"Well, I guess that's reasonable."
"Yes."
"...Seems fine."
"..."
Looking around, everyone nodded in agreement. These guys...
Or rather, hasn't the president recovered from that yet? Is she mentally tofu, that guy?
While swaying the sake bottle, Hinata spoke in an unusually seductive voice.
"Well, Lisha-chan's guardian is currently you, senpai, so it's only fair that senpai takes the penalty. Or would you like Matsuda-san to handle it?"
"Well... now that you mention it..."
"I'm totally fine with it!"
"Alright, I'll take it."
Even if it's a penalty game, I can't let Lisha delegate something to Matsuda. It just makes Lisha feel dirty. Dealing with the Saint and Hero here has me wondering if this guy is secretly the reincarnation of the Demon Lord.
"In that case, let's have Lisha join in for another round. It'll start with Yuusuke, who made the mistake."
As the newly ordered beer arrived and everyone braced themselves at Souji's words, I had already woken up from the chugging. Even if it's a drinking party, winning is everything when it comes to a competition.
"Alright, here we go. Kokon Tozai! The theme is 'unreadable last names'!"
Clap, clap!
"Ichi."
Clap, clap!
"YamamotoYuusuke-san!"
Clap, clap!
"KotoriAsobu."
Clap, clap!
"...Ibusuki."
Clap, clap!
"Shinonome."
Clap, clap!
"Umo."
Clap, clap!
"Shigatsuichinichi (April 1st.)"
These guys are quite skilled at this. Even though it's a theme with a considerably high difficulty level, they're strong.
Clap, clap!
"Hyakumeki."
My stock is getting precarious. If it goes around one more time, I might not be able to answer depending on the case. What should I do? Next is Lisha's turn.
Clap, clap!
"Matsuda Mume... Muneno, Munenori-san!"
Oops.
The applause from everyone stopped, and silence descended upon the table.
"Ah, um, did I do something wrong?"
"Ah, Lisha."
"Yuusuke-san, did I... do something bad?"
"It's not that you did something bad, but in this game, if you hesitate or stop, it counts as a mistake."
In this game, it's essential to keep up with the rhythm, so even a slight delay is considered an error.
Seeing Lisha frozen, Hinata spoke to her with a wry smile.
"Well, that couldn't be helped, Lisha-chan. Besides, you often calls senpai by his first name."
That's right. Despite Lisha's proficiency in Japanese, it seems she still finds it difficult to address people by their names.
So, the one who was at fault wasn't Lisha but...
"Blame it on Matsuda for having a difficult-to-pronounce name."
"Yeah, it's Matsuda's fault."
"I agree, it's Matsuda-san's fault."
"That's right, it's all Matsuda's fault!"
"Why am I getting baseless slander here?! What kind of reward is this all of a sudden!?"
See, it's Matsuda's fault.
As everyone nodded in agreement, the president, wearing a beaming smile, raised the beer glass.
"Yuusuke, isn't it incredibly cool to cover for a girl's mistake?"
F*ck.
* * *
"Alright, let's go for the tenth round!"
"Senpai, you look completely out of it, is that okay?"
"Don't worry about me, I'm as sturdy as ever! Yamamoto Yuusuke won't fall!"
"...It looks like he's in pretty bad shape now."
Yuusuke, with a bright red face, swayed his head from side to side while slurring his words and playfully teased Hinata.
After playing the game several times since then, Yuusuke, whose intoxication had started to take hold, lost quite frequently. He wasn't originally good with alcohol, so he was now in a state of near-total drunkenness.
"That's why I said I'd prefer adult toys like whips..."
Matsuda, who had also been targeted by Yuusuke, was now lying face down on the table. Kokon Tozai is a game where people can aim to make a specific person lose by limiting the number of possible answers based on a theme such as "traffic light colors" or "Japan's capital."
Of course, it's only allowed in a setting like this, and the person being targeted must be specific.
In the end, it was a double knockout for Yuusuke and Matsuda, and there was no need to continue the game.
"Excuse me, may we have some water, please? Two glasses."
Hinata called over a nearby waiter. When someone is drunk, the best thing to do is dilute the alcohol with some chasers.
Despite not being particularly strong with alcohol, they ended up like this because they got carried away.
When Hinata received the water from the waiter, he spoke to the limp Yuusuke. By the way, the other glass of water was casually placed near Matsuda.
"Come on, Senpai, I ordered some water. Drink up."
"Water?"
"Yes, or you'll collapse."
"You idiot, back in the day, I used to drink way more than this. There's no way I'd pass out from this."
