LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 29 - Drinking Party
“Hmm… what should I do? It’s fine that she started drinking but…
Isn’t she supposed to be strong with alcohol and rarely gets drunk? Just after starting… she’s clearly drunk.
“Mito-kun is… unfair!”
“Huh… Is that so? Master… is this drink particularly strong?” I thought it was a regular cocktail with a low alcohol content…
“No… not particularly. Hmm… they say people get drunk quickly when they’re nervous…”
“Nervous? Why?”
“Mito-kun! Are you listening?! Right now, please only look at me!”
“Yes, yes!” As instructed, I gaze at Reina-san.
“No… don’t stare at me like that…” she mutters.
What!? What do you mean!? You were the one who told me to!
“What… what do you want me to do…?”
“See! Unfair! Always toying with me…!”
“What?” When have I ever toyed with her…?
“I’m… always being toyed with!”
“No… that’s not…” If anything, I feel like I’m the one being toyed with…
“Even at work! Eating lunch with Morishima-san…”
“That was because… Yokoyama needed something, not me.”
“No… that’s not it… it’s definitely not!” She retorts.
“No… but…” She’s a mix of sexiness and cuteness, it’s a dangerous combination…
“…I understand, it was my fault.”
“Yes! I knew it, Mito-kun is a good boy!”
“Whoa! Wait… don’t pat me!”
“Ehehe, so cute.”
“Thank you very much…”
“Alright! As a reward for apologizing, I’ll treat you… Master! Another round, please!”
“Master!? Please don’t let her drink anymore! We have work tomorrow!”
Reina-san receives her drink and starts chugging it down.
“Sorry to hear that. It’s a tough position, isn’t it? I’m not scared. I like you, Reina-san. Everyone will understand in due time. I’ll help as well.”
“…Huh?”
“Is something wrong?”
“N-nothing! I, I’ll drink!”
“Okay, understood. I’ll join you.”
“J-join?! No, I can’t…”
I take a gulp from my glass, only to find out that it’s just water.
“Wait, Reina-san?” I turn to her, only to find her mumbling in her sleep.
“Well, well, but her color is good,” the bartender remarks. “Let’s watch her for a little while.”
“……Yes, I’ll do that.”
I look at Reina-san’s seemingly young face and realize that my heart is being moved.
……I’m in trouble……I can no longer make excuses……
No, even if that’s the case……I don’t necessarily have to do something about it……
“You seem to be trusted quite a lot, don’t you? She must be opening her heart to you.”
“I would be glad if that’s the case. I think of her as a good superior too.”
Yes, that relationship should be fine……
There’s no way a beauty like her and I could be together.
After all, Reina-san has been saying she’s bothered by sexual harassment and being flirted with.
I can’t afford to misunderstand something here and lose Reina-san’s trust.
She’s finally trusting me enough to vent her frustrations……
I will focus only on listening to Reina-san’s story.
I chat with the master about everyday things and cooking……
Maybe about twenty minutes later?
Reina-san seems to be waking up……
“Uh-uh… Huh? Where is…?”
“Good morning, Reina-san. This is Master’s place. It seems you fell asleep.”
“…Mi, Mito-kun!? Um, uh… huh? As soon as I started drinking… I can’t remember anything… but somehow…!”
Reina-san suddenly buries her face in the table…… Why?
“Oh no!! It’s absolutely disgraceful as a superior and as an older person!”
I see…… so that’s what it is.
In that case, what I can do is……
“You don’t have to worry about it. Don’t overdo it in front of me. I’ll always be here to listen to your stories……okay?”
“Mi, Mito-kun…!”
“…Is it… acceptable… for me to leave it as it is…?”
“Master?”
“No… yes, I’m just the master. Just a bystander…”
“Ehehe~, I’m happy! Master! Can I have the bill, please!”
“Ah- I’ll pay too”
“No! It was me who invited you!”
“But, still…”
She said she didn’t have any money…
To be honest, I’m enjoying it too…
And the beef stew was delicious…
Eating delicious food, drinking with a beauty… treating her is out of the question.
“I won’t back down on this! Absolutely!”
“Okay, okay…”
I don’t know if it’s unconscious or not… but please don’t get too close…!
My heart! Don’t beat so fast! Be quiet!
“Um! It’s good to be honest!”
We settled the bill, and then we got into a taxi.
In the taxi… Reina-san seems to have realized.
“Ah– you have a moped, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“How about tomorrow’s work…?”
“I’ll take a taxi.”
“Mo, money! I’ll pay, okay!?”
“No, I can’t have you doing that.”
“But…”
“I won’t back down on this. I’ll pay for today’s taxi too.”
“No way! It’s bad…”
“No, please let me. I’ve been taken care of by you.”
“Mito-kun… Thank you…”
Then we arrived in front of Reina-san’s apartment.
“Mito-kun, thank you for today. I’m sorry, it was a bother, wasn’t it…?”
“No, not at all. Besides… I should be the one thanking you…”
“Huh…?”
“I really enjoyed myself. Please invite me again when you want to vent.”
“…Is that okay?”
“Yes, it would be a problem if it’s every day though…”
“Hehe… I won’t do that.”
“In that case, there’s no problem. Good night then.”
“Yes, good night.”
With those words, the taxi drove off.
……Now, I can’t afford to lose Reina-san’s trust.
The trust of the section chief… I’m sure this is what he meant.
I need to maintain self-control and keep an appropriate distance.
“…Otherwise… I’ll be the one who gets hurt…”
I feel like I’ve thought about something like this before…
I feel like I’m going in circles…
The boundary between work and private life…
Where does one start and the other end…?
In the first place, is it okay to have such feelings for a superior at work…?
My mind is wandering, like it’s lost in a maze with no exit….