A Foreigner's Chat Group (200~400)

Chapter 243: The Protégé

"Fuu..! Another one!"

"This is good."

"..."

Seeing the two helpless women beside him, Shiro could only sigh. This is already their nth shot of wine, vodka, and canned beer. Who knew that they are this alcoholic?

"I'll take care of them later..."

"As expected of you." Touka gave him a thumbs up. "Still, aren't you feeling it?"

"Huh..? Not really. Nope."

His relaxed nerves reassured him of his response. While he does not actively resist its influence, he is confident enough that his base alcohol resistance is good enough.

Plop-!

Suddenly, Kuroneko collapsed to the ground. Her expression is dominated by a deep red, indicating how drunk she is at the moment. It is a miracle that she did not throw up at this moment.

"She joined the kids. Well, she just turned 18."

Shiro looked at Madoka and Shinji who fell asleep talking about their own experiences. While the 'adults' had their side, the 'children' of the chat group found their topics.

Just as a certain green-haired cat is about to take advantage of the current situation, a black shadow flashes to the ceiling. It soon transformed into Kuroneko, who then fell to Shiro's lap precisely. She is currently facing Shiro, making the latter catch the scent of alcohol from her mouth.

"Heh. This is payback, you crafty cat! I shall claim the victory in the end!"

Another round of her incomprehensible ramblings began. At the same time, she held tightly of him. She pulled his face to her neck, treating him like some sort of pillow.

"...Stop."

With a menacing look, Kal'tsit prepared to detach her from Shiro.

"You two drank too much."

In an instant, the two lost consciousness. Serenity was brought back to the table as the "drunks" got sent to the dreamland.

"I'll send them to the rooms first."

*****

A not-so-arduous work began. Shiro brought the kids and the two women into their respective rooms before he cleaned up the table. By the time he is finished, he found Touka standing on the balcony on the second floor. Unexpectedly, she is still sipping down on a canned beer.

"This is the best under the night breeze, isn't it? Shiro."

"I understand where you are coming from." He replied. "That's one of my favorite things to do."

"You must have good taste, then. I didn't get this opportunity back when I am too busy working for my little sister, so might as well enjoy the moment now."

As the breadwinner, she worked hard as a hotel chef for more than 3 years. She did not want to burden her remaining relatives, their grandparents, after their father's death. She got lucky that she finished college by the time that incident happened, so she was able to get into a job pretty quickly.

Even though she has more money now thanks to the chat group, she did not quit the job that became her passion. That's why out of all of them, she appreciated his cooking the most.

"How can you cook so well?" She asked.

"This... It's something that I've done since a long time ago."

"A long time ago? More than millions of years, got it."

"You're not wrong."

When she realized the dangers that this world poses, she already has a vague feeling—one that she can somehow see happening from her experiences alone.