Chapter 249: Silence is Golden!
Led by the waiter, the group crossed the hall and arrived by the window.
During their walk, everyone except Arisuin curiously sized up their surroundings.
This time, even Luke was the same.
It wasn't until they were led to their seats and sat down that the group's gaze was attracted by another thing.
Arisuin had requested their seat close to the bar counter, and everyone understood why he made this request the moment they sat down.
"Wow..."
"So beautiful."
"It's simply like a gemstone..."
Various kinds of liquor bottles were lined up inside the bar counter. Their colors were diverse, and their shapes were of all kinds, just like stained glass artworks.
"Indirect lighting is installed behind the liquor bottles. How about it? It looks beautiful, right?"
Looking at the few people who were appreciating this colorful radiance and had thus forgotten their nervousness, Arisuin breathed a slight sigh of relief in his heart.
After all, they were all people who had never been to a bar.
Even Luke had said he didn't drink much, so Arisuin was genuinely a bit worried that they wouldn't like it.
The quality of a bar was not just about the quality of its drinks; the environment and atmosphere were equally important.
Being able to like the environment here was a good start.
"What kind of liquor do you guys want to drink?"
Arisuin did not hand the drink menu to the trio of Stella, Shizuku, and Ikki.
Because he knew that newcomers who had just arrived generally couldn't understand drink menus.
A veteran with a goal like him equally didn't need to look at a drink menu, so Arisuin handed the drink menu to Luke.
However, this originally considerate action of his made Stella and Shizuku somewhat unhappy.
The girls seemed to feel that they were being looked down upon, so they stared fiercely at the drink menu that Arisuin had handed into Luke's hand.
"...Alice was afraid you guys wouldn't understand the drink menu, which is why he asked what kind of liquor you wanted to drink."
Looking at the girls' lines of sight moving along with the drink menu, Luke somewhat helplessly pushed the drink menu back.
It actually didn't matter whether Luke looked at the drink menu or not. It wasn't to say he was a veteran like Arisuin, but rather that he actually couldn't really understand the drink menu either.
Although he wasn't completely ignorant, Luke only recognized a few classic types of liquor in this kind of bar, so it was the same whether he looked or not.
Not to mention, he actually hadn't planned on drinking.
Receiving the drink menu, Stella and Shizuku were clearly very dissatisfied with Luke and Arisuin's attitudes.
"How rude, we aren't children anymore."
"That's right, that's right. At the very least, we still recognize the names."
This statement wasn't false. After all, neither of the two girls had a low status; in their past 'curriculum', knowledge about alcoholic beverages was likely a required course.
If it was just naming them, whether it was Stella or Shizuku, they should be able to name quite a few varieties.
Be that as it may, there was still a difference between recognizing them and having drunk them.
How the mouthfeel was, how the taste was, whether sour, sweet, bitter, or spicy was more suitable for oneself.
These were not things one could know just by relying on study. Only after truly tasting it would one understand whether a certain liquor was ultimately suitable for oneself.
Obviously, the just-turned-adult Stella and Shizuku were unlikely to know what kind of liquor suited them.
Sure enough, the choice the two girls made after studying the drink menu with conflicted expressions caused Luke and Arisuin to sigh deeply.
"L-Let's go with a Martini."
"T-That's right, how can one not drink a Martini when coming to a bar."
The slightly helpless Luke and Arisuin glanced at each other, then shook their heads in unison.
Their actions made Ikki, who was sitting next to them, a bit confused.
Even though he had never drunk alcohol, Ikki still knew the name Martini.
This King of Cocktails, also known as the Martini, could be said to be a classic among classics. No matter how he thought about it, there shouldn't be any major mistake with Stella and Shizuku's choice, right?
In Ikki's view, it was at least a safe decision. If it were him, he would most likely make the same choice.
In the end, it was still Arisuin, who was more skilled in this area, who opened his mouth to explain it to them.
"A Martini is indeed very famous, and under normal circumstances, choosing it is absolutely not wrong."
"No one will mock you for ordering a glass of Martini."
"But let's forget it this time. If Shizuku and Stella drink this for their first glass, I'm afraid it'll be very bad~"
Although the Martini was classic and famous, it was truly unsuitable for a novice touching alcohol for the first time to drink.
If Stella and Shizuku, who had never even touched beer or fruit wine, drank a Martini for their first time drinking alcohol...
This was the same logic as making someone who had never drunk alcohol before drink white liquor; it might even leave behind a psychological shadow.
"I know you guys are drinking for the first time. There are no strangers here, so there is no need to specially pretend to be mature."
"Let's start drinking with a liquor that is easier to swallow. Don't force yourselves. That goes for you too, Ikki, alright?"
Arisuin's tone, which was like an older sister comforting her own younger siblings, made Stella, Shizuku, and Ikki all somewhat embarrassed.
Especially Ikki. He had just been secretly agreeing with Stella and Shizuku's choice in his heart, and was immediately seen through by Arisuin.
However, they were still rational. Embarrassment aside, they had no intention of making a scene.
"B-But aside from a Martini, I don't know how to choose any other liquor..."
"M-Me too..."
Looking at the two girls who lowered their heads with blushing faces, Arisuin smiled gently.
Most people coming to a bar for the first time had encountered this kind of awkward situation. Everyone walked the path from ignorance.
As a friend, Arisuin naturally wouldn't kick them when they were down at a time like this...
*Click——!*
Right when Arisuin decided to take care of the girls' feelings, a crisp photographing sound and a fleeting camera flash ruthlessly destroyed the entire warm atmosphere.
The embarrassed expressions on Stella and Shizuku's faces had not completely faded before they were subconsciously attracted by the commotion and looked over.
Then, what they saw was Luke silently holding up his phone and the *click* sound ringing out once again.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"~~~"
"...Excuse me... Mr. Luke, what is this...?"
The first to break the silence was Stella.
The girl's complexion turned from red to white, and then from white to black. In an extremely stiff tone, she asked Luke:
"...Just now, I seemed to have seen you do something I cannot understand... Heh... Hehe... I must have seen something wrong, right?"
"Yeah, yeah, you saw wrong."
While nodding, Luke very naturally tucked his student handbook into his pocket.
Anger!
Luke's words, coupled with his actions, almost made Stella lose her mind.
"Do you take me for a fool?! How could I have seen wrong?! Hurry up and delete the photo for me!"
At this time, Shizuku, Arisuin, and Ikki also reacted, joining the camp condemning Luke together.
"Secretly photographing a young girl's embarrassed expression is not the behavior a gentleman should have. If you delete the photo right now, I can still barely forgive you..."
"That's right. This time, I am also standing on Shizuku and Stella's side. It's better to hurry up and delete the photo."
"Indeed... No matter how you put it, secretly taking photos is not a good thing. Let's just delete it."
Yet, facing the joint condemnation from the other four people, Luke did not have any worries.
Just as everyone planned to open their mouths once again, Arisuin and Ikki's student handbooks suddenly vibrated.
The two took out their handbooks with some confusion, and after taking a look, they froze.
At the same time, Luke's words entered their ears.
"How about it? If you guys still support me deleting it now, then let's delete it together. I don't mind."
The two silently looked at the photo Luke had sent over in their handbooks.
Looking at Shizuku's bashful posture with a rosy flush on her face and her head lowered...
Ikki and Arisuin coincidentally chose to remain silent.
(PS: Vote for more chapters this week. If this fanfic reaches 250 powerstones, I will upload 5 more chapters next. So, hurry up!)
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