〈 Chapter 187 〉 Chapter 186 – Exterminating Harmful Species.
*
It wasn’t just heroines in the restaurant.
A diverse assortment of cat beastmen.
Holy Knights crowded together, chatting away.
“Pour it, you f*cking cat bastards!!!”
“Owner! This is cinnamon powder! I asked for bonito flakes!!!”
“Why the hell are you downing the liquor like this!”
“Isn’t it to find the answer to that?”
“Does the liquor taste sweet to you? Life’s too comfortable for me, so liquor just tastes bitter.”
It was quite a chaotic scene.
Clearly, it was a high-end restaurant, but these crazy cat bastards made it look like a bar.
At least the various decorations and structures barely proved that this was indeed an upscale dining place.
The only empty spot was the table for the heroines.
Hyeji and I had no choice but to move over there.
Hyeji sat down with a discontented expression.
“Hit your head, you little sh*t.”
“F*ck.”
I obediently banged my head right next to Caressy.
After taking a few hits for that, I could finally sit back down.
As soon as I settled, I asked the question that had been bothering me since the beginning to Elcia and Ayeon.
“Why are you two here?”
“We’re here because we were forced to!”
“…It just happened that way.”
Elcia had a poker face, while Ayeon avoided eye contact, looking a bit guilty.
Then Caressy sighed and answered.
“They kept whining at me to buy them food.”
“But of all places, why here?”
“Not my idea. They strongly insisted on coming here.”
“And what’s with all the Holy Knights?”
“Since this happened, they made a fuss about having a company dinner.”
Caressy shook her head vigorously.
In the meantime, Hyeji’s gaze toward Elcia and Ayeon sharpened.
“Do you really want to die?”
“……”
“……”
Elcia and Ayeon shrank back, unable to say a word.
Then suddenly, I remembered something I wanted to ask Caressy and promptly did so.
“You’re priests and all, but is it really okay to drink like this?”
No matter how much it’s permitted by their religion, drinking alcohol doesn’t generally receive good scrutiny.
However, as if to dismiss my concerns, Caressy raised her glass high and said.
“It’s fine! Just for today, we’re your lords!!!”
[Wasn’t the last time a `lord` too?］
‘The Holy Trinity, right? Lord. (the) Lord. My Lord (？).’
But my vision was slightly hazy.
It felt like hair was flying around for some reason.
At that moment, I heard some noises nearby.
“F*ck! I said to eat in the back room! Hair’s getting in the drinks!”
“Short-haired cats also shed a ton of fur, so why are we getting discriminated against?”
“If you ain’t a sphinx cat beastman, then shut your traps!!!”
It really was getting wild.
Proving it true, cat hair had already piled up in everyone’s glasses.
As we glared at Caressy without drinking, she scratched her head apologetically.
“I should’ve never listened to those bastards.”
Meanwhile, Hyeji’s expression turned serious.
It was understandable; having her date interrupted and then dealing with this chaos would make anyone frustrated.
Noticing Hyeji’s atmosphere, Caressy hurriedly tried to dismiss the Holy Knights.
“No! No Holy Saint today!”
“We won’t listen to you since you’re not even relevant anymore!”
“It’s time to change our lineup!”
“Let’s drink! Let’s drink, you little bastards!”
“Holy Saint! Come introduce yourself!”
The already thoroughly drunk crazy Holy Knights ignored it all.
Even with Hyeji exuding a murderous aura, it didn’t do much.
They had chugged enough liquor to paralyze even their survival instincts.
However, the instincts of those cat bastards were still intact.
I could see a Holy Knight in the distance, totally wasted and grooming themselves.
So, clearly, there was naturally a way to deal with these crazy bastards.
First, I opted for a persuasion tactic.
I asked the restaurant to bring out a bunch of large cardboard boxes outside.
Hyeji looked puzzled at my actions.
“Shinwoo, do you really think these bastards will fall for such a thing?”
“Step aside!!! Those boxes are mine!!!”
“……”
The effect was immediate.
