Chapter 12
Booze was a rather special thing to me.
These days I don't think much of it, but back then I soothed the pain of losing my partner with booze.
But I used to drink a little too much—enough to worry the people around me.
Enough that Sera got so worried she talked me into a medical checkup.
My primary doctor, who knew quite a lot about me, including my original sex, said,
'...You're normal. Every single value, too.'
'Then I can keep drinking!?'
'W-well, you can drink, but please exercise a little restraint...'
'Yippee!'
'Sigh...'
I realized something.
"So booze was something that just made you feel good with no side effects?"
"No, will you please stop chugging that stuff already! If someone with your looks is blowing bottles in a bar, the one who looks weird is me..."
"This cup is a doctor's-approved cup!!!"
"Hey!!!"
.
.
.
Well, I did stop after making an uncountable number of kimchi pancakes the next morning.
For reference, Sera, who drank with me, had to cancel all her missions that day.
An A-rank, and she still had the constitution of a weakling....
What a memory. What a memory.
So why am I thinking about that now?
I drank a bit.
Why, what of it?
The western forest's first impression was surprisingly mysterious and beautiful.
The dense mana in the air materialized, glowing with a mystical light.
It felt like fireflies or will-o'-the-wisps shining brightly.
If the eastern forest was quiet because plants were the main thing...
"...It's ridiculously pretty, isn't it?"
The western forest strongly gave off the feeling of being straight out of a fantasy world.
The forest was so full of mana it felt as if an aurora had been laid over it.
And then...
Breathing was incredibly easy.
As if I'd come home.
It wasn't simply because the mana density was high.
The air itself was amazing.
"Mm. The air tastes good."
I tucked the soju I was holding into my inventory.
Then I entered the western forest at once.
Of course, I hadn't come here without any preparations.
'They said there were mana beasts.'
Mana beasts.
Probably beasts that attack humans.
—Awooooo!!!
—Grrrrrr...
I know the basics, too.
Even in modern times, there are cases where beasts imbued with mana go feral.
'You run into them in the mountains sometimes.'
Not always—just very occasionally.
Beasts like that are a pretty big threat even to ordinary beasts, so they're hunted down and wiped out as a top priority.
I've helped hunt them and take the mana stones, too.
But... here, it seemed like those kinds of beasts were the main population instead.
[[Dragon Eyes] absorbs same-type mana. Mana slightly increases.]
Then a message rang in my head.
...What?
I didn't do anything?
...Well, whatever's good is good.
Anyway, the way to deal with those guys was...
Simple.
If they don't notice you, that's it.
After all, [Nature Affinity]'s use isn't just getting along with plants and animals.
Another use I found at the training camp.
Blending into nature.
I heard rustling.
I reflexively climbed the tree.
It takes less than three seconds to climb a ten-meter tree.
Sure enough, my mana had increased, which had improved my basic physical abilities.
"Let's see..."
A pack of wolves was showing yellow glowing eyes.
But finding me was impossible.
I had already jumped into the bushes the moment I spotted them.
The bushes enveloped me as if they had always been one with me.
'Nice and fluffy.'
Even though the bushes were clearly tough, I felt no resistance at all as I moved through them.
Of course, finding me was impossible too.
The reason Gomi can run away after seeing me is because I let it notice me from far away.
In this state, not even a bear that remembers my scent could find me!
That said, going too deep would be dangerous, so I only went as far as the edge of the thicket.
Besides, there was already alarm magic set up around here.
After coming out of the bushes and wandering around a bit, I found a good spot.
A small clearing with no trees. It was close to the forest exit, and good for magic training too.
There was one big, flat boulder,
and for some reason, mana beasts didn't come near this area.
But then I thought about it.
'...I can't draw a magic circle, can I?'
...Why did I come here?
I found a good spot, but I hadn't learned how to draw magic circles.
Of course, since I always memorize the layout of mountains and forests, I wouldn't get lost and fail to make my way back...
