"So——"
Ian looked at the blue tiles beside him, his expression a little speechless.
"Misaya, if we're just having a drink, there's no need to climb to this kind of place, right?"
"It would be troublesome if we accidentally fell down."
Just like Ian felt at the moment.
Misaya clearly said she was just going to have a drink, but now they were on the slanted roof of the house.
The degree of danger involved is not on the same level.
Of course.
Ian was fine—he was just worried about Misaya.
"Why isn't it necessary?!"
Scathach shouted at Ian, who was sitting on the roof above.
"Stop talking nonsense! Hurry up and help me get this box up here!"
"...Okay."
After some tossing and turning, the box and Scathach finally made it to the roof.
"Phew~ Done!"
"..."
"Ian, what's with that look?!" Scathach stared at the man beside her.
"Why do I feel like you're not very satisfied?"
"It's not that I'm not satisfied."
Ian glanced at the box full of beer beside him.
"Misaya, I just want to know why we had to come to a place like this to drink... wouldn't it be the same indoors?"
"..."
Hearing Ian's question, Scathach looked around.
After confirming that there was no one else besides herself and Sae Ian at the private Honnouji Academy at this moment, the club's teacher intended to answer the question.
"That——"
"If I tell you the reason, you mustn't tell anyone else!"
"..."
Although it felt quite strange to make a promise in such a matter, Ian followed her lead and nodded very seriously.
"Yeah."
"Don't worry, Misaya, I definitely won't tell."
"That——"
Some past scenes flashed before Scathach's eyes.
That was the drama she had been following on the TV in her apartment, which could show a snowy screen at any time.
"Ian, look at those actors, don't they all have to find a desolate place when they drink?"
"Well, I think the rooftop fits that kind of feeling quite well!"
"..."
"..."
"Is that the only reason?" Ian confirmed again.
"Yeah!" Scathach put her hands on her hips, striking a very imposing pose. "Otherwise, what other reason could there be?!"
"Pfft."
"Hahaha——!" Ian laughed.
"What are you laughing at!" Scathach pushed the man. "I'm being very serious with you!"
"That's precisely why it's interesting."
Ian stopped laughing and then looked at Scathach, who had an unhappy look on her face.
"The usually so cold club teacher secretly imitating scenes from TV dramas."
"Isn't that a very interesting thing?"
"So are you mocking me?" Scathach glared at the man beside her.
"No." Ian shook his head.
"I think you're very cute."
"C-cute?!"
This was the first time Scathach had heard someone use this word to describe her.
She immediately turned her face away.
"You're crazy, actually calling me cute?!"
"Right, the word 'cute' is indeed not suitable." Ian looked at the club teacher beside him, his tone not at all joking.
"Should I use 'contrast' to describe it instead?"
"Yeah, that's right... Misaya's behavior is a contrast."
"..."
Feeling that her emotions seemed to be stirred up a bit by Ian, Scathach quickly changed the subject.
She reached into the box that had taken a lot of effort to bring up, and then took out a can of beer and handed it to Ian.
"Here."
"..."
[You realize this is Misaya's way of showing friendliness.]
[You increasingly feel that she is not as difficult to get along with as she seems on the surface.]
[The reason for this realization might be that she simply can't find a suitable person to talk to.]
[Although Misaya is just a means for you to disguise your identity.]
[But as things stand, you still hope to have a good relationship with her—after all, you don't know how long you'll have to be a teacher.]
[Besides... she seems to have this realization too.]
[You feel you shouldn't let down this kindness.]
"Thanks, Misaya."
Ian took the can of beer she had taken out of the box from Scathach's hand.
"I didn't expect you to like drinking beer."
"It's not that I like it."
Scathach took out another can of beer from the box and snapped it open.
"I just have to maintain the minimum level of hobbies."
"Minimum level of hobbies?" Ian didn't quite understand this sentence. "Misaya, what do you mean by that?"
"Hobbies have a minimum level?"
"Of course." Scathach took a sip of beer and continued to explain.
"This allows me to continue maintaining..."
Halfway through her words, Scathach stopped—she realized she might have said too much.
This so-called hobby wasn't really a hobby that Scathach truly enjoyed.
It was an activity that the Queen of the Shadow Country had to carry out to maintain her "human" consciousness.
In the long years of the past, Scathach's body had long been cursed for killing too many gods and was gradually becoming a demigod.
She yearned to be killed—in any way possible.
But before that, Scathach had to ensure that she always maintained the identity of a "human."
Otherwise, before the person who could kill her appeared, she might have already become part of the concept of "god."
Scathach knew that if that time really came, she would no longer be able to be killed.
After all——
If even the god-slayer succumbed to the curse of the gods and became a god, then it would mean the consistency of cause and effect.
In this case, probably no one could sever the cursed shackles called "fate."
"..."
[You realize Misaya doesn't want to continue talking about the previous topic.]
[You quickly gave it up.]
"Okay."
"Well, it looks like that's your personal choice." Ian pulled open the tab on his can.
"That's good."
"I originally thought the nickname 'old woman' was referring to the fact that you usually live like an old person."
Hearing Ian's words, Scathach's forehead popped with "╬" shaped veins.
"Who brought up that nickname to you?"
"Those students from the club." Ian replied.
"Don't listen to their nonsense!" Scathach said anxiously, "How am I an old woman?!"
"Clearly... I'm still very young!"
"Yeah." Ian nodded. "Actually, I think so too."
"..."
"Are you serious?" Scathach became wary upon hearing the agreement.
"Of course, I'm serious." Ian replied without hesitation.