Most of the cat Holy Knights scrambled into the boxes, mewing away.
If they looked cute, it’d be fine.
But since they were these ugly fur-covered bastards, it wasn’t pleasant to see.
I quickly wrapped the boxes in tape and stacked them neatly outside the restaurant.
“Where are you going, you bastard.”
“Hot! That was close!”
Maybe the effects were too good; even Caressy almost got tempted.
I swiftly sat her back down and glanced around.
There were plenty of empty spots, but a few Holy Knights hadn’t left yet, holding onto their superhuman patience.
If persuasion didn’t work, then we had no choice.
Next, it would be a hard approach.
“Uwaaaah!!!!”
“Haahhhh!!!!”
Water splash.
With the sudden shower, the remaining cat bastards bolted out of the restaurant like they saw a ghost.
Of course, one annoying cat remained.
“I’m going! I’m going! Nopia’s making a move for the sunlit places!!!!”
I bombarded the cat with secret weapons.
Specifically, catnip. Bonito flakes. And treats.
Maybe in the Beastman Kingdom this wouldn’t matter, but in South Korea, these are the cat-approved narcotics.
As a result, they lost all sense of reality and vanished to a place that absolutely doesn’t exist.
I stuffed them roughly into a box and stacked it outside the restaurant.
When I returned.
“Haahhhh!!! This feels amazing!!!”
Another bastard cat was there.
It was Caressy, burying her nose in the supplies I used to catch the last cat.
But since she wasn’t furry and rather had cat ears, she quickly regained her composure and started clearing her throat repeatedly.
Anyway, all obstacles had been cleared.
“Shall we go?”
“Sure.”
I reached out my hand to Hyeji, who shyly grasped it.
We moved to another table together.
Finally, Hyeji’s expression brightened.
At that moment, I gently held Hyeji’s slightly blushing hand.
“Hyeji.”
“…Yes.”
Honestly, I’m not good at sweet-talking.
I can easily throw insults and attack, but the opposite leaves me speechless.
I don’t know how to impress a woman with fancy words like every other novel protagonist.
What I’ve done until now was only to convey my feelings through actions.
It might look pitiful, but I don’t care.
This is the way I’ve lived.
So, bluntly as that,
“I love you.”
“……Please take care of me, darling.”
I mean it.
Hyeji replied in an unusually quiet voice, tinged with pink.
I lightly kissed her hand and smiled.
In response, Hyeji beamed with slightly teary eyes.
A pink atmosphere bloomed between us.
Just then, the quick-witted staff brought out the course meal.
It was just perfect.
Absolutely perfect.
That should be the case.
But.
Before I knew it.
“Bring all the liquor, f*ck!!!!!!”
Hyeji went berserk.
She, who was laughing happily after hearing my confession, suddenly lost it.
Up to that point, it was fine.
Then came the problem.
Not holding back, she repeatedly proposed to make this moment eternal with countless toasts.
One shot with every bite. Never sipping but slamming down each one.
And only the expensive high-alcohol liquors too.
Of course, I had no choice but to follow suit.
If I hesitated for even a second, Hyeji would glare at me fiercely.
[You’re seriously going to die like this, you know?］
“F*ck. I feel like I’m gonna die.”
In the end, as the course meal finished, our table was once again crowded with heroines.
Precisely, it was the drunk Hyeji who called them over.
At that moment, suddenly, Elcia got up from her seat.
“I’ll head out first!”
“Really?”
“Yes! And I’ll pay for the drinks I had!”
[No way! That crazy girl is actually saying she’s paying for her drinks?］
“F*ck. The story’s going downhill.”
“Did you call for me?”
“Not you, that Kyalu girl.”
This time, she did not show up.
Thank goodness.
Elcia stopped by the cashier and was about to head out the door.
Then she looked back at me and licked her lips slightly.
“We’ll meet again soon, my lord!”
“Alright. Get home safely.”
“Yes, see you soon!”
Elcia said something that sounded dubious and left.
I tried to ponder the meaning of it, but with too much liquor already, I couldn’t think straight.
