"You guys... what is this situation?"
"Well~ because I've had kids following me around, I actually haven't had a drink for two whole days..."
Facing Gin-san's slightly disgusted interrogation, Miyazawa Yuu stood firm with his arms crossed. Even as the purple-haired older sister hooked her arm around his neck, making him sway, his expression remained unexpectedly relaxed!
It couldn't be helped. With Rin at home, along with the other two little ones, he truly hadn't touched a drop of alcohol for two days. This was more painful than killing him!
More importantly, for some reason, even though this Kikuri sister was a "booze monster" who liked to go wild while drunk, both her carefree aura and color palette were 50% similar to Azusa-senpai.
Combining the two, it was already impressive that he hadn't reflexively performed a "disappearing shochu" magic trick! If he couldn't drink, at least let him smell it!
"Two whole days! That won't do! Going two days without drinking is a major crisis!"
"Tell me about it!"
"I don't really get why two days would result in this..."
With eyebrows twitching in anger, Yoshida Ginjiro gritted his teeth and held back the urge to kick these two drunks out. He placed a registration form in front of Yu and gave his final instructions with what remained of his patience: "Sign it. Rehearsal is scheduled for either tomorrow or the day after; I'm free both days."
"Understood. Let's make it the day after tomorrow. Sorry for the trouble, please bear with us!"
"Hey, hey~ the boy looks like an adult already. Since we're fellow enthusiasts, want to go out for a drink?"
"I haven't agreed to give you a slot yet! Kikuri, settle down!"
Forcing the laughing Kikuri—who kept demanding to buy booze for a second round—away from the guest, Ginjiro massaged his lip ring, nursing a headache over how to get this drunkard home!
Asking the other two members of her band to come was out of the question. Her disappearing on a drinking binge was a regular occurrence; the other two were likely working part-time right now and wouldn't have time to rush over.
As for Honjou Fuuko, she had to rehearse later, and a girl probably couldn't handle this drunk. That left...
"No problem. I have extensive experience dealing with drunks. I've mastered 108 techniques to prevent 'wardrobe malfunctions' during assistance. High quality and reassuring!"
"The one I'm least reassured by right now is you!"
"Eh? Why?"
Yu slowly retracted his thumb, squinting and whispering under his breath. He felt Boss Gin had a deep prejudice against drinkers!
Despite appearances, he was a pro at taking care of people!
Back at the PaB Club, which "dead drunk" senior who suddenly had an emergency hadn't been delivered by him? Even if they were usually down to just their underwear in the end—there was nothing left to lose anyway—everyone gave him five-star reviews!
"I'm not doubting your character..."
Yuu reaction was almost too honest. Yoshida Ginjiro received his unhidden emotions seamlessly and could only raise an arm to snap his fingers. "Can Yu-kun guarantee that after you two leave, you won't head straight for a second drinking party?"
"That is the one thing we cannot guarantee..." x2
Both knelt on the floor and simultaneously turned their heads away, avoiding the stern gaze of the "patriarch." Yuu eyes drifted and the corners of his mouth curled; his whole body radiated visible guilt.
It couldn't be helped. In fact, considering he had volunteered to dump the kids on the other two so he could "look for a venue," his little scheme was already glaringly obvious.
Even if he hadn't met Kikuri, he probably would have slept in an izakaya tonight...
Besides! "A stranger in a strange land!" Isn't it a good thing to meet an older sister with similar tastes and put their hobbies into practice together!
"Well~ the so-called 'Happiness Cycle' must be maintained. If you slack off even a little, you'll end up like Gin-chan!"
Waving her fist in protest, Hiroi Kikuri's drunken, squinting eyes showed no emotion, but her grumbling about "stiff adults" was palpable!
"Hey! Gin-chan! Aren't you worried about your pension too! Let's have a drink together!"
"Ugh... sigh..."
Completely speechless, Ginjiro's gaze toward Kikuri softened. What she said was actually true.
However, compared to a property owner like him, girl bands should be the truly "dispossessed." As far as he knew, Kikuri had never paid into a pension fund or anything like it...
"Yu-kun, this is the address to Kikuri's place. If possible, please at least help me get her home~"
"Eh? Is it okay to deliver her directly to her home?"
