Ch.65Episode 13. Yoo Ari’s Request (3)

Clink.

I clinked my soju glass with Yu Ari’s.

I gazed down wistfully at the soju glass she was holding delicately with both hands.

“What’s wrong?”

I asked while sipping my soju.

“I didn’t know I’d find someone to drink with.”

“……”

“I’m happy. Honestly.”

Every word she spoke was tinged with bitterness.

Unlike when I’d only read about her in text, now I was faced with countless details—Yu Ari’s expressions, voice, manner of speaking, actions—and I couldn’t help but feel a sense of pity.

I couldn’t even gauge how deeply wounded she was.

Because I couldn’t gauge it, I couldn’t offer even simple comfort like “It must have been hard for you.” It would have felt hypocritical.

“Ah! Am I, am I being too pathetic?”

When our eyes met as I silently watched her, she flinched and smiled awkwardly.

“There’s no p-point in telling you th-these things, Instructor. It’ll just be tr-troublesome.”

“…No. Drinking sessions are meant for being pathetic. When else would you be? You’ve already been through so much that’s hard to endure with a clear mind. Just holding on until now is impressive.”

“Ha, haha!”

When I conveyed my honest feelings, surprisingly, Yu Ari laughed.

“When I’m with you, Instructor, I f-feel like I become a little child.”

“A little bit might be okay, don’t you think?”

“Really. If you say things like that, I… I might end up acting spoiled, you know?”

Her large eyes narrowed into crescents, and the corners of her cherry-red lips curled upward, creating an enchanting smile that seemed to chide me.

“It’s fine. I’ll allow it.”

I held out my half-empty glass. Yu Ari smiled broadly and clinked her glass against mine.

She downed the soju in one go and let out a “Kuh…!” before grabbing some meat and onions and popping them into her mouth all at once.

It wasn’t just my imagination that she seemed accustomed to drinking.

“Mmm~ When I m-made this alone, I couldn’t tell how it tasted. Food really does taste better when you eat together.”

“Do you drink often?”

I picked up a piece of meat while watching her chew happily. Oh. It’s a bit sweet, but not bad.

“Sometimes. When things get tough. There are t-times when even I feel like I can’t bear it anymore.”

As she grumbled while looking at her empty glass, she suddenly waved her hands frantically.

“Ah…! But I only started drinking after becoming an adult! D-don’t misunderstand…!”

“I didn’t say anything.”

I chuckled at Yu Ari’s desperate attempt to avoid any misunderstanding.

Should I call her endearing or diligent?

The more we talk, the more I seem to discover Yu Ari’s charm.

“If I had gone through the same experiences as you… I might have turned to alcohol even as a minor.”

For someone with trauma like hers, just breathing and being alive must be painful.

I could fully understand wanting to seek alcohol to forget, even for a moment.

“So you don’t need to make excuses to me.”

I said, offering her the soju bottle. Yu Ari looked at me and smiled again. A face genuinely experiencing happiness.

“Instructor, it feels like you a-accept everything I say. No, that’s not it…”

Watching the soju fill her glass to the brim, she corrected herself.

“You always think differently from others.”

“……”

If I hadn’t known the details of Yu Ari’s past, would I have been able to speak like this now?

Could I have accepted her with the same tolerance as others?

The answer was so clear that I didn’t even need to think about it.

My answer was ‘I absolutely could not have.’

If I had known nothing about this world, I probably wouldn’t have cared whether the special class students became villains or not.

“If I thought the same as everyone else, I would have been beaten up by Yeonmuhui, left crying, and quit the academy.”

“…Pfft! Hahahahaha!”

At my words, Yu Ari’s eyebrows shot up, and then she burst into laughter, putting down her glass.

“Ahahaha! I just imagined it!”

Having barely managed to stop laughing, she wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.

“Aah… This is fun. It feels like it’s been so long since I’ve had such an enjoyable conversation. To think I haven’t had fun until now. I feel like I’ve missed out on half my life.”

“Is that so.”

Yes. As long as you’re having fun, that’s what matters.

Just for today, I’ll be your clown.

“Hehe. But I c-can’t imagine you getting beaten up and crying. If you were born strong, that is.”

“…Are you teasing me?”

“I’m complimenting you.”

She gets more and more glib as we talk.

She held out the soju bottle like I had done and filled my glass. The only difference was that she used both hands.

How does someone who drinks alone know drinking etiquette?

“Shall we have another toast?”

She held out her glass. I matched it with mine.

Before the clinking sound had even faded, we both downed our soju.

“Hmm~ This feels good…”

Perhaps because the alcohol was starting to take effect, Yu Ari’s face had reddened.

