## Chapter 106 – A Romantic Drinking Session
It was pure manipulation. Utter hell.
“Hey!! Carla!! Take it easy!!”
“I’m just teaching her~”
Watching Carla teach Anne the rules and play the game with her, the countless souls around them were screaming in agony…
“Carla!! Do you not want to go home!!
You’ve won five times my money, you should go home!!”
“What are you saying, you’re already dead!! Take this full house!!”
“What!! Where did that full house come from!!”
Truly, the hands of an alchemist blessed by the gods.
“I think Anne’s really lucky, don’t you?”
“Of course she’s lucky, you’re making her hand!!”
Her dexterity, honed by precise hand movements for molecular bonding, was displaying a devilish power even in a card game.
But even in such situations, a reactionary was bound to appear.
It was a moment as cold as a dagger flying and lodging itself in the heart.
“Hold it right there!! How many times are you bluffing already?”
A male student, who had been carefully watching Carla’s hands as she shuffled the cards, snatched her wrist. In that instant, the atmosphere turned icy.
“You took my cards and Anne’s from the bottom, didn’t you?
Do I look like an idiot to you?”
“Ugh… What…!! D.. Do you have proof…?”
Sweat started to trickle down Carla’s temples as she denied the crime with a trembling voice. The male student then flipped over his own hand to show it.
“Proof? You were going to give me a full house this time, right?
And this!! The one you were going to give Anne, this!! This is a four-of-a-kind!!”
“Y.. You’re writing a script…!!”
“Your conscience pricked you, so you couldn’t make a straight flush and gave her a four-of-a-kind instead!!”
“A.. Anne!! Look at your hand!! Is it really a four-of-a-kind!?”
“Hey!! Everyone stay still!! I’ll chop your limbs off!!”
The atmosphere was turning truly menacing.
In this bloodless battlefield where limbs were on the line, Carla, who was gripping the male student’s wrist, finally made her move.
“Fine. If this hand isn’t a four-of-a-kind!!
I’ll bet all my money and my hand!! Fold if you’re scared!!”
“Where did you learn to hustle?”
“Why are the fins of the great Phantom Eel so long? Are you scared?”
“Scared? Hahahaha!!
Alright!! I’ll bet all my money and my hand!!
Let’s tie them together!!”
However, as an ominous air began to envelop them, the students started to sense that something was wrong.
But the only one who didn’t realize it was…
“Ah… there’s definitely beauty in this public execution…
Alright, let’s check it out~
Ta-da-da~ Ta-da~ Ta-da~ Ta-dan, boom-chak-a-boom-chak-a~ Ta-da-ri-ra-ra-ri~ What’s this?”
“No pair?”
“Seriously? It can’t get any worse than this, can it?”
“N.. No!! I saw it!!
I clearly saw Carla dealing from the bottom!!”
“Didn’t you learn not to bet unless you’re sure?
What are you doing, aren’t you going to chop off your friend’s hand!!”
“Hwaaa!! Carla-nim, save me!!”
In the end, Carla’s hustling escapade ended with the male student’s defeat.
Carla, who had been folding her arms, showed Anne the cards she had subtly hidden under her arms, completing the perfect finish.
‘Wasn’t that… a four-of-a-kind…?’
“Aha ha… hahaha……!!”
“Haaah~”
But as the game ended with laughter, a small yawn from someone started to spread around.
It seemed that as the night deepened, the students, who lived healthy lives, couldn’t resist the sleepiness that washed over them at this hour…
“Ugh… I’m getting sleepy…”
“What are you saying, the night is still young!!
Since we’re here, let’s have a drink!!”
“Oh, that sounds good? Anne, do you want a drink too?”
“Huh…? What……”
At the sudden, bewildered reaction, the surrounding students fell into confusion.
“Anne… you’ve never had alcohol…?”
“What? This good stuff?
How could that be!!”
Of course, being the age she was, she had experience drinking before leaving her hometown.
But Anne had never actually drunk enough to get drunk, so she didn’t understand what they were talking about.