Yu tilted his head toward the booze-soaked Kikuri, and this time his expression held a hint of doubt.
While drinking and then delivering someone home was his daily business, she was a single woman. Did Boss Gin and Kikuri really trust him to deliver her directly?
"How about I find a hotel after we finish drinking—"
"Please, absolutely do not!"
Raising a hand, Ginjiro turned away as if he didn't want to deal with Kikuri, but in reality, he was observing Yuu changing expressions from the corner of his eye.
Fortunately, the result reassured him. Being instinctively startled by Ginjiro's outfit proved he was a "good kid" who didn't hang around delinquents. After meeting Kikuri, he hadn't glanced at her chest once, proving he wasn't interested in a drunk woman.
Though he didn't know where this "ascetic drinking youth" had come from, he was clearly no threat to Kikuri~
"After all, if Kikuri gets drunk, she's prone to vomiting all over a bedsheet. And she doesn't have spare money for hotel fees~"
"Is that the kind of 'carefree' reason it is? Why do I feel like I can taste the bitterness of poverty in that statement!"
"OK! Lets GO, boy!"
Chugging the remaining shochu in the bottle, Kikuri wiped her mouth. she was already impatient for the next round!
As for her safety as a lone woman—leaving aside that she found Yu-kun very likeable, a pure person with such deep insights into drinking couldn't possibly be a bad person!
More importantly, her "Happiness Cycle" was almost at its end. At this moment, a hearty drinking session was imperative!
"Thank you for the hospitality, Boss Gin. I'll be going now!"
"Go on. Kikuri's almost run off. Right! Don't over-drink and forget the rehearsal time..."
"Yes!"
"..."
Watching Miyazawa Yuu chase after the goose-stepping Kikuri as the door closed, Yoshida Ginjiro sat tiredly on his small stool and looked at the performance sheet Yu had filled out.
Honestly, regardless of the band's level, he really didn't want another "Kikuri Army" under him. His small shop really couldn't handle a concentrated assault from drinkers!
But thinking this, a column on the form regarding the "Nature of Performance" caught his attention.
Generally, Livehouses sometimes take commercial gigs for famous bands, but the "Nature" column for a regular resident band usually isn't filled in.
Perhaps because he was a newcomer, Miyazawa Yuu had written four words in that column—"Final Performance!"
"Final Performance... the last show before the band breaks up? Well, I suppose that's for the best..."
Clipping the form into his memo, he shook his head and continued cleaning the venue. With the economic downturn, Livehouses were closing one after another. Compared to the dream of a band, going back to school was a much better choice.
...
"Um... Kikuri-san?"
"You can just call me Kikuri, Yu-chan. Are you a student at a university nearby?"
"No, just home for the holidays."
Outside the shop, although summer days are long, darkness had already enveloped all of Tokyo after so much had happened.
Following behind the "local" Hiroi Kikuri, Yu finally noticed she was actually wearing traditional wooden geta. Those shoes don't just pinch your toes; they hurt the soles of your feet. You can't walk very far in them.
Since it was their first meeting and not suitable to drink in a private room, he raised a finger and suggested: "How about we find an izakaya nearby? That way we can finish drinking earlier and it'll be easier to get home?"
"Eh? Is Yu in a rush to get home?"
Despite being tipsy, she was the "older sister" and the local. Hiroi Kikuri, her face flushed red, bent over and turned around, asking considerately: "Actually, I can handle it myself. You don't have to worry about my safety!"
"It's not that..."
Yu pulled out his phone and sent a message to the "Big Busujima" saying he might be home late today. Ignoring the constant vibration of her replies, he spoke coolly: "As long as Kikuri doesn't mind, I can drink for an entire night!"
"Yoshi! That's the spirit! But before that..."
Shinjuku's bustling streets were full of people even at night. Kikuri took a few quick steps. Her aura of alcohol made many passersby look away, a mix of disgust and fascination.
But seeing Yu following behind her, at least no one did anything stupid like trying to hit on her. This allowed her to run all the way to a restaurant within the district.
"We have to fill our stomachs first! Otherwise, waking up the next day will be very painful!"