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Loki unwrapped it and displayed the wine jar on the table for all to see.
It was nondescript and generic-looking, almost identical to the jars the Hostess used, barring the crest engraved on the side, which Godou didn't recognize.
Riveria looked almost disturbed. "Is that...Soma?"
"The highest grade," Loki boasted.
Gouda felt a little regretful that he hadn't paid attention to Erica whenever she talked about drinks. He knew there existed all kinds of alcohol, but he'd never heard of Soma before. Whatever it was, going by everyone's looks of awe, it had to be quite extraordinary.
"Where...where did you get your hands on that?" Gareth asked, already beginning to drool.
"Let's just say I cashed in a couple of favors from my time in Heaven," Loki said playfully.
Now Godou felt a little bit guilty. "Are you sure you want to use it now? Is this challenge that big a deal?"
Loki scratched her cheek and turned slightly red. "Well..." she said, embarrassed, "think of it as my way of thanking you. You saved Ais, and if I'd lost her that day, I definitely would have chugged this whole thing down. So, I figured it would be acceptable for me to break it open for this."
"Oh," was Godou's eloquent response. "Guilting me isn't going to work, by the way," he added as an afterthought. "Though I must point out that you might be wasting your precious drink on me. I can't get drunk, and I probably won't appreciate the taste."
Loki grinned. "Let's see about that. This is the best wine in the whole world, you know?"
Godou felt doubtful. That was subjective, wasn't it?
Finn, on the other hand, looked quite displeased. "I realize that if we sold this...we could probably fund our Familia for a year from the earnings."
Godou felt his jaw drop. This regular-sized jar of alcohol was worth so much?
"Never!" Loki hissed, hugging it. "It's mine!"
"I have cups here," Riveria said, putting down a pair of teacups on the table.
Was it alright to drink such high-quality alcohol from teacups? He was certain Ena and Erica would never stand for such a travesty. But personally, Godou didn't really care, and it appeared neither did Loki.
A gluttonous expression appeared on her face ad she poured the wine into the cups.
Hmmm...was wine supposed to sparkle like that?
Hesitantly, Godou picked up his cup while Loki brought hers to her nose and sniffed it. She let out a blissful sigh.
"Let's take turns sipping it. To savor the taste," she proposed.
Godou didn't mind. It was her wine, so he'd do what she wanted to do with it. It also felt wasteful to down it in one go.
Loki went first. Her lips made brief contact with the wind and the change was almost immediate. Her face suddenly turned as red as her hair and her whole body seemed to momentarily shiver.
That...that was too fast, wasn't it? Was wine supposed to create such a drastic effect with one tiny sip?
She let out a satisfied breath.
"Your turn."
Godou lifted the cup and observed the peaceful surface of the liquid. He thought he saw something shimmering within his reflection, but it quickly disappeared. He gulped. This was just wine, right? Nothing would go wrong, right? He'd drank before, and this wasn't any different, he wouldn't get drunk, right?
As he brought the cup to his mouth, the last thing he remembered was wondering why it smelled like Yuri's cooking.
XXXXXXXXXX
"Godou, you're back!"
Godou's blood freezes and it almost feels as though he's been stabbed.
He recognizes the voice instantly, even though it has been decades since he's last heard it.
It's unmistakably Yuri's, and the brown-haired girl is standing before him, an apron over her high school uniform.
He resists calling out her name. This isn't possible. Yuri's dead. Chronus' curse ensured it. The accelerated aging was heart-wrenching to watch, and he had stood by her side in the one year she continued to live after that fateful encounter with the time deity.
When Yuri died, her hair was all white and frayed, her skin wrinkled and faded, her body shrunken and feeble.
So how is it possible that she's standing in front of him right now, looking no different than from the day he first met her? Her brown hair is tied into two pig tails that trail down her shoulders, exactly as he remembers it to be, and the kind smile on her face makes his heart throb with longing.
This is a trick, he is sure of it.
"Godou? Are you okay?"
Yuri shuffles up to him, a look of concern on her face as she presses her hand against his forehead. "You don't have a fever..." she says, more to herself.
She's close. Even her scent is the same, and Godou immediately backs away from the imposter.
"Godou, is something wrong?"
"Who...are you?" he asks forcefully.
"It's me, Yuri," the girls says gently.
He wants to believe her. He really does. But the memory of burying her is still etched into his mind.
"No, you're not. Yuri's dead," he says, more to reassure himself than anything else.
Yuri flinches where she stands. Her eyes droop a little, but the smile remains as it is.
"I guess I am. But I'm still here."
Godou is beyond confused. Where is 'here', anyway? He looks around, wondering why the furniture and the kitchen look so familiar
Impossible, it's his childhood home, but that can't be because it was destroyed during an attack by a Heretic God.
"Where...are we?" he asks.
Yuri tackles him and envelopes him in a hug.
Any urge to resists melts away as her lips press into his.
"I don't know...but I don't want to leave."
Godou blinks.
Red and gold amidst a sea of green.
Erica Blandelli stands right in front of him, a confident smirk on her face as she holds an umbrella.
"What are you spacing out for, Godou?"
Godou is speechless.
Why is Erica suddenly here, and where did Yuri go?
What happened to his home, and how did he get into...a hedge maze?
"Erica?" he asks, not believing what he's seeing.
"What's this, Godou? Can't recognize me? Did I really age that badly when I grew up?"
Godou instinctively shakes his head. Erica's wearing the same red dress as the first time he saw h
er, though unlike that time in Italy, her hair isn't tied and it goes all the way down to her waist.
First Yuri, now Erica?
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Want to read more?
The next 10+ chapters are already available on my Patreon!
By joining, you'll get:
📖 Early access to future chapters
🗳️ Polls to shape the story
🎁 Exclusive content for Patrons
🔥 Bonus scenes & content you won't find anywhere else
👀 Don't fall behind—others are already ahead!
👉 patreon.com/FanfictionTakashi
(If link doesn't show, just search on Google: FanfictionTakashi Patreon)