Despite Kasahara souring the mood right at the start of the mixer, things surprisingly didn't stay awkward for long. The room soon filled with a boisterous, lively clamor as time ticked away. I watched Kasahara, thinking idly about how impressive she was for blending into the group as if nothing had happened. If I had tried a stunt like that, I probably would have been shunned for the rest of the night.
Regardless of whether Kasahara was ruining the vibe or not, I simply went about enjoying my time alone as I always did. The only thought in my head was that I needed to eat enough to make up for my share of the bill.
"Yamamoto-kun, are you going to eat the karaage?"
"Ah, yeah."
"I’ll get some for you."
After we swapped seats, the girl sitting next to me went out of her way to put some fried chicken on a small plate for someone like me. Two pieces, no less.
"Thanks."
I offered my gratitude and intended to follow up by saying her name... but it wouldn't come to me. Everyone had introduced themselves at the beginning of the night. On top of that, I’d spoken with her briefly the other day when Kasahara was talking to her in the school cafeteria. Despite all that, her name wouldn't surface.
"Irie-chan," Kasahara whispered from my other side, providing immediate backup.
"Irie-san," I said quickly.
"No... you can just call me Hikari."
"Understood. Irie-san."
Irie-san had tried to get me to use her first name, but being unaccustomed to women, I naturally defaulted to her surname.
"Ahaha. You really are interesting, Yamamoto-kun."
Despite my behavior creating a clear sense of distance, Irie-san’s reaction was remarkably positive. Perhaps Kasahara or someone else had warned her about my personality beforehand.
"...Is the chicken good?"
"Yeah."
"Want another piece?"
"No, I’m good. Everyone else should get a chance to eat."
I glanced at the others gathered for the mixer, but they were so absorbed in their conversations that they were neglecting the food entirely. Before I knew it, the six people other than me and Irie-san were all chatting away happily.
I’d fallen behind the curve.
"Go ahead and eat," she urged.
"I will."
"Do you like karaage?"
"Sure. But my absolute favorite is beef tongue."
"Oh, I see! That's delicious too. I love the texture."
"Is that so? You have good taste, Irie-san."
Since Irie-san seemed to appreciate beef tongue, I spent the next five minutes lecturing her on its many charms. Throughout the entire ordeal, she kept a smile on her face and responded to everything I said.
It was a refreshing reaction, to say the least.
Take Kasahara, for example. Whenever she hears my trivia, she always interrupts me halfway through. Her nature is to talk about what she likes rather than listen to something that doesn't interest her.
Then there’s Hayashi. When I start with the trivia, she blatantly ignores me. She has zero interest, and she lets that emotion ooze from her very presence. She’s the worst of the bunch.
Compared to them, Irie-san likely didn't have any real interest in beef tongue facts either, yet she didn't show the slightest sign of annoyance.
"Irie-san, you should really tell people when you don't want to hear something, you know?"
Of all things, after joyfully lecturing her, I had the nerve to criticize her for nodding along with feigned interest. I wondered later what kind of high horse I thought I was sitting on.
"That's not true at all. I actually like listening to your trivia, Yamamoto-kun."
"...I see."
Being met with a reaction I wasn't used to left me a bit bewildered. If anything, it made me worry about her. I really think people should say no when they aren't enjoying themselves.
...And I really think I shouldn't talk about things other people find unpleasant.
"Yamamoto-kun, do you work out or something?"
"Eh?"
"I can tell. Do you?"
"...Ah, back in high school. I have an obsessive personality."
"I knew it! I go to the gym quite often myself."
"What?"
In high school, there was a period where I did nothing but go to the gym. I believe that training one's body is one of the most productive hobbies in the world. The satisfaction of looking at the physical results of hard work was a happiness like no other.
The only reason I’d stopped was because entrance exam studies started and I couldn't find the time anymore. Once I stopped, that was the end of it; the fire for weight training within me vanished instantly.
I’m the type of guy who runs hot and cold.
However, finding a fellow gym-goer made me remember the passion I’d once poured into it. From that point on, our conversation actually started to flow.
"Ah—wait, is Akari-chan okay?"
I felt a sudden warmth against my back, and the voice from behind us cut our conversation short.
I looked around to find Kasahara leaning her entire weight against me. Her face looked slightly flushed.
"Wait, is she drunk?"
"Hey, who gave her alcohol?" the girls asked, looking at the other boys. I was excluded from the interrogation—likely because it was obvious I wasn't part of their "Engineering Party People" circle. Though the girls sounded reproachful, they didn't actually seem that angry.
The engineering guys frantically denied giving her anything to drink.
"Seriously. We’d be in deep trouble if we got caught doing that."
"Well, that's true."
"Then why is she like this?"
"...Could she be drunk from the smell?"
The girls looked at Kasahara and laughed as if it were the funniest thing they’d ever seen, while the boys were captivated by the sight of her being so vulnerable.
Kasahara can't handle her liquor? That was unexpected. I’d never had a drink with her before, but I’d always assumed she was the type who could hold her own. To think she’d get tipsy just from the scent of it.
"Look at that."
"Man, that's a vibe."
The guys were whispering nonsense to each other.
Kasahara stayed like that for the rest of the mixer. With my back feeling faintly warm the whole time, I was forced to continue my conversation with Irie-san. By the end of it, we had even exchanged contact information.
"Hey, let’s go to an after-party!" the boys suggested as the mixer wrapped up.
"Ah, sorry. Not with Akari-chan in this state."
"Oh... right. I get it."
The boys were visibly dejected. If the girls had been interested in them, they probably would have ditched Kasahara and gone anyway. Since they didn't... my condolences.
"Hey, Yamamoto-kun, could you look after Akari and take her home?"
"Wait, me?"
"Yeah. You have the sturdiest build here. We can trust you to keep her safe on the walk back."
The two girls besides Irie-san were smirking at me. I realized then that they were the same ones who had learned about my past with Kasahara back in the cafeteria.
I thought about it for a moment.
A lot had happened between Kasahara and me in high school. To be honest, being alone with her was incredibly awkward. However, if she was drunk... plus, if I left her here, I’d probably never hear the end of it from her best friend, Hayashi.
"Alright."
"Thanks! We’re counting on you, Prince."
"Could you please stop saying things that make my skin crawl?"
"Ahaha. Well, good luck. Bye-bye!"
I took Kasahara from the other girls.
"Give me a piggyback, Yamamoto-kun."
"Fine, fine."
Doing as I was told, I hoisted her onto my back.
"...Yamamoto-kun, please take care of Akari-chan."
"Yeah."
Irie-san gave us a final glance and walked away. The boys didn't even look at me as they hurried out of the izakaya, probably heading to another bar to drink away their disappointment.
"Yamamoto-kun, they left you behind."
"Because of you."
"It’s not like you liked them anyway, right?"
"I guess not."
We exchanged sparse bits of conversation. I took one last look at the noisy izakaya behind us.
"Let's get you home."
"Mhm!"
Kasahara’s voice sounded surprisingly bright.