After several rounds of drinks and dishes, this private drinking party had essentially turned into Morishita Aoi's personal complaint session. Once drunk, she seemed like a completely different person, voicing everything she usually kept bottled up—complaining about someone's poor work efficiency, lamenting how boring her life was, and eventually even going so far as to gripe about random stones on the roadside.
Her noisy, foolish demeanor was the complete opposite of the serious and capable office lady she usually was.
Occasionally, Uehara Etsuki would join the conversation, asking Kamiyā Yuu about the details and plans for establishing an animation studio. Although Kamiyā Yuu had given it serious thought, as an outsider, he still felt somewhat at a loss—he hadn't even settled on a location to rent for the workspace.
Listening from the side, Morishita Aoi suddenly raised her beer glass and shouted excitedly, "Wha—what do you mean! Haven't you prepared anything at all? No way~~ that won't do!"
*Bang!* The beer glass slammed heavily onto the table, the dull sound making Kamiyā Yuu wonder if the wooden table had nearly cracked.
"But don't worry! Since… since… uh… I promised to join Kamiyā-kun's animation studio, leave it all to me! No problem… I'll take care of everything! The office location, staff recruitment—leave it all to me! Morishita Aoi, entering full effort mode!" From her rambling nonsense, Kamiyā Yuu could tell she had gone from slightly drunk to completely wasted.
Kamiyā Yuu sighed. "Sensei, although Senpai said you'd take her home, in this state, she can't even walk properly. Should I help instead?"
"What are you talking about… are you looking down on me!" Morishita Aoi puffed up her cheeks and glared at Kamiyā Yuu. But soon after, she forgot about it and started stuffing grilled meat into her mouth. After dipping it in sauce and chewing a few times, she suddenly spat it out and muttered unhappily, "What is this? It tastes awful."
—Wasn't this the wasabi sauce you insisted on? Has alcohol not only taken your intelligence but also your memory?
Black lines appeared on Kamiyā Yuu's forehead. With such terrible drinking habits, he couldn't understand where she got the courage to get drunk in front of others.
Uehara Etsuki, who was gracefully eating sushi with her kimono sleeves gathered, glanced at Morishita Aoi and said calmly after swallowing, "No need to worry. Someone will come to help later." Despite her elegant and unhurried movements and not eating particularly fast, the number of empty plates in front of her was the most among the three.
"Sleepy… going to sleep."
The noisy Morishita Aoi finally quieted down—rather, she had collapsed onto the table and drifted into sleep while mumbling. Her cherry-red cheeks were completely unguarded, making her look even more adorably naive than usual. At this point, her image in Kamiyā Yuu's mind completely shattered and became equivalent to Ruby Rose.
"Kamiyā-kun, why did you want to start an animation studio?" Uehara Etsuki finished the sake in her small cup and asked. Despite drinking nearly two bottles, her beautiful, pale face showed no signs of intoxication.
Kamiyā Yuu set down his chopsticks and smiled. "The main reason is probably interest. Or rather, I already have quite a few ideas bottled up inside me. I want to turn them into actual works, let others see them, and find out what people think."
Uehara Etsuki chuckled lightly. "That's a rather laid-back explanation, but not an unpleasant one."
"What about you, Sensei? Why did you join the animation industry?"
Uehara Etsuki gently swirled the sake in her cup. "No particular reason. If I had to say, it's because one needs something to do—otherwise life would be too boring."
Kamiyā Yuu touched his face and asked curiously, "Sensei's family background should be quite well-off, right? That kind of reasoning would seem rather extravagant to most people."
Even in Japan, it wasn't certain whether even prominent families could cultivate a woman as refined, graceful, and capable as her—a true Yamato Nadeshiko.
"My background is indeed good, but I've already severed ties with my family. The life I live now is supported by savings I earned when I was younger." Uehara Etsuki paused slightly, her gaze carrying a faint trace of nostalgia.
Uehara… Uehara…
Kamiyā Yuu searched his memory for that surname. Most Japanese conglomerates were family-based, and the country's mainstream economy was still influenced by long-established clans. A family capable of raising someone like Uehara Etsuki must have a significant heritage. Among such families with the surname Uehara, there was only one that fit.
Uehara Clothing.
A globally renowned clothing corporation with over a thousand directly operated stores worldwide and annual profits reaching 200 billion yen. Compared to such a colossal financial empire, Kamiyā Yuu's maternal Kamiyā family was merely a relatively well-known local clan, relying mainly on regional industries.
—Ah, another protagonist-template scenario. Was this world created by some bored higher being?
Guessing this possibility, Kamiyā Yuu silently mocked it in his mind without voicing it, and the conversation gradually drifted to other topics.
As the atmosphere grew hazy with alcohol and even Kamiyā Yuu himself felt slightly tipsy, a knock came from the wooden door of the private room.
"Come in," Uehara Etsuki said calmly, setting down her chopsticks.
The person who entered this time wasn't the izakaya waiter, but a young woman wearing a T-shirt and jeans. She had a tall, slender figure—especially her long legs, wrapped in denim, were even more perfect than those of magazine models. Her long purple hair was tied up high, and beneath her bangs, her gaze wasn't sharp but carried an indescribable, chilling aura.
She, too, possessed the refined elegance of a Yamato Nadeshiko, but there was something monstrous within her. The dangerous presence she exuded made Kamiyā Yuu instinctively want to retreat. His time in the consciousness space had sharpened his sensitivity to such things, and based on that instinct, he was certain this woman had killed before.
"Miss," she greeted Uehara Etsuki with a gentle smile. Kamiyā Yuu noticed that in her left hand, she held a long object wrapped in a black bag. Judging by its length and shape, it was most likely a Japanese sword.
Uehara Etsuki extended her hand slightly as she introduced Kamiyā Yuu. "This is my friend, Kamiyā Yuu. She is my housemate—Busujima Murasaki."
"Hello." Kamiyā Yuu nodded with a smile, receiving a response that was neither cold nor warm.
"I'll trouble you again this time, Murasaki," Uehara Etsuki said, glancing at the sleeping Morishita Aoi.
Busujima Murasaki stepped forward, held the long object horizontally, and easily lifted Morishita Aoi's limp body in a princess carry. She nodded. "The car is already outside."
Uehara Etsuki stood up and turned to Kamiyā Yuu, giving a slight bow. "Kamiyā-kun, I'll take my leave now. Please be careful on your way home."
—A bodyguard-type role, perhaps.
"Mm, Sensei, please be careful on the road as well." Kamiyā Yuu stood and nodded in return. The presence of this bodyguard-like woman further confirmed his suspicions about Uehara Etsuki's background.
······
*Click.* The apartment door opened with a key. As soon as he stepped inside, Kamiyā Yuu noticed the lights were still on. In the hallway by the entrance, Kamiyā Sora stood quietly, holding her rabbit plush, watching him return.
Kamiyā Yuu froze for a moment. Just as he was about to speak, Kamiyā Sora interrupted him in a subdued voice:
"Yuu, I have something to tell you."
Her calm tone barely concealed the emotions beneath it.