One-way traffic

For a full ten minutes, there was basically no pause; they were drinking the entire time.

The wine barrels brought by the monsters had all been drunk clean, and the empty barrels were all dumped on the ground, with a lot of the remaining wine spilled everywhere. However, the number of monsters lying on the ground was actually greater than the number of wine barrels.

This is enough to prove just how much these monsters drank in those short ten minutes in order to compete with each other in drinking capacity.

"Ha... I can't drink anymore..."

"Hehehe...good wine indeed..."

The girls not far away also collapsed one after another.

The shrine maidens of Hakurei Shrine and the black and white magicians all fainted to the side with smiles and flushed faces. Even the undead girls were slightly drunk as a result and left the scene.

The whole scene could only be described as extremely chaotic.

However, there were only two people.

They were completely unaffected by the drunkenness of the people around them.

"Ha... Interesting, this is really interesting!"

Sitting at the table, the tengu girl with red eyes slammed her empty bowl onto the table with great fanfare.

She exclaimed in surprise while laughing, her face flushed.

"You've drunk so much, how much exactly? Hehe...! This guy, you're not even flinching, I'm impressed!"

You could tell from the girl's tone that she was clearly drunk.

Even a race like the Tengu doesn't have an endless capacity for alcohol.

Drinking the strongest liquor for ten minutes straight would be difficult even for a monster like her; in fact, it's more accurate to say that only a special being like her could endure it.

But the person in front of me is different.

Sitting directly opposite the table was a human with eyes of the same color as the tengu girl.

Humans with white hair and red eyes.

He has never blushed even once, from the very beginning until now.

"Whether it's ability or anything else, this level of alcohol tolerance is just... too extraordinary! I can't take it anymore... If I drink any more, my mind will start to go crazy..."

"If you're not confident you can easily solve this, then there's no need to engage in this pointless mess with others in the first place, you idiot."

Compared to Aya Shameimaru, who was already radiating drunkenness, Accelerator on the other side didn't even blink.

Like Aya Shameimaru, he forced himself to drink so much strong liquor in those ten minutes.

But he remained completely unfazed by it.

This is precisely what Aya Shameimaru finds hard to believe.

"Oh dear, I've just realized something. You're probably just a human, right?"

"so what."

"For a human to drink with a tengu like me to this extent is remarkable, truly commendable. I doubt any human has ever accomplished what you have, right? Hmm, I think this is newsworthy enough, isn't it?"

"That's your own plan, isn't it? Also, if you're not confident you can finish this kind of thing, then stop messing around with others."

"Huh? Are you worried about me? Worried that I'll get drunk and get some weird things done to me?"

"...Looks like I should break your wings and kick you into a ravine."

Seeing Accelerator's speechless expression, Aya Shameimaru smiled happily, then let out a burp with her face flushed.

"Alright...! It's decided then. I'll find another opportunity to contact you later. In order not to forget your identity, please tell me your name!"

"Forget it, I have no interest in dealing with someone like you anymore."

"Eh~ Humans are really heartless."

“I really have no interest in dealing with a troublesome guy like you, not from the very beginning.”

As if to proclaim his determination at this moment, Accelerator once again drank a whole glass of strong liquor with a blank expression.

"So get out of here quickly, I really hate trouble."

"Tsk tsk, it's a shame you're a human being. You don't even have the slightest bit of romantic idea in this situation."

The tengu girl in front of him rolled her eyes at him and puffed out her rather impressive chest, as if to show off her current beauty.

But Accelerator didn't even glance at it.

He understood that she was only acting this way because she was drunk. If she continued to act so arrogantly, he would consider whether he should knock this idiot unconscious and actually throw her into a ravine.

"Then, I'll come to Hakurei Shrine to see you again in a few days. You must come here often, okay?"

"As you wish."

"Oh dear, I'm off now!"

Accelerator watched as Aya Shameimaru stood up and staggered to the steps of the shrine.

Bang! In the blink of an eye, the other person's figure completely disappeared from the spot.

That's incredibly fast!

He took a small sip of the wine in his hand, tasting the liquid that offered no sense of heroism, and realized once again just how useful his abilities truly were to him.

As the name suggests, Accelerator clearly cheated by relying on his ability during the ten-minute drinking contest.

He manipulated the alcohol in the liquid, expelling it all from his body like blood, with an effect similar to a reflex, but all of this happened inside his body.

