"Ah—I want to go home and play games."
Since her true nature already exposed, Eirin had given up on controlling Houraisan Kaguya.
Her princess was beyond saving anyway.
"Princess, please show a little restraint." Eirin sounded helpless.
"All right, all right. Eirin, you nag too much. You sound like an old granny."
Kaguya waved her hand in boredom, her noble, beautiful face filled with annoyance and impatience.
The moment Eirin heard the words "old granny," her expression changed.
Eirin looked at her princess with a cold smile.
The dangerous aura radiating from her body grew intense, and Kaguya lost her nerve.
"Huh? What did I just say?" Kaguya blinked, then changed her tone as if she had remembered. "Oh, right, right! I said Eirin is the youngest and cutest! Yes, that's what I said!"
A preemptive strike!
Kaguya feigned amnesia, and most of the anger in Eirin's heart scattered.
Eirin sighed in her mind.
'Once children grow up, they become hard to manage...'
"You can't just muddle your way through this, you know." Eirin smiled at Kaguya.
Most of her anger had faded, but a punishment was still a punishment.
Kaguya's face fell.
Oh-hoh~~ She was done for.
"Pfft~" Yakumo Yukari could not hold back when she saw the expression on her old rival and friend's face.
The Eirin Yagokoro of the past had been dignified, awe-inspiring, and shrewd.
She had once carried the title of Sage of the Moon.
'And now? Tsk, Eirin, Eirin, how did you end up like this?'
Yukari enjoyed the misfortune.
Eirin's spiritual senses were sharp. The moment she looked at Yukari, she knew the other woman was laughing at her.
The corner of her mouth curved, and a trace of provocation appeared in her eyes.
"Princess, you should be careful with your words. Although it is true Yukari is getting on in years, it is better to call her 'old granny' in private." Eirin smiled as she stroked her princess's head.
Kaguya was left confused.
Huh? Why did it feel like she had been used as a weapon?
While Princess Kaguya was baffled, the corner of Yukari's mouth began to twitch.
"My, my. Eirin, did you take strange medicine again today?" Yukari smiled as she looked at Eirin.
"Hehehe. If your age has caused any illness, Yukari, be sure to tell me. For an old friend's sake, I will treat you free of charge." Eirin returned Yukari's smile.
Sparks seemed to fly where the two women's gazes met.
'This is not the time to interrupt.' Yuto came to that conclusion.
To be honest, he was curious about how old Yukari was, because he noticed she was sensitive about her age.
In general, the more someone treated a topic as taboo, the stronger its attraction became for everyone else.
Still... Yuto felt it better not to ask.
"Oh my, why is it quiet over here? That won't do, that won't do! This is a banquet! Hurry up and make some noise! Come on, drink~"
Suika, having drunk herself into high spirits, came over holding a plate of wine.
As one of the Four Devas of the oni, she had no reason to back down in this corner of the hall, whether in status or strength.
Besides, she was drinking, so why would she care about anything else?
The plate of wine was thrust toward Yuto.
Special ability activated: Inescapable Drinking Pressure!
Somehow, in a muddled daze, Yuto took the plate and drank the wine in great gulps.
'Good grief. This wine was strong!'
Now he understood why those youkai girls' faces had turned red.
This was not ordinary liquor.... it was a brew made for oni!
An average person would collapse after one cup.
Even though Yuto's body was beyond normal, he felt light-headed.
"Hahahaha, yes, yes, yes! That's it! That is it! I got to see the boss drink!" Suika laughed.
A trace of drunkenness appeared on Yuto's face as he smiled.
"You're right. Since this is a banquet, I should enjoy it!"
With wine warming his chest, a burst of boldness surged through Yuto.
His reaction made Yuuka want to say something, but she gave up and allowed Yuto to fool around.
"Yukari, Eirin, Kaguya, Yuuka, Reimu, come on, come on, you all drink too!"
"Nani?!"
"Suika, you—!"
"Damn it! I'm going to get drunk again!"
With her own power, Suika shattered the calm of this corner.
After pouring down several cups of wine, everyone's faces became red.
Their cheeks flushed, and the banquet atmosphere grew thicker and hotter.
The hall was like a barrel of wine shaken from side to side, with nothing steady and everything surging.
And lingering everywhere was that dense fragrance of alcohol!
...
The Sunflower Field.
It was afternoon.
Perhaps because of Gensokyo's special nature, the cycle of the sun inside Gensokyo moved at a much faster pace than in the outside world.
Converted into normal time, it should only have been around three or four in the afternoon, yet the sun had begun to tilt westward.
Although it was not like winter, the sunlight now carried a pale golden hue.
Under that light, countless sunflowers became radiant and dazzling.
Their bodies were coated in a golden layer like ripe wheat, and as the breeze passed through them, they swayed with breathtaking beauty.
A figure materialized in the middle of the flower field.
It was Kazami Yuuka.
She was supporting a man.
Rather than saying she was supporting him, it would be more accurate to say the man was holding onto her.
His arm was hooked around her neck, and although his eyes were closed, his face was turned toward her cheek.
It was Kamisaka Yuto, dead drunk and unconscious.
