Drinking Turns Out To Be OK When No Hero is Involved

"―You guys sure you don't want anything? Here, you can take a sip of mine, come on, come on~ Enki~? You know you want to~"

Words flowing in a sly tone, Mia teasingly nudged a pitcher my way filled with pink, sparkling liquid that looked more along the lines of a magical potion than a drink.

Honestly, looking at something like that, it felt more like I might be able to increase my General Magical Ability from 'Nonexistent' to 'Poor' rather than get drunk. 

Of course, if it did have an effect like that, I'd down it without hesitation.

Needless to say, something like that was impossible, though.

"Ey, keep that away from me. It smells like rat poison."

"Oi, what, it's not that bad!"

Well, she was right―it certainly wasn't as bad as the Challenger's Ale from a while ago, and on the contrary, it emanated a rather sweet scent. However, it was still sickly enough that I'd rather not have it right under my nose.

"Mia, you're getting carried away before anyone's even had a sip. What'd we say about not pressuring people who don't want to drink?"

"Eyy, come on~ There's no pressure at all~ I'm only suggesting to loosen up a little since it's been so long~ Anyway, Christmas Break is coming up soon when everyone will be going home for a while, so shouldn't we have fun while we can...?"

She was right on that front. We probably wouldn't be going out like this for a while; most likely, it would be a few months until everyone's able to gather freely like this again.

And, although I wouldn't be going home for Christmas like everyone else, I still wouldn't really be here since I'd probably be taking on Contracts for most of that time anyway.

At least, that was the plan.

Assuming I have all the way from Monday, just after my scheduled appointment, to January 19th or 20th as 'free time', that's exactly two months.

What I'd probably do is take on that "Tamer" Contract first, then move on to 2-star Contracts. They'll most likely take longer to complete than 1-star, but I should still be able to get a number of them done during that time.

"Hm? Harriet? Where're ya going...?"

"Oh, just to get a drink. I thought, since we're all here, I should have at least one..."

Eventually, the girl who only recently wore a solemn, disquieted look, now seemed to have cheered up to the extent she was getting whisked away with the cheery atmosphere.

"Oh, good, good~! Then, hey, let me show you something real nice I found! You'll love it, honest!"

"U-uhh... okay...?"

As everyone socialised like this for the first time in a while, I gradually sipped on something of my own. It wasn't very alcoholic, but it was enough for me.

At some point, a television mounted on the wall of the establishment flickered with change.

[!!Breaking News!! ==Augury Tower 6th Floor Clear!==]

Something astounding had happened right as we were drinking.

❖─────☆☆☆☆☆─────❖

Subsequently, numerous cheers resounded around the pub, which had moderately grown in population throughout the evening.

"Oh!? Already? Wow, those new guys must sure be something, huh!"

Around me, everyone else also piped up in excitement.

"6th Floor... It's barely been a week-and-a-half since they finally cleared the 5th Floor after a year-and-a-half rut, but they're making this much progress already. I wonder what happened over there...?"

All of a sudden, a dozen or so images emerged on the screen, depicting various locations like what appeared to be an ancient underground tunnel, a foggy dark forest, and an overgrown jungle. In some of the scenes, the remains of various monstrous, unearthly creatures could be see strewn about the floor, littered with inhuman body parts and copious amounts of spilt blood.

Some others contained glimpses of people, most of them wearing casual clothes or standard military uniforms, and only one or two wearing some sort of fantasy-like armour.

The images were all primitive and crudely-taken, but absolutely valuable. After all, it was extraordinarily rare footage that simply couldn't have been captured with Earth-based technology. Such recording devices didn't work inside the Tower, so these were the only glimpses ordinary people like us could see.

The final image to appear on screen sat atop the rest, overlayed above them and pinned as the clear main focus. In it, a handsome blonde-haired man in a camouflaged miltary combat uniform could be seen wielding a white spear longer than his own body. That was not a photo taken from inside the Tower, so it's quality was vastly superior.

"It's him! Ohh, damn it, what was that guy's name again? Some crazy made-up thing..."

Snapping his fingers, Sami tapped his forehead in an attempt to jog his memory before Luke interjected.

"John?"

"John, that's it!"

"How the hell did you forget John?"

"Bah, it is what it is!"

At the same time Sami exclaimed with the tone of 'I thought so', an editorial banner appeared at the bottom of the screen, beneath the image of the man.

[Frontliner | John Charleston Pierce | USA | World's First 6th Floor Clear]

Indeed, it was him. The Challenger who appeared like a rising star and climbed all the way to the 5th Floor in a single month, clearing it before anyone else. Now, he was also the first to clear the 6th Floor, and not even two weeks after the first achievement.

"So, is he called Pierce because he uses a spear or what?"

"It's not a pseudonym, dummy. That would be way too obvious. If they were gonna give him an alias, wouldn't they choose something, I don't know, more inconspicuous? What kind of an idiot do you have to be to give someone the name 'John' as a disguise, anyway?"