In this way, no matter what he drinks, even if it's poison that could kill an elephant, it will be as simple as drinking plain water.

Regardless of whether the opponent is a Tengu or some other being, if it involves drinking or something similar, there's probably no way to beat him.

That's what they say, but in reality, the side effects of spending ten minutes drinking alcohol still exist.

That is, right now, he really needs to go to the toilet.

Accelerator stood up and glanced around at the banquet.

The entire cherry blossom viewing party has completely transformed from a simple cherry blossom appreciation event into a drinking contest.

Countless yokai collapsed to the ground, influenced by the drinking contest between him and Aya Shameimaru, and these yokai also began to compete in drinking.

Alice didn't drink too much. After realizing she was a little drunk, she went straight back to the Magic Forest. So, she wasn't among the monsters lying there.

however.

Accelerator turned his head and vaguely saw a very magical scene.

“Guwaaaaaaaa!”

It was the seat behind him, the seat he had just gotten up from.

Suddenly a figure appeared there.

"...Huh? You haven't left yet."

She was a petite-looking girl.

The girl was holding a ladle, and on the table was a wine gourd with a purple surface and two stickers on it.

Accelerator turned around and stared at the girl with some surprise.

But she didn't react at all.

Although the girl was aware of Accelerator's presence, she continued drinking bowl after bowl of wine on her own.

"Wow! After all the different kinds of wine I've tried, my own homemade wine is still the best!"

"...Who are you?"

After a while, the first person finally voiced his doubts.

The girl in front of him, however, only looked at him with a drunken smile.

"I'm just here for a drink, don't worry about it."

"So answer my question, who are you, you brat?"

"Waaah, young people these days are so impatient. Although they can hold their liquor well, their attitude when they're not drunk is no different from when they are."

The girl shook her head and simply stood up when she heard Accelerator's question.

"That's why I said I came here just to drink."

"Let's answer the rest of the questions later."

喂…

Before he could even utter a word, Accelerator blinked and found that the figure in front of him had vanished without a trace.

It was just like fog.

Just now, that girl seemed to have a pair of very long horns growing on her head?

It's almost certain she's not human, but—

What kind of monster is that?

Even when trying to sense the energy around him, Accelerator couldn't detect anything unusual, as if the other party had truly vanished from the spot just as they had just demonstrated.

"Inexplicable guy."

However, since the other party didn't do anything else, he didn't bother to care.

After turning around, Accelerator walked alone to the steps not far from the shrine and sat down.

The banquet is basically over, and these monsters and humans will have to wait until tomorrow morning to wake up.

Accelerator gazed at the sky, as a few cherry blossoms drifted by, and the bright moonlight shone on his frighteningly pale skin.

then.

Beside me, I heard the sound of wine being poured again.

"Tonight is the perfect time to admire the cherry blossoms. How about another drink?"

With a slightly seductive voice, the aroma of wine wafted over.

Accelerator, however, pursed his lips slightly, looking somewhat displeased.

"It's so annoying."

"Oh dear? Since you're willing to drink with that tengu, why won't you join me for a drink?"

"Save your unnecessary nonsense, or do you want to get a kick in the ass? If not, get to the point."

You don't even need to look to know who's beside you.

The familiar voice, the same disgusting spying as always, Accelerator, while enduring all of this, didn't forget to greet him in a nasty tone.

"I saw it through the gap, what you experienced at the Scarlet Devil Mansion."

The sage of the monster murmured as he shook the cup with his hand.

"I have a feeling that after you dealt with the remains of those monsters, your thoughts became more serious."

"That has nothing to do with you."

"Oh? I see. So, what are your plans next?"

"Ha, what's there to worry about? Didn't I tell you from the beginning?"

Accelerator said indifferently in a cold voice.

“You and I will split up into two groups. You will be responsible for exploring the places I don’t know about, while I will be responsible for exploring the places I can see.”

"Is this all there is to it?"

After taking a sip of the rich liquid in her glass, Yukari Yakumo chuckled softly.

"I remember, your original plan was to leave Gensokyo as soon as you confirmed the identities of those monsters."

"..."

"It seems you've completely given up on this plan, or... is there some other reason that forces you to stay in Gensokyo?"

With a half-smile, Yukari Yakumo downed the entire glass of wine in one gulp.

But then she felt a cold breath on her forehead.

"I've already said it has nothing to do with you, don't you understand?"