[Episode 22] #5 What’s in that drink (2)

After preparing drinks, Apple pulled out a cushion and sat down across from the club.

In his hand, he was holding No. 13's smartphone, which the club had given him as a request for investigation.

"I was trying to check the contents of this smartphone as you said, and it seemed to have been protected by someone with considerable skill."

"ah… that's right. Clearly, the villain organization [Abyss] has an excellent genius scientist... ."

The club recalled the stories of the old [Abyss] remnants they had interrogated before.

Even though the hideout where they finally blew up after holding on and holding on for a while has already been completely abandoned, I don't know where the remaining members are now.

At least I know about their impressions and characteristics.

There are now four people remaining in the [Abyss]. A woman named Boss, No. 13, a staff member, and a genius scientist named Dorothy.

And the woman the club was missing at the time.

The woman with short, messy hair and dark circles would be that genius scientist. I definitely heard No. 13 call it that.

'… I missed something important... .'

As I sipped my drink while remembering that fact, Apple continued his explanation.

There were several layers of protection, so I tried to somehow disable or bypass them.

Additionally, because of the mountain of dummy data, it is difficult to know what is real or what is completely fake.

The moment you tried to bypass the protection and check the innermost important data, the security program activated.

"――So―――First of all――"

Apple's explanation continued.

There were a lot of unfamiliar words, but it wasn't as difficult to understand as I thought.

It must have been thanks to Apple being considerate of the club and explaining it in an easy-to-understand manner.

So, even though I felt disappointed, it wasn't difficult to understand the explanation.

Not difficult… place… … .

'… … what… .'

'Why... … little… My head is heavy... woah… ?'

The club continued to sip their drinks, agreeing with Apple.

Tangy, sweet, and refreshing.

A very delicious drink that fits well with the personality of the club... .

"Mr. Club, do you like drinks like this? … You can drink more. "Because there are a lot of them."

"ah… … yes… ."

Club nodded blankly, and Apple took the empty cup from her hand and refilled it again.

Ice and some strange liquid were cleverly mixed together so that they could not be seen by the club.

"Now, Mr. Club. There is a lot, so eat as much as you want. "It's good if you take a refreshing sip."

Apple smiled sweetly and said this while passing the drink to the club.

An explanation continued, but for some reason I was so dizzy that I couldn't hear it properly.

hmm… … .

… Are you drunk... With this much alcohol… .

'If this happens... I can't… .'

But this drink… It's delicious… it's good… .

* * *

… … … … … … … … … … …

… … … … … … …

… … … …

… and.

By the time the club came to its senses, Apple's explanation had already been completed.

"Did you sleep well, Mr. Club?"

"Uh, ah, huh?"

The club was taken aback by Apple's words, which she smiled sweetly while tilting her head slightly.

Could it be that you fell asleep while listening to the explanation?

no… It's not like you're taking a class at school, but with the person teaching you in front of you?

'Wow… !'

The club immediately felt its face heating up.

I just can't stand my own ugly behavior.

However, Apple is Apple, so in a situation like this, it wouldn't be strange for a normal person to get angry or even vaguely annoyed.

"You must be very tired."

She just smiles like a saint and says those words.

It's not like it's just a show, it's because I honestly don't feel the slightest anger...

The club naturally admired Apple and felt good about it.

"Ah… Sorry, I asked you to do this... Oh my... ."

"no. If you don't know much, the explanation would be boring... "I guess you have a weakness for alcohol?"

"Not really… "I don't think so."

I haven't drank a lot, but I've never thought of myself as having a weakness for alcohol.

No matter how you think about it, the drink Apple provided was so low in alcohol content that it was almost non-existent, so getting drunk from something like this would be gross.

However, when I tried to drink it again to check, the glass in my hand was already empty and there was nothing left to drink.

… He drank a few more cups than that.

'… … I drank quite a lot... What can I say… 'I don't feel much.'

If you drink this much, how much of a urinary problem will you have? To put it simply, I thought I needed to pee, but surprisingly, I didn't.

It's as if I've already been rude once without knowing... That kind of feeling.

"More than that, Mr. Club. Does the club like cats?"

"yes? Ah, yes. i like you. "We are raising four at our home."

"I see. I want to try raising a cat these days. "It's exciting."

The club nodded.

Cats are good.

