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Ch. 27: Introspective drink
"… I get it, I get it!" Suika groaned as she waved her hands in front of her, her eyes hurting and her head pounding from the alcohol and from Reimu's nagging.
"Do you really?" Reimu repeated herself with no intention of stopping. It was vital that she drilled this into Suika's head, never mind the jack hammer going off in Suika's brain due to the binge drinking Suika was subjecting herself to now. "Remember, one week is all I've given you!" Reimu bent down and wagged a stern index finger in front of Suika. "One week is all I've given you! After that, you've got to find your… friend someplace else!"
"Ok, ok!" Suika grumbled. "I hear you! I hear you!"
Reimu narrowed her eyes at Suika, doubtful that she had managed to urge any sense of urgency into Suika's fermented mind, then sighed and turned around to leave Suika and her drinking partner Yuugi in the living room, signalling Kogasa to follow her.
It was late in the night. Parsee had long since returned to her own home, and the Hakurei house was lit with little oil lamps in the few room that were in use. Hakurei Reimu was not rich after all, and could not afford to waste precious resources such as oil. Carrying one herself, she walked down the dark corridor, with Kogasa in toll. Reimu looked over her shoulder at Kogasa, who looked back a little meekly, then decided to at least give Kogasa a warm but tired smile, and proceeded to lead Kogasa to the rooms.
It was not as if Reimu did not like Kogasa. She seemed nice enough. But the harsh reality was that the household budget would not be able to sustain yet another youkai. Suika just had to find Kogasa someplace else within a week. But for now, Reimu thought, since Kogasa did not have any other place to go, she might as well provide her a room.
"Here we are," Reimu stopped before a sliding door. "Go ahead and make yourself comfortable," Reimu pulled the door open and invited Kogasa in.
"Th-Thank you, Reimu-san!" Kogasa bowed, "A-And very sorry to trouble you!" she smiled sheepishly.
"No problem at all," Reimu replied out of courtesy, "And sorry about the room. I don't have many to spare," she gave a glance inwards.
Kogasa looked inside. It was messy, but in a familiar sort of manner. A futon and blanket was half-heartedly made up, and various clothes were sloppily folded up and stacked about inside an unclosed wardrobe. Various other personnel effects were pushed to the sides of the wall, but other than that, the walls and floor were pretty clean, and everything was in order. A little untidy, but tolerably inhabitable.
"It's not mine by the way," Reimu gave a disgruntled look about the room.
"Haha… I can tell," Kogasa giggled a little. "I don't think a miko's room would look like this."
"Nope," Reimu pursed her lips. "Well… If you want to take a bath, the bath's already prepared, first come first serve in this house," Reimu informed Kogasa. "You should be able to find some spare clothes in there. Don't worry. They're clean, because I personally make sure they are…" Reimu placed her hands on her hips and gave one last discontented glance about the untidy room.
"Thank you very much!" Kogasa bowed again, and Reimu returned the gesture with a small smile, before leaving Kogasa to herself. She will need to purchase more groceries for this week, it seems…
Suika stared after Kogasa as she followed Reimu down the hallway, before proceeding to stuff her gut with sake once more. For all this time, Suika had actually drunk little alcohol, and now she was starved of it.
The truth was that she had been conscious about Kogasa, although for what reasons she was not entirely sure. Kogasa would still give her gourd the occasional glance, but other than that, it seemed she had gotten over her desire to bodily harm it. And yet, the whole time she was alone with Kogasa on the return trip to the Hakurei grounds, she had kept her sake intake to a sober minimum, and it was only when Yuugi was around as an excuse to binge drink did Suika binge drink.
... Why? Suika groggily and inwardly scratched her head at the revelation her internal monologue brought her.
"Heh… Suika, you look terrible, the way you're drowning yourself now," Yuugi looked with amusement at her drinking partner as she tranquilly partook in her own dish of sake. "You're lucky Kogasa isn't here anymore to continue witnessing this slovenly image."
… Urgh…. Suika's arm suddenly froze as it was halfway through the process of bringing the gourd to her lips once again, then arm and gourd fell limp at her side as Suika gave a large sigh. The appetite for sake was suddenly gone.
"Hmm… So your image matter's that much when it comes to Kogasa, huh?" Yuugi observed, looking straight ahead past her sake dish thoughtfully as she took another swig.
"… Shaddap! Hic!" Suika cried out. "I… I know what you're implying! Hic…"
"Hmph…" Yuugi's lips curled up into a slight smirk. Suika had never been the "melancholic drunk" type before. Something in her has definitely changed…
"… Ah… But it sure is going to be tedious though, isn't it?" Yuugi gave pretence of serious contemplation.
"… Wh-What is?" Suika slurred a little, her eyes narrowing at Yuugi, bracing herself for whatever stupid remark Yuugi was about to-
"Marriage that is."
"-Pfft!" the bracing collapsed. "Cough! Cough! Hack! H-Hic! Feh!" Suika had alcohol dripping all over her chin and on her blouse as Yuugi inwardly chuckled, her eyes shining with mischief.
"No, seriously though," Yuugi quickly continued before Suika's anger could take hold. "Why did you bring her back?"
