One-way traffic

Sitting on the floor mat to the side, Reimu Hakurei, who had just prepared tea and some snacks, was immediately surprised.

"But... what exactly is this? Why are there so many monsters here? And most of them are completely unknown to me!"

"Oh well, what does it matter! The more people there are, the more lively it will be, right?"

"You need to think carefully about who will be the last one to clean up!!"

Looking at Marisa sitting next to her, who seemed completely unconcerned and even exceptionally happy, Reimu Hakurei felt somewhat angry, but there was nothing she could say.

After the unusual spring snow, a cherry blossom viewing party, a traditional spring event, was held tonight.

That's why so many yokai (demons/monsters) come to her shrine.

Reimu Hakurei sighed, paying no attention to the many youkai making their own commotion not far away.

She was just about to pick up the prepared teacup.

"…puff--!!"

Before she knew it, she realized that the liquid in the cup was not tea at all.

"What, what is this?!"

"It's rice wine."

"It doesn't matter what it is, who just replaced my tea with something else without my permission!"

The angry witch turned her head away unhappily.

But then he saw two figures he had seen not long ago sitting nearby.

"Greetings, the cherry blossom viewing party looks like it's being held in a very grand manner."

"...Why are you all here?"

The two girls sitting next to Reimu were a pink-haired girl dressed in light blue clothes and a girl with short white hair who carried two giant swords on her back that were much taller than herself, and a white half-spirit girl who was also surrounded by her.

Saigyouji Yuyuko, Youmu the Soul.

Both are spirit girls from Hakugyokurou, but Youmu is probably only at the level of a half-spirit.

"Don't say that. Even though this is a shrine, even a spirit like me can enjoy the cherry blossoms here."

"That's not what I meant at all..."

"On the contrary, since we have a rare opportunity to enjoy cherry blossoms, Lady Yuyuko and I certainly won't miss it."

"...As the culprits, you have absolutely no shame in saying such things."

Of course, since the two of them had arrived, Reimu had no intention of chasing them away.

She shook her head helplessly and took another sip of the thick liquid in her glass.

"Pfft—what is this?! This isn't rice wine at all!"

"It's rice wine, but it's a type of wine that's a specialty of the underworld."

"What exactly are the raw materials... Oh no, I feel so tired, both physically and mentally, after drinking it!!"

"Hmm, humans would have this kind of reaction after drinking it? Youmu, are you sure this... will be okay for humans to drink?"

"Um, Lady Yuyuko... it seems you changed this without my permission, and I haven't said it was okay..."

"You two are just here to cause trouble, aren't you?!"

Reimu, already quite drunk, angrily berated the two undead girls, and Marisa, who was standing nearby, then joined in the farce.

Meanwhile, the cherry blossom viewing party for other monsters and extraordinary beings continued.

"Huh? I remember you're a reporter from that newspaper, right?"

"It's Wenwen News. By the way, I originally planned to come here to interview people about strange occurrences like snow in the spring, but it seems to have escalated to the point of holding a banquet?"

"Huh? Ah, well, I guess that's how it is. I just got here myself..."

"Hmm, is that so?"

"Hey, wait a minute! How do you manage to drink several bowls of strong liquor in one go and still be so clear-headed while talking to me? This is a concentration that even monsters couldn't handle!"

"Oh my? You actually call this drink a concentration that even monsters can't resist? You're really quite ignorant~"

It seems there is a monster with an exceptionally high alcohol tolerance.

She must be of a race like a tengu. Anyway, this girl with small wings on her back, dressed in black and white clothes, and wearing a small hexagonal hat started drinking by herself.

The monsters around her also gathered around her.

"...So, what the hell are you trying to do by bringing me to this stupid place?"

But compared to the monsters, the other figure seemed even less familiar with all of this.

He stood out to the extreme with his expressionless face, white hair, and red eyes, leaning on his cane, looking utterly bored.

Accelerator.

Beside him was the blonde doll maker girl who had picked up a wine glass at some point.

"It's just like the literal meaning, just attending a banquet."

"Isn't that completely unnecessary?"

"Oh? Didn't you ask me for help because you wanted to familiarize yourself with all the areas of Gensokyo? I think that if you want to explore the areas properly, you should first build good relationships with the people in different areas. Drinking and chatting is also a great social activity."

