At the party grounds, the uproar from Imamura and Iori had somewhat dampened the atmosphere.
"I can see you two still aren't satisfied. Let me spell it out then — I was trying to spare your feelings, but apparently that's not necessary."
Tokita sighed, jumped down from the table, and stood in front of Iori and the others.
"First — let me ask you two something. In your twenty-odd years of life, not counting family, how many women do you actually know? And I mean real, living ones."
That last qualifier was clearly aimed at Imamura.
Iori and Imamura exchanged a glance and said nothing.
"As I thought. How exactly were you two going to introduce a woman to Sebastian?" Tokita smiled.
"You scheming — you were planning to wriggle out of it from the start with nothing in hand?!"
Sebastian fumed and made to launch himself at them again.
"Calm down, Sebastian. I have a second point."
Tokita turned and firmly blocked the rampaging Sebastian, then continued:
"The second point — even if you did happen to know women, do you actually think Sebastian would have a real shot?"
Sebastian, still struggling in Tokita's arms, went completely still.
He looked up slowly, with an expression of disbelief, at Tokita — who was delivering the most devastating words with the gentlest face imaginable.
"Senior, did you really have to go that far?"
"My apologies. They pushed the issue, so the fault lies with them. Take it up with those two after the party." Tokita said with genuine regret.
In an instant, all three of them — who had been making such a racket moments before — deflated like overripe eggplants and slumped back into their seats in collective silence.
"Come on, lighten up. You've only just started university — there's plenty of time left to waste." Kotobuki walked over to Sebastian and offered this consolation with a grin.
"If you can't think of anything comforting to say, senior, you really don't have to say anything."
"A man doesn't come to university to find a girlfriend. Keep things in perspective — there's no shortage of other things to do."
"So why has everyone just quietly assumed I can't find one?"
Sebastian muttered in irritation.
Insufferable, all of you. Laugh at me now if you want — once I complete more missions and cash in more enhancement fruits, I'll be splitting mountains with a single punch....
And what woman wouldn't be drawn to a man who can punch through a mountain? If the situation were reversed, Sebastian himself would be interested. Obviously.
"Alright — I've set the terms for everyone. Sebastian, you go first!"
Kotobuki stepped forward and helpfully uncapped all the bottles in front of Sebastian.
Sebastian, whose spirits had been running high from the alcohol a moment ago, looked at the rows of bottles now and felt the enthusiasm quietly drain out of him.
He picked up a bottle of tequila at random, took two sips straight from the neck, and set it down.
"Done."
"What do you mean, done?! What kind of effort is that?! Do you have any idea how much breath I wasted working out those rules?!"
Kotobuki, standing behind him, erupted and yanked Sebastian upright by his shirt.
"I'm in a terrible mood right now. Even if you tell me to drink, I can't get it down." Sebastian waved a helpless hand.
"You really are something else."
Tokita walked over, scratched the back of his head with mild exasperation at Sebastian's passive resistance, and spoke up.
"You know, Sebastian — Kotobuki and I have been at Izu University for a few years now. We've gotten to know quite a few women with decent personalities along the way."
"Oh?"
Sebastian, who had been slumped back in his chair, straightened up without a sound.
"Tell me more."
"What's there to tell? There's Ōmi Women's College right nearby. When Kotobuki and I took people there for mixers before, we met plenty of good ones."
"Senior Tokita! Joining Peek-a-Boo is the single best decision I have ever made in my life! I will never leave Peek-a-Boo as long as I live!"
Sebastian was still too stunned to speak. Iori and Imamura, however, had already thrown themselves into full prostrating bows and were worshipping Tokita with frantic devotion.
"Alright, settle down, all of you. What's meant to come will come — no need for this, it's embarrassing. For now: whoever wins, I'll arrange a mixer for that side. How's that for motivation?"
He hadn't even finished the question before Sebastian had leapt up onto the table and was furiously uncapping bottles one by one. His hands were moving fast enough that the bottle opener was leaving afterimages.
"This is too slow."
Sebastian's eyes had gone red. He grabbed two bottles by the neck and smashed them together at the mouth.
Crack.
Both necks broke clean. He went down the line using the same method — cracking open close to thirty bottles of gin, tequila, whisky, and even a few lower-proof sake — one pair after another.
Then he grabbed the iron bucket that had been used to ice the bottles, and upended every last one of them into it with a great rushing pour.
Iori and Imamura, watching from across the table with burning eyes, felt their expressions stiffen as Sebastian's behavior escalated beyond anything they'd anticipated.
"Nobody. Takes. My. Girlfriend. From. Me."
Sebastian raised his face to the sky, bellowed these ten words with a feral expression, then seized the bucket in both hands and began pouring the contents directly into his mouth.
"Easy — don't choke." Kotobuki folded his arms and offered this well-meaning caution.
"Honestly, senior, I think the warning you should be giving is don't let him drown."
Iori squinted and muttered as he watched Sebastian funnel nearly ten liters of mixed alcohol down his throat.
There was nothing to be done. Sebastian had, at this point, effectively won the contest by brute force. Even Iori found himself considering retreat.
"No — I refuse to accept this! We can't give up yet, Iori! Are you really going to let this chance slip away?!"
Ironically, it was Imamura — who had been insisting throughout that he came from a different world — who was now the one fired up. He grabbed Iori by the collar, trying to drag him back from the edge of surrender.
"But Sebastian went that far — under the double-penalty rules, how could we possibly match it?"
Iori pushed Imamura's hands off and stared ahead with an expression of complete despair.
"We can! One more push! Compare the cost of a stomach pump at the hospital to the prospect of another foreseeable decade of being single — it's an absolute bargain, Iori! Don't you want to walk hand in hand with a girlfriend across campus?!"
Something in Imamura's words found its mark. Iori's eyes went wide — and then filled slowly with red.
"You're right, Imamura! Thank you.... The opportunity is right here. Where there's a will there's a way — how could I even think of giving up now?!"
Iori's gaze grew blazing. He swept the empty bottles from in front of him and looked across at Sebastian, who had just drained the last drop from the iron bucket.
In the light of the midday sun, Sebastian set the bucket down, his whole figure gleaming golden — like a god of war.
"Driven by the desire to find a girlfriend — I, Iori Kitahara, will not lose to anyone——!!"
---
15 Chapters Daily: https://patreon.com/VaultL