Chapter 36 – Alcohol Is A Problem (3)

March 13th, 2023

“…uh.””…
…””Oh…!””…oh!””Ummm…”

What on earth is this sound? An unidentified sound echoed in my ear.

I groaned at the unidentifiable sound that buzzed in my ears.
My head was dizzy and his insides were burning like a hot fire.

I didn’t feel well enough to close my eyes and go back to sleep like this.

“Wake up!””What… ?”

This time it sounded vividly in my ears.
The sound of someone shouting at me to wake up.

Trembling, I barely managed to open my eyelids, which I had not even considered lifting until I heard that sound.

As my hazy vision gradually cleared up, a familiar face came into view.
White hair and blue eyes.
And even a somewhat dissatisfied expression.

My judgment was slightly delayed due to my dizzy head, but it was certainly Marie.

“Are you awake now?””Ugh…”

I couldn’t answer Marie’s dissatisfied question immediately.
It was because as soon as my consciousness returned to some extent, a headache came over me.

I managed to open my mouth with a throbbing headache, and my dry voice flowed out from my lips.
A rather dry voice came out of my mouth because I hadn’t drunk water in a while.

“…Where am I?””Where do you mean where? The auditorium.”

Oh, that’s right.
I remember Cecily taking me here just before the film was cut off.
I don’t know what happened in the process, though.

I think we had an important conversation, but strangely enough I couldn’t remember it.
Well, I guess it can’t be helped since I was drunk.

I don’t know what I did after that, but I think I probably fell asleep quietly.
As they say, old habits die hard, and I tend to pass out if I drink too much.

“By the way, I was wondering where you went, but you were passed out here.
How many glasses of wine did you drink exactly?”

Marie’s tone, which was filled with disdain, struck my ears.
But even with the reprimands mixed in, her sincerity came out.

I opened my mouth, pressing down on the bridge of my nose.
My voice was still hoarse.

“…I don't know.”“Okay.
I guess you don't know.
Here.””Huh?”

Marie handed me something while I was pressing on the bridge of my nose.
Unlike a wine glass, it was an ordinary glass cup, and inside it contained clear and transparent liquid and spherical ice.

I didn’t know there were glass cups because I only drank wine.
Of course, since I have only drank wine.

“It's just ordinary cold water.
I didn't put anything weird in it, so just drink it without any fuss.”

When I was staring blankly at the glass for a while due to my dizzy mind, Marie told me what the liquid was in the cup in a gruff voice.

It was only then that I said “ah” and carefully took the glass.
A refreshing coldness was transmitted through both of my hands as soon as I received it.

Then, I looked closely at the glass with ice and brought it to my mouth with both hands, afraid that I might drop it.

gulp- gulp- gulp-

“Whoa!”

After drinking half of the cold water, a heartfelt exclamation burst out of my mouth.

Just a while ago, my chest was burning as if I had lit a fire, but thanks to the cold water, I felt like I was alive again.
My throat, which was as dry as a desert, also felt like it had returned to normal.

“Do you feel a little better now?”

Marie looked at my reaction and asked me with a smile.
I answered as I felt my dizzy head gradually improve.

“Thanks to you.
Where did you get this?””It was on the table.
There's not only wine, but also cocktails.”

It seems like there were other drinks besides wine.
But I wouldn’t have known since I was drinking wine non-stop as it was too delicious.

I shook my head from side to side and looked around to clear my head.
Now that I looked, I couldn’t see the band that was playing on the stage, and the number of people inside the auditorium had significantly decreased from what I remembered.

It seemed like a lot of time passed after I fell asleep, sitting in a chair.
I asked Marie quietly, scratching my head in embarrassment.

“That…
by any chance…””I don't know when you fell asleep.
I only just got some free time myself.
It's been about four hours since we parted ways.”

Marie spoke first as if she had read my thoughts.
She even added a displeased expression while crossing her arms.

Considering that she must have been busy running around here and there, so this question could have been rude.
With that in mind, I struggled with what to say and eventually opened my mouth.

“…Then we can hang out together now, right? That's what you said before we parted ways.””Huh? Yeah, that's right.
But are you going to be okay?”

Marie was momentarily taken aback by my question, but she immediately became worried about my condition.
Considering that I almost fell while drunk before I passed out, she had a reason to worry.

However, after falling asleep and waking up, the effects of the alcohol had somewhat dissipated.
Moreover, the cold water that Mari gave me acted as a sort of a remedy, enabling me to function normally.

Of course, I still had a headache and felt nauseous.
I vaguely remembered hearing that wine can cause particularly severe hangovers.

“I seem to be able to move around.
Also, I heard something from my father.
He said that circulating your mana can alleviate a hangover.””Ah, that? I've heard about that from my older brother, too.””Huh.”

I stood up from my seat and started circulating the energy within my body.
Even if I didn’t have much talent in martial arts, I could still circulate my mana.

