For Some Reason The Girl Who's Too Popular Only Drinks with Me - Volume 1 Chapter 1.2

The location changed to a dining bar called “Gwendolyn,” one station away from the university, where Sugino-senpai, Mikami-senpai, and I ended up taking Hamasaki Mai with us to enjoy a drinking session.

Initially, we were drinking the alcohol we got from inside the university, but after Mikami-senpai joined us and Sugino-senpai started complaining about being cold, we decided to change locations.

“If we can’t find a place to enter, why not come to my place?”

After drinking a fair amount, Sugino-senpai suddenly made this proposal to Hamasaki Mai.

Yes, I don’t know the details, but Hamasaki Mai had left her previous tennis circle and was currently free. There’s no need to forcibly join a circle, but after bringing her this far, it wouldn’t make sense just to stop there.

I wonder what stance Mikami-senpai would take. He was somewhat negative about having new circle members. Glancing at him, he gulped down his umeshu on the rocks and answered with a “……why not,” continuing further.

“Our circle is just this, and joining our drinking party isn’t mandatory.”

“But if Hamasaki-san joins, won’t people flock to us?”

“We just stop recruiting. I’m not that fond of noisy situations anyway. Sugino might feel differently, though.”

Indeed, thinking about it, Sugino-senpai’s sunny disposition might not fit in with our circle after all. After all, I still haven’t asked why the two seniors are here. All I know is Mikami-senpai dislikes people, and Sugino-senpai is rather rough.

“Yeah, I do like lively situations, but being able to talk about anything without reservation here is enjoyable too. It’s nice not having to mind others, right? Plus, this is the only place where Kirishima can play with toys.”

“Sugino-senpai, you could stand to be a bit more considerate, though.”

Sugino-senpai just laughs heartily at my response. She’s been like this since we met, so I guess it can’t be helped. I decided to retaliate just as fiercely.

“What you’re showing is not concern but people, right?”

“And spending money. When I heard she paid students to scrap a teacher’s new car she didn’t like, I was seriously appalled. It’s almost yakuza-level stuff.”

“It can’t be helped. I have the money, after all. And about the car, they did it on their own. I just mentioned she was annoying me… and that she had just bought a new car.”

“You’re basically instigating it. That’s the worst. Scum of humanity. A disgrace to Japan. An ulcer on the Earth.”

“An ulcer!? Hey~, isn’t that a bit too harsh, Mikami-senpai? Kirishima-kun, you’re a junior, but you’re really going at me.”

“Well, if it were between you or pollen, I’d say I dislike you more.”

“It’s so hard to live.”

While we continued our usual banter and lazily drank, “Die” or “I’ll kill you” hadn’t come up yet, but that was probably just a matter of time.

Suddenly, I became concerned about Hamasaki Mai and turned to look at her. Was she put off by the sudden barrage of insults?

“……Um.”

She was. Completely taken aback. Holding her glass of sour, she looked at us as if thinking, “What the hell are these guys?”

Well, maybe we were a bit extreme, but to be taken aback to that extent? Drinking parties are pretty much like this everywhere, right? Not that I’ve been to others.

Sugino-senpai and Mikami-senpai seemed to notice Hamasaki Mai’s withdrawal, and Sugino-senpai, attempting to smooth things over, smiled brightly and said, “Are you okay? Want some alcohol? Need ten thousand yen?” in a baffling attempt to console her.

“Um, is it always like this? Saying terrible things to each other’s faces…”

“It’s toned down today because Mai-chan is here.”

“Eh… sounds fun.”

From a withdrawn expression, Hamasaki Mai’s face slightly shifted to envy.

“Where I was, there was nothing like this! Everyone just talked about boring, irrelevant stuff, and then I’d get mean messages! The ones sending those messages would be laughing and talking with the girls and boys they were badmouthing! Isn’t that weird!? Why are they laughing? And when I went to the bathroom, one of those girls followed me. It was so scary at that moment, she was all serious!”

I think the sudden talkative you are scary.

It seemed like a switch or a dam had broken inside her, and she began talking about her previous circle. She apparently had a hard time with the interpersonal relationships within the circle.

While listening to Hamasaki Mai’s ongoing story, I sent a signal to Mikami-senpai next to me.

—She’s suddenly talking a lot, and it’s scary.

—We have no choice but to endure. Wait for the storm to pass.

There’s only one way to deal with someone who’s become emotional from drinking: just endure.

It can’t be helped. Even someone as beautiful as her, beyond average in looks, has ordinary troubles. Normally, this might engender a feeling of closeness, but unfortunately, I’m not that pure-hearted or kind to others. In fact, listening to her problems made it even clearer how fundamentally different Hamasaki Mai and I are.