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Volume 5 Trouble File First Half Part 2

「. . . . . . 」

W-well, who said that memorial ceremonies have to be all about remembering the dead. Paying respects to those who have passed away can have various forms, and as long as the ones celebrating them in those various ways remember the main intention behind it, everything should still be all right, even if some of the forms of paying respects can appear to be quite. . . .  controversial in comparison to others? A-Anyway, various cultures have various approaches when it comes to the commemorative feasts in remembrance of the dead, so some of them must have an all-you-can-eat contests among them. Definitely. Most probably. Hopefully. . . . . . . all right, gluttonous eating while competing against others might not exactly be the best form of paying tribute to the dead, but still, as long as it is in the spirit of being merry and celebrating being alive, then everything should still be fine, theoretically at least.

「Boy oh boy, it sure looks like Miss You is having fun.」

「Well, when it comes to food, it is no secret that Kasukabe is in an entirely different dimension than the rest of us. Sometimes I feel like for her, emotions are no different from dango dumplings: if only she could, she would have eaten through them all.」

Kouryuu did not say anything to that comment, simply placing the bottle of sake that he ordered a while ago on the table.

「Then maybe we should follow her example and have a taste of this delicious sake while raising toasts in honor of the dead? How about it, Sakamaki Izayoi?」

「Well, since you are offering me a drink of your own volition, then I guess I can have myself one cup. . . . . . 」

Kouryuu then poured the liquor from the bottle into the small cups in front of them, and Izayoi took a small sip of it, not enough for it to go down his throat, but just enough to feel the taste as it wetted his lips. Kouryuu smiled at this lightly and did just the same thing as his partner in drinking. Immediately after that, they both opened their eyes widely when the taste like they have never tasted before spread out all over their mouths and taste buds.

「. . . .This is delicious. No, let me rephrase that: it is too delicious! You think so too, right? What brand is it, and which Community made this?!」

「Hmm. . . . . . . it does not have a name. . . .  and there is nothing on the etiquette on the battle itself either. It is completely nameless. How peculiar.」

「Yeah, peculiar indeed.」

After examining the entire bottle from top to bottom without finding anything about this sake’s manufacturer, Izayoi and Kouryuu tilted their heads to the side in wonder. . . . . . . . . and then went back to drinking, pouring themselves another cup of this mysterious delicacy. Now that their mouths have been filled with it for a second time, the rich aroma of the rice-based alcohol completely filled their chests and overtook their senses with its powerful yet mellow taste.

It tasted almost like it has been freshly taken out of the barrel in which it was being distilled, but neither of the tow remembered ever tasting a sake that was so soft yet strong at the same time in their lives before. Normally the most probable scenario would be that some kind of renowned alcohol-brewing Community would have donated their sake to the guests of the memorial service event as part of the tribute paid to the dead, but with this particular bottle, the fact that it had no name or brand on it whatsoever was especially worrisome. Above all else, even if he is not someone who would call himself a regular alcohol drinker,

Izayoi definitely wanted to at least remember the name of the sake or the Community that made it as his personal way of showing respect to the makers of such a fine beverage, and if at all possible he would have liked to meet the one responsible for the creation of this particular bottle that he and Kouryuu were now partaking of so that he could thank the guy (or gal) in person. But just as Izayoi was about to ask the Saurian Demon Lord Where exactly did he managed to acquire this particular bottle of sake from, he noticed someone who was approaching them in the corner of his eye. It was Kudou Asuka, who walked up to them and greeted them politely by raising one of her hands.

「Oh my, Izayoi. I never had you for someone who would break the law and drank alcohol while they are still underage. Are you not setting a bad example for the others with such a rotten behavior like that?」

「Do not be stupid, Miss Rich Lady. There is no way for an honor student like myself to ever to something so outrageous as breaking the law.」

「You know that this does not sound convincing at all coming from someone like you? So if I were in your shoes I would have tried to not tell so many blatant lies, or else Madam Beni-Enma is going to cut your tongue off.」

「Even if she did, that would be no problem for me, because as I am sure you are aware, guys like me tend to have two tongues on them.」

「Yes, I do know that. If only you would stop using them both for nothing but talking impudently and without thinking even when you know that you are wrong and your arguments have no power in the discussion whatsoever. . . .」

「Hahaha, what can I say? You are definitely not wrong about that.」

And showing not the slightest bit of self-reflection or remorse for his actions, Izayoi laughed happily right in Asuka’s face. Seeing that, the only thing that Kouryuu could offer his on his part was a bitter smile and a stiff laugh.

「Well, no matter. If you do not want to stop drinking then I have no right to force you to do so, not with the law for these things being different for each Side of Little Garden. So I guess that as long as the North Side recognizes you a an adult who contributes something to the society by doing his respective work, then everything should be in order. As long as you remember to exercise moderation in your drinking and do not end up causing an unsightly scene of course.」

「. . . . O~~kay, I guess? Anyway, I have been thinking about it for some time now, and would it not be better for Little Garden to have one legislative system shared between all the Sides instead of allowing all four of them to handle the law essentially how their 「Floor Masters」 see fit?」

「Maybe it would be better, but honestly, who care about that now? It is exactly thanks to that distinction between the Sides that we can enjoy such delicious sake together. Speaking of which, would you fancy having a drink with us, Miss Rich Lady?」

Izayoi offered another sake cup to Asuka, and she received it reflexively and inspected from every possible side with her eyes filled with curiosity.