As I continued to concentrate, the sluggish mana in my body began to move vigorously.
Whenever I circulated my mana, I couldn’t help but be surprised by the refreshing and cool sensation it brought.
It always felt unfamiliar to me.

‘It's amazing to think that this energy can be used in combat.’

It was when I was fixing my clothes while thinking about it.

After hearing about my method of circulating mana to relieve a hangover, Marie seemed to ponder deeply for a moment before suddenly opening her eyes wide with excitement.
Something seemed to flash through her mind.

Suddenly, she grabbed my arm with an urgent expression and exclaimed loudly.
Her bewildered expression was overwhelming.

“Hey! Hey! Stop right now! You can't circulate mana right now!””Huh? Why not? I'm starting to feel better…”

Ding-

Before I could finish speaking, a headache rushed over me like getting hit in the head with a hammer, leaving me unable to speak any further.

I stumbled back to the spot where I had been sitting, overcome by the sudden headache.
To make matters worse, my stomach, which had been settled down by the cold water, began to feel nauseous.

“I'm telling you, using mana will make the hangover worse! It's like compressing all the time you would feel hungover into a shorter period!””Ugh…””Really…
do you even know what you were doing?”

Despite the continuous complaints, I couldn’t hear anything.
The headache and nausea that had just subsided rushed back all at once, leaving me disoriented.

“Gosh…
it’s not even a comedy.”

Marie grumbled as if she was flabbergasted and plopped down onto the chair beside me.

It seemed like she was waiting for me to recover, which might take a while.
I felt sorry for causing trouble and had no choice but to apologize.

“…I'm sorry.
I had no idea this would happen.””Don’t be noisy and just drink water.”

Come to think of it, I still had half the remaining cold water in my hand.
After hearing her words, I quickly chugged the remaining water all at once.

Thanks to the ice, the coldness still lingered, and I could feel the refreshing sensation all the way down my throat.
It helped calm my stomach that was feeling queasy, and I started feeling a bit better.

But the stomachache was the same.
If I had kept circulating the mana, I might have collapsed, let alone stopping it immediately.

“Ugh…””If you're having a hard time, I'll call someone to take you to your accommodation.
Usually at events like this, there are many people who end up drunk like you, so the waiters are always on standby.”

Marie recommended me in a worried voice, judging that my condition was not as good as it seemed.
But I noticed the disappointment hidden in her consideration.

Well, if I couldn’t keep my promise after finally getting some free time, anyone would be disappointed, even if the other person’s condition wasn’t good.

Besides, while I was sleeping, she must have been running around here and there trying to be helpful to her family, and as a result, she would have been exhausted.
Despite that, she came to see me to keep her promise.

So, I didn’t want to disappoint her if possible.
I tried to open my mouth and reassure Marie that I was okay.

“I'm fine.
My head is just a little dizzy, but it’s nothing to worry about.””Really? That's a relief.””Still, it might be hard for me to move around.
Should we just talk here?””Here?”

I glanced at Marie while I was feeling nauseous, and she was looking at me with her eyes wide open.
I nodded instead of answering to save as much energy as I could.

Upon seeing my response, Mari blinked her cat-like eyes and then smiled like she couldn’t help it.

“You're all good, but sometimes you can get silly.””It's because of the wine this time.””That's a very convincing excuse.””You didn't drink?””I did drink, but not as much as you did.
And it's a trait of the Requilis family that they don't get drunk easily.”

It seems she has inherited good genes, not just in appearance.
I couldn’t help feeling envious and looked forward.

It seems like they’re starting to tidy up now, as the waiters were clearing the tables one by one.
The number of students who participated in the gathering has also decreased compared to before.

Even so, only one person stood out, and of course it was Cecily, who was wearing a red dress.
She was getting along with Rina as usual.

Perhaps if you were to ask her to name her closest friend, she would choose Rina.
Whenever I see her, Rina is almost always by her side.

“…
…”

Did she catch me looking at her? Cecily, who was talking with Lina, looked directly in this direction and waved her hand lightly.

Although I had no energy to move, since she greeted me first from over there, I should respond.
As I weakly waved my hand, Cecily chuckled lightly.

“Is she looking at you?”

Marie asked in a disgruntled voice from the side.
I roughly replied in a weak voice.”

“Probably.
By the way, it seems like Cecily is always with Rina whenever I see her.””…I guess they've made up with each other.”

Perhaps Cecily had taken to heart what happened during the break up as her evaluation of Rina had become quite harsh.
I couldn’t help but smile wryly at what she said.

In the meantime, Marie looked at her nails, and spoke in a calm voice.

“…Isaac.””Yes.””I'm just asking because I'm curious, what's your ideal type?””Ideal type?”

I listened to Marie’s question that was out of the blue and looked at her.
She briefly hesitated when she met my eyes, then fidgeted with her nails, urging me to answer.