"Do I look like the kind of guy who'd do that kind of thing?"

"It doesn't seem like it, but it's okay to change it up occasionally."

Tsk. The first person, too lazy to argue with her, clicked his tongue in boredom and walked away.

There were many monsters around, most of them male wolf demons or other races with strong bodies.

Compared to their robust figures, Accelerator looks as tiny as a bean sprout.

But no one can ignore him.

That extraordinary aura was so striking that no one could ignore it.

"...Is it human?"

"No, no, it's a monster."

"Although I also thought it was human, but... this aura... it really is a yokai, right?"

"Perhaps it's a powerful demon that has taken shape somewhere, and it specializes in transforming into human form..."

As he walked along, he attracted the attention of many monsters.

But he himself didn't care about any of that.

Accelerator casually sat down on a chair to the side and glanced at the table.

…basically all of them were dishes I had never seen before.

Some of the ingredients were simply prepared and served; he probably only had three or four kinds that caught his eye.

More than the food, it was the wine.

"Do all monsters like drinking this much?" This question briefly crossed Accelerator's mind.

Then, with some curiosity, he picked up a glass of blue wine that looked pretty good.

"Ooooooh!"

"That kid... doesn't seem to be any powerful monster, just a newcomer."

"Hehe! I'm already curious to see how he'll react after he drinks this!"

Feeling that the people around him were too noisy, Accelerator turned around unhappily and glared at the monsters.

The monsters didn't say anything, they just smiled and looked at him.

What a weirdo.

He looked at the glass of wine in his hand, and then drank it down without hesitation.

It has a slightly sweet taste.

And then, apart from that, there's probably just a slight bitterness.

Then there is no more.

After drinking the entire glass of wine, Accelerator didn't even blink, just staring blankly at the empty glass in his hand.

"...That's boring, is that all?"

He pursed his lips, clicked his tongue, and then threw the wine glass on the table.

This series of actions left the surrounding monsters speechless with fright.

"...He just drank a bottle of wine that could nearly intoxicate any monster in one gulp without even changing his expression."

"It's not just that, his expression didn't even change."

"I feel like I'm dreaming."

Although Alice told him that the purpose of attending the banquet was to communicate with other monsters so that she could better understand the situation in the surrounding area.

But then again, the kind of people who attend this kind of banquet are probably only of this caliber.

Accelerator listlessly swirled another glass, took a small sip of the potent liquid inside... but still felt nothing.

Why is it that a drink that is so intense and unimaginable to a monster becomes less than plain water in his mouth?

Even Accelerator himself forgot that his most iconic ability was already taking effect in this situation.

then.

"Hi, I'm sorry."

Beside them, a figure appeared directly opposite them under their watchful eyes.

She was holding a large glass of beer in her hand.

A slight smell of alcohol also filled my nasal cavity.

"...Who are you?"

"Shouldn't I be the one asking that question? I don't recall seeing you around here before. Hmm, are you a new monster?"

"Never mind that for now, what are you planning to do?"

Accelerator looked at the huge wine glass in the other person's hand with great surprise.

The girl in front of him smiled maliciously.

"I'm Aya Shameimaru, the headline reporter for the 'Aya Shameimaru News'."

“Never heard of it.”

"Pfft... This is a bit too much of a blow... Never mind, that's not what I wanted to talk about anyway."

And so, the girl puffed out her chest at Accelerator and then said with a smile.

"You seem like you can really hold your liquor!"

"…ah?"

"Since that's the case, and it's such a perfect day, let's have a drinking contest to see who can hold their liquor better!"

This is a girl who speaks with such boldness and confidence in front of Accelerator.

Meanwhile, Accelerator, sitting opposite her, looked completely bewildered.

"Are you out of your mind?"

Chapter 464 It's best to maintain the status quo

The so-called Tengu is probably a creature that is not much different from the one in the legend.

It's not surprising at all that one of the most famous yokai races in Japanese mythology would appear in a place like Gensokyo.

Another characteristic is that the Tengu clan has an astonishing capacity for alcohol.

This is evident from the current situation.

"Pfft—Whoa!!"

It's been a full ten minutes since we started drinking.