A few days had passed since I cleared the Oceanus of the End Sea.
Summer vacation was in full swing, and for once, a string of rare, peaceful days followed. Nothing of note happened, and frankly, I was too burnt out to even consider a dungeon crawl.
“...Actually, has it really only been a month?”
I muttered the thought aloud as I looked back on just how dense this summer break had been so far. It was nowhere near over, yet the first half had been so packed... Honestly, I never expected to find myself trading blows with a Doomsday Beast like Leviathan. It was only natural that I was exhausted.
“I haven't checked on her yet. I wonder if she’s settling in...”
Lying alone on my bed, my thoughts drifted toward Levi-san. It was all well and good that she had caused that entire incident out of her feelings for me, but there were other summoned beasts who weren't exactly thrilled with how things went down. I was a little worried they might be at each other's throats.
“No time like the present. I guess I’ll go have a look.”
Better to see it with my own eyes than to lie here and fret. I decided to return to my soul world immediately, letting myself sink slowly into the depths of my own consciousness.
I felt that now-familiar sensation, like plunging into water, for just a heartbeat... and the sight that met my eyes the second I came to was enough to give me pause.
“...Maybe I should just head back right now.”
I looked up to see Ouroboros looping through the sky like a runaway kite. In the distance, Jormungand had collapsed, her face a vibrant shade of crimson. Watching her, Apophis and Azi Dahaka were doubled over, howling with laughter, while the group’s resident conscience, Yamata no Orochi, was scurrying back and forth in a frantic, futile attempt to restore order.
I shifted my gaze and saw that even Algol was down for the count. Her glasses had apparently slipped off, resulting in parts of the landscape being petrified. To top it all off, Lycoris was fast asleep, clutching a fox plushie and snoring softly while poison leaked out of her in rhythmic waves. Sariel and Quetzalcoatl were working overtime to purify the area before the toxicity overflowed.
“...Yeah, I’m definitely going home.”
I had absolutely no idea what had happened, but it was clear that something disastrous was underway. More importantly, I knew for a fact that getting involved would be a one-way ticket to a headache.
Based on where I’d manifested, I was in the territory of the Japanese Mythology faction. This place was already crawling with high-energy troublemakers who lived by the "if it's fun, who cares" mantra. Seeing the Serpent faction—who usually never left their own turf—gathered here gave me a very bad feeling.
“Ah... Reima-san, there’s two of you... What a steal. I think I’ll keep both~”
I tried to slip away before anyone noticed and retreat back to reality, but it was too late.
Someone tackled me from behind, pinning me to the ground. I looked up to see who it was, only to lock eyes with a pair of cyan pupils set in a flushed, bright red face.
“Levi... san?”
“Yes, it’s your very own Levi Leviathan~”
Her words were far more drawn out than usual. Being hugged by her while she was wearing that sundress was dangerous in several ways, but I caught a whiff of alcohol so potent it eclipsed everything else. In that moment, the cause of this catastrophe became clear.
“Hey, did you guys all drink?”
“Ehh~? There’s no way, right~? Because I’m the strongest, so I don’t get drunk.”
“That’s a blatant lie no matter how you look at it. At least tell me what happened.”
I managed to wriggle free, only to be hit by a stench of alcohol so thick I wasn't even used to it. Levi, looking positively feverish, let out a dazed hum and tapped her chin as if trying her best to remember.
“Well, you see? The Serpents were going to throw a welcome party for me, but nobody had anything to bring? Then, a kind Oni girl gave us some juice, so we all drank it together.”
“That was almost certainly alcohol... Which Oni was it?”
The number of Oni among my contracted summoned beasts was small; I could count them on one hand. Between their mythological rarity and the fact that I’d met almost all of them in Wakuni, I could narrow it down... but I couldn't imagine any of them being selfless enough to just hand over booze to others.
“Who was it again~? Ah, that’s right. She had pink hair—I think she was called Shiten-san?”
“————”
I was genuinely speechless. It was easily the biggest shock I’d had since the start of August.
“...Wait, really? Akari Shiten did that?”
“Indeed. I’m the one who gave it to ‘em. Is there a problem, dearie?”
A presence of death, so distorted it sent a chill down my spine, slithered together to form a girl. With pink hair and a revealing, loosely-fitted kimono, the Oni with red patterns engraved on her skin appeared before me, wearing a look of sheer, malicious delight.
“You... a notorious lush... actually gave your stash away?”
“Well, of course. ‘Tis a welcome party for a new comrade, after all. It wouldn't do to not offer ‘em a little somethin’, now would it?”
“...Hold on, Akari. That liquor you have...”
“What else would it be but [Shinpen Kidokushu]? Don't tell me ye’ve gone and forgotten about me?”
Akari Shiten... She possessed the Scripture of the Oni known as Shuten-doji and could produce the very liquor that was recorded as the cause of her legend's death. To a human, that liquor was a medicine that granted explosive strength... but for monsters or those of Mythologia, even a drop would bypass any resistance and leave them utterly wasted.
“You gave that... to everyone?”
“‘Tis a rare welcome party. Better to be drunk and merry, I say. Besides, look. See? They’re all havin’ a grand old time together.”
The culprit behind this nightmare laughed uproariously as she surveyed the hellscape. She seemed to be basking in the chaos she’d created. Considering she was chugging the [Shinpen Kidokushu] herself, there was zero chance of this being settled peacefully.
“Ah, everyone—Reima’s over here!”
“Wait, crap!? You—Akari!?”
“Whoever catches him gets him all to themselves for a whole day—and he’ll even listen to one request. My, aren’t I generous?”
Her voice must have reached every ear in the vicinity.
I felt the gazes of the Japanese faction—who had likely been spectating from the shadows—all snap toward me. That wasn't the worst of it. Before I could even move, someone slapped a spell on me. My body suddenly shrank down until I was no bigger than a primary schooler. Given the nature of the prank, only one person came to mind.
Great. Just great. I’ll never forgive you for this, Tamamo.
“Now then... let’s enjoy our little game of tag, shall we? Start.”
She spoke in a strangely sweet, melodic tone... and with that, the nightmare truly began.