Alcohol Is the Problem (3)

"...up."

"... ..."

"Wake...!"

"...wake up!"

"Mm..."

What on earth was that sound? An unidentifiable noise echoed beside my ears.

I groaned at the mysterious buzzing sound ringing in my ears. My head was spinning, and my insides felt as though they were burning over a fire.

I felt so awful that I wanted to close my eyes and go back to sleep.

"Wake up!"

"Mm...?"

This time, I heard it clearly. Someone was definitely shouting at me to wake up.

My eyelids, which had shown no sign of opening at all, trembled as I barely forced them apart. A powerful halo of light stabbed into my eyes, so I repeatedly opened and closed them until I grew accustomed to it.

Eventually, as my blurry vision gradually cleared, a familiar face came into view. White hair and blue eyes. And an expression that seemed dissatisfied with something.

My dizzy head delayed my judgment slightly, but it was definitely Marie.

"Are you conscious now?"

"Ugh..."

I couldn't answer Marie's discontented question right away. The moment my mind began to return, a headache came crashing down on me.

I clutched my throbbing head and barely opened my mouth. A parched voice, made rough by how long it had been since I drank water, spilled from my lips.

"...Where am I?"

"Where else? The grand auditorium."

Ah, right. I remembered Cecily bringing me here just before the film cut out. I had no idea what we had talked about during that process.

I had clearly said something important, but strangely, I couldn't remember it at all. Well, I had been drunk, so it couldn't be helped.

I didn't know what I had done after that, but perhaps I had gone quietly to sleep. As they say, old habits die hard—I tended to pass out whenever I drank too much.

"I was wondering where you'd gone, and here you are passed out. How many glasses of wine did you drink?"

Marie spoke in a tone that made me sound utterly pathetic. Her words were laced with reproach, making her sincerity perfectly clear.

I pressed the bridge of my nose again and again before opening my mouth. My voice was still hoarse.

"...I don't know."

"Of course you don't. Here."

"Huh?"

While I was pressing the bridge of my nose, Marie handed me something. Unlike a wineglass, it was an ordinary glass, and it contained clear liquid and spherical ice cubes.

I hadn't realized there were glasses available since I had been drinking only wine. Of course, even if I had known, I would have drunk only wine.

"It's ordinary cold water. I didn't put anything strange in it, so stop complaining and drink."

I stared blankly at the liquid in the glass for a while because of my dizzy mind, until Marie brusquely told me what it was.

Only then did I say, Ah, and carefully accept the glass from her. Perhaps because of the ice, a refreshing chill traveled through both my hands as soon as I took it.

I then studied the glass full of ice before gripping it tightly with both hands for fear of dropping it and bringing it to my mouth.

Gulp- Gulp- Gulp-

"Whew!"

After drinking about half the cold water, a heartfelt exclamation burst from my mouth on its own.

Just moments ago, my chest had felt as hot as though firewood were burning inside it, but thanks to the cold water, I felt as though I could live again. Even my throat, which had been as parched as a desert, felt as though it had returned to normal.

"Are you feeling a little more clear-headed now?"

Marie watched my reaction, gave a small laugh, and asked me. I felt my dizziness gradually improve and answered her.

"Thanks to you. Where did you get this?"

"It was on the table. They had cocktails too, not just wine."

Apparently, there had been more than wine available. Then again, the wine had been so delicious that I had drunk nothing but it nonstop, so it was understandable that I hadn't known.

I shook my head from side to side to clear my mind, then looked around. Now that I examined the place, the band that had been playing on the platform was gone, and the number of people inside the auditorium had noticeably decreased from what I remembered.

Apparently, a great deal of time had passed while I sat in the chair and passed out. Embarrassed, I scratched my head and quietly asked Marie.

"Um... by any chance..."

"I don't know when you started sleeping. I only just got some free time myself. Anyway, about four hours have passed since you and I parted."

Perhaps she had read my mind, because Marie beat me to it. She even crossed her arms and wore an unmistakably displeased expression.

She must have been busy going around from place to place as well, so asking such a question might have been rude. I wondered what I should say, then opened my mouth.

"...Then I guess we can go around together now? You said that before we parted."

"Huh? Th-that's right. But are you okay?"

Marie was flustered by my question for only a moment before immediately worrying about my condition. Since I had been almost completely drunk before passing out, it was understandable that she was concerned.

However, perhaps because I had fallen asleep and then woken up, the alcohol had worn off to some extent. Moreover, the cold water Marie gave me had acted as a sort of cure, allowing me to function normally.

Of course, the headache and nausea remained. I vaguely remembered hearing that wine caused particularly bad hangovers.

"I'm well enough to move. And I heard something from my father. He said circulating mana whenever you have a hangover will get rid of it."

"Oh, that? I heard the same thing from my older brother."

"Hup."

