落とし穴外伝：お酒のついでに (Part1)
Pitfall Side Story: While Having a Drink
While Having a Drink
Side: Miyabi
“““Cheers!”””
With that chorus, we clinked our glasses together and let the beer flow down our throats in one go.
*Gulp, gulp…*
*Haaah…* The sensation of it sliding down my throat was divine!
After draining the glass in a single breath…
“““Ahhh!”””
We all exhaled in unison.
“Look, the yakitori is the main event today.”
“Ohhh!”
“That sounds lovely. It’s delicious, isn’t it?”
“Indeed. It’s quite tasty.”
As we voiced our approval, not only I, but Gaul and Coral immediately reached for the skewers and began to eat.
It couldn’t be helped; the food was simply too good.
And what was most surprising of all…
“Still, to think our Lord is such a capable cook,” Coral remarked, highlighting the fact that Yuki-dono had prepared every single dish himself.
“Well, I lived alone for a long time. You start thinking about how to make good food.”
“Hmm. I understand the words, but I find myself wondering why I never bothered to do the same…”
Yuki-dono spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world, but it left me and Coral pondering what on earth we had been doing with our own lives for all these long, long years.
My husband was capable of many things, but he was far younger than I.
It just goes to show how different the experiences accumulated on Earth must be. And how one manages their time.
I suppose it’s a perfect example of how living a long life doesn’t necessarily equate to being knowledgeable.
“Miyabi-sama, Coral. There’s no point in worrying about that. That’s just the kind of person Yuki-san is. Come on, let’s drink.”
Milly said this as she poured me another glass of beer, filled to the brim.
“Ohh. Thank you.”
I hurriedly brought my lips to the glass to prevent it from spilling, taking a long sip to lower the level.
Mmm. Delicious.
“Miyabi-dono, you certainly know how to drink.”
“And you, Gaul, aren’t you drinking quite a bit yourself?”
“For me, it’s only the first glass. After this, I’ll take it slow.”
As he said this, Gaul’s second drink was no longer beer, but sake.
“Still, I never imagined Yuki-dono would have a place like this in his home.”
I murmured, glancing around the room.
Indeed, the interior of this room looked exactly like a tavern you might find in town.
What’s more, Yuki-dono was still behind the counter, grilling yakitori even now.
“Well, this is just a bit of luxury. I like to take things easy.”
“Hmm, a different sort of luxury, to be sure. Though, it would be boorish to criticize another’s hobby. Above all, it is delicious. Milly and the others have found themselves a fine husband.”
“Hehehe, right?”
“Big Brother is the best!”
“Yeah, yeah. Yuki-san is truly a wonderful person.”
Milly was already quite tipsy. Ratz and Eris looked as happy as if they were being praised themselves.
Seeing that, I couldn’t help but think of my own husband.
They truly are a wonderful couple.
“But Yuki-dono, how long do you intend to keep grilling over there? You have something to discuss, don’t you?”
“That’s right. I’ll be finished with the main batch soon, so please wait just a little longer.”
Indeed, there was no way Yuki-dono would invite not just me, but Gaul and Coral to his home, only for it to be a simple dinner party.
No, he is the type of man who might do such a thing, but in that case, the little ones like Aslin would be here too.
Since the little ones were absent this time, I had suspected there was some matter to discuss.
“So, this meal is an advance payment for a reward, then?”
“I didn’t intend it that way. I’m off today, and I just wanted to enjoy myself. But if you really want a reward, just let me know.”
“I see. Well, I’ll decide after hearing the content. There’s a good chance this delicious meal alone will be enough to settle the debt.”
“For me, this meal is more than enough.”
“Indeed. I, too, think this yakitori and sake are sufficient.”
“Gaul-san, Coral, you should at least hear him out first. He might suddenly ask you to work for a hundred years straight, so don’t agree too easily.”
“Ahahaha. Yuki-san, you tell such funny jokes. You wouldn’t do something so ungrateful, would you?”
“Indeed. My time with our Lord has been short, but I cannot imagine him doing such a foolish thing. If he were to do that, he wouldn’t think of having me work at the shopkeeper’s place, would he?”
That is true. As they said, I knew Yuki-dono would never do anything so unreasonable.
However, these are the kinds of things one must properly settle.
Dragon-kin are often oblivious to such nuances. It is a side effect of possessing such overwhelming individual power.
Well, we try to keep our promises, but those are usually more like favors from the powerful to the weak.
I suppose I’ll have to teach them about that gradually.
Thinking such idle thoughts, I continued to enjoy my evening drink, snacking on the delicious yakitori while engaging in light conversation.
“Come to think of it, what was her name… Eupia? How are things going with that girl?”
“We’re getting along just fine.”
“Hmm. Well, I’ve heard similar things from the little ones. So, is she likely to be of help?”
“Regarding the magic depletion phenomenon, we haven’t touched on that yet. Well, it’s better than her ignoring what we have to say. Perhaps it was good that we clashed once.”
“Ahaha. That must have been effective. If she clashed with Yuki-san and saw your power.”
“True. I wouldn’t even consider challenging you to a duel. But Eupia, is it? Come to think of it, she was at the shopkeeper’s store with Schans the other day. She mentioned wanting to talk to me separately later.”
“My, you’re quick on the draw. Coral, talking is fine, but don’t cause any trouble.”
“I understand that.”
Hoho. As I thought, Eupia is no ordinary person.
To show interest in Coral so quickly…
“In that case, perhaps we should all meet together?”