Accidents always happen when you least expect them.
"Kai?"
I didn't want it, but having experienced it three times, I was confident I had become somewhat adept at handling accidents.
"...Amid?!"
I'm not sure if this qualifies as an accident, but it's close enough, so let's move on.
"You refused my offer to work as a chef, but..."
An unexpected person showed up at a completely unexpected time.
"Ah, no, there's a reason for that..."
"..."
As the atmosphere grew so cold it felt like it could drop below freezing, I quickly looked around for help.
"Aha! So that's how it is~"
"Too bad Syru skipped out and missed such a fun situation, nya."
"Heh~ That adventurer guy and the black-haired one are quite something, nya~"
Instead, they were just watching as if it were entertaining, so I glanced at Mia, who was right beside me.
"If you're a man, you should act boldly at times like this!"
She was also smiling subtly.
'These people are really...'
Eventually, I asked Mia for permission, quickly changed my clothes, and sat down across from Amid to talk.
"So... could you tell me what circumstances led you to work here?"
"Well, you see..."
If last time Amid explained in rapid fire, this time it was the opposite.
"...That's how it ended up."
"..."
I laid out the whole situation, but Amid still seemed dissatisfied, puffing her cheeks slightly.
'She's somewhat loosened up, but... that expression says there's still resentment.'
To others, her expressionless face might look the same as usual, but the subtle changes based on emotional fluctuations were noticeable, so I concluded that I needed to take strong action to escape this situation.
"...On the day you want."
"..."
"On the day you want, for one day, I'll follow any command without complaint..."
I went all in without any hesitation or testing the waters.
"...Huh?"
Fortunately, the remaining dissatisfaction seemed to have completely disappeared.
'Oh!'
'Going for the big move right from the start! I never expected that, nya!'
'So exciting, nya!'
'Get back to work, you guys!!'
I could hear the instigators of this incident talking in the distance, but I decided to ignore them.
"Well then... I'll get back to work."
"...Ah, okay."
As I got up, Runoar, Anya, and Chloe pretended nothing happened, hurriedly doing their tasks while subtly keeping an eye on me.
"I never thought you'd go for such a big move at that timing... not bad, Kai..."
"Haha. You're going to have a tough day tomorrow."
Naza and God (Miach) just happily drank and ate snacks.
"It wouldn't hurt to help a little..."
Sighing, I went back into the kitchen, and this time Mia patted my shoulder and gave a praise-like compliment.
"Well done! A man should sometimes have the courage to step forward!"
"We're not in that kind of relationship in the first place..."
Mia looked puzzled for a moment, then laughed heartily, slapped my back a few times with a 'Bang!' sound, told me to keep it up, and started cooking again.
"Sigh..."
Back in the day, a friend of mine was confessed to by a girl he didn't even like that much, and pressured by the atmosphere, he ended up dating her awkwardly, which didn't end well, so I'm not exactly thrilled about such situations.
'I've already been harshly rejected before...'
Moreover, having experienced breaking up with a girlfriend due to my personal issues, I started thinking that if I give my heart to someone, it only hurts both parties, so at some point, whenever someone shows romantic interest in me, I naturally distance myself and avoid it.
"Ugh... such is my fate..."
Fortunately, after that, I worked without any major incidents, and when told it was okay now and to join the party with the members, I belatedly attended and enjoyed the after-party.
"...Huh?"
When I came to my senses, I was in my room bed.
"Did I black out? Ugh... smell of alcohol..."
Unless adults offer it as a courtesy at gatherings, I usually avoid alcohol, so why was there a strong smell of alcohol on my body?
"There's no way a few drinks from God would do this..."
Just in case, I quickly checked my surroundings, and thankfully, the clothes I wore yesterday and my belongings were all there.
"...I hope I didn't cause any trouble?"
The first emotion that came to mind upon realizing I blacked out was worry, but luckily, I already knew my drinking habits were relatively well-behaved, so I didn't think too seriously about it.
"Well, at worst, I suddenly disappear and end up sleeping at home."
My drinking habit is... at some point, I silently disappear and go home to sleep—the homing instinct type—so at gatherings like company dinners, even if I drink, I try to maintain sobriety by limiting myself to a reasonable amount.
"...Did someone force me to drink?"
From the looks of it, someone secretly mixed alcohol and made me drink it.
"I need to ask senior and God..."
To find out what happened yesterday, I changed clothes and went downstairs.
"Hey... cute one, come here..."
"Haha. You were quite a sight yesterday."
"...Huh?"
It seems I caused a bigger scene than I worried about.
"See... I told you he wouldn't remember..."
"That's a shame... it was nice to see you finally acting your age"
And in the direction I least wanted.
"Wh, what did I do... no, more than that, cute one... huh?"
The shock was so great that I couldn't speak properly.
"You seemed a bit drunk, so as a joke, I told you to call me big sister, but I never thought you'd smile and ask for a hug..."
"...Huh? What did I do?"
I hoped desperately that this was a made-up story and looked at God (Miach).
"Haha. It was completely different from your usual image, so I was surprised too."
With God's answer nailing it that it wasn't a lie, I collapsed on the spot.
.
.
.
"...Is this something to collapse over?"
"You're the one who cares a lot about your image around others, right? At least care as much as you enjoyed yesterday."
"Well, I don't mind having a cute little brother..."
"Huh?"
"...Do you really think those who saw you yesterday will just leave you alone? Especially that guy..."
"Ahaha... well, it'll work out somehow, right?"
.
.
.
I had a nightmare. A nightmare where I got drunk and acted cute in front of people I somewhat know.
"...It must all be a dream. Yes, there's no way I did that, so of course it's a dream."
But for some reason, the more I denied it, the more fragments of memory from the blackout started to surface.
"Fuck... I really want to kill myself..."
If it were only Naza and God, maybe, but I also vaguely remember Chloe coming over and telling me to call her big sister too.
"Please tell me it's not true!!!"
I never thought I'd be kicking my blanket at this age.
"...No, my body's age is 14, so maybe it's appropriate?"
Anyway, it's embarrassing regardless, so I buried myself in the blanket and kept kicking it.
"Graaah!!!"
After repeating this for about 30 minutes, Naza kicked open the door and came in.
"You're noisy! If you're just going to yell, hurry up, wash up, and go clean the store!"
"...Okay."
Regretting the past won't change anything; living in the present is more important, so I have to endure.
"..."
Using my habit of focusing on one thing to ignore others, I was organizing items, cleaning accumulated dust, and ventilating the room.
"...Call me big sister."
"Cough!"
Naza's teasing remark forced me back to my senses.
"I never knew you'd be this easy to tease..."
"...Please don't make fun of me."
"You should have drunk in moderation..."
"I was definitely controlling myself while drinking..."
"...Really?"
From the reaction, it seems it wasn't Naza and God's doing.
"Then the remaining culprits must be those people..."
Having cooled my head somewhat, I quickly got ready to go out.
"Sigh... I'm going to file a complaint at the store."
"It might be better not to go..."
Ignoring Naza's warning, I headed for the Hostess of Fertility.
========================
The website for reading paid chapters is available on my Patreon. The number of chapters on Patreon: 34
Link: patreon.com/UltraMagnus_T