"I understand, please open your mouth."
As Yuusuke mumbled something, Hinata forcefully pressed the glass against his mouth and made him drink the water. Water droplets spilled from the corners of his mouth, but Hinata didn't mind and kept feeding him.
It took about three months since starting university to become skilled at taking care of drunk people. One reason might be that Hinata gets invited to drinking parties an unusually high number of times.
As Hinata looked around to order one more glass of water, Lisha gave him a worried look.
"Is something wrong, Lisha-chan?"
"Um, is Yuusuke-san alright? He seems really exhausted..."
The anxious glimmer in her crimson eyes. Even though it was just recently that Lisha and Yuusuke met, it's clear how much Lisha relies on him. It's a mix of feelings—joy and frustration.
As Hinata muttered "Women are so complicated" under her breath, she smiled at Lisha.
"Don't worry, he's fine. He hasn't lost consciousness, and he drank some water. He'll be back to normal soon. Senpai is weak with alcohol, but he recovers quickly."
"Is that so?"
For someone seeing this for the first time, it might be surprising, but surprisingly, at this level of drunkenness, it would wear off in a few hours.
Hinata remembered her earlier worries and smiled at the nostalgic feeling, but in the next moment, she froze as she watched Lisha's actions.
"Yuusuke-san, please come over here."
"Huh? Lisha?"
"Come on, it seems like you should rest a little."
In an unexpected turn of events, Lisha took Yuusuke's arm and laid his body down. Although Lisha and Yuusuke were sitting in the section with long benches by the wall, the issue was the position itself.
Without any hesitation, Lisha placed Yuusuke's head on her own thigh. Yuusuke's back head rested on Lisha's soft-looking leg, and her slender, white hand gently cupped his flushed cheek.
In other words, it was a lap pillow.
It's a special posture that is only done in a very intimate relationship, not unless you're family.
"Uh, um..."
"? Is something wrong, Hinata-san?"
Hinata couldn't find words in response to the sudden situation, and Lisha tilted her head in confusion. Her pure eyes showed no hint of doubt about her actions.
It's important not to misunderstand that, for Lisha, this is by no means an affectionate act between a man and a woman. It's strictly a form of treatment, and there's nothing improper about it.
Therefore, there was no impure thought behind her act of gently stroking Yuusuke's hair with a loving expression. It would be wrong to read anything more into it.
Hinata sort of understood that. She understood it, but...
"Uh, Lisha, isn't Senpai heavy? If you'd like, I can..."
"Huh? It's alright. Yuusuke-san has been tired lately and has been falling asleep like this. So I often do this."
"Often!?"
The moderately spinning alcohol seemed to sober up.
――A relationship where you give lap pillows like this... Aren't they lovers? Are they really not lovers!?
Various thoughts swirled in her head, and in the end, Hinata couldn't come to a conclusion. She cleared her throat as if squeezing the words out.
"So, that's how it is... I see..."
"Yes, there's not much I can do, so I should at least do this."
S-So that's it... Ahahaha.
Hinata tried to respond, but even a dry laugh wouldn't come out.
The proverb about a kite taking away a piece of fried tofu crossed her mind. (T/N: Missed opportunities or regrets about not taking action when there was a chance)
In reality, Lisha was simply consoling Yuusuke, who had been hit by a sudden bout of intense muscle pain and fatigue after using his magic to its fullest. But Hinata had no way of knowing about this situation. She simply couldn't help but misunderstand when she saw Lisha gently placing her hand on Yuusuke's forehead. There was no way for her to understand that there was a bond stronger and firmer than even romantic love.
As she thought so, a loud thud echoed. She thought something had fallen, but it was the sound of her own forehead colliding with the table.
(Am I an idiot?)
When she heard that Tsukiko and Yuusuke had broken up, she should have taken action sooner.
Well, even if it meant spreading rumors of their breakup within the circle to use as leverage, she managed to secure a date with him. Regardless of the method, she shouldn't have been so slow to make a move.
And yet, even if it were to reconcile with Tsukiko, in such a short period, like this...
"..."
With a sidelong glance, she saw a stunningly beautiful girl that everyone would be captivated by. Hinata considered herself reasonably good-looking, but she couldn't compare to this girl. Besides...
――Why does he keep getting involved with such beautiful girls?
Whether it's Tsukiko or Lisha, there's no aspect where Hinata can confidently say she can compete.
"Sigh..."
"Why are you sighing, Hinata?"
Suddenly, a voice from above interrupted her. When she looked up, she saw a woman holding a bottle of shochu, which she must have ordered at some point.
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