Chapter 286 286: Shido Alcohol (Part 1)

(Why does this bother me so much?)

January 2nd, 10:00 PM. Shido paced back and forth through the Yakumo household.

(It really bothers me.)

He looked deeply unsettled.

(What exactly is going on between Yakumo-senpai and Nia...?)

It all went back to after dinner.

Shido had gone to help Mikoto wash the dishes, and just as he reached the kitchen door, he heard Nia's voice.

(Hm? Nia's in there too?)

He had assumed she'd come to help Mikoto with the dishes.

"By the way, Miko-chan, once everyone's asleep, let's do that, okay?"

(Eh?)

But what Nia said was not at all what he had expected.

"Eh? That?"

"Mm-hm. Our own special grown-up time, just for the two of us. You're looking forward to it, right?"

(Grown-up time?)

Shido completely froze.

"Mhm, I'm really looking forward to it too. I'll prepare everything properly, so Nia should be sure to look forward to it too."

"Ahh, when Miko-chan says it like that, I'm already getting hot."

(Getting hot?)

Shido's mind went completely blank.

"Then it's settled."

"Mhm."

Realizing Nia was about to come out of the kitchen, Shido, who had just accidentally overheard all that, hurriedly fled the scene.

(Come to think of it, why did I run away back then?)

Now, as he suffered in the grip of his own thoughts, Shido questioned himself.

(Calm down. At times like this, I need to learn from Yakumo-senpai's powers of deduction.)

That was what he told himself.

(First—this "grown-up time" is supposed to happen after everyone goes to sleep.)

(It requires proper preparation.)

(And it'll get hot...)

He tried to logically piece together the truth of the matter.

"That means..."

As the final pieces fell into place, there was only one possible answer.

(Nia onee-sama, everyone has already fallen asleep. I... am all prepared too.)

In Shido's imagination, Mikoto appeared stepping out of the bath after everyone had gone to sleep, wrapped in a bath towel, cheeks flushed red.

(As expected of Miko-chan. Just looking at those beautiful curves is enough to make me burn up.)

And then there was Nia, seated on the bed in sexy sleepwear, gazing hungrily at Mikoto while slowly licking her fingertips. (TL:Oh man Shidoooooo)

(N-no no no, there's no way that's what this is!)

Shido shook his head desperately, trying to fling that absurd fantasy out of his mind.

(But come to think of it, Yakumo-senpai used to be a boy...)

(And Nia knows that.)

(If it's Yakumo-senpai and Nia... maybe they really...)

Unfortunately, his imagination only snowballed harder.

"I really should stop them after all!"

No matter how you looked at it, even if they were both girls, things developing in that direction was wrong, wasn't it?

(No, Yakumo-senpai is a girl!)

He kept insisting that to himself as he searched through the Yakumo house.

By this hour, everyone should already be asleep, so their "grown-up time" had probably already started.

Yet no matter where he looked, he couldn't find the two of them.

And then—

(The living room!)

While running, Shido noticed light spilling out from the living room and bolted there at once.

"Wait just a second, senpai, and Ni... a..."

He skidded to a stop at the living room entrance and shouted without even having enough breath to finish—only for the rest of the sentence to die the instant he saw what was in front of him.

"Ahh? Shi... Shido?"

"Hm? Boy, you're not asleep yet? Ah, miscalculation on my part."

To say why—

Mikoto and Nia were both perfectly properly dressed, sitting in an utterly ordinary way under the kotatsu, eating snacks, drinking, and watching television.

"So this is... what you meant by grown-up time?"

Shido said weakly, all the strength draining out of him.

Right then, he felt like a complete idiot for imagining some kind of yuri secret garden.

"Mhm, grown-up time."

Mikoto smiled and pointed at the bottle they were drinking from.

"Dai— Pff! Daiginjo1? Wait, isn't that alcohol?"

Only then did Shido realize they weren't drinking some harmless beverage at all—they were drinking sake.

And looking more closely, the snacks on the table weren't ordinary snacks either, but sashimi, tempura, and oden—foods that were not only delicious, but perfect with alcohol.

(I see... so it really did need senpai's help to prepare. And yes, I guess it would make you feel warm.)

That was what Shido thought with a helpless internal laugh.

"Honestly... Nia aside, senpai is still a high school student, right? Drinking is wrong. Very wrong."

Shido walked over and lightly smacked Mikoto on the head with a karate chop.

"Auuuu..." (TL:Auuuu)

Mikoto instantly covered her head in a cute way and looked up at him with teary eyes.

"It's not a problem at all. If we're talking actual age, I'm totally old enough to drink."

"Ah..."

Only then did Shido remember.

While she might not be as extreme a case as Nia, if you added together the years before and after Mikoto's transmigration, then yes, her actual age probably was old enough for alcohol.

"And besides, I've been working properly, you know. In that case, shouldn't I be allowed to have a little drink after a hard day, just like a real working adult?"

Holding her sake cup, Mikoto blinked up at him.

"Ugh..."

The sight of such a cute girl pouring herself sake was charming enough on its own, and the faint flush on her face from drinking added a touch of mature allure to her that made Shido's heart beat faster.

"Even so, senpai is still a high school student."

After thinking about it, Shido still said so.

"Then... how about Shido has a cup too? That way you'll be my partner in crime. Ehehe."

Mikoto mischievously stuck out her little tongue and tempted him.

"There's no way I'm drinking."

Shido, however, stood firm.

"Really? Even though you were curious about my kuchikamizake 1before?"

"Pff!"

That hit him squarely where it hurt.

"Th-that was an exception... an exception..."

Shido scratched his cheek awkwardly.

"Ah! So you've already prepared kuchikamizake too? Miko-chan and the boy really are a perfect match. My maiden heart is all aflutter again!"

Nia clutched at her chest excitedly.

"Please don't say things like that. And help me stop senpai here, Nia."

Shido said, face red.

"More importantly, boy—if you really do want to drink Miko-chan's kuchikamizake someday, then you should really sit down and have a drink now."

Nia narrowed her eyes and said that with a wicked grin.

"I already said I'm not going to—"

"Now now, hear me out. You see, alcohol tolerance is something you can train."

Nia took a sip of sake, then continued

"Considering you've never drunk alcohol before, if you finally receive Miko-chan's kuchikamizake one day only to take one sip and keel over, wouldn't that be super awkward?"

"Ugh..."

Hearing that, Shido hesitated.

Because, honestly, she wasn't wrong.

"In that case... just one cup..."

Shido finally sat down.

But faced with sake, something he had never tried before, and feeling a little nervous, he failed to notice the mischievous smile Mikoto and Nia exchanged.

ultra-premium class of Japanese sake, representing the highest level of craftsmanship

mouth-chewed sake

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