Miia watched, completely calm and collected, as he overshot his limits. Zombina and Rachnera stared in shock at how well she was holding her liquor. Though arachne were immune to alcohol, a single cup of coffee could knock Rachnera out, so seeing Miia take shot after shot of tequila without any consequences was mind-blowing.
“Ngh—ugh—this is weird,” the punk gurgled, unable to focus his eyes.
“Hm? What’s weird, sir?” Miia asked him and giggled. Before he could reply, she downed another shot. “Your turn! If you don’t hurry up and drink, I’ll be the winner.”
“Hurgh…th-this has gotta be a trick. Y-yeah, you’re just drinkin’ water! That’s why—I’m so—”
“Oh? Let’s test your theory! Rachnee, two shots of tequila!” Zombina already had them ready. “Pick whichever you’d like, sir,” Miia offered.
“Damn…” The punk grabbed the glass on Miia’s side like he was stealing it. He brought it to his lips. “Hhhgh!” he coughed it right back out. “This ain’t water!”
“Nope! Why not drink it? Shot! Shot! Shot!” Miia mockingly cheered him on, with Zombina clapping along.
The punk groaned and drank. He teetered visibly from side to side.
“Awwwright, my turn!” Miia took hers. “Delicious!”
“Y-you’ve gotta be cheating. I can’t lose, not in a drinking contest—”
“Maybe not against a human. Liminal girls might be ‘stupid,’ but lamia like me are also famously good at drinking.”
“Gh—! Damn it!” The punk, boiling over, made a grab for Miia.
Zombina lurched to intercept, reaching into her cleavage for her gun—
But she had no chance to draw it. “Sorry, sir!” Miia dodged an inch to the side, and the punk fell face-first on the floor. A few silent moments passed, and then snores rose from the heap on the ground. It was a knockout without a single punch thrown.
“Manager, maybe we should call this customer an ambulance. I’m worried about his health,” Miia chirped.
The manager appeared from the back. “Oh, I’ve already called for one.”
Miia’s beloved darling, her Kimihito, followed the manager into the room. “Miia! Are you all right? Did he do anything to you?” he asked, looking her over.
“I’m just fine! Ha ha ha! How did I do?” Miia writhed with pride. She’d dealt with the situation on her own, and she hadn’t even broken any Accord bylaws in the process.
Despite her confident reply, Kimihito needed to look her over and verify for himself that she was okay. Only after he did that could he let himself sigh in relief. “I can’t believe you had a drinking contest with him. I was terrified.”
“You were worried about me? Oh, Darling, that’s so cute.” She wrapped her arms around him in a hug—but with her so close, he could tell her breath reeked of alcohol. If not for that, he never would’ve believed that she’d just drunk a giant man under the table.
“You stink,” Rachnera said to the unconscious form of the punk, wrapping him up in her webbing. “Don’t get so close to Honey while you’re in that state.” She hoisted him to the rafters and then relieved him of his wallet to pay back the cost of the alcohol he and Miia drank.
As Miia held Kimihito and whispered reassurances to him, the smell of alcohol spread further in the air. “Hey, you can really hold your liquor can’t you, Miia?” he observed.
“W-well, yeah.” Her tail wound itself around him, too, as her desire to hold him overwhelmed her. Only now did her face start to turn red—entirely unrelated to the drinking. How could someone who’d pulled off such a ballsy stunt get shy at a simple embrace?
“Do you…like to drink?”
“Oh, no, not really. I drink every once in a while, but I don’t like it that much.” She still wouldn’t meet his eyes.
“But you just drank—how many shots was that?” He was curious, but his tone stayed gentle, trying not to pressure her.
“That’s, um.” She pressed her fingertips together shyly. “I can drink a lot, for sure, but I didn’t want to be drunk in front of you. It’s kind of embarrassing, and I was worried I’d look like an alcoholic or I’d pass out like Rachnera did. I’d rather stay cute and sweet around you, Darling.”
“I’m right here,” Rachnera said.
Miia ignored her. “That’s why I don’t drink at home.”
Kimihito considered. “That makes sense, I guess. But you can feel free to drink if you want to, really.”
“I don’t want to very often,” she said, “but we’re at this beautiful bar tonight, so I’d like to spend some time here together if we can.”
“W-well, I think—” Kimihito looked for the manager, but he was already outside collecting the signboards. A moment later he ducked back inside.