Whatever.
"Let's crack open some booze."
That's actually why I came.
Aris is in the dorm, after all.
Even after I unpacked everything from my inventory, I still had to put the booze back in.
Thanks to that, I'd become a person whose inventory was stuffed with nothing but booze.
Of course, they said students here are usually old enough to drink starting in their third year, once they're adults.
That still doesn't mean you can bring alcohol into the student cafeteria.
And the booze here tastes awful.
They do serve wine in the student cafeteria.
But it's disgustingly bad.
How can it taste worse than soju?
"Heeheehee..."
The snack was just the dried squid I'd been eating up in the mountains last time.
Since dried food doesn't take up much inventory space, it was convenient to bring along.
And so I opened a new bottle...
"Unnie."
Something was behind me.
I hadn't even sensed it.
No, the moment I heard that low word,
it was radiating an enormous presence.
"What brings you here? Students don't usually come to this place."
I turned around.
And where I looked... stood a girl so cute it was almost suffocating.
Her hair, black as the night sky, reflected the mana glow of night and shimmered red and blue.
Her gem-like eyes were heterochromatic.
They reminded me of rubies and sapphires.
And then there were the vertically slit pupils.
Coincidentally or not, they were just like my Dragon Eyes.
What she wore underneath was a deep navy gothic dress.
But the most notable thing was...
all the natural mana in this place was circulating around her.
No.
Not natural mana.
This was her own mana.
I'd simply mistaken it for natural mana.
Because her own mana was so vast, I'd mistaken it for natural mana.
What is she?
"Who are you?"
"...You don't know me? Fufu... this has gotten interesting! As for me, I am..."
"Wait. Let me guess first."
If you just tell me, it'll be no fun!
"This is a dangerous forest... and you have a lot of mana... and if you're interfering with me drinking here, then... hmm! You're one of the locals, aren't you?"
"Huh?"
"I'll only drink a little and then leave, so please don't mind me."
I finally found such a great spot, and now you're telling me not to drink even one bottle!
"Hmm? Unnie is a little odd, isn't she? Normally, people are afraid of me, you know? I'm not even holding back my aura."
"Why would I be scared? You're not attacking me."
She wasn't ferocious, and she didn't really show any hostility.
"If I got scared just because of someone's mana reserves, our professors wouldn't be pushovers either."
The frighteningly dense mana inside her body.
"Theirs is just condensed mana, isn't it? My total amount is way greater."
"Pfft. Same thing."
I said as I downed the soju.
"Hehe. What a strange unnie. I was ready for a fight because I could feel a kindred aura, but... there doesn't seem to be anything like that. How did you get that part?"
I showed off my slit pupils.
"This...?"
And then, in the next moment,
she brought a sharp claw close to my eye.
As if she'd gouge my eye out if I answered wrong.
"Yeah! That. Those eyes similar to mine. You'd better answer carefully! I might have to take them back."
Hmm... what should I say?
It felt like a serious situation, but with the booze in me I couldn't take it seriously at all.
Let's just tell the truth.
I answered cheerfully.
"No idea!"
Then she became even more confused.
"Really? Hmm... not even caught by my power... I guess you really don't know."
But I'm starting to get annoyed.
I wish she'd stop with all the complicated talk.
I'm drinking here.
"But hey, you."
"Hmm?"
"If you're not going to drink, could you go somewhere else?"
"Hehe."
"No, don't grin like that."
"Got it. I'll keep you company, unnie. As for booze, I've enjoyed it before too."
"Oh, really?"
Am I making a drinking buddy!
She smiled and moved her hand slightly.
"Hey! My booze!"
Just like that, the soju bottle slipped from my hand.
When she snapped her fingers, a glass appeared.
"Hmm. It has a peculiar taste. Bitter... and the sweetness is really artificial."
"That's how you're supposed to drink it, though."