I decided to just let it go.
At that moment, a few out-of-their-mind heroines appeared.
“F*ck!!! It’s a celebration, a celebration!!! Sex!!!”
“Having eaten well today, we must be on zero calories!”
“Nya ha ha ha ha!!! You’re way better than those pathetic Holy Knights!!!”
This needs to stop.
Another disaster like the last time could occur.
“Guys, don’t you think you’re drinking a bit too fast?”
But my words were useless.
Instead, they provoked me.
“Shinwoo, are you a coward?”
“You look cute too. I’ll give you some milk, even if it won’t be breast milk!”
“Get lost, cowardly bastard~. This is the rough territory of heroines~.”
I couldn’t let this slide.
A Piece hurriedly tried to stop me.
[Stop, stop!］
‘The top doesn’t stop!’
“Drink faster, you f*ckers!!!!!!!!!!!”
We ate food melting in our mouths. Downing down all the liquor we could. All while chatting and having a blast.
None even thought to run away, eyes wild as they repeated this behavior until the end.
I have no idea how long passed.
Before I knew it, it was only me and Caressy exchanging drinks at the table.
While my head spun and my vision blurred, Caressy somehow looked way too sober.
“How are you not drunk?”
“It’s the grace of the lord, nya!”
“Passive, f*cking sucks.”
Meanwhile, Hyeji and Ayeon were out of their minds.
In Hyeji’s case,
“Fck, you flat-chested btch! Are you going to keep ignoring me just because your chest is big?”
She suddenly got furious at a large pink sphere decoration.
Then, she kicked the pink sphere and smashed it.
With a satisfied look, she even started blowing on her liquor bottle.
The restaurant staff hurriedly tried to calm Hyeji down.
“Hyeji, if you break it, we’ll double the price.”
At Caressy’s one sentence, the hotel staff instantly switched their attitude.
Truly professionals.
On the other hand, Ayeon was,
“Hyeji! Say something!”
She was yelling loudly against the red wall.
I was glad Hyeji was wasted.
If she weren’t drunk watching that, Ayeon might have split into three parts of Jeong/Ah/Yun.
Soon after, Ayeon was pale, pressed her ear to the wall, and cried as she yelled.
“Hyeji! What’s wrong! My heart stopped!”
She was pouring alcohol against the wall, trying to wake Hyeji up.
Then, before she knew it, she drank again and spiraled back into madness.
Everyone seemed to be losing it, but there was one positive point.
At least it wasn’t like last time where they vomited.
It seems the liquor we drank this time was expensive stuff, though high in alcohol content.
Nowhere near comparable to that Captain Q. we had back then.
Thanks to that, everyone was barely holding onto the final line.
[…Do you think a story that worries about heroines throwing up is normal?］
‘It’s not even close to being normal, so it’s all good.’
But there’s always an end.
Before long, the restaurant had run out of drinks and food.
Both Hyeji and Ayeon were tired, lying flat on the floor, asleep.
I carried Ayeon, while Hyeji was cradled in the front.
Looking at Caressy calculating the bill, a sudden question struck me.
“What about all the stuff the Holy Knights consumed earlier?”
“Those d*ckheads can deal with it. It’s not my problem anymore.”
For some reason, Caressy’s tone was icy.
I kept silence, too scared to ask anything more.
Just before heading out, I suddenly remembered something I had been curious about.
This time, I asked the employee at the cashier who was processing the card payment.
“By the way, how much did our pink-haired elf drink earlier?”
Considering Elcia’s capacity, she should be around the same level as us.
Since her communication seemed fine, I thought she hadn’t drunk that much.
But as always, reality exceeded expectations.
“She didn’t drink anything, so there’s no bill.”
“……What?”
“She sent me on an errand for some underwear. Of course, the amount was charged to your table.”
[She didn’t drink and flaunted about paying for her drinks?］
“F*ck. Finally, the story’s gone jammed.”
In a way, it was a relief.
If she had actually paid, I would have thought of taking Elcia to a mental hospital.
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