Day-27
...
The day was almost over, and that night, we decided to go drinking at Sherry's tavern.
But this time, Yume and Shihoru decided to come with us. It wasn't something they usually did.
Entering the tavern through the entrance, we were greeted by the usual crowd.
As a group, we went over to an empty table and took our seats.
I looked around at the bustling crowd, resting my head on my hand.
"It's really crowded," Yume said. "Yume doesn't want to drink, so Yume will order some juice."
"And it's pretty noisy," Shihoru agreed with Yume. "I don't want to drink alcohol either..."
"Hey, you two, stop staring blankly," Ranta said as he called for a waiter. "There's nothing strange here! This is just a normal tavern, so stop looking so surprised!"
I could only smile as I watched them. It felt like it had been a long time since we'd done ordinary things together like this.
I really missed those times...
Not long after that, the waiter came over to our table. I ordered a glass of beer as usual. Not because I particularly liked alcohol, of course, but because I just wanted to forget a few things.
Once all of our orders had arrived, we sat together around the same table.
Haruhiro started the conversation.
"So, Mary is the source of all these problems," he said.
"Yeah," Yume nodded. "Yume and Shihoru tried talking to her all day, and it was all for nothing."
"Really?" I asked before continuing. "Maybe it wasn't as pointless as you think..."
For some reason, that was just how I felt. Mary probably hadn't completely opened herself up to us yet. Perhaps, little by little, she would open up to us someday.
"Hey, Sirus. Stop being so positive! Just so you know, that girl isn't going to associate with us."
"Heh, really?" I said with a teasing smile, whether he noticed it or not.
"Of course! Just look at that annoying face of hers!" Ranta continued before taking a sip of his drink.
"Err..." Mogzo interrupted as he looked toward the entrance of the tavern, as if trying to give us some kind of signal.
And as if by coincidence, that girl, Mary, was there, ignoring the crowd as she walked toward an empty seat at the far end of the tavern.
... There was no way she hadn't noticed us. The bad part was, none of us had greeted her either. We only had the courage to talk about her behind her back.
Huh. This... is complicated.
"What the hell is wrong with her?!" Ranta slammed his fist on the table. "What's with that attitude?! We're still in the same party! At the very least, she should've nodded at us!"
"Yume has a feeling that..." Yume said. "What is normal for normal people isn't normal for Mary. But Yume is a little annoyed too..."
"But we didn't greet her either," Shihoru reminded us. "So she has a reason not to greet us..."
"Hmm..." Haruhiro rubbed the back of his head. "I guess you're right. No wonder she ignored us, so we shouldn't make too big a deal out of it. Well, even so, her attitude can't exactly be called nice either."
"To hell with that!" Ranta exclaimed. "Why should we have to think positively about that girl?"
"All your friends will hate you if you keep acting like that," Yume commented.
"Shut up! Flat-chested girls have no right to talk!"
"Don't call Yume flat-chested!"
"Flat, flat, flat, flat, flat, flat... Like a washing board!"
Yume glared at Ranta angrily.
Why do I have to listen to this argument...?
"Ranta," Haruhiro interrupted. "No matter who's talking to you, you'll always be considered a lowlife."
"You act so damn righteous, Haruhiro!" Ranta shot back mockingly. "I don't care about a girl's feelings! All I care about are breasts, asses, thighs, and arms!"
I looked at him with disdain. Ahh, why do I have a friend like him?
"Don't worry, Ranta. No girl would want you anyway, so you're free to talk as badly as you want. Besides, it won't mean much." I said, joining in on the teasing with a faint smile on my face.
"Sirus, how could you say something so cruel to me?!"
"Eh, there's no way I'd say something cruel to you, Ranta. I'm just stating the truth."
"You bastard, Sirus!" he said, but I knew he wasn't being serious.
Our conversation stopped when Mogzo suddenly interrupted.
"Someone's talking to her," Mogzo said.
Then all of our eyes turned toward where Mary was sitting. A man was talking to her.
Her boyfriend? No, it didn't seem like it. Then who?
"That's Shinohara, from Orion," Haruhiro said.
"Orion?" Ranta stretched his neck out to get a better look. "Seriously? The Orion Clan is pretty famous, isn't it? And Shinohara seems to be its leader. Not that I care or anything. Why would someone like him bother talking to Mary? Hey, our drinks are here. Hey! Let's raise our glasses, guys. Cheeers!"
I shook my head at his behavior. Then I raised my glass.
"Cheers!" I said, not too loudly.
"C-cheers..." Mogzo followed.
I guess it was only Mogzo and me... I wish we could be a little less serious, at least when we're relaxing like this.
For now, I just want to have fun with them. As one party, without talking about anything heavy, and without being so stiff.
Going back to those times again... When things felt difficult, but we could still enjoy ourselves.
Honestly... I really want to go back there.
...
-
Hey, I'm back after quite a while. For the past few days, for some reason, my head has hurt whenever I try to think, which made writing difficult; so, I waited until I felt better. Although I still feel a bit sluggish, I think I'll be okay to write a few chapters this week. And yes, they'll likely be boring chapters, of course. I might not have mentioned it before, but "Slice of Life" is my favorite genre—which is exactly why I'm writing in that style.