For Some Reason The Girl Who's Too Popular Only Drinks with Me - Volume 1 Chapter 3.4

***

With only one day left until the school festival, I was sent by Sugino-senpai to buy alcohol at a wholesale supermarket near the university.

The alcohol had been prepared in advance, but Sugino-senpai had drunk almost all of it yesterday, so I had to buy more in a hurry. Originally, the alcohol prepared for the bar was mostly for mixing cocktails, yet Sugino-senpai, true to her style, drank it straight, a typical foolish act. And, as expected, she left the cleanup to me, her junior. I’ve gotten used to it, so it doesn’t bother me anymore.

“Plus, she didn’t even get drunk.”

Grumbling, I filled the shopping basket with bottles of alcohol. Since I’m using the funds provided by Sugino-senpai, I could buy as much as I want, but carrying it all back is going to be a pain. Plus, walking around with a bunch of alcohol bottles as a student seems like it would draw unwanted attention.

“Hey, Kirishima?”

Just as I was considering if I had enough, someone called my name from behind.

Turning around, I saw Mikami-senpai holding two slender bottles of plum wine.

“Hello, good to see you.”

“Is all that for you to drink alone? No, that would be something Sugino would do.”

I replied with a wry smile, explaining that I was here to buy more because Sugino-senpai had drunk almost all of it. Together, Mikami-senpai and I headed to the checkout.

After paying with the card Sugino-senpai lent me, I started packing the alcohol into bags. Even though the university is less than a kilometer away, the thought of carrying this heavy load is quite depressing.

“So? How’s the festival preparation going? Everything… alright?”

Mikami-senpai, who had quickly packed his bottles into his backpack, leaned against the counter and asked. He probably hesitated because he saw the large amount of alcohol I bought.

Mikami-senpai wouldn’t change his pace even for the school festival and didn’t help out at all. So, unsurprisingly, he knew next to nothing about the project’s progress. Well, I’m not much of a helper myself.

“If you ignore the fact that we’re restocking alcohol before even starting, everything’s mostly on track. I think it’ll be busier than last year.”

“Not busy, huh…”

Mikami-senpai repeated my words with a nonchalant tone. His way of speaking isn’t meant to be sarcastic or ironic. It took me a while to understand this when I first met him, but now I get it.

He’s probably worried, in his own way. He’s more sentimental than he seems.

“But next year will be busier than this year. Should I say it’s going to be more troublesome, so you understand better?”

Mikami-senpai chuckled, looking off into the distance, then slung his backpack over his shoulder again.

Pondering his words, I too started to leave the store with my purchases.

Mikami-senpai mentioned that next year would be busier than this year. What could change so much in a year?

Watching Mikami-senpai’s back as he walked ahead, I realized—next year, in one more year…

“Right, Mikami-senpai won’t be here next year.”

Mikami-senpai stopped walking when I finally voiced my realization. He stepped beside me, patting my shoulder.

“Make good use of Sugino.”

“That’s impossible. At least as long as I’m being used like this.”

I brushed off his advice, or rather, his encouragement. It can’t be helped; it’s the truth. I’m not a lion tamer or anything special. Just an ordinary person.

As just an ordinary person, my choices are limited to running away from the beast or offering my arm as a sacrifice to survive.

“By the way, I’ve been wondering, why can’t Sugino-senpai go against Mikami-senpai? Considering her personality and aggression, do you have something on her?”

“Who knows? I don’t have a clue. But she’s gotten a bit better. She at least listens now, even if she doesn’t always take advice. She used to not even listen.”

“It doesn’t seem like much progress to me.”

Conversations about the past “Drinking Buddy Association” that Mikami-senpai sometimes talks about are filled with a dangerous allure I’m both curious and apprehensive about.

Curious about these aspects, I take a step closer to Mikami-senpai to probe further.

“Hey, you mentioned our club used to have a lot more members, right? Why were there only two when I joined?”

When I mustered up the courage to ask what I’d been wondering, Mikami-senpai chuckled without hesitation.

“Sugino devoured them. Both men and women, more than twenty club members were devoured by her. Everyone except me.”

“Uh, by ‘devoured’, you mean…”

“She had physical relationships with everyone in the club except for me.”

“I see.”

“Not just that. She also poached a massive number of people from other clubs. Women lost their men, and men lost their women.”

“About that person who ran away the moment they saw Sugino-senpai in the park, was that…”

“Probably a survivor. Though it seems most students left because of Sugino.”

I was astonished. Sugino-senpai is known for being sexually liberal, but hearing this makes it seem like she lives impulsively… well, she still does.

