The celebration lasted until the early hours of the morning. Exusiai and Croissant were already so drunk they were practically unconscious, and they had to rely on others to carry them back to their rooms.
"I can still drink a bit more... Texas, you don't need to carry me. I can walk back by myself. Mmm... zzzz..."
Lemuen looked at the "ancestor" on her back, feeling a wave of wordlessness in her heart. She then looked at Texas, who remained sober, and asked:
"Has she been drinking herself into this ghostly state every single time since she came here?"
Looking at the dead-drunk Exusiai, Lemuen inquired about her situation with some concern. Even though she drank herself, she had never been this drunk! If she took Exusiai back home to drink with their dad, those two would probably become sworn brothers on the spot!
"Not necessarily. She's usually quite controlled with alcohol. After all, she can't touch it during missions. She only drinks a bit after a job is done. Today, she was probably just too happy."
Regarding this matter, Texas could only choose the nice things to say. She had to do her best to help hide behaviors like drinking two bottles of beer in the wasteland and then drag racing.
However, Exusiai really wasn't the type to be addicted to alcohol; it was rare for her to get this drunk. If she truly became a drunkard, the rest of them would likely never let her touch another drop.
"Alright. She's grown up now anyway, so it's hard for me to manage her. As long as she doesn't drink like this often, it's fine. This 'little' one... over these past few years, she's certainly learned how to drink."
Lemuen fell into thought for a moment before letting out a sigh. She hadn't expected that, in the blink of an eye, the 'little' thing who was calling her "sister" in her arms not too long ago had already grown this much. This 'little' one was no longer the child who needed her care; she had grown to the point where she could take care of herself.
"Don't worry, she only drinks here and goes straight to sleep afterward. She definitely doesn't go to other bars. Oh, I just noticed—where's Jeanne? I haven't seen her for a while since before things ended."
Texas remembered there was another person who hadn't followed them, but she recalled that Jeanne hadn't drunk much at all.
"Her? She went to move the car. She was worried we'd need the car tomorrow, but where we parked is quite far. She told me she wasn't at ease and went to drive it back alone."
Lemuen didn't mention the other reason—that what Jeanne was actually uneasy about was her stash of munitions being taken by others. Although Lemuen believed Phoenix would keep an eye on the vehicle, Jeanne felt that such important things simply had to be under her own nose.
"She drank too, didn't she? The LGD checks quite strictly in this area. There have been cases of people drinking here and then going out to drag race; this is exactly the time they are on duty."
Texas didn't mention that the "person" she was referring to was actually Exusiai. The LGD currently treated Exusiai as a sort of "trainer" for rookies, even including some of her cases in their textbooks as examples of what to watch out for.
"It's fine, she went on foot. Jeanne doesn't have a habit of heavy drinking, so she didn't have much. By the time she reaches the car, the alcohol will have worn off."
Lemuen didn't care about DUI checks. No matter how strict Lungmen was, they couldn't control someone who went running after drinking, could they?
Running? Texas had nothing to say to that answer. It seemed their parking spot wasn't that far away.
However, Texas was wrong about that—completely wrong. The distance to where Jeanne's car was parked would take at least half an hour of fast driving. If someone ran, it would likely be dawn by the time they got back. Only a character with a "miraculous skeletal structure" like Jeanne could pull it off; anyone else would likely break their legs trying.
"We're here. The room opposite is Exusiai's dorm. Yours is right next to hers. There might not be much inside, but if you need anything, I can help you prepare it."
Texas pointed to the two rooms with keys already in the locks, indicating the rooms the Emperor had prepared for them. However, knowing the Emperor's habits, there wouldn't be any daily necessities inside. According to his business philosophy, new employees could decorate their own rooms, and as long as it didn't exceed a certain amount, the Emperor would reimburse them. He truly treated Penguin Logistics as a home, and the employee benefits were surprisingly high.
"Don't trouble yourself. We have some of our own things in the car. For anything else, we can just borrow from her. You should get some rest early."
With that, Lemuen walked into her sister's room. The moment she turned on the light, the scene didn't exceed her expectations. Though the room looked cluttered, there wasn't any actual trash. Things were just tossed around randomly, with various items mixed together. However, her guns were hung neatly on the wall, clearly her most prized possessions.
"Heigh-ho! It hasn't been that long since I last saw you, but you feel quite a bit heavier on my back! Truth be told, I can see you've been tidying up the place, just... doing it rather sloppily."
Lemuen tossed Exusiai onto her bed and turned to look around. Seeing several pairs of boots thrown haphazardly on the floor, she commented on her sister's careless lifestyle.
In her sleep, Exusiai seemed to hear her sister's lecturing. She furrowed her brows, muttered something under her breath, and rolled over, grabbing the quilt to wrap herself up.
"You should at least change your clothes before sleeping! Are you really going to sleep without even changing?"
Looking at the sleeping Exusiai, Lemuen had no choice but to go over and help her change. But even though this 'little' one was drunk, her strength was not small at all, posing quite an obstacle to Lemuen's efforts.
"Whew~ finally done. If I lived with you, my mental age would grow twenty years older than it is now!"
Looking at Exusiai holding the quilt with a satisfied smile, Lemuen wiped the sweat from her forehead and couldn't help but complain. If she lived with her, she'd probably turn into a mother figure. If she had to take care of Exusiai like that, she'd probably age incredibly fast.
She couldn't hear a word of what Exusiai was muttering, but seeing her satisfied smile, she figured it must be a good dream. Lemuen sat by her side, watching her sister sleep, and a smile appeared on her own face as well.
Moonlight shone on the two sisters; the room was quiet, save for the sound of breathing and Exusiai's slight snoring. As Lemuen looked at the room and her curled-up sister, for some reason, she suddenly had a sense of déjà vu—feeling like she had grown old. She wasn't that much older than her sister! Why did she suddenly feel like a mother who had raised a child? She felt quite depressed all of a sudden.
Lemuen shook her head to refresh her spirit. She looked up and saw Jeanne, who had already returned, leaning against the doorframe watching her.
"When did you get here? I didn't hear a sound!" Lemuen whispered. How long had this person been watching? Then again, she hadn't done anything embarrassing, so why was she feeling flustered!
"I arrived right when you were looking at your sister with that 'loving mother' smile. I just thought it was better not to break the moment, so I didn't disturb your lamenting over your lost youth."
Hearing Jeanne say this, Lemuen was immediately miffed. She decided to take Jeanne back to their room for a proper theoretical debate. What did she mean by "loving mother smile" and "lamenting over youth"? She was clearly still in her prime!
With that thought, she led Jeanne to their room to settle in and, more importantly, to discuss the issue of "Miss Lemuen's youth."
Downstairs, under the dim yellow lights, the Emperor gently swirled the wine glass in his hand, admiring the changing colors of the liquor under the light. At that moment, the door that should have been closed for the night opened again. A blue-haired Fallen Sankta walked in from outside.
"You're back! This time, you've brought back quite a formidable character!"