For Some Reason The Girl Who's Too Popular Only Drinks with Me - Volume 1 Chapter 6.1

I watched a certain movie.

A work penned by a screenwriter who has been the talk of the town lately, rather than the director. Initially, it was shown in only a few theaters, but word of mouth sparked interest, and now it’s being screened nationwide, making it a hot topic.

A tale of a child who doesn’t want to die and an old man who yearns for death. A man who lived for love and a woman wounded by love. An unsuccessful novelist and a successful musician. This screenplay writer draws numerous contrasts, fully depicting the love and hatred of humans.

At first glance, his portrayal of opposing structures might seem simplistic, focusing deeply on just one facet of people. However, as the story reaches its climax and various hidden truths are revealed, the multifaceted aspects of the characters, previously seen from only one angle, start to emerge.

Embarrassingly enough, I cried watching that movie.

It didn’t affect me much when I watched it in the theater, but something about it lingered, prompting me to rent another work by the same screenwriter on my way home and watch it.

It was a compilation of short films woven into one movie. Here too, contrasts between one and another were drawn, and although the stories were somewhat ordinary compared to the movie currently in theaters, I found myself crying alone in my room after finishing all four parts.

I’m not sure why I cried. It might have been simply because I was moved, or perhaps there was something in the movie that struck a painful chord.

In any case, this might be the first time I truly found something I loved after watching this movie.

And so, as the seasons changed, I became a junior.

Mikami-senpai graduated and entered a comedian training school, while Sugino-senpai became a senior but didn’t seem to be doing anything resembling job hunting. Apparently, it didn’t matter since she’d land a cushy position in her family’s company.

With Sugino-senpai becoming the club president, the Sake Friends Circle changed—dramatically so.

“Today’s my treat! Drink like idiots, you morons!”

Sugino-senpai declared from the center of the raised stage at the back of the store.

“Whoa!”

“Yay!”

“Kyaa!”

“Awesome! Awesome! Awesome!”

Cheers of joy erupted from all corners of the spacious venue. I sat at a seat on the edge, tilting my beer mug.

It’s Sugino-senpai’s Mongolian cuisine restaurant. Apparently, when she fled her father’s business dealings to go to Mongolia last year, she became quite friendly with the locals, and it seems she brought back those who were struggling to find work. It’s an authentic restaurant that’s surprisingly thriving, not what you’d expect for a student hangout.

Well, Sugino-senpai’s restaurant aside, the problem is this riotous celebration. About thirty students from the Sake Friends Circle packed the place, men and women alike. It’s hard to believe that just last year, there were only four of us drinking together.

This, too, is all thanks to Sugino-senpai’s maneuvering. She aggressively recruited new first-years, and before we knew it, the club had grown too big for the clubroom.

But the change was mainly in numbers; the club’s activities remained a wholesome celebration of alcohol. I half-expected her to gather a crowd for some sort of orgy or distribute illegal drugs, but surprisingly, none of that happened. In fact, Sugino-senpai prohibited the club members from attending drinking parties at other universities and from bringing outsiders in. She even set an age restriction of twenty years old to join. If you want to go wild, go to the tennis club, Oulan, or the inspirational sports club, she declared. Maybe Sugino-senpai had her own reasons.

Among the new first-years was Hamasaki Misaki. Unfortunately, she’s not old enough to join the club yet, but since she goes to the same university as her sister, I sometimes see them walking together on campus.

“Kirishima-kun, having fun?”

While I was quietly drinking and watching the pandemonium, Sugino-senpai came to my table. She brought a different bottle of alcohol and started pouring it into my nearly empty mug.

“Having a blast, thanks to you.”

“Mm-hmm, glad to hear that. But are you okay? Leaving Hamasaki-chan alone like that.”

“Well, it was you who threw her into that situation.”

“It wasn’t on purpose, you know?”

“It doesn’t matter to me.”

I drank the liquor Sugino-senpai poured for me. It didn’t taste as strong as I expected, which was somewhat disappointing.

Naturally, Hamasaki Mai was also at this party. She was sitting at the biggest table, chatting away in a mix of boys and girls.

And around Hamasaki Mai’s table, there were plenty of boys seemingly intrigued by her, in addition to their conversation. Well, that’s the usual scene.

“Anyway, it’s crowded.”

“Hm? The boys going after Hamasaki-chan?”

“That too, but I meant overall. Even without Mikami-senpai around.”

“Mikami-senpai knew. That I was planning to increase our numbers.”

Sugino-senpai’s triumphant expression and her words made me stop drinking and widen my eyes.

That Mikami-senpai. The one who was so against bringing in new people was okay with this situation? Or perhaps, since he has graduated, whatever happens now doesn’t bother him.

“It’s surprising senpai agreed to this. What dirty trick did you use?”

“Do you think I always play dirty? No, it wasn’t like that; I made a bet with senpai.”

“A bet?”

“Yeah, wanna know the terms?”

“I’m curious.”

“Hehe, it was ‘whether Hamasaki will make a move on Kirishima before I graduate.'”

“Really? That was it?”

I was genuinely surprised. I had no idea such things were being bet on behind my back. And it was supposed to be Hamasaki Mai making the move?

And to think Mikami-senpai would say such things outright. “Making a move” doesn’t really sound like him.