“Could I have one more drink…?”
“You want one more?”
“Yes, please give me more.”
“Whoa, you’re cute.”
Ellyn, who had been affectionately nibbling, sucking, and licking Xenon, suddenly embraced Ben, who had delicately held out his glass.
She had done it on an impulse, expecting Ben to be surprised and struggle, but unexpectedly, Ben was quiet and docile, unlike usual, waiting for his drink while being held.
Ellyn instinctively knew this was Ben’s drinking habit when she hugged him a little tighter and he just remained quiet with a question mark hanging over his head.
Ben’s drinking habit was on the calmer side, unlike other obnoxious habits like crying while complaining about life or calling people all over the place; his only quirk was that his personal barrier against others was lowered just a tiny, tiny bit.
What did lowering his personal barrier mean?
It meant that he became slightly more talkative in conversations with others and would just take it in stride even if someone suddenly hugged him.
In short, his usual stiff social skills became juuuust a little more flexible.
This drinking habit also included him becoming a hair’s breadth more honest than his usual personality.
For example, if asked, “Do you prefer chocolate cake or cheesecake?” the usual Ben would say “Either is fine,” but a drunken Ben would clearly state, “I prefer cheesecake a little more.”
Since it wasn’t an obnoxious habit, people who didn’t know Ben well wouldn’t even notice it was a drinking habit, but to others, it could feel like a dramatic change.
Even something like this was possible for a drunken Ben.
“Ben, your skin is quite soft.”
“Mmm, that tickles.”
Ellyn successfully took advantage of the opportunity while hugging Ben, touching his hair tangled in the ribbon and then fondling his neck.
Then, she firmly placed a glass in his hand and leisurely watched Ben swallow the drink gulp, gulp, gulp.
Having only ever seen him in dark, plain clothes, dressing him in bright colors truly highlighted his natural looks.
The ribbon flowing down his neck to his knees subtly looked seductive against his skin tone, and the boldly exposed bones and lines of his body, like his collarbone and shoulders, were clean and graceful.
His skin was soft, yet he had enough muscles in the right places that he didn’t look unhealthily scrawny.
And what about his face?
When expressionless, his appearance was only stern and proper, but when expressions and color were added, a hidden gap was revealed.
Ben’s current state, with his face lightly flushed from the alcohol and his attitude loosely relaxed, completed a unique atmosphere, shining so brightly that one couldn’t resist touching him.
“M-me, too…”
“Wow, I really want to devour both of you as a pair.”
Xenon, who had been receiving Ellyn’s adoration, rose from the sofa and slyly approached Ben, squeezing his cheek.
The soft, warm texture felt incredibly good in his hand.
As Xenon, addicted to the sensation, completely clung to Ben and focused on him, the twins also gathered, huddling together to touch Ben’s cheek.
“Ben, there’s a little scratch here. Penka and Pinka found it!”
“Oh, oh, you’re right…”
Ignoring those who were touching his cheek, Ben, who had just swallowed the sweet peach fruit wine, calmly picked up a piece of chocolate from a glass plate.
Inside the square chocolate wrapped in silver foil was rum.
When bitten, the rum burst, pairing well with the crunchy chocolate texture.
The combination of bitter and sweet was a good match for alcohol, and he had been secretly eating several pieces on his own; since this was also alcohol, the heat quickly rushed through him from his stomach.
“We brought these, so you like them.”
“But the ones with the red marks have a high alcohol content, so be careful—”
“No. Ben hasn’t eaten that one yet.”
When Ben, who had quickly finished one chocolate and was reaching for another, fumbled, Penka swiftly unwrapped one and put it directly into his mouth.
Judging by the wrappers piled next to the plate, he seemed to have devoured more than five, but apparently, there were other similarly shaped chocolates.
Was this a chocolate with even stronger rum?
The twins looked at the chocolates, which had subtly different markings on the same wrapper, giggled at each other, and then brought over an unfamiliar bottle of liquor, subtly offering it to Ben.
“Ben, this is Penka and Pinka’s favorite. Want to drink it?”
A green liquid glittered beautifully inside the glass bottle.
It was Absinthe.
Seeing them claim to enjoy a liquor famous for its potency, their image as innocent young boys and girls completely vanished, and they appeared to be born drinkers.
The twins skillfully took out a small silver spoon, placed a sugar cube on it, dripped a few drops of Absinthe, and carefully positioned it over the glass.
Then, when they lit it, a unique blue flame slowly melted the sugar.
“…T-that is sooo bitter…”
“If you don’t know liquor well, even Absinthe with melted sugar might taste a little bitter, huh?”
“Penka thinks it tastes good as is, though!”
“Pinka drinks well! Cheers!”
