"All right, everyone has their drinks, right?"
"""Yes!"""
"Okay, then let's raise our glasses to celebrate Lisha-san joining the Literary Club—Cheers!"
"""Cheers!"""
The seven of us clinked our glasses on the table and then downed the golden beer that glistened before us.
Ah, this is the real deal. The level of civilization in Asteris is not low, with science and magic coexisting and developing. In terms of living standards, it's not much different from modern-day Japan, although there's no internet here, of course.
However, when it comes to food and drinks, we're just way better at it. It's not that Asteris' cuisine is bad, but there's a vast difference in the passion, time, and money invested in culinary development between Asteris, which has been in a state of war, and Japan, which has enjoyed a long period of peace. The taste and feel of this delicious beer are something that Asteris simply can't replicate.
After all, large corporations have been competing for decades to create something that appeals to everyone. It's only natural.
Without minding the foam forming on my lips, I continued to drink and gulp the beer, and suddenly, I felt someone's gaze.
"..."
Lisha, holding an orange juice in both hands, was looking at me.
"What's wrong?"
"...Well..."
Hmm, she seems like she wants to say something.
"..."
Now it was me who stared at Lisha, who was sipping her orange juice slowly. After a while, she seemed uncomfortable and twisted her body.
"Um, it's just that it's hard to drink when you're watching me like that."
"If you have something to say, just say it."
She's curious, right?
With an uneasy expression, Lisha glanced around before finally meeting my eyes.
"Um... I hope you won't laugh, but..."
"I can't promise."
"I was hoping you would just nod..."
Because if I nodded and then laughed, it would only make her angrier. After all, I remember how Eris got mad at me once for that and even cast a spell on me. But honestly, it was her fault for asking such a serious question with a completely serious face, like, "Is it true that you can have a child if you kiss?"
Royalty should definitely include that kind of education, and the nannies should teach it properly. Well, I can't help but feel a little sorry for laughing so hard that I almost had a panic attack.
Wait, could it be that Lisha's question is also related to that? It makes sense, considering she's a purebred saint. After all, in her environment, she was probably taught that male friendships begin with fighting, just like in those boys' manga theories.
Lisha blushed and opened her mouth, fidgeting.
"Well... um..."
"Yeah?"
In the end, the maid teach Eris about such things, but what about Lisha? Asking Matsuda is out of the question, and if she asks Tsukiko, she'll probably kill me. The president seems unreliable in this regard, too. Hinata might actually be straightforward about it, but when a junior asking, "Can you teach me how to make a child?" is just... too much. She can't really ask Souji either.
"Lisha, let's talk about this after the battle, okay?"
"Wait, about alcohol, is it really that delicious?"
"Hmm?"
"Huh?"
Our puzzled voices overlapped.
"Yuusuke-san, what are you talking about?"
Hinata, who was sitting next to me, joined the conversation while picking at the appetizers.
By the way, today, there are seven of us. Lisha is on my left, and Souji is sitting to her left. Hinata is seated diagonally to my right, next to me. Facing us are Matsuda, the president, and Tsukiko, forming a diagonal line with me and Tsukiko at the farthest distance from each other.
"No, she was just wondering if alcohol is delicious."
"Oh, Lisha-chan is at that age where she's curious about such things."
Hinata said while swirling her umeshu on the rocks.
By the way, isn't that stuff pretty high in alcohol content? Why is it more than half empty right after the toast? Isn't that too fast?
"Wait, Hinata, you're still minor—"
"Shut up, Senpai. There are truths in this world that should remain undiscovered."
She said it without a hint of remorse. Well, this Shouraku place is popular among university students for that reason, so I'll let it slide. Besides, I was drinking here just last year.
"Hinata-san, do you like alcohol too?"
Lisha asked this as she leaned towards Hinata. In the process, her ample bosom, concealed by her blouse, also leaned over the table.
This, in turn, caused Matsuda's eyes to bulge out of their sockets.
"Whoa! My eyes! My eyes!"
"Yuusuke-san!? What is he doing all of a sudden!?"
"Lisha, this is something Matsuda needs."
His eyes really looked like those of a criminal. Well, I simply pressed his eyelids down against his eyes. But then, I ended up poking at something trivial again.
"Senpai, you were staring too, though."
Haha, what are you talking about?
Regaining her composure, Lisha addressed Hinata.
"Um, in my homeland, I'm of the legal drinking age, but I haven't actually tried alcohol yet."
"Oh, right, I've heard that it's different in other countries. Is it the same where you're from, Lisha?"
"Yes, technically, we can start drinking at the age of fifteen."
"Wow, that's early. Let's see, Lisha-chan is sixteen, so you've been abstaining for about a year?"
"I have tried something like sacramental wine."
"Sacramental wine?"