He had been knocked out at the banquet after Suika poured drink after drink into him.
Yuuka had brought him back.
His breathing, soft and steady, brushed against Yuuka's face with every inhale and exhale, adding a touch of color to her beautiful features.
Her fair cheeks looked as though they had been covered by a soft pink cloud, making her alluring beyond description.
Unfortunately, the only person who could appreciate her like this was asleep.
Yuuka's heart was far from calm.
She was not embarrassed.
It was a strange, unfamiliar discomfort.
Yuto's breath brushed against her face, and that breathing felt a little like waves under the night wind, tapping against her heart with a soft rhythm.
It was also a little like a butterfly flying without direction in spring, landing on her and leaving a lingering itch.
"Haa—"
Kazami Yuuka let out a small breath.
She calmed herself, setting aside the strange feeling on her face and the ripples in her heart for the moment.
With Yuto beside her, she arrived at the steps of Mugenkan.
With a touch of her finger, two chairs rose from the floor like plants taking root, standing side by side.
She placed Yuto onto one of the chairs and sat down beside him.
Sunlight passed through the strands of her falling hair, shining on her face and also on his body.
People who were asleep always liked finding something to lean on.
Yuto had been sitting upright for a short while before he leaned against Yuuka's shoulder.
Yuuka did not stop him, nor did she shift away.
Although she looked delicate, in truth, she possessed power beyond imagination.
It was only Yuto's head resting on her shoulder, and even if the weight were a hundred times heavier, it would mean nothing to her.
Only...
She still could not stop her heart from swaying.
She lowered her head and looked at Yuto.
Without realizing it, she thought back to what had happened at the banquet.
...
Suika had kept pushing drinks onto him, and her drinking pressure was her special ability, something no one could refuse.
Yuto had drunk cup after cup with no other choice.
Yuuka had wanted to stop it, but after seeing the smile on Yuto's face, she chose to let him be.
And so, Kamisaka Yuto became intoxicated.
At the time, he had staggered and fallen straight onto Yuuka.
She had caught him on reflex.
That action drew the attention of Yukari and the others.
Some of them looked amused, some smiled with wicked intent, and some watched her and Yuto with curiosity.
That made Yuuka feel a little "unhappy."
She used her youkai power to disperse the drunkenness in her body and declared on the spot that she would take Kamisaka Yuto away.
Kazami Yuuka would never forget the way Yukari and the others had looked at her at that moment.
Sleazy, annoying, and carrying some smile she could not understand.
If the situation had allowed it, Kazami Yuuka would have made a move.
She would have beaten Yukari.
But Yuto was still "hanging" on her, so in the end, she gave a cold snort.
When she turned around, Yukari's voice had floated over from behind her.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk... What a wonderful opportunity..."
As if speaking in riddles, Yukari had meant something but refused to explain it.
How irritating!
...
Even now, thinking back on it filled Yuuka with anger.
"Haa—"
Yuto's soft breath interrupted her memories.
Yuuka looked at his sleeping face.
His expression was calm, as peaceful as a child's.
For a moment, Yuuka was in a daze.
Without realizing it, she reached out and touched Kamisaka Yuto's cheek.
When she came back to herself, her heart startled.
She had thought she might wake Kamisaka Yuto, but he was still asleep.
That made her relax again.
'A wonderful opportunity...'
She understood what Yukari had meant.
She cursed under her breath.
But... She could not help feeling conflicted!
"Mm—"
A soft murmur from Yuto cleared Kazami Yuuka's mind.
What exactly was she conflicted about?!
Bah!
'Damn Yakumo Yukari for misleading me!'
She cursed in her mind, then lifted her head and looked into the distance.
The sun still hung high in the sky, spreading golden light across the world.
The boundless sea of flowers swayed as usual.
The breeze brushed past her ears, playing a faint melody.
She took Yuto's hand.
Time flowed in silence.
Kazami Yuuka seemed to be thinking about something.
After a while, she sighed.
The hand holding Yuto's began to glow with a faint light as Yuto woke up.
Just now, Yuuka had used her youkai power to wash away the drunkenness inside him.
When Yuto opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Yuuka's fair face.
At the same time, he noticed that he was leaning against her and holding her hand.
His expression became panicked, and he rushed to sit up, his face showing clear embarrassment.
"I'm sorry. It was my fault for drinking too much."
Yuto sounded rushed and flustered.
Yuuka averted her eyes.
She turned her head to the side, waited for a while, and then spoke.
"It's fine."
For a moment, the atmosphere fell silent.
Yuto realized that he was still holding her hand, so he withdrew his own hand in a rush.
He felt nervous.
When people were drunk, how could they remember what they had done?
Just now... He probably had not done anything, right?
"Did I... do anything just now?" He asked with hesitation and unease.
"No."
Yuuka answered in a low voice.
Her hand curled back with a rigid motion.
He had not done anything.
It was just that she had almost wanted to do something...
Kamisaka Yuto noticed how Kazami Yuuka drew back her hand, and his expression paused.
It was over.
He had done something.
Otherwise, why would her hand pull back like that?
A certain misunderstanding was born between the two of them.