Chapter 963

NO. 86: Peaceful?

When everyone had finally eaten and drunk their fill, even after they'd finished their drinking binge, Aomo stepped forward to tidy up, joining Nate and the few high‑schoolers who kept their heads, to help the princess who had stayed sober as well.

"Aomo‑san, where did you run off to earlier?"

Unsurprisingly, the one who, together with Yuta and Chen, had laboriously dragged the sloshing Gui She and Shima into the room's corner where A Peng was, began to worry about Aomo's earlier whereabouts.

"I just ran into a bit of trouble."

Meanwhile, over on the other side, Shi Jia and Shanzhong Li were also being dragged.

Though he had seemed fairly normal after being isolated for the past two days, he was now dead‑drunk, still muttering Shima's name, leaving A Peng and Neihai with awkward expressions, unsure whether to let go.

By contrast, Shanzhong Li was as quiet and still as a pig asleep in death, and heavy.

But at the same time, the heaviest thing was the raccoon dog being slowly rolled and pushed into the wall corner by Hotto Rokka and Minami Yume.

And the smallest in size yet fullest of energy, Bora, whom Aomo held in his hand, was shouting the loudest.

"Hey! Let go of me! I can still drink!"

"How did he still get alcohol on him?"

From having her collar dragged, to being struck on the back of the neck with a knife hand due to her violent struggle, then being grabbed by the wrist and ankle and hoisted upside down, Bora had received the worst treatment.

Even though the New Century middle‑schooler's superhuman physique isn't entirely a good thing, at least here it gave Aomo justification to use heavy force.

During this, Aomo's single‑handed tendon strength earned Neihai's envious glance.

"Vite can't beat her," the princess smiled helplessly, "and she doesn't have to go to school."

"He." As he reached the edge, Aomo didn't immediately let go, but lifted his other hand to give a slight tug, his expression blank as he corrected the princess's assumption about Bora's gender.

Although this guy often ends up in the female units surrounding the Gridman IP, although the child's character song is rather subtle, and although his voice actor is the well‑known Aoi Yūki of the transmigrators' group,

But he is indeed male, no doubt.

Even if he wears women's clothing in a crossover illustration, he can only be a 'male daughter' (i. e., a boy who looks like a girl)!

"Even if he doesn't go to school, he still has to take part in battle as one of Gridman's equipments—if a monster shows up tomorrow… forget it."

As they talked, Aomo himself relaxed the demand, after all the team already had excess firepower, so even if the New Century middle‑schooler didn't sortie, it wouldn't be a big problem.

Of course, more importantly, after fusing with Gridman, the New Century middle‑schooler becomes part of the armor‑type equipment.

Just as an unconscious big thief dragon doesn't stop the fearsome violent dragon from being used, a drunk support armament doesn't hinder Gridman from fighting—at most it fails to reach the special‑effects studio's usual 'bond boost' or 'awakening boost'‑type over‑performance bonuses.

Just thinking about that, Aomo felt relieved.

And most importantly…

If Gridman really shuts down, they probably can't escape either.

Instantly he felt a hellish urge to quarrel with a dying person—better to stay gentle… As he thought that, intending to help pick up the dishes again, he suddenly caught a whiff of alcohol on the breeze, and reflexively raised his hand to press against the other's forehead.

"What's up, little snake! I'm bringing the drink, you know~!"

"That's exactly why we should keep our distance."

He gave a dubious look to the woman with a faint flush on her face, hearing her slurred, slightly lisping speech, and Aomo turned his gaze toward Rokka and Yume.

"How did she drink too?"

"Um, she says she's already 18."

"Where did she get that…" Aomo fell silent for a moment, then it wasn't hard to think of another calculation: "Would you be willing to count the time spent here toward your age?"

Minami Yume was still a bit dazed, not knowing how many cycles Hotto Rokka had gone through, yet she was already shaking her head wildly.

But things have come to this…

"Let's give her a lesson after she sobers up." Aomo sighed, then looked again at the guy trying to hand him a drink.

He thought perhaps he should thank Miss Rei's few visits, which kept him from being unable to tolerate the strong alcohol scent brought by the demon's sense of smell.

"What the heck! Why punish me? I'm still sober~ I'm supposed to be 18, you know! Little snake, can you hear me?"

"First steady yourself, then put down the empty cup before speaking." Aomo said calmly.

To be honest, aside from the special liquor in the young lady's gourd that can vitalize the blood, he has little interest in tasting other wines.

Drinking with others is more for communication, and also to dilute the other party's negative emotions in conversation.

But more importantly, it's to avoid such occasions where one is likely to encounter a drunkard.

"Alright."

This time, however, she unexpectedly became obedient… Aomo furrowed his brows, released the hand he had been propping on her forehead, and with his other hand took the wine glass from hers and set it down—only to have her suddenly throw her arms around him.

"Hehehe, little snake, I'm so happy!"

"Really?"

The demon, whose expression was somewhat stiff, still tried to keep his tone steady; then, upon hearing the other's next words, that steadiness also became natural.

"It should be the happiest—happiest day of the year, a bit happier than when I first came to the Boundary Gate District."

"You were that happy when you came to the Boundary Gate District?"

"After all, as soon as I landed, there were monsters staring at me! It's the first time in my life I've received such a greeting gift…"

"There's still plenty of time; there will always be new so-called 'first-time' concepts to refresh."

"But the thing that left the deepest impression… will stay deep forever…" That muffled voice trailed off, the hands that were both embracing and supporting gradually drooping, so that she was about to topple over—yet someone, quick-eyed and quick-handed, caught her.

With the hand still hanging with the snake-pattern bracelet.

And just at that moment—

Crack!

Flash.

When the legally required camera flash for Japanese/Jidong-style lighting came on, Aomo's originally smiling face also gained a hint of helplessness: "What are you doing?"

"Um… subconsciously?"

Liu Hua's moral standards are obviously higher; even at this moment she would still feel a bit embarrassed.

Not as righteous and confident as the Southern team member.

Leave a memento! Let Qi wake up and have a look.

And after that, there was only silence.

In the heavy silence that fell, the one who broke through the gloom was still Chaoren Apeng: "Um... Aomo-san, wouldn't it be better to put her down?"

"Indeed, could you come help a bit? Ladies."

He raised his hand and tapped the pink-haired head sleeping peacefully in his arms; Aomo, who couldn't elicit the Uma Musume set's only prescribed sleep-talk, gestured to Liuhua and Mengya: "Take her away."

"Oh oh, okay." X2

The same words, the same reaction, yet they could convey different meanings through expression.

Baoduo Liuhua was obviously still shocked, his whole person in a daze, while Nan Mengya, the Southern team member, could hardly keep from smirking.

As for that, Aomo simply said calmly.

"If you want to laugh, please keep the volume low enough not to wake the drunk."

That expression, those words carried a divinity belonging to the natural god, yet also seemed like a helpless surrender to self-abandonment.