"Well, you see, that's what they want you to think. It's reverse psychology."

"Huh? Who's 'they'? What are you talking about?"

"You know. 'Them'."

"What??"

"Mia, Sami's technically right, you know? The point of an alias to be a disguise. If you met someone you didn't think was using an alias, that's precisely why it would make for a good alias, no? Wouldn't you be tricked too?"

"Hey, you're supposed to be on my side...! Anyway, you're messing with me. I won't believe it. That guy is American, so being called John isn't unexpected."

"You realise the name John has become a lot less common in recent years, right? Besides, even if it was a common name, wouldn't that just make it an even better alias?"

"Ah, you...!"

Spectating the entertaining trio of Mia, Luke and Sami as they continued on such a pointless debate, at some point or another, someone else called out to me. 

"Enki."

It was Ella, who had been unusually subdued since we arrived. Meeting the gaze of her clear, hazel eyes, peeking through stray strands of same-colour hair, I listened attentively.

"Yeah?"

"You're coming home for Christmas, right? Ina mentioned something to me the other day about bringing back some wine, so I was thinking we could pick one out together before we go."

Hearing those abrupt words, I hesitated.

Incidentally, Ella was the only person out of everyone in our group who I knew prior to university; we both came from the same hometown, and our families have been close more or less since we were kids, which was why she personally knows my sister.

Of course, that didn't mean I was going to let it slide, though.

"She did? I already told her I wasn't getting any, so don't indulge her. Also, I'm not going home for Christmas."

Throwing those words out there without thinking, I watched her eyebrows droop a little.

"...You're not? Why are you only telling me this now?"

"Uh. I forgot to mention it."

Sighing as if I was someone helpless, she took a swig of her drink before asking.

"So? What's going on? ...Don't tell me, did you find a girlfriend and want to spend Christmas with her or something?"

At those words, I froze.

It took me some moments to comprehend just what the hell she was saying, and then some more moments to question why she would even say something like that.

When I finally recovered, I could only give an ever-so-short, surprisingly calm sigh.

"Of course not."

Staring at her after saying just that, it seemed she immediately regretted what she said.

...Well, it was my fault more than hers. I was the one yet to get over it, so...

"Right. Sorry... Anyway, what would Ina say about this if she found out? Why are you not coming back?"

I frowned.

"There is nothing to 'find out'. Like I said, I'll just be busy. Also, she already knows. Don't let her trick you into buying wine for her, she doesn't deserve it."

After that, we each remained quiet for a few moments. At some point, she broke that atmosphere.

"...Seriously, though, if something's up, please talk to me about it. I also trust that you would be there for me if I were to suddenly act strange one day. Right?"

Receiving her words, I frowned.

'Why the hell would you say something like that all of a sudden? That's not ominous at all.'

"I mean, of course... Are you saying I'm acting strange?"

"Yes, I am."

She said with with such a lack of hesitation that I was taken aback for a moment.

"Whatever. Everything's fine, so don't worry."

Regardless of what truths were or weren't exchanged, and regardless of what sorts of suspicions people harboured in the back of their indecipherable minds, the night went on. 

Though it was certainly more enjoyable than I initially expected, everything would inevitably come to an end at some point; ultimately, we found ourselves walking home some couple of hours later. Since I had only woken up not long before we left, I'd likely continue to be up for a while after we returned and everyone fell asleep.

Along the way, I thought to myself about various things.

First on my mind was the brief exchange with Ella, who out of nowhere mentioned something unnecessary and ended with something also odd. That alone was strange, quite uncalled for, and confusing, but it wasn't all.

When I recalled the earlier conversation with Harriet, my feet abruptly paused. 

Honestly, I did consider doing something to help her situation, such as confronting the guy who was creeping on her.

But, when I deliberated on it for a moment longer, that thought immediately died down.

'I do feel bad...'

However, at the end of the day, there wasn't a reason for me to get involved. By that I mean, it wasn't like there was much I could do about it even if I did get involved. If she was really that concerned, she should speak to the university about it or even go to the police.

"Like, why are you coming to me about it...?"

Muttering under my breath, I exhaled a small sigh, causing white mist to float up before my eyes―that reminded me, it was almost winter now, and the already biting autumn air would only grow crisper and colder as time went on.

Tonight's bitter air, and the pale moonlight that accompanied it... wasn't it quite provoking?

The cold really was a detestable thing, and the moon just as much, too. 

Every time it appeared, it felt like bad memories would flow by, as if I was being taunted. 

"Enki? Is everything alright? You'll get left behind."

"Hm? Oh, yeah. Sorry."

'Anyway, I'm sure the situation will sort itself out without any issues... It would just be too much otherwise.'

Ending my deliberation on the topic there, my feet resumed moving.

For a reason I couldn't quite identity, each step felt just a little heavier than before.