As the melted sugar cubes dripped into the clear green liquid, the color changed to a thick, milky white.
The twins, holding the glasses from which all the sugar had melted, clinked them together and instantly downed the Absinthe.
Then, they heartily exclaimed, “Kyah—!” as good as any older man.
“Come on, this taste must be shared!”
“Penka and Pinka will make everything for you!”
Hmm, should I try it?
It was a terrible curiosity since the probability of it not suiting his taste was high, but since it was a liquor he hadn’t encountered before, Ben was intrigued.
Since his glass was already empty, he thought, ‘If it’s just one glass, even if it tastes bad, maybe I can manage to drink it.’
The twins spotted the empty glasses scattered on the table and began pouring Absinthe into all of them, then lighting the sugar cubes.
There were so many glasses that they were running out of spoons.
Then, apparently dissatisfied that some glasses only had pure Absinthe without sugar, they busily moved to the dining room, claiming they were going to scavenge for more teaspoons.
Ellyn, who had been watching the twins’ scattered movements from the sofa, disappeared for a moment, then reappeared.
She slammed ice into a new rock glass, poured whiskey generously, and handed it to Ben.
“Ben, today is my birthday, right?”
“Yes.”
Beads of condensation formed on the surface of the glass of whiskey on the rocks, trickling down the glass.
Ben accepted the glass she offered and drank it.
The distinct bitter taste of whiskey grazed his tongue.
Perhaps because it was diluted with ice, it was tolerable to drink.
“I have one wish, truly, truly, truly, for you, Ben.”
“For me…?”
“Yes. Truly, genuinely, desperately.”
Ben looked up with a perplexed face.
When their eyes met, Ellyn’s gaze was more than fervent—it was burning.
He felt like Xenon should be the one granting the wish, not him, so he didn’t understand why she was saying she had a wish for him.
“What is it?”
When he asked what it was, thinking he should at least hear her out, Ellyn suddenly thrust a headband with white, fluffy fur right in front of his nose.
It was the one Ben had thrown in a corner earlier.
One component from the two sets was abruptly presented to him.
“Wear this for me!”
…Why is this here…?
The fluffy rabbit ears threatened Ben, completely oblivious to the atmosphere.
Ben immediately frowned and pushed the headband away with his whiskey glass, recoiling his body.
“…No.”
“Tch.”
Ellyn, who openly showed her disappointment without hiding it, retracted the headband, and Ben placed his almost empty whiskey glass on the table.
She turned away, seemingly to put the headband away, but then suddenly lunged at the unsuspecting Ben.
“You thought I’d give up?! Just wear it once! Eusha!” (A sound effect for effort/power)
“Huh—?”
With a strange cry of effort, Ellyn successfully placed the headband directly onto Ben’s head and quickly adjusted its shape, letting out a cheer of delight.
The alcohol that had dulled his body hadn’t prepared him for the sudden attack.
Ben, who was caught completely off guard, felt a mix of frustration and a slight annoyance.
“Look. Isn’t it completely cute!”
“What exactly is cute about this….”
“Haha, even your annoyance is timid, just like how you look. Here, eat this.”
Ellyn force-fed Ben a canapé with salami and cheese pressed against his mouth, then went around the living room advertising that her wish had been granted, loud enough for the whole neighborhood to hear.
Then, Xenon, who had been sprawled on the sofa, slowly got up, and the twins, who had returned from the dining room with a pile of teaspoons, swarmed around like a hive of bees.
“B-Ben is wearing the headband…!”
“Really?”
“Really?”
Sigh. After everything he’d been through, what difference did a headband make?
Since he had no one on his side anyway, Ben had finally reached a state of enlightenment.
He was now thoroughly realizing what Ellyn had meant hours ago: it’s easier if you just give up.
All he could do was drink.
Regardless of the noise around him, Ben was determined to polish off a year’s worth of alcohol tonight, swallowing all the expensive liquor he could find.
He swore he would down a glass of that Absinthe as soon as the sugar melted.
Ding-dong—.
A faint sound, similar to a doorbell, was mixed into the clamor of the marketplace-like commotion.
It sounded like the bell had rung, but the interior was so noisy that it wasn’t certain.
CRASH—!
“Hey! Don’t break it!”
It seems the bell announcing a visitor was correct after all, as a loud noise followed.
After hearing the doorbell, Ellyn, who had been dawdling, immediately put on her indoor slippers.
However, the visitor reached the living room faster than she could go to greet them.
A slightly chilling breeze touched Ben’s skin as he was sprawled on the sofa.
The protagonist, who magically brought the suitable, chilling cold of winter to his front, appeared before him, who had been feeling hot from the alcohol-fueled warmth of the living room.
