Mash-up Anime World: Creating the SCP Foundation to Contain Anomalies-Chapter 334 - 328: After Getting Drunk

"Are they always like this?"

After a few rounds of drinks, Haruto looked in shock at the only sober one—Bocchi.

At this point, even Hitori Gotoh herself was a little stunned.

They had gone out for meals before.

Even with larger groups, including members of the elder sister's band but never had they witnessed a scene like this.

Ryo was already lying down on the barbecue restaurant's sofa, her steady breathing just barely audible. Kita Ikuyo was leaning on Bocchi's left shoulder, her gaze hazy, occasionally breaking into a random smile. Ijichi Nijika was leaning on Bocchi's right shoulder, mumbling something incomprehensible.

It was obvious—the three of them were completely wasted.

And there was one more in the same condition.

Ijichi Seika was leaning on Haruto, her heavy breaths brushing against his neck.

It tickled a little.

All the weight of her mature figure was pressing against Haruto. Even through the clothes, he could still feel the curvaceous form of the boss lady. Though she looked petite, her body was surprisingly voluptuous.

Bocchi shook her head.

"No... At least the boss lady has never gotten drunk before. What should we do now?"

Clearly, Bocchi didn't know how to handle this kind of situation.

Haruto smiled helplessly at her words.

She never got drunk before?

Well, that must be because he wasn't there then.

Now that he thought about it, it's true—when there's someone of the opposite sex at the table, people tend to drink more.

It's just that, usually, that rule applied to guys.

"How about we just drink a bit more too? If we're all knocked out, then there won't be any problems left."

Haruto joked.

Bocchi looked like she was about to cry.

"U-um... That would cause a lot of trouble for the boss, right?!"

Bocchi could already imagine the scene where she and Haruto were also drunk, and the barbecue restaurant owner walked in.

It would be a catastrophic social death scene.

Even though by then, she'd already be drunk.

But just imagining it made Bocchi feel like she was going to melt.

"I'm just joking. By the way, why didn't you get drunk, Bocchi?"

Haruto was genuinely curious.

Given how lively the dinner was earlier, Bocchi should've been the easiest target to be pressured into drinking.

After all, this girl didn't know how to say no.

Could it be she had some strange talent like "never gets drunk no matter how much she drinks"?

"I just feel like... losing consciousness in public like this would be..."

Bocchi trailed off and covered her face.

The implication was obvious.

Haruto nodded thoughtfully.

That did make sense. Someone like Bocchi would definitely be scared of getting drunk in public.

"That's actually a good habit. But honestly, the reason they let themselves get drunk is because they trust you..."

Before Haruto could finish, he saw Bocchi pick up a beer mug bigger than her face.

She was about to chug it.

Haruto quickly stopped her.

This girl—why does she take everything so seriously?

"If you get drunk now, what am I supposed to do?!"

Haruto said, half-laughing and half-crying.

Realizing the situation, Bocchi put the mug down with an embarrassed smile. By now, it was almost closing time at the barbecue place.

Haruto picked up Ijichi Seika with one arm and reached for Kita Ikuyo who was sitting on the outside.

Double girl-carry in his arms.

"Alright, the rest is up to you, Bocchi!"

With that, Haruto ran out.

Bocchi: !

Looking at the unconscious Yamada Ryo on the sofa...

And Nijika still mumbling while leaning against her...

Bocchi looked like she was about to cry.

In the end, Haruto first took the boss lady and Kita back to the live house. Then he returned, picked up Nijika. The remaining Yamada Ryo—though Bocchi was a bit weak—could still barely manage to carry her on her back.

On the way back to the live house...

Bocchi bore the weight of the bassist while occasionally glancing at Haruto. Back at the table, her attention had mostly been on Haruto.

She noticed that while he did drink...

He clearly wasn't a heavy drinker.

Rather than the drinking itself, he seemed to enjoy the process of chatting and drinking with others.

Honestly, you could tell the difference between a heavy drinker and someone who doesn't drink much.

This gave Bocchi a bit of comfort.

After all, in so many stories, domestic violence and alcoholism usually go hand in hand.

If someone isn't going to hit you, who would want to experience abuse?

Haruto-senpai really is a good guy...

Bocchi thought quietly to herself.

Haruto had no idea what she was thinking. If he did, he'd probably be both amused and exasperated.

What kind of girl thinks "not being abusive" is a sign of a good man?

And especially with that obviously easy-to-compromise personality of hers...

Back at the live house backstage.

Haruto dropped Nijika onto a futon.

Thankfully, there were rooms backstage that were livable. Otherwise, trying to get everyone home separately would've been a nightmare.

He laid down Yamada Ryo as well. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

Bocchi was beside him, hands on her knees, panting dramatically. As a shut-in, Bocchi only had average stamina. Most of her physical strength came from practice on stage.

Afterward, she went to find some blankets.

She wrapped the three girls up like burritos.

Ijichi Seika had her own room.

Haruto told Bocchi he'd take care of the boss lady, then carried her into the room inside.

He placed Ijichi Seika onto the bed.

Her breathing grew heavier.

Her cheeks were flushed from alcohol, her lips rosy and alluring. The whole scene was incredibly tempting.

Haruto reached out his hand.

His breathing grew quicker.

Then—

He poked Ijichi Seika's cheek.

"Boss lady, we're already in your room. You can stop pretending now."

Her breathing clearly stuttered for a beat. But she still didn't open her eyes. Seeing this, Haruto went ahead and reached for her waist.

His fingers brushed her soft skin, like a thousand little claws teasing her.

Finally, Ijichi Seika couldn't hold it in and laughed, swatting Haruto's hand away.

Suppressing her laughter, she rolled her eyes at Haruto.

She sat up and adjusted her clothes.

"How did you know?"

Right now, though her cheeks were still red, it was obvious she wasn't actually drunk.

"Forgive me for saying this, but I don't think someone like you would just obediently fall asleep leaning on someone after drinking."

Haruto said casually.

Blonde, tsundere, older woman. Each of those traits screamed "déjà vu."

Ijichi Seika snorted, but had no good way to refute him. Because he was right. She was a terrible drunk. If she really got drunk, she'd cause a scene.

Her old bandmates had suffered plenty from that.

Eventually, they even banned her from drinking in public. After the snort, she sat up straight and gave a slight bow.

"Sorry."

Haruto shook his head.

He could understand the boss lady's actions.

When there's an unfamiliar guy around your sister and her friends, testing him a little is natural.

And being drunk can really reveal someone's character—and their sense of responsibility.

Taking advantage of someone while they're drunk is, of course, unacceptable.

But leaving friends behind at a barbecue place—while not criminal—is still cold.

In the end, things turned out pretty well.

"Tomorrow, I'm pushing them to sign with the company."

Ijichi Seika suddenly said.

Haruto was surprised and a bit confused.

"Why the sudden decision?"

As the senior of the four girls, her words carried weight.

If she personally pushed for it, they'd most likely get signed. But as far as he could tell, the four girls hadn't made a decision yet.

"The others I'm not sure about, but Nijika... she's definitely staying because of me and the live house. Even if this place was built for her, it's not right to tie her down here. So now that she's found someone she can trust, it's better to push them forward—let them fly."

Maybe it was the alcohol talking.

Ijichi Seika, for once, didn't hide behind her usual contradictions, and just spoke her mind to Haruto.