落とし穴外伝：帰ってからの振り返り (Part1)
“Ugh...”
Noriko followed, swaying unsteadily, her hand pressed to her mouth. After yesterday's enjoyable winter sports, filled with so many firsts, she had certainly drunk quite a bit at the snowy inn. The smell of alcohol wafted strongly from her, a testament to her indulgence. Actually, I just learned that even ghosts can get drunk and suffer hangovers. No, wait, she could eat, so maybe it's not that strange after all? Well, I'm not fond enough of alcohol to ever get like this, so I suppose it's fine for me.
As I gently rubbed Noriko's back...
“Noriko, are you alright?”
“Ah, yeah. Somehow... To think I'd suffer a hangover even after death... What's the logic behind that...?”
What truly *was* the logic behind it, I wondered? Just as the question formed in my mind...
“Well, Noriko, when you drink, you're materialized, so of course you'll get drunk. Or rather, isn't getting drunk precisely *why* you drink?” Comet offered a comment that, in a way, made perfect sense.
“But my metabolism has stopped, hasn't it? I'm not performing life activities, so why...?”
“No, no, it's certainly stopped, but there are offerings made to the dead, right? That's probably why things like this happen. Or rather, Noriko's current state is proof of that, isn't it?”
“Ah... I see. So, just because I'm a ghost doesn't mean I'm completely invulnerable.”
“Exactly. If that weren't the case, exorcisms wouldn't even work.”
“That's true... I'm sorry, but I'll have to lie down during the meeting later.”
“You're not giving up on that, are you?”
“Even so, I am, in a way, Havia's guardian. I can't compromise on that.”
Noriko's words touched me slightly. She was thinking of me that much. Just as I was feeling grateful...
“You knew there was a meeting, and you still drank like a fish, you idiot!” Yuki-oniisan hurled a terrible insult.
“But I didn't think a ghost could get drunk...”
“You should know full well the stories of the Yamata no Orochi being defeated after getting drunk on sake, and Shuten Doji being put to sleep with sake before his head was cut off. So why do you think *you're* invincible?”
“Guh...”
“Haa~. Well, for now, 'Refresh'.” As Yuki-oniisan chanted a status ailment recovery spell, Noriko's body was enveloped in a faint green light. It was a familiar spell, but...
“I always wonder, is this effect really necessary?”
“You! It's because of this that you know the spell is working, isn't it?” Apparently, it worked perfectly even on hangovers, as Noriko, suddenly refreshed, retorted. Yes, recovery magic doesn't always have visible effects, so I think it's necessary to know where it's being cast.
“No, there's no need to blatantly announce 'I've been healed!' to the enemy, is there? If it were me, I'd immediately target the healer.”
“Ah, I see. Indeed, targeting the healer is a standard tactic.”
“I understand that, but wouldn't it be impossible to tell who cast it?”
There's no need to get close to cast a spell. So, even if the fact of recovery was known, who cast it should remain a mystery, I thought...
“That's true if it's just once, but if it happens two or three times, they'll be able to deduce it from the situation. They'd also track the flow of magic, you know. Well, if you're healing from extremely far behind, there might be nothing they can do... but would anyone bother to heal from such a long distance?”
“That would probably heal the enemy too, wouldn't it?”
“Furthermore, they might try to quickly crush any soldier who receives healing magic. The enemy might even 'double-tap' them.”
“Double-tap?”
“It's common sense in modern warfare. It's surprisingly rare for someone to die from a single hit, even if the damage is significant. And just because someone is severely wounded doesn't mean they can't move at all. So, it's necessary to ensure they're finished off. After all, the weapon is a gun; all you need to do is pull the trigger towards the enemy. You don't necessarily need to move your whole body, and you can still attack even if you're down.”
Yuki-oniisan spoke dispassionately, but for me, having grasped the meaning, it was utterly shocking. Indeed, guns were impossibly powerful weapons, requiring very little effort to use compared to swords or magic. That's why, 'finish off the enemy completely'. Otherwise, it would come back to haunt you. I had known this from manga, but I still thought Earth was a terrifying place. Far more so than this world, even with its monsters...
“Well, never mind that. For now, it's the 'Great Forest Survey' meeting. If you're not on your game, you might not be allowed to join the on-site survey team.”
“No, I'm just a manga artist.”
“But you're Havia's guardian, aren't you? I don't know if you'll go along, but people will think it's unacceptable if a guardian is drunk.”
“Ngh!”
I absolutely didn't want to be unable to go because of Noriko, not because of my own issues.
“Well then, let's just say she'll be more careful in the future. It's Noriko's first time getting this drunk, so it's fine, isn't it?” I quickly interjected a defense.
“True. It's actually the first time I've seen a ghost get drunk. Comet and Agil will surely find that quite interesting. Just be careful not to end up as a test subject.”
“Like Shocker?”
“Well, I can't entirely deny it. Agil tried to examine Steve just for speaking, and Comet is a Lich, after all.”
“So, Noriko will just escape the organization and become a righteous Grasshopper Mask, then?”
“But she can't ride a motorcycle, can she?”
The conversation had somehow veered off course, but before I knew it, we had arrived at the conference room where those mad scientists were supposedly waiting with bated breath...
“Oh, you're here.” However, Comet was nowhere to be seen, and Agil greeted us warmly instead. Over there, Nairua and Wazfi were also present, steadily preparing.
“Yeah, Agil seems alright.”
“Hm? What do you mean?” Agil, unaware of the preceding conversation, simply tilted her head, seemingly not understanding Yuki-oniisan's words.
“Noriko, she drank too much and was completely worn out.”
“Noriko? Even though she's a ghost?”
“Since she has a physical form, I suppose such things can happen.”
“Heeh, how interesting! Hey, hey, why don't we examine her sometime?”
“No, I'll ask Rurua for that, not Agil.”
Yes. It would definitely be better to have Rurua examine her, just as Noriko said, rather than Agil.
“It's strange for me to bring it up after changing the subject, but since it was a snowy mountain, not just about alcohol, isn't there anything about winter sports?”
“Ah, that's right, I almost forgot. I only dabbled a little in that, but... Yayu over there was more wild than I expected.”