"Yeah, it's kind of like amazake in Japan. It's almost non-alcoholic, more like water, really."
In Asteris, alcohol has been used for various purposes, including sterilization, so they consider it sacred and pass on its importance to future generations. They drink sacramental wine with gratitude at the end of each year.
Hinata finished her umeshu and picked up the menu.
"Well, even if you don't drink alcohol, there are plenty of other delicious drinks. If you ever feel like it, just give it a try. Oh, sorry, can I have this one, please?"
Hinata made a reasonable suggestion to Lisha. But hey, minor, you just ordered some dry Japanese sake. Choosing that as your second drink is something only someone who drinks alcohol would do.
"Is that so?"
"If you're curious, why not take a sip?"
"Senpai, serving alcohol to a minor is really illegal."
Well, yeah. I shouldn't have said that, given that I drank before the age of fifteen during my time in Asteris.
Then, Matsuda, who had been keeping quiet and covering his eyes until now, slowly spoke up.
"Well, how about this instead?"
"This?"
After leaving his seat for a moment, Matsuda came back and a few minutes later, the waitress brought Hinata the Japanese sake she had ordered and a beautifully red-colored drink.
"Here you go, Lisha-san."
Matsuda placed the red glass in front of Lisha. It looked like a cocktail.
As Hinata poured sake into her sake cup, she asked.
"Matsuda-san, what's this?"
"It's a non-alcoholic cocktail. It's not sweet, more of a mature flavor."
"Oh, really? I've never heard of such a fancy drink in this place."
"It's not on the menu, but if you ask the owner, he'll make it for you."
"I've never talked to the owner of Shouraku."
That guy who always looks so stern and busy in the back, right?
"That's true for me too."
"Well, sometimes fate has its ways with people."
Matsuda was a mysterious guy, from his very existence to his circle of acquaintances. But since it was Matsuda, there was no point in thinking too deeply about it.
"Anyway, why don't you try it, Lisha?"
"I-Is this... alcohol?"
No, it's a non-alcoholic cocktail. But I won't say anything unsophisticated here.
With a furrowed brow, Lisha cautiously brought the edge of the glass to her lips and took a sip. After a while, she froze and finally managed to swallow.
Her neck moved like that of a broken doll, and her tear-filled crimson eyes met mine.
"Yuusuge-zaan..."
"Oh, what is it? I kind of have an idea though."
"It's... really sour, and... bitter..."
It seems that this non-alcoholic cocktail didn't suit the saint's palate. I picked up the glass she had and sniffed it, and it unexpectedly had a spicy aroma.
"Matsuda, what's this cocktail?"
"It's a Virgin Mary, a non-alcoholic version of a Bloody Mary. It's made by mixing tomato juice with Tabasco and lemon, and adding oyster sauce."
Is there Tabasco in this? It must be spicy. And seriously, oyster sauce in a drink? I didn't know such cocktails existed.
"Why give her such an unpalatable cocktail..."
"Lisha-san wanted to try alcohol, right? A juice-like cocktail wouldn't make sense. Besides, it's better not to have weird fantasies about alcohol."
"What? Matsuda is saying something sensible for once."
"Will there be a storm tomorrow...?"
"Oh, sorry for that, are we bothering you?"
Matsuda trembling with his usual twitchiness. Good, it's the usual Matsuda. Well, not really "good."
"Yuusuke-san, please give me that."
"Hm? Are you still going to drink this?"
Lisha, who had refreshed her palate with orange juice, pointed to the cocktail. Her eyebrows were drooping, and she looked like she was about to cry.
She doesn't need to force herself like this.
"But, we shouldn't waste food. Fortunately, it's not that much..."
Hmm, I see.
"Well, then it's fine with me."
I gulped down the Virgin Mary I held in my hand. The tanginess of the tomato juice burst forth with the stimulation of Tabasco, and the faint bitterness of the oyster sauce spread across my tongue.
Yeah, it's not bad, but definitely not for beginners.
After emptying the glass and placing it on the table, Lisha and Hinata stared at me with incredulous looks.
Lisha, in particular, was quite shaken, and her mouth moved open and closed, but no words came out.
Huh, what's going on?
"――H-h-h-h-h-how indecent!!"
Haven't heard that phrase in a while.
"What's so indecent about this..."
"W-Well, it's improper for a man and woman who aren't in a marital relationship to... share the same glass."
Yeah, well, but we're not in middle school anymore.
And when I think about it, Lisha, who even hesitated to take a bite of a hamburger, has a surprising level of resistance. Her sheltered upbringing is beyond imagination.
Why is it that she sleeps so casually in a guy's room, but indirect kisses are off-limits? Her standards are hard to fathom.
"It's not a big deal to share a glass like this here, Lisha. Right, Hinata?"
"Huh? I think that's completely not good?"
Ehhhh...
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