"Although I was indeed prejudiced by the undefeated legend of the past ten years at first."
"But——"
"Based on my observation today, you... aren't actually as old as they say, are you?"
"Exactly!"
Having finally found someone who agreed she was young, Scathach took a big gulp of beer.
"I'm clearly still very young, not that old at all!"
"I... I won't admit that I'm an old woman!"
"It's normal not to admit it." Ian replied with a smile. "After all, Misaya, you haven't reached that stage yet."
"That's right!"
[You and Reilingkan Misaya get more and more enthusiastic as you chat.]
[You realize that she is actually a chatterbox—it's just that she doesn't usually have a suitable person to talk to.]
[You increasingly feel that Misaya like this is actually quite pitiful.]
[Unknowingly, you feel more sympathy for her.]
[However, the situation seems to be developing in a direction you hadn't expected.]
Glug glug——
Scathach drank another can of beer, and then opened a new one.
Whether it was the effect of the alcohol or she had been holding back for too long.
At this moment, she had completely lost her previous cold appearance.
What replaced it was a passion that had been released from its restraints.
"Hey——! Ian!"
"Why aren't you drinking?!" Scathach grabbed the corner of the man's shirt. "I've drunk so many cans already!"
"..."
Ian really wanted to tell Misaya one thing.
That was, whenever he was about to take a sip of his drink, she would suddenly come up with a strange question.
Contents like "Have you ever killed anyone?" and "Have you ever seen a corpse?" which sound creepy at first glance were everywhere.
As a result, Misaya drank more and more, but Ian didn't even finish his first can of beer.
How long has it been since she indulged like this?
Ian couldn't help but feel a little puzzled.
"Drink up! Why aren't you drinking?!"
Scathach, her face flushed, shook Ian.
"You've prepared so much beer, are you planning to let me finish it all by myself?"
"Of course not."
"Then hurry up and drink!"
"Glug~"
Scathach let out a hiccup.
Suddenly, as if she had figured something out, she stared at the can in Ian's hand.
"I understand!"
"Is it because your can of beer tastes better, so you're reluctant to drink it?!"
"How is that possible!" Ian quickly denied Scathach's statement. "Aren't all the beers taken from the same box?"
"I! Don't! Believe!"
Scathach pouted with puffed-up cheeks.
"Your can must be tastier than mine!"
"Hurry up and hand it over!"
"...No."
"Not handing it over?" Scathach's body moved closer to Ian, and the smell of alcohol followed.
"Then I'll bite you!"
"..."
"Misaya, you're drunk."
"I'm not drunk!" Scathach exhaled a hot breath at Ian. "Hurry up and give it to me!"
Realizing that Misaya would never give up if he didn't take out the half-can of beer,
Ian could only follow her request and hand over the half-can of beer in his hand.
"Okay, okay."
"Here, here, will this do?!"
"That's right!" Scathach snatched the half-can of beer from Ian's hand. "You have to listen to your teacher properly!"
After getting what she "needed," the club teacher immediately began to "examine" it.
She seemed to really want to find out why Ian's can of beer tasted better.
Of course.
Such a thing definitely does not exist.
The beer in Ian's hand and the beer in Scathach's hand were originally from the same box, and even produced consecutively.
How could there be a saying that one tastes better than the other?
But Scathach, who was completely drunk, didn't seem to give up. She directly gulped down the remaining half can of Ian's beer.
Finally——
She found that the taste was indeed no different!
"This isn't special either!"
Scathach, holding the empty can, questioned Ian in return.
"Then why did you hide it and not finish it?"
"No," Ian said somewhat speechlessly, "wasn't I just about to take a sip?"
"Then Misaya, you snatched it away!"
"Huh?" Scathach, her face flushed, blinked her eyes, looking hazy.
"So that's what happened."
"Then I'm sorry~"
"Here~" Scathach handed Ian the half-can of beer she hadn't finished yet.
"This is compensation——I drank yours, you drink mine."
"..."
Ian was completely speechless.
Had he known that Misaya would become like this when she got drunk, he would have never followed her up to this rooftop.
Now, there was no way to get down in a short time!
"No need," Ian refused the half can of beer offered as "compensation."
"Just drink it... I don't care."
"No! Way!" Scathach moved closer to Ian. "Do you want your teacher to become a bad person who takes things from others without knowing how to repay them?"
"I didn't mean that."
"Then drink it!" Scathach grabbed Ian's clothes.
"And then we'll be even."
There was no way.
Ian had no choice but to follow Scathach's words and chug down the half can of beer.
But what the knight didn't expect was that before he could even finish, Scathach had already fallen directly onto his lap, also knocking over several beer cans, causing them to roll down.
She had drunk way too much!
And when Ian, looking helpless, was about to wake her up, he heard a light, airy voice.
"So happy... I'm so satisfied today."
Scathach rubbed her cheek against Ian's thigh, completely lacking the queenly arrogance she usually had.
Drunk, she was more like a cute cat.
Hearing this, the man's hand paused above Misaya's head.
He suddenly didn't want to wake her up so much.
After all, if she had been tense for over a decade, indulging a little like this now wouldn't be a sin, right?
It started snowing.
Knight Ian took off his coat and gently covered Misaya's body with it, using it as a blanket.
He stroked her head, sweeping the snow off it for her.
"Misaya, rest well," the man said.
Scathach snuggled closer.
Although the place to sleep was a rather bad rooftop.
But this was indeed the most sound sleep she had had in ten years.
"Speaking of which, why did it just happen to get pressed there..."
The knight, who had unintentionally protected another queen, said somewhat awkwardly.