Elf: Rewriting the script, starting with Black Stocking Hanako

Jiang Chuan stood up and walked to the cart.

"Give me the whiskey."

He picked up the amber-colored bottle, unscrewed the cap, and brought it close to his nose to smell it.

"good."

Sakura glanced at him.

"Can you handle the taste?"

"I've had it a few times during my travels."

Jiang Chuan poured the whiskey into a glass, only about two fingers' width of it.

"Once, at a hotel in a small town, the owner's homemade whisky had a very strong peaty flavor, much stronger than this."

Sakura nodded and poured herself a glass of sake.

"So today's dish is considered light."

"Um."

The two clinked glasses.

The clinking of the glasses was crisp, like a signal.

From this moment on, the atmosphere of the banquet officially entered another phase.

The food on the table was still steaming.

The hot pot broth was bubbling and boiling, with Sichuan peppercorns and dried chilies floating on the red soup.

The roast chicken on the plate had been almost completely dismantled, its skeleton lying crookedly on the plate.

There were a few slices of braised beef left, arranged on the edge of the plate, waiting to be taken away.

The petal shape of the sushi platter has been ruined, with only a few pieces scattered on it.

There was still quite a bit of sashimi left. Jiangchuan's slices of salmon, with their distinct orange-red flesh, were arranged on crushed ice, with a small dish of wasabi and soy sauce next to them.

However, at this moment, hardly anyone was seriously eating anymore.

Everyone's attention was on the alcohol.

After drinking a glass of peach wine, Peony's cheeks flushed, and she became noticeably more talkative. She pulled Iris aside to tell her about an audience member's reaction at today's performance.

"Did you see that trainer with glasses? When Psyduck floated by, he laughed so hard he slid off his chair! The chair even tipped over!"

She gestured as she spoke, her arms waving dramatically.

Ayame held a cup of sake, listening quietly, nodding occasionally.

"I saw it. The girl next to him laughed even louder."

"Yes, yes, yes! Are they a couple? I think that girl was laughing so hard she almost couldn't breathe!"

"I don't know. They might be siblings."

"How did you figure that out?"

"Just a guess."

Xiaoxia had already drunk two glasses of plum wine, her cheeks flushed. She was holding Psyduck and dancing around the dining table. Psyduck, held by her, remained expressionless as always, its head bobbing back and forth with Xiaoxia's movements, occasionally letting out a "quack".

"Psyduck! You're the best player of the day! The cutest player of the day!"

Xiaoxia lifted Psyduck high and shouted at it.

"Gah."

Psyduck tilted its head, completely bewildered by what had happened, but Misty was delighted, and it seemed quite happy too.

Hanako sat beside her, holding a glass of sparkling wine, watching Kasumi spin around, and shook her head with a smile.

"Xiaoxia, be careful, don't fall."

"No, no! I'm perfectly confident!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Xiaoxia tripped over the chair leg and stumbled forward.

Hanako reacted quickly and reached out to support her.

"Very stable?"

"There was a chair just now!"

"Yes, the chair made the first move."

Hanako laughed and pressed her back into the chair.

"Sit down and have some water."

"I don't want water, I want alcohol!"

"Drink water first, then drink alcohol."

"All right……"

Jiang Chuan sat in his seat, half a glass of whiskey remaining in his hand. Ice cubes slowly melted in the amber liquid, making a soft crackling sound.

He looked at the scene before him.

While Peony was still telling Ayame about the audience member who flipped the chair, Misty was forced to sit on a chair by Hanako to drink water, and Psyduck took the opportunity to snatch the remaining half of a roasted chicken wing from Misty's plate.

The restaurant was noisy, but it was a very comfortable kind of noisy noise.

He picked up his glass and took another sip of whiskey.

The wine goes down smoothly, with a hint of spiciness, and leaves a warm feeling in your stomach.

At that moment, he smelled a light fragrance.

It's a cherry blossom.

She left the main seat at some point, carrying a cup of sake, and walked over to Jiang Chuan's side.

"Save me some space."

The sound of cherry blossoms came from above.

Jiang Chuan moved to the side, making room for half of his chair.

Sakura didn't pull over another chair, but instead sat down directly on the armrest of Jiangchuan's chair.

The chair's armrests were made of wood and were only about ten centimeters wide, making it uncomfortable to sit on. But Sakura seemed completely unconcerned; she leaned to the side, holding a wine glass in one hand and resting the other casually on the back of the chair.

From Jiang Chuan's perspective, you can see the lines of her profile.

She was wearing a loose-fitting loungewear set today. The neckline wasn't low, but because of her sideways sitting posture, the neckline was slightly tilted to one side, revealing a section of her collarbone and shoulder skin.

