karahashi

Drinks in Moderation

1.
Figaro: Phew......
Rutile: Ah, Figaro-sensei. What are you doing in the dining hall......Hold on, that's alcohol.
Figaro: Ahh, you caught me. I just got my hands on some good bourbon.
Rutile: If Mitile spots you, you're in for a scolding.
Figaro: Leave that for when it happens. Isn't it fun keeping secrets? Alcohol tastes best drunk in secret. That's right; Rutile, won't you drink with me too?
Rutile: Thank you. But I'll have to decline today.
Figaro: I see; that's a pity. However, without you, I might drink too much.
Rutile: ......Oh, there's no helping it, is there. Just for today.
Figaro: Don't be like that. Come, sit here. Okay, cheers!
*clink*
Rutile: Ah, this bourbon is really delicious.
Figaro: Right? ......Speaking of which, this is the first time it's just the two of us drinking together like this. Say, Rutile.
Rutile: Yes?
Figaro: While we're at it, why don't we make a little bet?

2.
Figaro: While we're at it, why don't we make a little bet?
Rutile: A bet, you say......Figaro-sensei, you're plotting something again.
Figaro: What an outrageous suggestion! I just thought I'd like to have some fun with you. The rules are simple. We each take turns to down a glass, and the first one to get drunk loses. The loser has to listen to the winner's command. Simple, right?
Rutile: Listen.....to any command?
Figaro: Of course.
Rutile: ......I understand. Let's do it!
Figaro: Right-o, it's a deal. Then, it's time for the first round.
/cutscene
Rutile: Mm, yummy~!
Figaro: Uhh.....Rutile, how many cups are we on now?
Rutile: Hmm.....That was the 18th? I think. Okay, next it's your turn, Figaro-sensei.
Figaro: ......Rutile, it's my loss. I surrender.
Rutile: Eh? Already?
Figaro: To think you'd be this much of a heavyweight.
Rutile: Fufufu, I can actually hold my liquor quite well.
Figaro: Sigh......I'm completely lost for words. So, what's your desire?
Rutile: I've actually decided already. There's something I've wanted to ask of you for a long time.
Figaro: A long time? I've got a bad feeling about this.
Rutile: My desire is for you to control your drinking.
Figaro: ......Eh? Just cut back?
Rutile: Even if I told you not to drink, it'd be impossible for you. That's why I'd at least like you to control yourself.
Figaro: What, so it's like that. That's a cheap order for Figaro-sensei.
Rutile: That's not all. Also, pay more attention to your health, and wake up properly in the morning by yourself.
Figaro: Mm, ahh......
Rutile: Eat a more balanced diet, do some proper exercise, and sleep early at night, too......
Figaro: ......
Rutile: Figaro-sensei, you're pretending not to hear me, aren't you.....? You're the one who said the loser had to listen to anything.
Figaro: ......I get it, I'll try to do that as much as I can.
Rutile: Not 'as much as I can'. Please do it properly!
Figaro: (Somehow, his manner of speech is starting to resemble Mitile's. Could it be that Rutile is actually rather tipsy......?)

A Heavyweight's Opinion

Akira: So you're a strong drinker, Rutile?
Rutile: Apparently so! I've heard my mother was a strong drinker too, so it might have been inherited from her.
Akira: Your mother was the Great Witch, right. Did she drink often?
Rutile: Yes. When night fell, my mother and father would happily share a drink over dinner. Occasionally, when they argued, even if my father stopped, my mother would keep draining glasses; one time she even destroyed the house.
Akira: Destroyed the house......?
Rutile: She made a mess of it with magic. But the next day, she hugged me and apologized for surprising me, so I wasn't afraid at all. She was usually a graceful and family-focused mother, after all.
Akira: (As expected of the witch who was Mithra's mentor.....I wonder if Rutile goes on a rampage when he gets angry, too......)
Akira: What sort of alcohol do you like best?
Rutile: Agave spirits! It's liquor made from the nectar of the big round bulbs that grow under hard, spiky leaves. It's strong drunk neat, so I recommend diluting it with tomato juice or pineapple juice, for instance.
Akira: What's it like neat?
Rutile: Let me see...... It feels refreshing as it goes down, but it then burns like fire. It makes you feel like......Ahh, I'm alive!!!
Akira: (That's the sort of opinion a heavyweight would have......)