But over twenty people? That’s quite the scale, all because of one woman, which makes Sugino-senpai’s deeds even more profound.

“Well, I get that Sugino-senpai is messed up, but why were you okay, Mikami-senpai? Did you have poison on your lips or something?”

“You think of such defense methods… Well, maybe that was necessary back then. But no, I simply rejected her. If she attacked, I’d hit back and run.”

“Simple, huh. You never thought, ‘Maybe once wouldn’t hurt’?”

“Nope, I only do it with someone I like.”

Such a pure statement after the wild tales of Sugino-senpai creates a jarring contrast.

I wonder if Mikami-senpai is serious. If so, it’s somewhat terrifying. He’s maintained such pure feelings while drinking with a woman who’s had relationships with over twenty people, even receiving rides home almost every time. Didn’t he ever worry about being attacked or drugged?

“Basically, once I graduate, Sugino will be unstoppable. She might start gathering a ridiculous number of people and go hunting again.”

“That ‘hunting’ metaphor is seriously scary. But well, I think I’ll be fine. Sugino-senpai doesn’t seem interested in me. Even if more people join, nobody would bother with me.”

That was one of the reasons I joined the club. My overwhelming passivity and inability to resist were “interesting” to Sugino-senpai, she said.

When I first joined, I was often told I didn’t seem “tasty,” so it’s unlikely I’d become a target for Sugino-senpai.

“We’ll see, she’s not picky… But no, you should be fine. Hamasaki is there, after all.”

Mikami-senpai said something odd before heading off not towards the university but down a different path. I wonder if Hamasaki Mai can really act as a deterrent to Sugino-senpai.

As I stared dumbfounded at Mikami-senpai’s retreating figure, going in the opposite direction of the university, the handle of the plastic bag holding the alcohol bottles tore, dropping the bottles to the ground with a crash.

***

“The time slots are fifteen or thirty minutes. You can order up to three drinks. Touching is prohibited.”

Sugino-senpai explained the rules of the makeshift bar.

Hearing Mikami-senpai’s retort, “This is just like a girls’ bar,” I yawned while listening to Sugino-senpai.

The only one paying proper attention was the bartender, Hamasaki Mai. Her sister, Hamasaki Misaki, who came for a visit, was rapidly typing something on her smartphone, not paying attention at all. Well, she doesn’t need to listen, anyway.

But it makes sense for Hamasaki Mai to listen intently since she will be serving customers at the counter bar “Behemoth” set up inside a classroom.

Today is the “Ryokushou Festival,” the school festival. It has suddenly arrived.

“We’ll run it until 2 PM, then take a break for about an hour and a half. After that, we’ll go from 4 PM to 5:30 PM. How does that sound? Can you manage?”

When Sugino-senpai checked, Hamasaki Mai smiled brightly and said, “I’ll be okay.” It seems that during Hamasaki Mai’s break, the bar will temporarily close, and Sugino-senpai and I will handle various tasks, meaning my work hours are just that. This might be an easy day for me. As I was thinking this, Hamasaki Mai started talking to her sister, Misaki.

“Hmm, I can’t move until 2 PM. What will you do, Misaki? Wanna look around?”

“Umm, what to do… Eh…”

Hamasaki Mai’s sister elongated her voice, pondering. Although she had been focused on her smartphone, her gaze shifted to me.

Her large, black eyes locked onto my face. I had a bad feeling. Instinctively, I looked up at the ceiling.

“Can I borrow this person?”

There it was. Faced with Hamasaki Misaki’s direct request, I looked down and met Hamasaki Mai’s gaze.

Please, say no. Can you really entrust your precious sister to someone so unreliable like me? You shouldn’t. Think it over.

“Sure.”

And just like that, Sugino-senpai approved.

“Borrow him for what?”

Hamasaki Mai asked her sister. Is that really the part you’re curious about? I’m just going to end up being mercilessly used as entertainment.

Before I could intervene, the situation rapidly progressed. With a feeling of helplessness, I looked at Hamasaki Misaki, who smiled slightly when our eyes met.

“Nothing much—just want him to show me around a bit.”

“Is that so? If it’s just that, it’s fine. But don’t cause too much trouble, okay?”

“I won’t, don’t worry.”

I’m already troubled enough, though I don’t have the courage to say that out loud. So, I silently observe how things unfold.

It can’t be helped; it seems my purpose in life is to endure the world’s inconveniences. Although she clearly harbors animosity towards me, the chance to explore the school festival with a high school girl, especially a beautiful one, probably won’t come again.

I have to convince myself to go through with it. Oh well, it looks like it’s going to be a fun school festival.