I stood up and circulated the mana inside my body. Even if I had no talent for martial arts, I could at least activate mana.

Then, as I focused my mind slightly, the mana moving sluggishly through my body like a grub began to surge. Every time I circulated mana, I thought the same thing: this refreshing, invigorating sensation was still unfamiliar no matter how many times I experienced it.

'It's amazing that people can fight using this...'

I was thinking that as I straightened my clothes.

Marie seemed to ponder my method of circulating mana to get rid of a hangover, then suddenly opened her eyes as wide as lanterns. Something must have flashed through her mind.

A moment later, she urgently grabbed my arm and shouted. The panic written across her face was particularly striking.

"Hey! Hey! Stop right now! You mustn't circulate mana right now!"

"Huh? Why? It's getting better..."

Ding-

I hadn't even finished speaking when an indescribable headache came crashing down on me, as though someone had struck my head hard with a hammer.

The sudden headache made me stagger, and I had no choice but to return to the seat where I had been sitting. That wasn't all—the nausea returned as well, as though the cold water that had calmed my stomach had been overturned.

"Circulating mana makes a hangover worse! It shortens the time you feel it by bringing all of it forward!"

"Ugh..."

"Honestly... Do you ever know anything properly? What are you doing?"

Her continued scolding never reached my ears. The headache and nausea that had barely settled down came crashing over me all at once, leaving me completely disoriented.

"Good grief... This isn't some comedy."

Marie grumbled as though she couldn't believe it and sat down in the chair beside me.

It seemed she intended to wait until I recovered, which looked as though it would take a while. Feeling needlessly sorry, I had no choice but to apologize.

"...Sorry. I had no idea this would happen."

"Stop talking and drink your water."

Come to think of it, the glass of cold water, now half empty, was still in my hand. At her urging, I gulped down the rest of it in one go.

Thanks to the ice, it was still cold, and I could feel the refreshing sensation all the way down my throat. My upset stomach seemed to settle, making me feel at least a little better.

However, the nausea remained the same. Luckily, I had stopped circulating mana immediately; if I had kept it up any longer, I might have collapsed.

"Ugh..."

"If you're having such a hard time, I can call someone to take you back to the dormitory. At events like this, there are usually plenty of people who get drunk like you, so the waiters are always standing by."

Perhaps she had decided that my condition was worse than it looked, because Marie suggested it in a worried voice. However, I noticed the disappointment hidden beneath her concern.

After all, anyone would be disappointed if they finally obtained some free time only for something to prevent them from keeping a promise, even if the other person's condition was terrible.

Besides, while I was passed out, she had probably gone around from place to place trying to benefit her family even in the slightest, and must have been exhausted. Even so, she had come to me to keep her promise.

So I wanted to avoid disappointing her if at all possible. I forced myself to act fine and opened my mouth to reassure Marie.

"I'm fine. My head is just a little dizzy. It's not bad enough for you to worry about."

"Really? That's a relief, then."

"Moving would still be difficult, though. Shall we just talk here?"

"Here?"

While my stomach continued to churn, I glanced at Marie and saw her staring at me with her eyes round. I nodded instead of answering to conserve as much energy as possible.

Marie blinked her catlike eyes, then smiled as though she found me impossible to deal with.

"You're good in every way, but you do get a little spacey sometimes."

"It's the wine."

"Now that's a highly convincing excuse."

"You didn't drink?"

"I did, but not nearly as much as you. And one of the Rechillis family's traits is that we don't get drunk easily."

You inherited blessed genes, along with your looks. I envied her inwardly before looking ahead.

Apparently, the event was beginning to wind down, because the waiters started clearing the tables one by one. The number of students who had attended the gathering had also decreased even further.

Even so, one person in particular stood out, unsurprisingly Cecily, who was wearing a red dress. As always, she was walking around amiably with Rina.

If someone asked her to name her closest friend, she would undoubtedly choose Rina. Whenever I saw her, Rina was beside her nine times out of ten.

"... ..."

Perhaps she noticed me watching her. Cecily, who had been talking with Rina, looked directly this way and waved lightly.

Although I had no energy to move, she had greeted me first, so I had to respond. When I weakly waved back, Cecily giggled under her breath.

"She's looking at you, right?"

Marie asked from beside me in a voice full of displeasure. I answered vaguely in a weak voice.

"Probably. Come to think of it, Noona Cecily seems to be with Lady Rina whenever I see her."

"Birds of a feather, I suppose."

Perhaps she was still thinking about what happened before we parted, because Marie's evaluation of Cecily had become remarkably harsh. Hearing it, I could only smile bitterly.

In the meantime, Marie looked at the nails she had carefully tended before speaking in a calm voice.

"...Isaac."

"Yeah."

"I'm asking because I suddenly got curious, but what's your ideal type?"

"My ideal type?"