“All the customers I invited have gone home, which means we’re closing now. If you’d like to spend a little longer here you’re welcome. I imagine it was quite a trip to get here.”
“Really?” Miia squeezed Kimihito in joy. “Thank you, sir! Isn’t this exciting, Darling?”
“Miia! That hurts!” he cried.
“Ah! Sorry, sorry! Are you okay?” She immediately relaxed her hold on him, but there were scale marks left all over his arms and legs, like she’d stamped him red, too.
He was used to it. With a little wave, he indicated he was fine.
“Hey! Don’t just flirt with each other! Honey, c’mon, it’s our turn to drink.” Rachnera complained as she finished with the punk.
Zombina joined in. “I could do with a nightcap,” she said, stretching her arms overhead to remove some of the tension from carrying trays all night. She grinned and flashed her sharp teeth.
Lilith hadn’t moved an inch, but now she turned to the manager. “Can I stay a while?” Her tail curled around her quizzically.
“Of course, Miss Lilith,” he responded with a bow.
The punk had ruined her relaxation, and everyone else’s mood, too. Kimihito mulled the night over. The girl’s first job experience… I was pretty worried, and yeah, it could’ve gone better. Miia led him over to a seat at the bar. But we’re all having a good time in the end. I’m glad we did this. He breathed a sigh of relief.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Here you go, Honey,” Rachnera said, offering him a cocktail. “Sorry for the wait. It’s a Kir.”
“Thanks, Rachnee.” He took the wine glass and sipped. It was white wine with crème de cassis mixed in, and as the comfortable flavor of the black currant liqueur washed over him, he smiled. The glass had a small spider web, weaved by Rachnera herself, stuck to the side. It looked almost like a high-class glass etching.
“Mmn, ahh!” In the seat next to him, Miia gulped another shot of tequila. Hasn’t she had enough? Kimihito wondered.
Rachnera was nursing a coffee-based cocktail behind the bar. “A reward for a job well done,” she said.
“I guess,” he replied. Tomorrow, he’d continue the work experience pilot program at a different site with a different group. With any luck, it would go much more smoothly.
“I’ll be sure to tell Smith-san how well you all did.” The manager commented as he cleaned a glass behind the bar.
Zombina grinned. “Yeah! Tell her how badly we owned that punk who broke in. I bet we’ll get a bonus for it!”
“Yay, Darling! We’ll get paid!” Miia wrapped herself around Kimihito again.
“Guh!” Kimihito blurted. She was even more touchy-feely than usual, probably because she’d been drinking. He always thought he’d gotten used to it until her huge lamia body slammed into him again.
“Miia, let go of him,” chastised Rachnera.
“No!” Miia protested.
“You lush.” She sighed in exasperation. “Honey, wouldn’t you rather spend time with me? Haven’t I done a perfect job bartending?”
“You’re the lush!”
“I’m not even tipsy yet.” She leaned over the counter to whisper in Kimihito’s ear. “Say, Honey…why don’t you give some thought to who you’d like to marry? Since we’re all relaxed here together, it might be fun for you to tell me where you’re at, don’t you think?”
“Rachnera!” Miia shouted, close enough to have heard. “Cheater! Don’t you dare take advantage of this situation! And it doesn’t matter anyway, because Darling’s going to marry me!”
“Who doesn’t dream of having a drunk for a wife?” Rachnera snarked.
“Says the girl who gets drunk on coffee,” Miia hissed, trying to be intimidating.
Ugh… Kimihito was still helplessly wrapped in Miia’s tail. So much for teamwork; back to biting each other’s throats out. Then, out of nowhere, some things came together in his mind. “Hey, you two seemed pretty excited about the job opportunity. Why was that? Is there something you want to buy with the pay?”
The fight between them abruptly stopped. Miia and Rachnera looked each other in the eyes, and an understanding passed between them, though Kimihito wasn’t privy to what it was.
“That’s a secret,” they chimed in unison.
“Huh?” Kimihito had no answers and more questions. In an instant, they’d gone from at each other’s throats to giggling like best friends. He didn’t get it, couldn’t get it, and wouldn’t get it unless they decided to explain.
“Ahh, youth,” Zombina laughed, and Lilith clicked her tongue dismissively.
What’s going on? Kimihito wondered with apprehension.
Soon they all relaxed again, secure in the knowledge that they’d done a good job and that their test was a success. Miia and Rachnera spent the rest of the night enjoying their drinks, the quiet atmosphere, and the chance to be close to Kimihito.