“May I take your order? What would you like to drink?”
No sooner had I taken my seat than the manager, James Mei, approached with a flawless, by-the-book courtesy. Dropping to one knee, he presented a warm hand towel with practiced ease. Lune-chan pressed herself snugly against my side, her hand resting lightly on my thigh as she smiled up at me.
“Could I just get some water?”
“…Pardon?”
“I mean, I really can’t afford to get drunk.”
I may not have been able to resist the allure of a bunny girl, but at least I could resist the temptation of alcohol. I couldn’t afford to lose sight of my purpose. I hadn’t come here for leisure—I was here to defeat the Nether Lord. Even if the enemy was offering hospitality, the last thing I needed was to dull my judgment with a drink.
“Are you sure? Our establishment serves only the finest brews. The legendary Nether sake, ‘Sogen’, that arrived today can’t be tasted anywhere else.”
“I’m good, really! Just water, please!”
“Ehh~? Daishi-san, let’s have a drink together~”
Lune-chan rubbed gently against my knee, her moist, pleading eyes urging me toward the glass.
Damn it… how could something be this dangerously cute?
I hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol, and yet my head was already starting to spin.
| > Not bad, old man > You held out against that temptation, huh > What happened to Mina and Shion? > It’s too dark, can’t really see > Is this Lune-chan girl really that cute? > Probably a 20% boost from the lighting > Her makeup looks kinda heavy > Might be a 50% boost from the bunny outfit > Wait, is she even human? > She’s one of the Nether King’s underlings, right? Probably a monster > There’s even a probability that she’s a zombie > Better prepare the cremation, old man |
Among the flood of comments from the 1.2 million viewers, quite a few were surprisingly harsh toward Lune-chan.
What a ridiculous thing to say. Lune-chan is an exceptionally beautiful girl—no question about it!
“Champagne tower, coming right up!”
“…Huh?”
“Ah… it seems those guests over there are already enjoying themselves.”
Following James’ gaze, I turned my eyes in the same direction. There, standing boldly before a cascading tower of poured champagne, was a well-built, strikingly handsome man—and Shion-san at his side. They were some distance away, but that area alone was bathed in dazzling light, making them easy to see.
“You really think you can beat me in a drinking contest?”
“I’ll throw that line right back at you.”
It already seemed to have been decided—before anyone even fully understood how—Shion is now about to engage in a champagne battle with the muscular, handsome man she had personally selected. It felt like only a few minutes had passed since we stepped into this room.
Wait, hold on.
Shion-san! Shouldn’t you be a little more cautious than this?
Is it really okay to just drink whatever alcohol gets offered so casually?
…No, wait.
Thinking about it, she’s the type of woman who would calmly equip gear straight out of the nether realm without a second thought. Maybe this kind of thing simply doesn’t register as “danger” to her at all. Well, if it’s poison or something, Mina-chan would probably heal her anyway…
Come to think of it, where is Mina-chan?
Still seated, I slowly looked around the interior of the establishment, scanning the room left and right.
…Ah, there she is.
She’s surprisingly close. Or rather, I simply hadn’t noticed her because the lighting was so dim—but she was sitting right next to me.
“I mean, I’ve always hated having a job like ‘priest.’ It’s so uncool.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“If I had to pick a healing role, being a saint is obviously way better, right?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“I’m this pure and cute, you know… so why am I stuck with some background mob job like a priest…? You get me, right, Sakuya?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“And also…”
She kept complaining nonstop, holding what looked like a juice in her hand. The handsome guy opposite her was probably getting tired of it too, because his responses had turned completely half-hearted. Honestly, hearing her trash-talk the priest class was starting to sting a little.
Ah—hold on. I’m a “Burial Priest” so that’s technically different, right?
“Please rest assured. There is no poison mixed into it. Nether King-sama, the owner, ordered us to show proper hospitality.”
“No, I still don’t believe you.”
“This is merely a small parting gift before your journey to the Nether. Once you leave this place, Daishi-sama and his companions will be our enemies. We will show no mercy when we strike them—so I advise you to prepare yourselves.”
James narrowed his sharp eyes slightly, letting a bold, confident smile curl across his lips as he spoke. No, I still couldn’t trust him. It felt like he was carefully choosing his words, trying to coax us into believing him.
…Hm? Come to think of it, wouldn’t it be easier to just use [Clairvoyance]?
With my current level of Clairvoyance, I should be able to determine whether anything served to us is dangerous or not. And thanks to the latest level-up, I even gained a table-of-contents function, so its usability should be much better now.
To test the skill as well, I decided I might as well try ordering a drink.
Everyone else was drinking anyway. If I could confirm the contents were safe, I figured I could afford at least a little myself…
“Uh, then I’ll have the Sogen please.”
“Thank you very much. I will bring it right away, so please wait a moment.”
After taking the order, James left our table and disappeared into the back to fetch the “Sogen.” Suddenly, it was just Lune-chan and me.
“I’m so glad! I’m really happy you decided to drink, Daishi-san! Do you mind if I join you too?”
“Sure! Drink whatever you like!”
Man… that was the kind of line I always wished I could say back in my salaryman days.
“Yay! Then I’ll have the same Sogen as well!”
“Mm-hmm. Oh, but Lune-chan… are you actually old enough to drink alcohol?”
“Do I really look that young to you?”
“Yes. Very.”
“I’m so happy! But don’t worry—I lived long enough to reach drinking age, you know! Exactly how many years I’ve lived is a secret, though ♪”
Damn it.
While she said that, she leaned in with a slightly upward gaze, subtly emphasizing her chest, and at the same time gently slid her hand along my thigh. And just like that, various parts of me started to feel… unsettled.
N-no good. Not good at all, Daishi!
Become nothing! Empty your mind and calm your thoughts!
“Sorry for the wait. Here is your Sogen.”
James returned, carefully carrying what looked like an expensive-looking blue sake bottle. The moment I saw it, my spiraling thoughts snapped back into something resembling sanity.
“Lune-chan, are you drinking too?”
“Yes. Glasses… ah, the waiter brought them over.”
“I prepared them in advance.”
“As expected of the manager! So thoughtful!”
“Please pour it for them.”
“Yes, sir.”
After that light, almost playful exchange with James, Lune-chan skillfully poured the sake into two wine glasses placed by the waiter. The clear liquid sliding into the glass had a faint golden tint, almost beautiful. Perhaps it was aged to perfection—it shimmered as if it were some kind of holy water.
“Alright then, shall we toast?”
“Ah, wait a second, okay?”
“Oh no! Daishi-san, I want to drink it already~”
“O-oh right. Sorry, sorry… (Clairvoyance!)”
I activated Clarivoyance. I focused my perception onto the drink in front of me, checking its nature, intent, and any hidden danger lurking within.
I’m going to carefully check whether this alcohol is truly safe!
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
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