I turned my gaze toward Marie after hearing her question, which had come out of nowhere. She glanced at me once, then fidgeted with her innocent nails as if confirming what she had asked.

"Yeah. Your ideal type."

"Why are you asking that all of a sudden?"

"I was just curious. There's no particular reason."

Marie answered as though it were nothing, but I could see that her ears were faintly red. Since her hair was as white as snow, the color stood out even more.

I was briefly bewildered by a reaction that felt strangely familiar, then stroked my chin and muttered about the ideal type she had asked me about.

"My ideal type..."

To be honest, I had never really thought about it. That might have been different in my previous life, but now beautiful women were everywhere around me, enough to trip over.

There was Marie, as well as Rina, Cecily, Leona, Adelia, and finally Cindy, the elf known as the embodiment of beauty.

Their appeal might depend on one's tastes, but none of them could possibly be called ugly. Anyone who called them ugly would be the strange one.

In any case, I had never thought about it until now. If I had to name one thing, maybe big eyes?

When that thought occurred to me, I stopped stroking my chin and opened my mouth.

"I don't know... I've never really thought about it. I like anyone with big eyes."

"What about women with large breasts like Cecily or Rina?"

That was an incredibly direct question. Though her question had caught me off guard, Marie was completely serious. I silently met her now-serious gaze, then subtly lowered my eyes.

Marie's dress wasn't as outrageous as Cecily's, but it was still fairly daring, exposing a little of her chest. Her skin, white as snow, must have caught the eyes of countless men.

In any case, Marie's breasts could hardly be called small. Cecily was simply excessively well-endowed; by my standards, Marie was large as well.

'No. That's not it.'

My thoughts had briefly strayed because of the alcohol, but I returned to the point. I raised my gaze to meet her face again and honestly confessed what I thought.

"Big is good. It's not just me; other men probably feel the same way. It's instinctive."

"I-is that so? I see..."

Marie was just about to turn away with a gloomy expression when a thought flashed through my mind, and I hurriedly added to what I had said.

"Oh. I do have one. It'd be nice if we shared a hobby."

"A hobby?"

"Yeah. A hobby."

Even in my previous life, if we shared a hobby, we generally got along well, setting everything else aside. There had even been a female friend with whom I had almost started dating, though we lost touch after my parents passed away.

Edin had been similar. Perhaps it was because of the wine, but the moment we discovered that we shared a hobby, words had poured out of us like a burst dam. And that had happened even though we had just met.

"I feel a strange sense of familiarity when we share a hobby. Like we can know and enjoy something together. I like that sort of thing."

"You're surprisingly ordinary?"

"I am. As you know, my hobby is reading, right? But these days, people only read The Chronicle of Xenon. I wish they'd read some other books too."

That much was sincere. Before then, people had read a wide variety of books, but everything had changed after The Chronicle of Xenon was published.

People had grown so accustomed to The Chronicle of Xenon because it was easy to read that they didn't even spare other books a glance. It was a somewhat regrettable reality.

"What about history?"

"Huh?"

"Don't you like history too?"

Marie asked cautiously. I tilted my head slightly when I heard her question, then nodded and answered.

"I do. Why?"

"It just came to mind. There's no particular reason. Oh, and..."

Marie stopped mid-sentence and hesitated briefly before shaking her head from side to side.

"No. It's nothing. Anyway, your ideal type is someone who shares your hobbies?"

"Yeah. What about you, Marie?"

"Me?"

She pointed at herself with a finger and asked again in response to my counterquestion. I nodded to confirm.

Then she stared intently at my face and slowly raised the corners of her lips. It was a playful smile that looked vaguely familiar, as though I had seen it somewhere before.

"I'm not telling you."

"What?"

"I said I'm not telling you. Isaac, you're surprisingly innocent, aren't you?"

"No. Ha..."

I let out a sigh. If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have answered either. My dizziness had clouded my judgment, leading to this result.

As I could only let out an incredulous laugh, Marie murmured as though the words had simply drifted away.

"Someday..."

"Huh? What did you say?"

"Nothing. Anyway, is your head feeling any better now?"

"I feel like I'm going to throw up."

"If you throw up here, it'll become a rumor... Ah, it will anyway. The redhead who passed out drunk in a chair. This is going to be hilarious, isn't it?"

"Can I hit you once in earnest?"

"I'll call my dad if you hit me."

It took about thirty minutes for my condition to improve. Marie and I left the grand auditorium, chatted briefly, and parted ways once it grew late at night.

Just before we parted, Marie called out to stop me.

"Oh, right. Isaac. I forgot to tell you something."

"What is it?"

"You looked cute sleeping."

"... ..."

"See you next week. Bye~"

Even as I watched Marie wave brightly and walk away, I couldn't bring myself to smile.

'I shouldn't drink anymore from now on.'

For me at least, this gathering was the very definition of a dark chapter.