---
*Yakiniku and Beer Night*
At a yakiniku place, the table was once again crowded with sizzling platters of meat and chilled mugs of beer.
Haruki had started to notice something about Sora —she really loved grilled meat and beer. Back when the first chapter of The Garden of Words launched, she had dragged him out to a yakiniku spot just like this to celebrate.
And now, once again, she had pulled up in her car just after they'd gotten home, honked impatiently downstairs, and whisked them away.
Same as always: way more food than they could finish and a table absolutely covered in beer bottles.
"Hey, Sora—" Haruki started, but Sora's glare cut him off.
"Ahem... Sora-san, don't you think it's kind of excessive to order this much beer every time we go out to celebrate something?" Haruki asked, raising a brow. "Last time you ordered an entire basket of beer and barely got through a few bottles."
"And this time, it's not even just the two of us. Kotone's here too..." he added, glancing over at Kotone, who sat quietly at the edge of the booth, not saying a word.
"Heh." Sora smirked.
"I was just in a weird mood last time. But today, I'm in high spirits. At the serialization meeting, I finally crushed the arrogance of that jerk." Her tone shifted into a growl by the end. "We're not going home until we're drunk tonight."
Haruki and Kotone both knew exactly who she meant—Rika, the deputy editor from Kurokawa's rival imprint.
Haruki was still curious about him. He'd only ever heard Rika's name. But from the way Sora spoke about him—with thinly veiled contempt—he must've been really unpleasant.
Haruki had worked with Sora long enough to understand her temperament. For all her confidence and sharp tongue, she was cheerful, straightforward, and rarely held grudges.
But whenever Rika's name came up, she couldn't help but look visibly disgusted. And she never missed a chance to talk him down, especially now that Haruki and Kotone were both around.
"Ugh, forget it. Talking about him kills my appetite," Sora muttered, cracking open a bottle of beer. She grabbed three glasses and filled them to the brim.
"Today's about celebrating Rurouni Kenshin: Remembrance getting serialized in Sora. If that's not worth a toast, what is?"
She downed her glass in a single gulp, then gave the two of them a challenging look.
"C'mon, Sora-san, I'll drink with you," Haruki said with a nervous smile. "But if Kotone has even one or two drinks—"
He trailed off mid-sentence.
Kotone had already picked up her beer, tilted it back, and drank the entire thing in one smooth motion. Then, without a word, she reached for another bottle and began pouring herself a second.
Haruki blinked.
This was the president of their high school's student council, the top of the advanced placement class, quiet, elegant, brilliant.
Since when was she such a natural at drinking?
Wait—was that her third glass already?
"What are you staring at?" Sora shot him a look, snapping him back to the present.
Haruki shook his head, stunned. "Sorry, just...surprised."
Sora smiled slyly and turned to Kotone.
"You know, the first time I took Haruki out to eat, I ordered a bunch of food and drinks like this too."
Kotone, dressed casually now that they were off the clock, looked youthful and fresh. Her pale cheeks had just the faintest blush from the alcohol.
Sora continued, "Back then, it was a habit from eating with someone else. I always ordered the drinks for him... and the meat for myself."
"But that night, I got drunk, Haruki couldn't hold his liquor, and neither of us ate much. I ended up wasting almost everything."
"What are you even getting at?" Haruki asked, frowning as he took a sip of his beer. He still thought the stuff tasted awful, no matter how many times he tried it.
"Oh, right!" Sora said with a grin. "This is actually the first time you and Kotone are having a proper meal together."
She glanced at Kotone, her tone teasing. "Hope you don't mind if I talk about you a little?"
"I'd rather you didn't," Kotone replied calmly, even with the faint flush still on her cheeks.
"Boooring," Sora huffed, but she didn't press further.
Haruki looked back at Kotone, who now poured herself yet another drink without anyone prompting her.
This... this was not what he expected.
"I can only say one thing," Sora said, eyes glinting mischievously.
"She's the strongest drinker I've ever met. And I've met a lot."
"Huh?" Haruki stared. "Are you serious?"
---
Two Hours Later
Two hours in, Haruki and Sora were slumped over the table, heads down, trying to ride out the buzz.
Meanwhile, Kotone was still sitting upright, rhythmically sipping her drink like it was water.
Her cheeks were pink, but her eyes remained sharp.
She poured the last bit of beer into her glass and downed it smoothly.
Haruki finally understood what Sora meant—Kotone could really drink, and Sora could really eat.
Most of the food was gone. Most of the beer bottles were empty. Kotone had polished off 80% of the alcohol. Sora had devoured 80% of the meat.
And Haruki? He was a wreck. Couldn't drink much, couldn't eat much. He just sat there, half-drunk, watching the carnage unfold.
Whoever ends up marrying these two… they're gonna be broke forever, he thought bitterly.
"You guys okay?" Kotone asked, standing up.
"I'm fine!" Sora groaned, slurring a little as she lifted her head.
"Did we finish?" Haruki muttered. The room was spinning—was that one Kotone or three?
Kotone sighed. "You two are hopeless."
Later, the three of them squeezed into the backseat of a taxi.
Haruki barely remembered getting in. Sora was already passed out, snoring against the window. Kotone, despite drinking enough to knock out a sumo wrestler, was scrolling through Line on her phone like nothing had happened.
"Damn it, Rika, I swear I'll cut you down one day…" Sora suddenly mumbled in her sleep, kicking the back of the driver's seat.
The driver's face twitched in irritation.
Haruki was in better shape, at least enough to mumble, "Hey… Kotone."
She turned toward him slightly.
"Rurouni Kenshin: Remembrance... It's been approved for serialization," he said, his voice slow and slurred. "I was thinking… could you stay on as my assistant?"
He hadn't planned to bring it up now, but his drunken brain decided it couldn't wait.
After working together over the past week, he'd realized how much smoother things went with her help. What once felt like a luxury now felt essential.
Kotone paused, then said softly, "Let's talk about it again once you're sober."
(TL: if you want even more content, check out p-atreon.com/Alioth23 for 50+ advanced chapters)