For Some Reason The Girl Who's Too Popular Only Drinks with Me - Volume 1 Chapter 2.3

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After a bit of commotion, we decided to continue drinking without minding it.

Just drinking endlessly, nibbling on some snacks in between more drinking.

As we kept drinking, we gradually became more intoxicated. Though, for Sugino-senpai, whether sober or drunk, demanding outrageous things is nothing new.

“I wonder what happens if you stand right under that fountain in the pond.”

Around four in the afternoon, Sugino-senpai mused while looking at the fountain in the center of a large pond in the park.

Anticipating something to start as I sipped my canned highball, Sugino-senpai looked at me.

She definitely expected something. Her eyes were sparkling, not a hint of cloudiness in them.

“Hey, Kirishima-kun, about that pond…”

“No thanks.”

“Thanks, do your best.”

“…? !? ???? !?”

Caught off guard by the unexpected response, I was left speechless, my eyes darting around.

What’s going on? Are my words not being understood? Or is the meaning not getting through?

“No, I meant, I just said no…”

“It’s fine. It probably isn’t that deep. Your feet should touch the bottom. You can do it.”

“No, I mean, it’s not about whether my feet can touch the…”

“Kirishima-kun, life is made up of failures. Except for me.”

“So, I am going to fail, aren’t I?”

Trying to muster a retort even with my mind foggy, damn, at this rate, I’m seriously going to end up as one of those foolish students who dive into the pond while drunk.

I’m not ready to be on the news yet. Looking around for a lifeline, Mikami-senpai is cradling his empty umeshu bottle, already in a drunken slumber.

And as for Hamasaki Mai, her face is blissfully relaxed, gazing off into the distance.

“Ah, there might be a rare dog over there.”

Hamasaki Mai mumbles softly. Despite feeling a sense of dissonance in her words, I follow her gaze.

But there’s no dog or even any living creature in sight. All I see is a compact-sized blue tarp.

Just then, a gust of wind blows, making the tarp in the distance flutter. Hamasaki Mai, with her tumbler in hand, suddenly dashes off.

“Wait! Don’t go!”

She chases after the tarp, shouting. Could she really be mistaking that tarp for a dog? If so, she’s quite drunk.

Even if she’s prone to getting drunk and has a bad tolerance for alcohol, there’s no way she’d mistake a tarp for a dog. I’ve never seen a blue dog before—

“Blue doggy!”

She’s completely intoxicated. Watching the beautiful woman chase after a tarp with unsteady steps, I numb my heart and drink.

“Kirishima-kun! Help Mai-chan! She can’t catch a dog by herself!”

“It’s not a dog, it’s a tarp. Don’t worry; she’ll trip somewhere, come to her senses, and that’ll be the end of it.”

“We’re not talking about a tarp right now! If you don’t help Mai-chan, I’ll make you jump into the pond as punishment! Is that what you want!?”

“It’s the same either way.”

So it was a punishment after all. I put down my highball can and start jogging after her.

There are only two ways to deal with a drunkard: either go with the flow or get equally drunk yourself.

In the end, the result is the same, but for now, I decide to obediently follow and bring back Hamasaki Mai, who’s chasing what she thinks is a blue dog.

“Hyaa~ wait~”

Laughing gleefully, Hamasaki Mai runs through the park. If that really were a dog, what a charming scene it would be: a dog and a beautiful woman running through the park. In reality, it’s just a deranged woman chasing a tarp.

But the target is an inanimate object. Eventually, it comes to a stop, and Hamasaki Mai embraces it.

This should bring her back to her senses. She should realize what she’s been chasing.

“You’re cute~ so rough~”

No luck. With a face flushed red, Hamasaki Mai is petting the tarp, looking content.

Standing there, wondering what to do, a gust of wind sweeps by again. The tarp in her arms flutters away towards an unexpected direction.

“Ah, hey, wait~”

Once again, Hamasaki Mai chases after it. At this point, she won’t stop until she catches the tarp— or so I thought, but seeing where it’s headed, I involuntarily exclaim, “Whoa.”

The wind-blown tarp is heading towards the fountain pond. In her current state, she believes the sheet is a big dog. She can’t distinguish between land and water.

Indeed, Hamasaki Mai doesn’t hesitate at all in her pursuit. I give chase with all my might.

But I’ve also had my fair share of alcohol, and I’m not exactly fast to begin with. It’s not easy to close the distance.

Still, I grit my teeth and run, reaching out for her.

Trying to grasp Hamasaki Mai’s slender arm— and completely missing, she falls into the pond.

A satisfying “plop” sound rings out. People around us gather, murmuring, “What’s going on?” From a distance, I can hear Sugino-senpai’s boisterous laughter.

The pond wasn’t very deep, as expected. The water reached just below the knees at the edge, but since Hamasaki Mai fell in head first, she was soaking wet and sitting down on the spot.

Wet hair clung to her face, and her blouse and skirt stuck tightly to her body.

Her undergarments didn’t show through— thankfully—but her clothes clinging to her highlighted her feminine body lines clearly.

Despite the allure of her drenched appearance, I nervously approached her.

Sitting there, Hamasaki Mai looked up at me. Drops spilled from her bangs down her cheeks, tracing her sharp facial lines before dripping down.

“Kirishima-kun… Did I really chase a tarp and fall in?”

“…No, it was a dog. You were chasing a blue dog.”