Since coming here, she hadn’t become close enough to anyone to go to a bar with them, and her sister Marie didn’t drink either.
“Isn’t it… just bitter……?”
“Wow… she says alcohol is bitter……”
“I might be a little shocked……”
As her words caused a stir around her, Anne started to feel awkward and began to look around at everyone’s reactions.
But then, someone gently placed a hand on her shoulder…
“Then let’s have a drink this time!!
I’m sure you’ll like it!!”
“Hmm… alcohol…
In my hometown, there’s Bulegnon 8 years…”
“Let’s have Hwaju instead!!”
“Carla… isn’t… that…
too strong……?”
“It’s okay!! It’s her first time, we should let her have the real stuff!!
There are plenty of places to sleep anyway, so if you get tired, you can just go to bed, right?”
Carla strongly recommended it, and Lucas, who was watching her as if he couldn’t stop her, went outside and called a servant, who came back with an armful of bottles.
Seeing this, the eyes of the people around them began to sparkle, and Anne, who didn’t know what was going on, just took one of the bottles being handed out, looking bewildered.
“Okay, first, those who are too tired can drop out here!!
Those who can drink, raise your glasses!!”
“Ugh… I stayed up all night doing some research I had been putting off…
I’ll head in first today!”
“The social gathering is still a week away!!
Get some rest!! Let’s run again tomorrow!!”
They sent off those who were leaving, but the group didn’t shrink significantly.
Most of the people were still there, raising their bottles. Anne, who had also raised her bottle, looked around, trying to gauge the atmosphere.
“You all worked hard last year!!
And let’s do our best in our second year next year!! Cheers!!”
With Lucas’s toast, the people clinked their bottles together.
Anne clinked her bottle with theirs and stared at the bottle in front of her.
The clear liquid filled the bottle up to its neck, sloshing slightly.
‘Is this really that good……?’
Filled with curiosity, Anne carefully brought it to her lips and immediately coughed violently.
“Cough!! Cough!! Ahh…!!”
“What’s wrong? What happened?”
“M.. My throat… throat is…
h.. hot……”
Anne, sticking out her tongue and panting, complained about the pain in her throat to Carla. Lucas, who had been watching from the side, answered instead.
“Ah, it’s because you’re not used to alcohol yet.
You’ll be fine if you keep drinking it.
Just sip it little by little. Okay?”
“Ah… I see… Thank you?”
“No need to thank me. Speaking of which……
Number game!! One!!”
“Ah!! Two!!”
“Pfft!! Hey!! You!! Three!!”
“Kuhak!! Pwahaha!!”
Lucas suddenly shouted a number and stood up from his seat.
His friends hurriedly followed suit, shouting numbers and standing up. Anne, stunned, remained seated.
Whether they were caught off guard, or spitting out the alcohol they were drinking, or coughing dryly,
She had no idea what was happening and looked around with a blank expression. Then, Carla gently approached, leaned in, and brought her face close to Anne’s ear.
“Our Anne…”
Anne felt a strange sense of unease at the sweet words coming from her moving lips, and her hair stood on end.
“Have you ever heard of a drinking game you learn while drinking……?”
.
.
.
.
.
.
The people of Chaoxing have all had at least three parts of their bodies modified.
And most of those modifications are related to health.
That is, it has something to do with the maximum activation of liver function, according to the medical department.
It wasn’t meant to be a big deal, but it meant that the people of Chaoxing were good at drinking.
And as it happened, her best friend was from Chaoxing, so Carla was no exception.
Yui, who often bought alcohol to enjoy the atmosphere, fed Carla alcohol because she thought her red face was cute, training her strong liver.
Even a thousand-year-old fox would covet that perfect liver, even though the opponent was female. It was playing an active role in a way that others couldn’t even imagine.
“Are you okay? Why is everyone like this?”
“Ahrhe yhou… nnot dhrunk aht all…?”
“Guys…!! Wake up!!”