Her skin had a faint honey-colored glow under the warm yellow light.

She had just drunk a few cups of sake, and a thin blush rose on her cheeks, spreading from her cheekbones to her ears.

His eyes were also much softer than usual, less shrewd and capable, and more lazy and relaxed.

"You've had a hard day."

Sakura raised her glass and gestured towards Jiangchuan.

Jiang Chuan also raised his glass and gently clinked it against his.

"You too. The performance will be a great success."

"Then I must thank you for your help."

Sakura took a sip of wine, then placed the glass on her lap, holding it with both hands.

"To be honest, I was almost driven crazy with worry. The league's review deadline was approaching every day, the dojo had very little money in its accounts, and training courses had been suspended. It felt like everything was going in the wrong direction."

She looked down at the sake in the glass, the liquid gleaming clearly under the light.

"Things changed completely after you came back."

She looked up at Jiang Chuan.

"You tamed the Gyarados, helped renovate the gym, and were involved in the entire setup process. Today at the performance, you were busy backstage again."

Jiang Chuan took a sip of wine and continued to speak modestly.

"I didn't do much. The idea was a collective effort, Peony and Iris were in charge of the venue setup, and the performance was done by you four sisters. I just helped out."

"Xiaoxia has said something similar to me."

Sakura laughed: "She said you were like that on your journey too. You did so much, but you always attributed it all to her."

Jiang Chuan shrugged: "She does sometimes really like to give orders."

"Alright, alright, you two have the same story."

Sakura smiled and shook her head, then picked up her wine glass and took another sip.

At that moment, Peony called out from across the table.

"Sis! Stop chatting with Jiang Chuan! Come play games with us!"

"What game?"

Truth or Dare!

"How old are you? Still playing this?"

"That's precisely why we adults play this! Adult-style Truth or Dare is so much more fun! Sis, come here!"

The cherry blossoms waved goodbye.

"You guys play first, I'll come over in a bit."

"You always say that, and then you never come!"

"I'll definitely come this time. You play with Ayame first."

Peony pouted and turned to tend the calamus.

Acorus had a "Why should I get involved in this?" look on her face, but after Peony's persistent pleading, she finally nodded.

Sakura turned her gaze back to Jiangchuan.

The two chatted for a while longer.

They chatted about interesting things that happened at the performance, the dojo's future plans, and their travel experiences.

As they chatted, Sakura's figure swayed slightly.

Although sake has a low alcohol content, it has a long-lasting effect. In addition, she drank more than usual today, and the effects of the alcohol began to appear.

Her body tilted slightly towards Jiang Chuan.

Her shoulder bumped into Jiang Chuan's shoulder.

"careful."

Jiang Chuan raised his hand and supported her arm.

My palm rested on her forearm, and through the thin fabric of her loungewear, I could feel the warmth and softness of her skin.

"It's nothing, it's just a little shaky."

Cherry blossoms did not pull their hands back.

Instead, she followed the force and moved closer to Jiang Chuan.

The two of them pressed their shoulders together.

Jiang Chuan could feel the warmth of her shoulder and the scent of shampoo in her hair. It wasn't perfume, but a clean shampoo scent with a hint of floral and fruity fragrance.

Cherry blossoms' heart skipped a beat.

She knew her face must be very red right now.

But alcohol gave her enough excuses.

Anyway, we've already had some alcohol to drink.

Anyway, everyone had drunk alcohol.

Anyway...

She didn't think any further.

She simply remained in that position, her shoulder pressed against Jiang Chuan's, feeling the warmth emanating from him.

The touch was very comfortable.

It sent a tingling, numb sensation through her entire body, like being gently swept by a weak electric current.

This sensation starts in the shoulder, spreads down the arm, through the spine, all the way to the waist and abdomen, and then down...

It felt like a lump of warm water was gently sloshing around in the deepest part of my body.

Sakura bit her lip, changed her posture, crossed her legs, and gently swung the upper leg, her toes drawing small circles in the air.

This gesture looks casual and relaxed, as if he is enjoying a slightly tipsy state.

Only she knows.

What is the purpose of this action?

She lowered her eyes, her eyelashes casting a small shadow on her cheek.

This feeling was not unfamiliar to her.

In the past, I would occasionally wake up in the middle of the night, or see certain movie scenes, or accidentally glimpse intimate actions between trainers and couples in the dojo.

Everyone will have similar feelings.

But I've never felt this intense before.

Now, she was simply leaning against Jiang Chuan, shoulder to shoulder, feeling his body temperature and breath.

It felt like being set on fire.

It might be because of the alcohol.

Maybe it's because I'm so happy that I succeeded today.