"Cough, cough… Eh? Why, you ask?" Suika looked up in puzzlement. "Isn't it because… Well, because…"
Kogasa being "jumped" by Suika in the forest. Kogasa throwing herself at Suika. Kogasa clinging to Suika. Kogasa being jealous for Suika. Kogasa sobbing in Suika's arms. Kogasa confessing-
Suika froze, her face a brilliant cherry scarlet. W-Why, you ask…?
"Uh… S-Suika?" Yuugi grew a little concerned at Suika's sudden breakdown.
"I-It's nothing…" Suika slowly recovered, shaking her head and downing a little sake to snap herself out of it.
"Then why-"
"Stuff happened," Suika kept drinking.
Yuugi looked over a Suika a little confused, "I-I see…" and kept drinking herself as well.
Stuff happened, huh? "Th-Then…" Yuugi began a slowly, "It's true, isn't it. You did do something to-"
"I already said it, didn't I!" Suika swiftly interjected. "It wasn't me! It was her that declared she was going, I quote, 'Steal my heart' in front of everyone!" Suika slammed the gourd down on the ground. "Do you have, any idea? ! Any idea how embarrassing… how… gugh… gugh…!"
Suika was freezing up again, her whole body shaking and blushing.
"… And… Exactly how many people did she do that in front of?" Yuugi calmly continued the conversation in a trivial manner to prevent Suika from breaking down.
"Th-Three…" Suika held up three fingers.
"I see…" Yuugi drank more from her dish, but pressed no more. Wow… She had no idea Suika had this on her plate… Nevertheless, Yuugi kept quiet. Any time now… Most drunk plus sad people were like that…
"…" Suika looked at Yuugi, who just kept drinking. Aaany time now…
"You know," Suika looked down, her knees drawn to her chest. "I sometimes wonder why I didn't just shoo her away."
"Uh huh."
"She was the one who followed me back, by the way," Suika looked to the side, pouting. "I just didn't do anything about it."
"I see."
"Why didn't I do anything about it? !" Suika pulled her hair at the sides. "Why didn't I at least just say something about it?"
"You should have."
"I should have, right? !" Suika said exasperatedly. "And now I've got a girl who literally declared to me that she intends to advance on me."
"I can't imagine how unlucky you must be." Roll eyes.
"W-Well… W-Well…! I-It's not like I don't like her…" Suika squeezed her left arm in her right hand.
"Do you not?"
"W-Well, I mean, she's sweet but… But I…" Suika squeezed on the arm harder.
"You're not ready for such things."
"E-Exactly! And now things are weird, b-because I can't just tell her to go away now, can I?" Suika looked at Yuugi, begging for understanding. "Not after she's followed me after all this time…"
"Yeah, I understand."
"So…" Suika ran out of breath and coherence. "So… ! Ahhh…!" Suika leaned back on her arms, momentarily giving up.
… Yuugi observed Suika out of the corner of her eye. This… was proving to be more than just amusing, Yuugi smiled to herself. Ah… But nonetheless, Suika was troubled, and a true friend would help her.
A true friend Yuugi was. "Why don't you just give it a try?" Yuugi sincerely suggested.
"H-Huh?" Suika turned her head towards Yuugi, confused.
"Love, that is."
"H-Huh? !" Suika suddenly sat up straight, her face blushing again. "N-No, Yuugi! You're not helping!" she fiercely rejected.
"And how am I not?" Yuugi frowned a little at her earnest suggestion being rejected like that. "It's eating at you, this whole thing. You've got a cute girl after you and you won't and can't chase her away now, so why not just give in?"
"I-I can't!" Suika vehemently shook her head.
"And why not?" Yuugi crossed her arms.
"Because I don't know if she's the one person for me!" Suika said. "L-Look, I wasn't even intending to find a partner or something, remember me saying that quite a few chapters back?"
"Uh… Yeah I think…"
"And now, all of a sudden, you're asking me to accept some random someone who I'm not even sure is the one for me? !" Suika shook her head some more. "I mean, she's nice and I might even go so far as to call her a friend but—"
"How do you know who's the one for you if you don't try?" Yuugi rhetorically asked.
"I just can't," Suika didn't miss a beat, "Not with her, I just can't," then promptly fell silent to signal a conclusion to this argument.
"… Well, then you've got one week to reject her I guess," Yuugi got up and started to get ready to take her leave.
"… Huh?" Suika looked at Yuugi, "W-What do you mean?"
"Since the two of you are obviously not fated for each other," Yuugi stretched her arms over her head, "There really is no reason for her to hang around you anymore. And she can't stay here in this house, Reimu was really clear about that part," Yuugi looked back down at Suika and shrugged. "So… One week. One week to dismiss her as nicely as you can," she nonchalantly said. "That should not be a problem for you, right?" and yet, Yuugi could not hide her smirk.
"W-Wait! Yuugi!" Suika stretched her arm after Yuugi as Yuugi took her leave, "Wh-What do you… Argh! You jerk!" and flung an empty sake dish after her.
"D-Damn it!" Suika groaned as she slumped back down on the ground below her.
And thus one week (story wise) begins… Now!