Chapter 96: The Post-Exam Celebration Party
[May 30th, evening]
[Everyone raised their glasses to celebrate the end of the midterm exams and to welcome the upcoming five-day golden holiday.]
[Although tomorrow afternoon you still have to return to school to check your results — and whether Scathach will drag you back to Shadow Land for "Spartan training" remains to be seen — at least for now, you can relax and enjoy the joyful atmosphere of the celebration.]
[You all bought some ingredients, set up a dining table in Morgan's courtyard, and held a lively outdoor barbecue party.]
...
Night fell over the garden behind Morgan's mansion.
As May neared its end and June approached, a refreshing night breeze stirred, gently fanning the glowing coals of the barbecue grill.
The pork belly and grilled squid sizzled noisily, their glistening fat reflecting the warm light, releasing a mouthwatering, savory aroma.
Barghest calmly flipped the meat, brushing on a thick layer of seasoning on both sides, the rich fragrance spreading and making everyone's mouths water.
"Is it done yet?"
Artoria asked Barghest every thirty seconds, looking exactly like a hungry little piglet begging for food.
"Cheers!!"
At the nearby party table, the main members of Class Britain gathered together, faces flushed, smiles bright, clinking glasses merrily.
Smoke from the grill swirled lazily through the air, laughter echoed all around, and fruit juice and beer splashed everywhere.
After the midterms, everyone was like a group of prisoners newly released from confinement, raising their glasses in celebration for the end of the long exam battle.
"Gulp gulp gulp…"
Mochizuki Eikou downed a large mug of beer in one go. Holding a skewer of grilled squid in one hand and an empty glass in the other, he laughed heartily:
"Everyone, drink all you want tonight! Cheers to finally escaping that endless study hell! And thanks to everyone for helping me during the exam — food and drinks tonight are on me!"
"Eikou, you're the best!!"
Everyone cheered even louder, with Artoria shouting the most enthusiastically before the table clinked glasses again.
"You guys…"
Baobhan Sith frowned slightly, taking a gentle sip of her blood-red wine.
"Why did you have to hold the celebration at my place? It's so noisy."
"Barbecue!!"
"Uooo↑!!"
The crowd only shouted louder.
"Honestly…"
Baobhan Sith sighed.
"Fine, I'll allow you all to make a mess just for tonight. But remember to clean up after the party, or Mother-sama won't forgive you."
Eikou grinned, his cheeks slightly flushed from alcohol. "Caught you smiling, Baobhan Sith."
"Has your brain melted after the exam, you idiot? Still grinning like that — wait till the grades come out and see if you can still laugh."
The Blood Princess's gray eyes flicked toward him.
"Haha, I'm someone who believes in patience and hope." Eikou smiled back.
[You still remember the promise made for the holiday between the two of you, but with so many people around, it's hard to bring it up now — and it's difficult to speak of it before knowing the results.]
[Wait until tomorrow, when the grades are announced, to tell her clearly.]
"Come to think of it, we originally planned to go to KTV to celebrate today,"
Eikou said as he poured himself another glass of beer,
"But Gawain said he wanted to hold the celebration at his place, so we came here to bother everyone."
Gawain laughed heartily, saying, "Think about it — staying out late wandering around can be dangerous. It's much safer to celebrate at my place."
"Well, when you put it that way…"
Eikou turned to glance at his two classmates beside him — Oberon and Artoria Caster — secretly thinking that this lineup probably wasn't very welcome in Morgan's house.
To be honest, even he himself wasn't exactly a fitting guest here… because once Morgan saw him, she wouldn't let him leave easily.
"Coming to her house means facing a different kind of danger."
"It's fine, I've already prepared an escape route." Oberon said confidently. "Once she shows up, just follow me and run."
"That's not the kind of preparation people should have when visiting a classmate's house."
"Ha ha, don't worry,"
Gawain said,
"Today I already asked my mom, she's busy with work so she won't be coming home tonight. We can just relax and play all we want, stay up as late as we like—or even have a sleepover. I've already prepared everyone's personal items too!"
"Huh, another night staying over at your place?" Eikou muttered. "There are so many of us, are you sure there's enough space?"
"At worst, we guys can squeeze together on the sofa and let the girls have the beds."
"I don't want to be crammed together with men."
Though he said that, the truth was Eikou rather liked this kind of thing — hanging out at a friend's house, having a party, playing games until late, then the guys squeezing together to sleep, chatting before dozing off.
He was really looking forward to that fun atmosphere!
"No other choice then, why don't you sleep with me?" Melusine said sweetly with a smile.
"?"
...
[You all happily enjoy an outdoor BBQ party.]
[Barghest's cooking skills are truly famous; her dishes are so delicious that no one can stop eating until your stomachs can't take any more.]
[Time passes, night slowly falls, and the clock hands point to nine in the evening.]
[Finally, it's time for the activity you've all been waiting for… using Gawain's high-end setup to play games on the big screen!]
"It's game time!"
At nine in the evening in the living room, everyone crowded together on the soft, comfortable sofa, the coffee table filled with snacks, soft drinks, and even "Water of Life" for penalty games.
They each held game controllers, suppressing their excitement, eyes fixed on the TV screen.
Eikou enthusiastically opened the console's host mode, projecting the display onto the ultra-large TV in the living room.
"Let 'Chaldea Servant Brawl Special Edition' decide the winner and loser! Whoever loses will be responsible for cleaning up!"
Eikou shouted loudly.
"Alright!" — everyone responded in unison.
"Uh, well…"
Barghest spoke up a bit shyly, interrupting:
"Actually, cleaning up is my job, so there's no need to decide it through a game."
"How could we just let you do all the work every time?" Eikou said with a laugh. "Besides, Barghest, don't you want to experience the feeling of defeating your opponent in a game and then making the loser serve you?"
"Well, that…"
Barghest's cheeks turned slightly red, seemingly moved by Eikou's words.
"Baobhan Sith, you okay with this?" Eikou turned to ask.
"Hmph, don't underestimate me,"
Baobhan Sith smiled arrogantly and confidently, running her fingers through her smooth red hair.
"Even though I'm not really into you otaku types of hobbies, I'm a sucker for looks. As long as there are pretty costumes in the game, I'll grind like crazy! My gaming experience is several times yours!"
Eikou thought to himself: putting all that effort just to grind for useless cosmetic items in a game — isn't that already a serious addiction?
Well, perfect. Now's his chance to show off his refined skills and make this arrogant girl admit defeat!
"So confident, huh? Then let's play 'Chaldea Servant Brawl' — I'll fight you first!"
Eikou's eyes sharpened as he immediately opened the Servant Brawl game case.
"..."
He looked closely — the game cartridge inside had somehow been swapped.
In its place was…
The cartridge for 'Love Sleeping 5: Revenge Edition'!
Damn it, you again?!
...