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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Xrecker
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It was my first time showering at someone else’s house, let alone a woman’s. I’d often gone to my male friends’ houses and even spent the night drinking back on my home planet, but this was a new experience.
The alcohol, which had worn off, seemed to return as I stood under the warm shower spray. I couldn’t tell if my flushed face was from the alcohol or the warm water.
“Sigh.”
I turned off the shower and dried myself. Now that I was clean, the question of what to wear resurfaced, and I cautiously opened the bathroom door, peeking out.
A set of white t-shirt and shorts lay folded on the floor, but they clearly wouldn’t fit.
“Are you done? I left some clothes for you. All my bigger clothes are winter wear, so I left the largest among my thinner clothes. Do you think they’ll fit?”
I heard Yu-ra’s voice from the bedroom and looked at the clothes again. There was no point in even trying them on.
“I don’t think so.”
I could probably squeeze into the t-shirt, but it wasn’t mine, and I didn’t want to ruin it.
“Really? What should we do…”
A worried voice came from the bedroom, and I looked at my wet clothes on the bathroom floor. Should I just wear those? But I didn’t want to put wet clothes back on after a refreshing shower.
“Here, take this for now.”
I heard Yu-ra’s voice nearby and peeked out again. She was placing a blanket on the floor.
“A blanket?”
“Yeah. It’s for sleeping, but I thought you could wrap yourself in it.”
It wasn’t a bad idea, as long as I could dry my clothes in the meantime. But it was pouring outside, so I couldn’t expect them to dry quickly.
“Okay.”
I had no other choice, so I agreed. As she turned to leave after hearing my response, I stepped out of the bathroom and wrapped myself in the blanket she’d brought. Her scent filled my senses.
“Let’s wash your clothes and hang them up. You should be able to wear them tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
Yu-ra went into the bathroom, retrieved my clothes, and put them in the washing machine. We stood there in silence.
“What should we do?”
I broke the silence, and Yu-ra, as if suddenly remembering something, turned to look at me, and our eyes met.
“How about round two?”
I’d forgotten for a moment, but we’d been drinking, and this was a celebratory occasion for Yu-ra, her first time drinking with a friend. If we’d parted ways and gone home, that would have been the end of it, but now, having more drinks wasn’t a bad idea.
“Do you have any alcohol at home?”
“A little, in the fridge.”
She was used to drinking alone at home, so she already had alcohol stocked. Instead of answering verbally, I made a circle with my fingers, indicating my approval.
As I was drying the living room sofa with a towel, Yu-ra came back with soju and snacks and placed them on the coffee table. The soju glasses she’d brought were just large water glasses.
“We’re drinking from these?”
“I don’t have soju glasses. Just pour and drink.”
The dejected Yu-ra from earlier was gone, replaced by her usual cheerful self, excited about drinking. She shook the soju bottle and opened it, filling the glasses.
“Don’t drink too much. If you pass out, I’m just going to leave you here.”
“Don’t worry. Even if I wanted to, I can’t drink much now.”
She said confidently, but I’d overlooked something.
Yu-ra had always drunk alone. While I didn’t know how much she usually drank, I doubted she’d stopped at just a few drinks, given her high tolerance.
And this was her first time drinking at home with a friend. Why had I assumed she’d be able to control herself?
“Hee hee~”
Yu-ra, chatting and drinking continuously, couldn’t contain her excitement, her face flushed, giggling constantly. The problem was, with just the two of us drinking, if one of us got carried away, it was hard for the other, me, to control the situation.
“What’s so funny?”
Even I, slightly drunk and hazy, was affected by her laughter and just smiled at her.
“I like drinking with a friend.”
While she’d started drinking to relieve stress, it had become one of her favorite pastimes, and having someone to share it with was a joyful experience.
“Yeah, I like it, too.”
Since arriving on Earth, I’d only had drinks with my colleagues, never with a friend. The novelty of drinking with a friend for the first time in 20 years lifted my spirits, and we toasted again, listening to the rain, and emptied our glasses.
“Ahh~!”
Even the bitter taste of soju was pleasant in my current state.
“I was thinking…”
“Yeah?”
Yu-ra, still slightly drunk, spoke, her voice filled with amusement, and I paused my snacking to listen.
“I might quit… on Monday.”
“…”
While she said it with a smile, her resolute tone wiped the smile off my face. I couldn’t respond. Even in my drunken haze, all I could think about was that if Yu-ra left the cafe, I’d have to quit, too.
“Are you okay?”
“…It can’t be helped. I feel bad for the owner, though.”
While I hadn’t heard it directly from the owner, Yu-ra seemed to think the owner didn’t like her very much. It might have been a misinterpretation, but having overheard that conversation, her negativity was likely directed not just at the two women who’d gossiped about her, but at the café itself.
I couldn’t interfere with her decision. It was her choice, and all I could do was watch.
“Then I’ll have to quit, too.”
“Why you?”
Yu-ra, unaware of my reason for working at the cafe, tilted her head in confusion.
“Why would I work there without you?”