Due to my auto-recovery effect, I didn’t feel any intoxication at all. It just felt like drinking bitter water.

As I ate a piece of spicy pork with a sour expression, she held out her glass. She shook it demurely with both hands, smiling as if asking me to fill it.

She’s really smiling to her heart’s content today.

“Drink slowly.”

I said as I poured soju into her glass.

“It’s okay. I’m p-pretty good with alcohol.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at her deepening smile as her glass filled.

Her voice was getting higher and she was becoming more excited. I didn’t plan to stop her, but I wasn’t sure if I could properly control the situation if she became completely intoxicated.

I decided to regulate it tactfully as I refilled our glasses and clinked them together again.

* * *

“Whew…”

“……”

After we had consumed about three and a half bottles between us, Yu Ari staggered and mumbled something. She held onto her glass, grinning broadly. As I watched her head swaying from side to side, our eyes met by chance.

“Ah! Instructor! Let’s toast! Toast!”

How is this being “good with alcohol”?

I shouldn’t have taken out the remaining alcohol from the refrigerator.

“Hurry~!”

As she shook her glass, some of the alcohol inside spilled onto her clothes. She roughly brushed off the wet spots, thoroughly enjoying her tipsy state.

“Let’s toast! Don’t you want to?”

“…Hey, you.”

“I like you, Instructor! Hehehe.”

Are you even listening to me?

Come to think of it, she didn’t listen to me well even when she was sober.

“Hihihi… Instructor!”

“What?”

“I just wanted to call you!”

“…I see.”

I’m starting to get curious about how she’ll react when she sobers up and realizes her actions have become a dark history.

“Hmm… Instructor!”

“Are you just calling me again?”

“Yehee!”

“…Let’s stop and go to sleep.”

We were now down to dried squid as a substitute for proper side dishes. It was time to wrap up the drinking session.

“No way~!”

Yu Ari urgently grabbed my arm, already unable to maintain her balance. I caught her as she staggered and nearly fell.

By the way, I should add another characteristic to Yu Ari’s profile.

Extremely weak with alcohol.

“You’re drunk. Let’s go to sleep.”

“Then~ are we sleeping together?”

“…That’s right.”

Since there’s only one bed.

There wasn’t even a spare blanket to lay on the floor.

“Whew… That’s nice… L-let’s stop drinking!”

I supported her as she struggled to stand up. After helping the staggering Yu Ari to the bed, I cleared the table.

“Instructor… you… won’t abandon me, right?”

I turned my head at the unexpected question. Yu Ari, sprawled on the bed, took a deep breath and raised her upper body.

“…If I was going to abandon you, I wouldn’t have invested in you.”

“Investment! That’s right! Investment! Am I that valuable?”

“Have you ever seen someone invest in something worthless?”

Yu Ari shook her head vigorously. Doesn’t that make you dizzy?

“Ugh… I’m dizzy…”

I watched her collapse back onto the bed as I finished cleaning up.

“Instructor.”

“What.”

“I just need… you. If I just have you… I can move on…”

Well, well. Taking advantage of being drunk to call me by name?

I turned away from her as she started to doze off with her eyes closed. I placed Sili, which had been carefully placed on the drawer, on her stomach.

It felt a bit awkward to place it on her chest.

Seeing her chest standing as prominently as Bin Yun’s, I felt desire rising, but I decided to hold back this time.

Having relations with her this way wouldn’t be a good choice.

There was a fundamental difference between doing it when she had some semblance of reason and when she was completely intoxicated.

I went to the bathroom, quickly washed my face and brushed my teeth, then came out. By then, Yu Ari had discarded the clothes she was wearing and was under the covers.

She wasn’t in her underwear, but wearing a t-shirt and sweatpants.

After looking at Yu Ari, who had moved to the far side of the bed as if inviting me in, I turned off the lights.

I carefully got into bed, trying not to wake her.

As I lay with my back to her, I felt something touch my back. I spoke up as an arm naturally wrapped around my waist.

“…What are you doing?”

“Instructor…”

“What.”

“Turn around…”

When I reluctantly turned around, she snuggled up to me without a word. It seemed like the alcohol had given her courage.

She didn’t move, just resting her face against my chest. Maybe she just wanted to be held while sleeping.

“You smell nice, Instructor…”

I felt a bit creeped out.

“Go to sleep.”

“Instructor.”

Just as I was about to grab her arm and remove it, she called me, making me pause.

“What.”

“…Good night.”

Her embrace tightened. Feeling her determination to never let go, I decided to show leniency this time.

“Alright. Good night, Ari.”