decide?"
That was Sua's suggestion.
"You said you wanted to try lots of new things while studying abroad, right?"
Judging by the way they were acting, the three of them had gotten pretty close while Rua was asleep.
Well… no harm in them getting along…
"Would that be all right, Teacher?"
Himari checked with Rua first. Rua nodded readily.
"Sure. Anything you want? Japanese food?"
"No. I would rather try Korean food."
Himari's eyes lit up as she clenched her fists in front of her chest.
"That… fry? Chicken? The one they call fried chicken!"
"One fried chicken, coming up."
A steaming platter of chicken was set down on the table where the four of them sat. Himari examined it from every angle with wide, curious eyes.
"I was told it is chicken… but how is it prepared?"
"You coat it in batter and deep-fry it."
Still half-asleep, Rua yawned as she tonged a piece onto her plate.
"Japan has karaage, right? It's pretty similar."
"Ah, that dish. I know of it, but I have never tried it."
"Huh? Ain't that Japanese food?"
"My father forbade anything unhealthy."
"Really? Well then, dig in."
Rua used the tongs to drop a piece onto Himari's plate. Moments later, the golden, glistening chicken disappeared into Himari's small mouth.
She chewed thoughtfully. Then her eyes went huge.
"……!"
"Well? Pretty good, right?"
"Good heavens…!"
Himari began shoveling chicken into her mouth as if entranced. Such was the inescapable magic of K-chicken.
Drinks arrived, and the four of them settled into their meal in earnest.
"Thanks again for helping me pick out clothes earlier."
"You've got a great sense of style, Juju. Everything looks good on you."
"Right? Right?"
—Crunch, crunch.
"No matter how I look at it, somethin' feels off…."
"What does?"
"Is Teach really the older sister here?"
"I am! Want me to show you my ID?"
"Ah—ahaha, I-I believe you."
—Crunch, crunch, crunch.
"Try talking while you eat, Himari…."
Rua tipped her glass and watched the three students chatting happily over their food.
They're having fun…
She had seen these kids in the game, too, but nothing compared to sharing the same space like this, shoulder to shoulder. Thoughtful Sua, earnest Himari, lively Juju — not a single one of them wasn't adorable.
I might actually owe the person who dropped me into the game a thank-you.
"Huh? Wait, who gave Teach a beer?"
"? She ordered it herself a moment ago."
A faintly sweet, warm sensation spread through her whole body. Before she knew it, Rua was swaying gently in her seat.
Huh. Why am I doing this?
"Himari, you can't just give alcohol to a kid!"
"So you still did not believe me after all, Juju."
"That's not the problem."
At Sua's words, Juju and Himari both turned.
"Unnie's drinking habits…!"
A strange, giddy excitement was bubbling up. The real Rua — the one who had always shrunk into herself from social anxiety — was starting to stir, slowly taking over.
"Heh… hehehe."
Rua giggled foolishly. One glass of beer was all it had taken; her face was already flushed and her eyes unfocused.
"Ugh. This is exactly why I said she should only drink at home."
Sua pressed a hand to her forehead.
"W-what's her drinking habit like?"
"Teacher? Please stop drinking now."
Sitting beside Rua, Himari reached out uneasily to take her glass away.
—Smack!
Rua snatched her by the wrist.
"Teacher?"
"Himarii."
"Yes, Teacher."
Himari answered as calmly as ever, but her pupils were trembling just a little.
"Am I… pretty?"
"?!?!"
Rua pulled Himari's captured hand to her own face and nuzzled against it. Himari froze solid from the shock.
"I'm not pretty…?"
Dissatisfied with the lukewarm reaction, Rua scooted her hips over until she was pressed right up against Himari's side.
"Hehe. I think Himari's super pretty, though."
"……?!"
Rua stretched out a small hand and stroked Himari's hair. Caught completely off guard, Himari and Juju both sat there with their mouths hanging open.
"When Unnie drinks, her personality does a complete one-eighty…."
Sua let out a deep sigh, but Rua's eyes didn't register her little sister's reaction at all.
"Your lashes are so long, and your nose is so straight… who did you take after to turn out this cute, hmm?"
"T-Teacher… what on earth are you saying…."
Rua leaned in with her flushed face and stroked Himari's cheek. Himari tried desperately to act unbothered, but she couldn't stop the embarrassed heat flooding her face.
"Do you have any idea how much I like you…? Hmm? Your performance, your looks…."
"……!"
She even went so far as to rub her overheated face against Himari's cheek. Himari let out an involuntary gasp and clapped a hand over her mouth.
"You… like…?"
"T-Teach! Snap out of it!"
"Eeeh? Juju was here toooo!"
Apparently switching targets, Rua crawled under the table toward Juju on the opposite side.
"Jujuuu, thank you sooo much for last time."
Rua climbed up between Juju's legs, wrapped her arms around that solid waist, and buried her face in Juju's stomach — like a puppy starved for affection.
"Eek! T-Teach, this side of you is way too weird…!"
"Sniff sniff. Sniff sniff."
"Kyaaaah!"
People at the surrounding tables turned to look. Juju managed to haul Rua out from under the table and sit her upright.
"Teach, please get a grip!"
"Mmngh."
But Rua just pulled Juju's head in and hugged her tight.
"Juju's our party's reliable tank… and also the cuteness specialist…."
"Cuteness?"
"Yep yep. Juju's cute."
"……!"
Juju's face had gone red before she knew it.
"Okay, okay, that's enough."
In the end, Sua grabbed Rua under the arms, lifted her up, and set her down on her own lap.
"Drink some water, Unnie."
"Don' wanna."
"Now."
At the stern tone, Rua whined in protest but tipped the water cup back anyway.
—Gulp, gulp.
"Pwah."
"Feeling any clearer?"
"……."
Sadly, no.
"Hehe. It's Sua. Suuua."
"Oh, for…."
Still on Sua's lap, Rua twisted around to face her and clung on. Just like a real puppy, she shoved her face into her little sister's neck and sniffed.
"Ah—Unnie, th-that's—"
"Sorryyy… 'cause I'm not really your unnie…."
No one caught the mumbled words. Rua nuzzled her forehead against Sua's neck, then spotted a drop of salad dressing at the corner of her sister's mouth.
"Honestlyyy, so messy."
—Lick.
"?!?!"
And just like that, Sua fell the same way the other two had.
Having turned all three faces bright red, Rua crawled back under the table to her own seat.
In a world that wouldn't stop spinning, the only things floating before her eyes were her embarrassed students' faces.
"Thank youuu… kids. Hehe."
"Teach?"
"Teacher."
"Unnie…."
Desperately clinging to consciousness, Rua let the words inside her spill out before she could stop them.
"You know I always love you guys, riiight?"
—Thud!
With that, Rua planted her forehead on the table and passed out cold.
"……."
"She must have been very tired."
"Yeah. Unnie probably overdid it."
"We should lay her down on the bench."
Sua, Himari, and Juju supported Rua's body and laid her out on the long seat. The three of them looked down in silence at Rua sleeping with soft, even breaths.
"I think… it might be all right to let her drink sometimes."
"…Yeah. Maybe so."