Chat Group: Anime Girls are Moist-Chapter 418: The Trade Request was... easy (Bonus Chapter)

Earlier that evening...

"Tsk!"

Back home, Hiratsuka Shizuka sat on her sofa, sucking in a sharp breath.

"Rei Ao, you really don't show an ounce of pity toward us ladies, do you?!"

Hiratsuka let out a wry laugh. Even now, there was a faint ache in her lower body. Still... it had felt incredible. If it came down to it again, she doubted she would refuse. And if anything did go wrong, Rei Ao could just fix her up. She was keeping the ache on purpose so she could deeply remember this new "first time," having refused Rei Ao's offer to heal her.

Strangely enough, she rather liked the idea.

Ding-dong!!!

She hadn't even settled in properly before the doorbell rang.

"At this hour—who'd come looking for me?"

Puzzled, Hiratsuka headed to the entryway. Looking through the peephole, she saw who was outside.

"Haruno?"

Recognizing someone she knew, she opened the door.

"Hi, Shizuka! I came over for a drink!"

Stylish as ever, Haruno carried multiple bags, her smile bright.

"... ..."

Hiratsuka remembered that the two of them had planned to drink together previously, but had kept putting it off till now.

"All that booze... Hard liquor?"

Seeing it wasn't just beer, Hiratsuka's eyelids twitched.

"Haha, well, tomorrow's the weekend. Let's have ourselves a great time!"

Without further ado, Haruno entered the apartment, starting to unpack.

"You sure are... Sigh..."

Shizuka pressed her hand to her forehead helplessly.

Moments later, they started drinking.

"Sssha! Feels great!"

Downing a glass in one go, Haruno indulged in a long-missed release. At home, or in front of others, she always wore a mask. Probably only when drinking with Shizuka could she reveal a bit of her true self.

"Take it easy, why don't you."

Seeing her going at it so fiercely, Hiratsuka felt some concern.

"Haha, this counts as slow for me! Enough fuss—let's just enjoy ourselves!"

Having poured another glass, Haruno then frowned at Shizuka.

"Shizuka, why are you fidgeting so much in your seat? Is it uncomfortable?"

"Uh..."

Shizuka's face flushed.

"Nothing... I just fell earlier."

"Heh, and you're a teacher—this is too careless. If you always act like that, what guy would be interested in you? Not like me..."

At that, Haruno's expression briefly darkened.

The reason she was acting so wildly tonight was that she'd encountered something painful, something she couldn't resist. Coming here was simply a way to escape.

"... ..."

Hiratsuka noticed Haruno seemed to have a heavy heart, so she didn't pry further. She raised her cup.

"Don't talk about it. Let's keep drinking."

"Right, drink!"

They drank several rounds, both now quite tipsy but still somewhat aware.

Finally Shizuka proposed, "Haruno, I think that's enough. Why not call a driver or something to pick you up?"

"Call someone?"

Haruno snickered. "I took out my phone battery—no calls, keep drinking!"

"???"

Hiratsuka was shocked. She never expected Haruno to be so irrational.

Looks like she's really troubled, Shizuka thought. Probably something about the Yukinoshita family again. But Haruno wasn't telling her, so there was no way to console her. All she could do as a friend was drink with her.

"Then let's keep drinking! Worst case, you can crash here!"

...

Back to the present...

The plates, dishes, leftovers, and liquor scattered in a mess were all due to these two getting themselves thoroughly drunk. Now they were both asleep, breathing evenly, obviously not dead. The strong smell of alcohol assailed Yukino's nose so intensely that she covered her face.

[Ding! Trade Completed!]

"Sister... Shizuka-sensei... they..."

"It's pretty clear—your sister and Shizuka just got wasted," Rei Ao said with a shrug, heading over to Hiratsuka's side. "They really overdid it."

Making a single remark, he hoisted the unconscious Hiratsuka Shizuka up and carried her into her bedroom. A minute later, he came back out. Noticing Yukino still staring at Haruno in disbelief, he reminded her:

"Didn't you say your family was about to call the police? Now that you've found your sister, aren't you going to call them so they won't worry?"

Standing around idly wouldn't help.

"!"

Prompted by his words, Yukino remembered her mother. She hurriedly dialed the house number.

"Yukino?"

"Yes, it's me, Mother. No need for the police. I just found Big Sis."

"Where is she?"

Her mother's voice came through with a natural authority. Yukino pursed her lips and half-lied for the first time in her life:

"She's drunk, so I'm taking her back to my apartment."

After uttering that sentence, she mentally braced for her mother's reprimand about Haruno. Yet things didn't go as expected.

"... ..."

Her mother went silent. After a pause, she let out a sigh.

"...Let Haruno sober up at your place. She can come home tomorrow."

And with that, the call ended.

"?"

Yukino frowned. That attitude was wrong. Her mother had never spoken in such a... gentle tone. In Yukino's memory, her mother was always austere and forceful. Glancing at Haruno—rarely one to get so drunk—Yukino felt something must have happened between her mother and sister, prompting Haruno's erratic behavior and their mother's uncharacteristic response.

"Well, the trade is completed, but I'm curious. Are you really going to bring your sister back to your place alone?" Rei Ao asked. "Are you sure you can handle that by yourself?"

He didn't doubt Yukino's resolve, only her physical ability. Trying to support a fully incapacitated adult with those slim arms and legs was probably too much. Yukino understood that. Having already sought help once, much of her stubborn pride had eased.

"Would you mind carrying my sister to my apartment, Rei Ao-kun?" she asked. But she forced herself to add, "After all, with our trade... I just want to go home as soon as possible."

All sorts of complicated, shy, conflicted, yet somewhat relieved emotions mingled on the once-pristine "highborn flower," producing a charm that made Rei Ao want to tease her more. He gave a grin and said, "Sure thing—let's head home."

~~~

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