“Ahm… Ihm dhone… Ihm dhrunk……
Lhucas… Ihm lhheaving… plhease… take care…”
“Oh… I guess we have no choice… We should wrap things up here……”
Perhaps it was only natural.
Everyone except the king of the social circle and the friend from Chaoxing were dizzy and hiccuping in place. What more could they do?
It would be best to be satisfied with the fact that they had been burning with alcohol for a while, laughing, talking, and drinking to their hearts’ content.
Today wasn’t the only day.
Their social gathering still had a week left.
“Umm… Carla? Can you help me support those girls?
I’ll have the servants take them away, but we need to clean up first.”
“Okay!!”
Carla nodded with a bright smile at Lucas’s suggestion.
Actually, it was a slightly happy suggestion.
Of course, she had been having fun with her new friends, but the person she was most looking forward to at this social gathering was Lucas.
Everyone else was in a daze, and only the two of them were fully conscious.
Not in a normal state, but in a state where alcohol was circulating through their bodies, making them feel tipsy.
The two of them, a man and a woman, were left alone, silently separating and sorting out their mixed-up friends.
In the quiet but pleasant silence, Lucas spoke first.
“Was today fun?”
“Huh…? Yeah…!! It was… really fun……”
“There’s still a week left…
I’ve prepared this and that…”
As Lucas lifted a drunk friend and moved them to the side, Carla’s heart suddenly began to pound. She grabbed her swaying body and regained her balance.
Was it because of the anticipation for tomorrow that was consuming her whole body?
Or was it because of the heat that was making her body boil at this moment?
“I’m looking forward to it…… There’s still more left…
Since coming here from my hometown…
I think it was the most fun…”
“Really? I had fun too.
It’s the first time I’ve been given authority, and I’m planning a party with all my friends…
And… more than anything, I was happy that you came here too…”
“…… Ah……”
At that moment, Carla froze in place as a thrilling sensation, like lightning, ran up her spine.
‘What did I just hear?
Did Lucas just……?
Am I okay right now…?
What if I smell like alcohol……?’
He put another guy down on the floor and started to approach her little by little, with slightly staggering steps.
“Carla…… you know…?”
And soon, he was standing right next to her, and their faces were getting closer, with only one shoulder between them.
Trembling breath.
Shaking pupils.
Blood with a pleasant mix of alcohol.
“If… if it’s okay with you……”
And, a heart that was beating so loudly that it seemed like someone would hear it.
Would she ever be able to feel this way again in her life?
More than that, could her weak heart withstand this feeling right now?
“Lucas…”
“Slurp… Ummm… Ahh……”
“Id… Idiot… Haaah… Jerk……”
And at that moment, the two of them, startled as if their hearts would stop, turned their gazes away from each other and looked down at the floor.
Two men and women, who they thought had fallen asleep with their arms around each other’s shoulders, had woken up at some point and were sharing an intensely passionate kiss in their sleep.
As the faces of the two of them, who were watching the scene, turned as red as erupting volcanoes, Lucas hurriedly separated them.
“Pierre!! Melinda!! Th…!!
N.. Now is……!! Hey…!!
How are you going to face each other tomorrow…!!”
As she reaffirmed the innocent side of the seemingly pure boy, Lucas’s urgent voice was calling out to Carla, who was gently reminiscing about the ticklish feeling in her heart from earlier.
“Carla… thanks for helping me!!
Please go back first today!!
I’ll take care of the rest…!!
Have a good night… see you tomorrow!!”
“Yeah……!! You too……
See you… tomorrow……”
With her back to Lucas, Carla slowly walked out of the door and into the hallway, clutching her chest. She closed the door and gently leaned her back against it.
‘We might have been able to kiss……’
Perhaps a regrettable opportunity had flown away today.
But even so, she could only think that it was okay.
“There’s still… a week left…… Ahh……”
Carla, blushing at the slippery sensation she suddenly felt between her legs, slowly began to walk towards her assigned room.
Filled with anticipation for tomorrow, she gently stroked what she was holding.
“I need to… feed it……”