Yu-ra’s eyes widened in surprise, then she looked down.
“…Really?”
Her quiet reply made the atmosphere awkward, so I raised my glass, suggesting another toast.
Yu-ra immediately clinked her glass against mine, and we emptied our glasses again. Yu-ra, finishing the remaining soju in her glass, looked at me with unfocused eyes, then got up and sat next to me.
“I’m cold.”
“It’s summer.”
It was pouring outside, as if the heavens had opened up, but it was the middle of summer; it couldn’t be cold.
“You’re wrapped in a blanket!”
She complained, her face flushed, pointing at the air conditioner in the corner of the living room. I’d turned it on because of the heat and humidity from the rain, and as Yu-ra had pointed out, I was wrapped in a blanket, so I couldn’t feel the cold air.
“No wonder it feels just right.”
Yu-ra, now snuggled up next to me, tucked her feet under the blanket spread on the floor and picked up her glass.
“If you’re cold, just turn off the air conditioner. Or use the blanket.”
“It’ll be hot if I turn it off. And I only have one summer blanket.”
I was about to suggest turning up the temperature on the air conditioner, then stopped, knowing it would only lead to more complaints.
“Then it can’t be helped. But we’ve had quite a bit to drink, haven’t we?”
It was past 3 AM, and we were on our fifth bottle of soju. Including the drinks we’d had at the bar, we’d consumed nine bottles.
“Why? Should we stop?”
“Let’s finish this bottle and go to bed. It’s late.”
“Okay!”
We ended up drinking three more bottles. Drunk, Yu-ra and I were sitting on the floor, leaning against the sofa.
The table was littered with empty bottles and leftover snacks.
“Let’s clean up tomorrow and go to bed.”
“Let’s.”
We got up, leaving the mess for later. I sat down on the sofa, and Yu-ra suddenly hugged me tightly, still wrapped in the blanket.
“Let’s sleep in the bedroom!”
Her sudden suggestion was so unexpected that I momentarily sobered up, even though I was drunk. But my mind quickly went blank, and I replied calmly,
“I’ll sleep here.”
Yu-ra, her eyes unfocused, stared at me.
“Then what am I supposed to cover myself with?”
“Huh?”
“Let’s sleep in the bedroom~ I can’t sleep without a blanket. What’s the big deal? We’re just sleeping.”
I felt her arms tighten around me. If I’d been sober, I would have refused, but I figured it wouldn’t be a problem since we were just sleeping, as she’d said, and nodded.
“Okay, let’s go.”
“Okay.”
We got up from the sofa, and Yu-ra didn’t let go of me as we walked to the bedroom. While it was a bit awkward, I decided to indulge her, considering her current state.
We sat side by side on her bed.
“I’m not wearing anything, so don’t be surprised if you touch me.”
“Yes! Understood.”
Reassured by her confident reply, I lay down and unfolded the blanket. Yu-ra slipped under the covers, the rustling sound mingling with the rain outside, and smiled.
“This is nice. Air conditioning and a blanket, the perfect combination.”
I knew exactly what she meant, that perfect temperature that some people couldn’t comprehend. Relaxed and drunk, lying comfortably under the blanket, I felt drowsy, my mind drifting.
“We drank a lot.”
“We did. I drank more than usual, too.”
Lying side by side, staring at the ceiling, I suddenly found the situation amusing and started laughing. Yu-ra, also finding it funny, laughed along with me, then silence fell between us.
We turned our heads at the same time, and our eyes met.
“Good night.”
“Good night.”
We exchanged goodbyes, and I turned back to face the ceiling and closed my eyes, trying to sleep. It had been a long day. Or rather, a day of significant events.
Getting closer to Yu-ra over drinks was a positive development, while the incident at the cafe… while the alcohol and Yu-ra’s good mood had temporarily distracted me, it was an experience I didn’t want to repeat.
I wondered what Yu-ra was thinking. I hoped she’d fall asleep quickly, but if she wasn’t, she was probably replaying the events of earlier in her mind. Or maybe she was thinking about something else.
It would be best for her to fall asleep without thinking about anything.
I’d thought I’d pass out quickly from the alcohol, but sleep wouldn’t come, my mind racing, and I just lay there with my eyes closed. I listened to the rhythmic sound of the rain, feeling myself drift off, when…
“Are you asleep?”
Yu-ra’s soft voice beside me made me open my eyes and turn my head. She was facing me, staring at my face, and our eyes met.
I turned to face her, also, and the words slipped out unconsciously.
“You’re beautiful.”
It was something I genuinely felt whenever I looked at her. She was objectively beautiful, and I found her attractive. But why had I said it now, in this moment, slightly drunk? I didn’t understand why I’d suddenly blurted it out.
“…”
Yu-ra blushed, her gaze fixed on mine. She leaned in and kissed me. I wrapped my arms around her waist, and we kissed, our bodies pressed together under the blanket.
I’d thought I was in control, but I clearly wasn’t.
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Yep, it was pretty obvious this was gonna happen.