Sometimes it's cocky, sometimes it's saggy, and when you try to get closer, it moves away, but when you get farther away, it tries to get closer.

If they feel alone and lonely, they come closer and cutely nuzzle their cheeks against someone else's leg.

"Ugh… Cats are good. cat. "This dorm allows pets, right?"

"yes. It may be difficult to grow it right away. "I'm going to do a little more research."

While saying that, Apple tapped the book left on the side of the table.

Pets… It seemed to be a reference book containing information necessary for raising a cat.

First of all, I guess I'm the type of person who prepares for studying with books.

For some reason, Apple seems like it would be like that.

"I think it will take some time to get used to it… "I'm going to practice for a while."

"… … ?"

'practice?'

Although Apple didn't quite understand what he was saying, there was nothing else to say, so the club just nodded in agreement.

The club is the only one in Division 7 that has experience raising pets.

Perhaps that's why Apple asked the club what it feels like to actively raise a pet and what experiences it has, and the club answered sincerely.

The club also likes animals, so rather than thinking that it would be a bother to answer, the feeling of enjoyment took precedence.

Until now, I had kept my distance from Apple because I didn't know what kind of person he was, but the conversation was unexpectedly enjoyable and I felt like I wanted to get closer to him.

anyway.

The friendly conversation didn't last very long, and I got up and said that I had to leave the club.

To such a club,

"I want to get closer to Mr. Club. Can we meet more often?"

To Apple's suggestion, the club nodded without hesitation.

… Anyway, I expected a lot.

It's a pity that there is no result... .

* * *

Kuuk… Kuuk… .

"Okay, let's go out."

Likewise, the 7th Division's base. Evening time.

Spade, who had finished dinner a little while ago and waited for the food to digest, tied his shoelaces and was ready to go out.

The outfit she is wearing is her favorite red short-sleeved shorts and training clothes.

Unless I have patrols or work to do, I always try to go out for a jog.

"Ah, senior, are you leaving now?"

"huh! Do you want to go to the club too?"

"I'm on patrol today."

Even if there are no patrols, I have no intention of following them.

Spade's jogging is a bit too strenuous to simply call it jogging, so since I joined it last time, I haven't gone out with it again.

It doesn't matter since I'm used to running alone anyway.

Spade left the 7th Division base alone without any disappointment.

* * *

The night air was cool and felt good.

It felt chilly not long ago, but now, even though it is chilly, I don't feel cold even in short-sleeved shorts.

It's just the right spring weather, but I feel a little disappointed thinking that in just a few more weeks it will be summer.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh… ."

Breathing regularly, Spade ran through the dark streets with an exemplary posture that seemed straight out of a textbook.

Every time he stretches out his foot, Spade's healthy body stretches forward, sweat flowing out.

As I finished my meal and waited for it to digest, it was already quite late… There were not many people passing by on the street.

If you go to the downtown area, there will be noisy people walking around at this time, but there is no need to run on that course to exercise.

'here… left.'

The bodies of awakened people are basically stronger than those of ordinary people.

The magical power received from the constellations permeates the body, maintaining a healthier and more ideal body than that of an ordinary person, although there are individual differences.

Therefore, the appearance of awakened people inevitably remains more beautiful than that of ordinary people.

It is difficult to determine exactly whether this is the wish of the awakened person himself or the will of the constellation itself to keep the human chosen by it beautiful.

'Here again...' left… Then on the right... .'

'Passing through this alley… .'

Spade ran straight through the dark alley without any streetlights, relying on the moonlight.

After passing through not just a downtown area but also an ordinary urban area, we entered an abandoned neighborhood that was no different from the remnants of the [Great Disaster].

No one is supposed to live on these abandoned streets, but sometimes vagrants who have nowhere else to go secretly live there.

Even if Spade is a hero, it wouldn't be an appropriate place for a young woman in her prime to wander around alone... .

Blame, blame, blame, blame, blame.

Wow... !

Haa, haa, haa, haa, haa... .

Spade, who was running without slowing down, stopped in front of an abandoned building, cheerfully dragging his feet.

I placed my hands on my knees, took a just-right breath, and glanced up at the building in front of me.

"do… "Are you okay?"

I muttered without realizing it.

And yet, with my head wandering for oxygen, I end up thinking idly.

… … … … what.

… … Why did I come to this place?