Perhaps it's because the atmosphere that night was just so wonderful.

also possible……

It's because of him.

As Sakura thought of this, a scene suddenly flashed through her mind.

That day, in the warehouse changing room, she stood in front of Jiang Chuan wearing that black belted outfit.

The way he looked at her.

That kind of gaze.

It didn't look like scrutiny, nor did it look like appraising.

It was more like appreciating a work of art that moved him.

His gaze slid from her shoulder to her waistline, from her waistline to her hip bone, and from her hip bone to her thigh.

Every inch of skin that his gaze swept over felt as if it were being gently brushed by a feather.

That feeling is very similar to how I feel now.

But they are not quite the same.

That was a period of scrutiny.

I'm experiencing it now.

Sakura's fingers tightened, leaving a faint mist on the outside of the wine glass.

A thought suddenly popped into her head.

A very bold idea.

She was so bold that, under normal circumstances, she would feel like her brain had been infected by Psyduck's psychic powers.

But now, in this slightly tipsy, lively, and noisy environment, once the thought popped into my head, I couldn't put it back.

She wanted to do more intimate things with Jiang Chuan.

………………

After the banquet ended, Xiaoxia grabbed Huazi's arm, repeatedly muttering, "Take a bath, take a bath, take a bath!"

"Hanako-nee, let me tell you, the villa's public bathhouse is huge!"

The two walked along the corridor toward the bathhouse.

The bathhouse was indeed quite large.

The changing room and the bathtub are two separate rooms.

The bathhouse is made of stone, and it's not crowded even if four or five people go in at the same time.

Hot water bubbled up from the cracks in the rocks, and a thin layer of steam rose from the surface.

After Xiaoxia took off her clothes, she became even more excited and plopped down inside.

Water splashed all over Hanako's face.

"Xiaoxia!!"

"I'm so sorry, so sorry, so sorry!"

Hanako wiped the water off her face and looked at her, who was soaking in the pool with only her head sticking out, with an expression that said, "I know I was wrong, but I'll do it again next time." In the end, she couldn't help but laugh.

...............

Jiang Chuan helped tidy up the restaurant and then returned to his room to rest.

Pikachu jumped onto the bed and curled up in the most comfortable spot.

"You certainly know how to pick a place."

"Pikachu~"

Jiang Chuan lay down on the bed.

The mattress wasn't soft, but it was much better than the tents and air mattresses I'd slept on during my travels.

He put his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling for a while.

There is a very thin crack in the ceiling, extending from the edge of the light fixture towards the corner of the wall.

His thoughts began to slowly come together.

I'll be leaving Cerulean City in two days.

Next stop: Viridian City, target: Viridian Gym.

The gym leader, Sakaki, specializes in Ground-type Pokémon.

Ground-based systems are superior to electric-based systems.

We need to plan the lineup and tactics in advance.

He was only halfway through his thought when Pikachu rolled over and placed its paw on his arm.

Jiang Chuan glanced at it and reached out to pat its head.

Just then.

The waveguide sensor suddenly moved.

There was someone outside his door.

Jiang Chuan did not move, nor did he open his eyes.

The waveguide shape outside the door became clearer.

It's about five meters away, on the wooden planks of the corridor.

She is slender and about 1.6 meters tall.

Moreover, this waveguide has a kind of indescribable feeling.

It was warm and slightly trembling, as if it were being gently stirred by something.

The other person was pacing back and forth.

The footsteps were very light, as if they were deliberately keeping their voices down.

Take three steps forward.

Take three steps back.

Pause for two seconds.

Turn back again.

I repeated it several times.

Jiang Chuan silently counted how many times she had walked back and forth.

This person is definitely not Xiaoxia.

Xiaoxia never knocks before entering his room; she just pushes the door open and calls out "Jiang Chuan, Jiang Chuan, Jiang Chuan."

She wasn't Hanako either; she didn't need to hesitate to come in.

The person outside the door walked hesitantly, breathing slightly erratically, and had already wasted a lot of time just pacing back and forth in the corridor.

That's one of the three cherry blossom sisters.

He subconsciously recalled the scene in the restaurant just now.

The warmth of shoulder to shoulder.

That leg swaying gently.

And the shadows her eyelashes cast on her cheeks when she lowered her eyes.

Jiang Chuan pulled his hands out from under his head, propped himself up, and leaned against the headboard. He had a general idea of ​​what was going on in his mind.

However, he was still puzzled. In the few days he had been at the Cerulean Gym, he had been taming Gyarados, repairing the gym, and working backstage for the stage performance.

If there's anything you need, just knock on the door and say it. Why are you being so distant with me?

I was just thinking about it.

The footsteps stopped at the door, and then a knock finally sounded…