The bar was bustling, but then, bars in town always were—no matter what day of the week. Of course, there were adventurers and soldiers in here, but there were also normal people enjoying a drink in preparation for another day’s work. For all those drinking their troubles away, there were plenty drinking just for fun.
We sat down around a table, and Mira shouted for a server to bring ale and wine, along with some food and snacks. She might have been in a foreign country, but she seemed totally at home. She was having fun and never even looked at the prices on the menu. Of course she didn’t. Money was no object to a merchant’s daughter.
“What’s with you two?” she asked. “You sure got quiet.”
“We don’t really spend much time in bars like this.”
“Really? But booze is great. What’s more fun than getting hammered, throwing down with other drunks, and beating their asses?!”
That…was probably the worst reason to drink. But since we were here, I figured I might as well indulge a little. As we picked at the snacks, drank, and talked about our lives, I started feeling mellow and a little light-headed. It made Emma open up too. She’d been extremely guarded before, but now she relaxed and even laughed along with Mira.
“Heh, I guess drinking is pretty great after all.”
Emma’s red cheeks made her look so cute, and she was so unsteady that one push would probably have knocked her over. I offered her my shoulder, and she put her head on it.
“So you’re not dating, huh?” Mira asked. “Maybe I should date you, Noir.”
Did my feelings not factor into this?
“I’m not letting you date her,” Emma snapped. “She could be a total psycho for all we know!”
“Let’s make it a competition,” said Mira. “If I win, I get to date Noir. If you win, I’ll give you a powerful weapon.”
Mira seemed a little drunk. Admittedly, the prospect of acquiring another weapon was enticing. I opened my mouth to take her up on the offer, but I didn’t get the chance.
“Bring it on!” Emma shouted.
Mira snickered. “I don’t mind tangoing with the both of you at once. After all, I am strong.”
We didn’t have much chance of winning otherwise, so we took her up on that.
Mira announced loudly that we were having a drinking contest and asked that the servers keep the tankards coming. She’d attracted a lot of attention, and people began to crowd around our table. Mira seemed to enjoy being the center of attention.
“You ready?” she asked. “Let’s get started. Here’s drink number one!”
She held a wooden mug of ale. There was something deeply threatening about the way she chugged it. It might as well have been water…
On our team, Emma went first. She drank her first helping, undaunted. But while Mira seemed almost unaffected, Emma’s face was bright red, and her eyes were vacant.
“Let’s switch,” I said. “I’ll do the next one.”
“Nooooo! It’s a competishun! I’m not gonna loosh…”
I, uh, I think you have the air of someone who’s already lost!
Still, it was time for round two.
“You remind me of an old friend of mine,” said Mira. “Yeah, she was just like you…”
She glared at Emma, eyes full of hatred. What was going on here? She finished her second drink and slammed the mug down on the table.
“She had the kind of body, face, and personality that made her popular with boys. Then she picked her stupid boyfriend over her best friend!”
Oof. She’d had some friend drama in the past. It was probably best to avoid talking about it.
“You listening?!” Mira demanded.
“Eeek!”
Emma was already past her limit. She’d started sticking her tongue out and flashing peace signs.
“Wooow, this feels kinda gooood…”
“Emma!” I protested. “I never wanted to see you humiliated like this! I’m sorry… I’m so sorry. I was too weak to protect you…”
“I’m feelin’ kinda tingly~! Yaaay, Noir, are you watching?”
Those were her last words before she fell. Fell asleep, that is.
Thank you for trying so hard, Emma. I’ll pick up where you left off.
I downed my third drink, resolved to see this through. The room started to spin, and I saw fireworks whenever I turned my head. I was getting drunk even faster than Emma. At this rate, I wouldn’t make it. I excused myself to go to the restroom, but the second I stood up, I tripped and fell on top of Mira.
“Excuse me,” she said. “Don’t put your face in my boobs.”
“Oh, sorry…”
She smelled really nice. I tried to push her away, but I ended up groping her.
“Eek! Y-you did that on purpose.”
“Soooorry, I didn’t mean to, I swear.”
I had no strength left as I stumbled to the bathroom. I slapped my cheeks to clear my thoughts. If I couldn’t win a drinking competition on my own, I figured I might as well make a skill.
Wait… Where had all that LP come from? I’d had about 9,000 when we arrived, but now it was over 10,000. Then I remembered my “encounter” with Mira just then.
Hey, look at that. I can earn LP even when I’m drunk!
I made myself the skill Heavy Drinker. It only cost 30 LP. Its effects weren’t exactly obvious, but I did feel different once I had it. My mind was clearer, the gross feeling in my chest disappeared, and I was much steadier on my feet.
“That worked well. Now I can keep fighting!”
I returned to my seat and Mira cackled. “Wow, running straight to the toilet after you cop a feel, huh? Whatever were you doing in there?”
“Look, I’m sorry about that. Forget about the me you saw a few minutes ago. I’m raring to go now.”
“I like it! Let’s drink ourselves under the table!”
I finished my fourth drink and was still totally fine. Drinks five, six, seven, and eight were much the same. I was still good by drink nine, but Mira was having trouble focusing. By drink ten, I hardly felt anything. Mira, on the other hand, was drooling uncontrollably.
“Wowieeee, you sure are…strongk…”
After drink eleven, Mira’s eyes rolled back in her head. She flashed peace signs with both hands.
“Yaaay, is everybody watching?”
Maybe there was some kind of rule at this establishment where women had to flash double peace signs when they were drunk? Either way, Mira had exhausted all her energy. She fell flat on the table and stopped moving.
“Well, I’m glad I won, but I don’t think I’m getting that weapon any time soon.”
I had to get them both home. I was trying to work out how to carry them when Mira’s father showed up.
“Mr. Stoke, over here.”
“Oh, there you are! Mira wasn’t at the inn, so I came looking for her.”
He wasn’t shocked to see her like this. He was seemingly used to her drinking, and I guessed this sort of thing happened a lot. Apparently, she held so many drinking contests back home that some people walked the other way as soon as they saw her.
Mr. Stoke picked his daughter up. “Oh, yes, I should thank you, Noir. Because of your help, I’ve found a site for the shop. Now I can prepare for the opening.”
“I’d be happy to help out when I have time.”
“It’d be much appreciated,” he said. “As a thank you, I’ll give you my daughter’s first kiss!”
He was as funny as ever. I put Emma on my back and carried her through the dark streets. I could feel her warmth against my back. She’d really pushed herself tonight.
“The moon sure is pretty tonight, Emma.”
“Noooir, don’t let go. Don’t let go of meee!”
She was half-asleep, but she hugged me tight. Even if she hadn’t, I wasn’t about to let her go.