“Yes.
Your ideal type.””Why all of a sudden?””I'm just curious.
There's no particular reason.”

Marie answered as if it was nothing, but I could tell from her slightly reddened ears that she was a bit embarrassed.
Unfortunately, her hair, as white as snow, made it even more noticeable.

For a moment, I was taken aback by her reaction that didn’t seem like her usual self.
But then, I cleared my throat and mumbled as I rubbed my chin, pondering her question about my ideal type.

“My ideal type…”

To be honest, I haven’t really thought about it.
Maybe if it was in my past life, but now, beautiful women are all around me to the point where I can’t even walk without bumping into them.”

Including Marie, there’s also Rina, Cecily, Leona, Adelia, and finally Cindy, an elf that’s referred to as the incarnation of beauty.

It will depend on your taste, but these people are by no means ones who can be called ugly.
If someone were to say they are ugly, it’s probably because that person has some strange tastes.

Anyway, I haven’t really thought about it at the moment.
If I had to think of something, maybe having big eyes?

As the thought occurred to me, I stopped stroking my chin and opened my mouth.

“Well…I haven't really thought about it.
I guess having big eyes is always nice.””Then what about women with big breasts like Cecily or Rina?”

That’s a very straightforward question.
I was caught off guard by Mari’s serious tone.
Without saying a word, I met her gaze, which had suddenly become serious, and then silently lowered my gaze.

While it’s not as striking as Cecily’s, Marie’s dress is also quite bold, with a slightly exposed chest.
Her snow-white skin would surely catch the eyes of many men.

In any case, Marie’s breasts were by no means small.
Cecily was too big, but by my standards, Marie was also on the big side.

‘No, this isn't it.’

Due to the influence of alcohol, the conversation briefly veered off track, but we returned to the main topic.
I raised my gaze and met her face once again and confessed my honest feelings.

“…It's nice if they're big.
It's not just me, but other men would probably feel the same way.
It's an instinct.””Oh, really? I see…”

Marie was about to turn her head with a gloomy expression.
In a flash, I thought of something and quickly added.

“Oh, there's one more thing.
It would be nice if we shared the same hobby.””Hobby?””Yes.
A hobby.”

Even in the previous life, putting aside everything else, if our hobbies matched, we would basically get along well.
Although we lost touch after my parents passed away , I had a female friend who I almost dated and we shared the same hobby.

The same was true of Edin a while ago.
It may be because I drank wine, but as soon as I knew that we had the same hobby, words poured out like a flood.
Even though it’s our first time meeting.

“There is a certain sense of familiarity when you have the same hobbies.
It feels like you can share and enjoy something together, you know? I like things like that.””Surprisingly ordinary, isn't it?””That's right.
As you know, my hobby is reading, right? But these days, people only read Xenon's Biography.
I wish they would read some other books as well.”

At least these words were sincere.
Until then, people had read a variety of books, but since the release of the Xenon series, the situation has changed.

Due to being accustomed to the easy-to-read Xenon series, I have not even given a glance to other books.
It was a somewhat regrettable reality.

“…History?””Huh?””Don't you like history too?”

Marie asked cautiously.
I slightly smirked at her question, then nodded my head and answered.

“I like it.
Why?””I just remembered and asked.
There's no particular reason.
Oh, and…”

Marie hesitated a little before speaking, then shook her head.

“No, it's nothing.
Anyway, is your ideal type someone who shares your hobbies?””Yeah.
What about you, Marie?””Me?”

She pointed her finger at herself and asked In response to my follow-up question.
I nodded my head to confirm.

Then she stared at my face and raised the corner of her mouth.
It was a mischievous smile that seemed familiar somehow.

“I'm not going to tell you.””What?””I'm not going to tell you.
Isaac, you're surprisingly naive, aren’t you?””No.
Ha…”

I sighed.
If I had known it would come to this, I wouldn’t have answered either.
It was the result of my judgment being clouded because of my dizzy head.

When I was laughing in disbelief, Mary mumbled as if she was following along.

“Someday…””Huh? What?””It's nothing.
By the way, is your head feeling better now?””I feel like throwing up.”“If you throw up here, rumors will spread…
Oh, I'm sure it already has.
Sitting in a chair, completely drunk with messy red hair.
Sounds really funny, right?””Can I really hit you for real?””If you hit me, I'll tell my dad.”

It took about 30 minutes for me to recover.
Marie and I came out of the auditorium and had a brief conversation, and as it got late at night, we said goodbye and parted ways.

And just before parting ways, Mari called me over.

“Ah, right.
Isaac, there's something I forgot to mention.””What is it?””You look cute when you sleep.””…
…””Then, see you next week.
Bye~”

I couldn’t help but laugh as I watched Marie wave her hand cheerfully and walk away.

‘I shouldn't drink alcohol next time.'

This gathering was, at least for me, a dark history in itself.