"Still, it's better than the cheap liquor commoners drink. Maybe it isn't bad."
That's not booze, that's trash.
The booze in the B cafeteria was truly undrinkable.
"Then shall we crack open some more snacks."
I took out more booze, raw ramen, and dried squid from my inventory.
"...Space magic too? What on earth are you, unnie?"
"I told you, I don't know either."
I tore open the raw ramen.
I'd already finished the snacks, so this was all I had left, but this is surprisingly tasty too.
"Try it!"
I sprinkled on the seasoning, broke it into pieces, and handed her a piece.
She took it, put it in her mouth, and crunched down on it.
Her eyes went wide.
"Unnie, this is delicious! It's so crispy and soft!"
Sure, sure.
I was already used to that reaction too.
But raw ramen is soft?
Are you a crocodile, by any chance?
I cracked open another bottle of soju.
She asked,
"Do you have more of these?"
"Of course."
We sat facing each other.
A few more packs of raw ramen had been opened.
This is what cultural exchange is all about.
"Before we share a glass, shall we at least introduce ourselves? I'm Adrian. I'm called the King of Wings."
She said, letting her black hair hang down.
King of Wings?
I've heard that name before, I think...
And I think I've heard it's dangerous...
I can't quite remember.
I don't know.
"Mm. I'm Yumia. I'm not really called anything in particular, though..."
"Then that's fine. After all, titles aren't all that important."
We clinked our glasses.
By the time we'd each silently emptied a bottle.
"So, what does the King of Wings want in exchange for offering such a tribute?"
"...Hm? A tribute?"
"Isn't that how it always is? Before I came here too, it was always like that. Everyone would offer tribute to me, tucked away somewhere, and then leave with powers or abilities."
She spoke in a bewitching tone.
As though certain I was expecting exactly that.
"Do you want something? I'll grant you one thing, anything. The price for easing my boredom is high, you know?"
"This isn't some sort of tribute."
"I set up a lavish drinking spread for you, so that makes it a tribute."
...What?
"Hey! How dare you call a sacred drinking spread a tribute!"
I stood up and shouted.
Hmm.
It wasn't really something to yell about, though.
Adrian was looking at me, eyes wide.
Well, since I'd already shouted it.
"Well, if you want to call it a tribute, sure."
"Right?"
"A tribute to make a drinking buddy, I guess."
"Fri...end?"
"Yeah. I came here because there wasn't anyone else here and I was bored stiff. I couldn't exactly drink with the professors, either."
At a glance, Adrian looked just barely old enough to drink.
And she seemed to have plenty of experience with it, too.
You pass.
"Fufu, fufufufu, nyahahahahahahahaha!!!"
Then Adrian burst out laughing.
"You're the first human to demand a drinking buddy as a tribute, unnie! Fine! Gladly!"
I poured soju into Adrian's glass and mine.
"I guess I'll take out the booze I've been saving too. This should be more drinkable than that."
And then, an incredibly luxurious-looking bottle of liquor rose up in the air.
...Isn't that stupidly expensive?
The names of liquors I'd only ever looked at because of the price flashed through my head.
Can that even be compared to soju?
Then Adrian said with a teasing look.
"But, unnie. Can you keep up with my pace? I'm pretty good among my own kind, you know?"
What.
The giga-chad inside me, the one that had been dying ever since I became a woman, fired laser beams from its eyes and said,
'Yup-pippi. There's always a time when people have to fight.'
"I ain't backing down! Let's just see who dies!"
***
The next day.
I woke up on a wide, flat boulder.
Anyway, there were no classes today since it was the weekend.
"Uu...hweh?"
I looked at my inventory.
It was empty.
All the booze I'd brought had become empty bottles and were rolling around the boulder.
And across from me, Adrian was looking at me with a faint smile.
"……?"
"Yesterday... hmm. You were amazing, unnie. I'm going to call you unnie for the rest of my life. Is that okay?"
"...Eh?"