"Thanks for waiting. Shall we go home now?"
"I'll go and pay the bill now~," one of the girls sang.
"Oh, it's fine. Let's just go," I said with a small smile.
"Eeh, really? Okay. Then let's go back to Hanaoka-san's house," she said.
"I agree~ Let's go to Hanaoka-san's place~," another girl called out.
"No, no. Let's go back to your own houses," I said, trying to sound firm.
"Okayyy, but Hanaoka-san's place sounds better~," they laughed.
We kept this silly back-and-forth even as we walked to the taxi stand, but I somehow got them into a taxi and sent them back to their own homes.
There was no way I could let four young girls into my room, even by mistake. I didn't think anything strange was lying around in plain sight, but if they saw the real life of a middle-aged man, they might look down on me from the next day. I wanted to avoid that, or school would feel very awkward.
Still, even if there is an age gap, having young and pretty women touch me so freely was a bit too much for my heart. The alcohol from Ore no Sakagura (My Brewery) seemed to fly out of my body at once.
I didn't join the Defense Agency to enjoy moments like that, but I'm a man. I can't say I hated it.
Even so, the way they drank in front of a man, even an older one, was risky. I couldn't help worrying about them.
"So Kinoshita-san looked more slim under her clothes than I thought. And Nakatsuka-san too... No, no. What am I thinking about my much younger classmates? When I get home, I'll drink a canned chuhai and calm down. Yes, that's what I'll do."
* * *
I had too much fun last night and drank too much. I didn't want to get drunk in front of my younger classmates, so I stayed sharp while we were out. I didn't even feel tipsy then. But after I got home, I drank another chuhai, and that was a mistake. The buzz hit me all at once. I somehow made it to my bed and fell asleep just like that.
When I woke up this morning, of course, I had a heavy hangover. I hadn't felt one this strong since my student days, back when I didn't know my own limits.
"Aah... my body feels so heavy..."
It felt like the alcohol was still inside me. My head hurt, and I couldn't think clearly. I drank water because my throat was dry, but it didn't help.
"I even slept without a shower. Nakatsuka-san and the others were really drunk. Youth is amazing. If a forty-year-old man acted like that, someone might call the police," I said to myself.
Once at university, I drank so much I forgot everything. When I woke up, I didn't recognize the ceiling; instead, I saw a blue sky.
I had fallen asleep alone beside a small park.
There had been about thirty students with me that night, so I had no idea why I ended up sleeping alone in the park. It was early November, and it was very cold when I woke up. If it had been a month or two later, I might not have woken up.
Since then, I learned my lesson and tried not to drink too much. But Ore no Sakagura was just too good. It really lived up to the rumors.
In the end, everyone got drunk and things became a bit wild, but I'm a man. Drinking with such cute and young classmates was, of course, fun.
It felt so different from drinking chuhai alone at home that I forgot my age and got carried away.
Notes:
• Kinoshita - A female classmate first appearing with Ootani and Miyake after Nakatsuka’s invite; joins tea to welcome Hanaoka; meets Hanaoka socially; no known relationships; impressed by name recall skill.
• Nakatsuka - A 20-year-old classmate first seen when she approaches Hanaoka after class; invites him to tea due to interest in his single status; no leader involved; meets Hanaoka socially; no known other relationships; likes drinking.