---

“Ugh…”

The moment I woke up was hazy. My head felt like it was splitting, and my body ached as if I’d had a rough night’s sleep.

“Ugh….”

As I groaned and shifted in bed to sit up, I heard another groan. At first, I thought it was me, but it was definitely coming from below me.

With one hand gripping the bed sheet and the other clutching my throbbing head, I managed to sit up, and there lay someone on the bed. The first person that popped into my mind was Lindy, who often snuggled into bed next to me while I was asleep.

But as I looked closer, I realized it wasn’t Lindy; it was Clarice, the Spirit King of Water. I momentarily questioned why Clarice was here and why we were sharing a bed, but then I recalled that we had drinks together last night.

Ah, so this headache is from a hangover.

As I slowly pieced together the situation, Clarice also began to rise from the bed. Our eyes met as she rubbed her eyes and propped herself up. It seemed she was still half-asleep, her focus hazy. Clarice blinked repeatedly, trying to clear her vision.

With each blink, her focus gradually returned, and after a few blinks, she seemed startled to realize I was there, her eyes widening in surprise.

“Good morning, Clarice.”

I didn’t ask why Clarice was sleeping here; after all, it wasn’t all that strange for two women to share a room and bed after a night of drinking.

To downplay Lindy’s error as a trivial incident, I needed to show a relaxed demeanor about such occurrences.

“Ugh, yes… good morning….”

Even the Spirit King feels hungover? Her delayed response carried a hint of hesitation.

I tried to recall what happened last night, but nothing came to mind. It seemed I had drunk so much that my memory was completely blank. But I couldn’t show weakness; as a hero, how could I appear weak in front of the Spirit King?

“Last night was really fun, wasn’t it?”

So, I decided to act a bit boastful. As if a hangover from drinks last night was nothing to me. As if I could drink far more than that without breaking a sweat.

Of course, since I had no memory of the evening, I couldn’t tell if it was fun or not. I was just throwing it out there. If last night had indeed gone smoothly with Clarice with nothing out of the ordinary, I could brush it off as a casual morning greeting. If I had messed up somehow, I could play it down as just a little mishap that happened while drinking.

I certainly didn’t want to tiptoe around, asking, “Did I make a mistake last night?” That could draw unnecessary attention to something that could easily be overlooked.

Fortunately, to my relief, Clarice didn’t seem bothered at all; she simply nodded in agreement with my words. If I had done something to upset her, she wouldn’t have given such a response but would have jumped up and yelled instead.

“Well then, please take good care of things when you discuss with the other Spirit Kings today, just like you did yesterday.”

I figured they would gather to discuss Lindy’s restrictions with the other Spirit Kings, so I asked her once more. The more she could persuade the other Spirit Kings, the better it would be for lifting the restrictions placed on Lindy. Of course, it was best if she didn’t leave with the same lackluster results as last time, but even just that would be enough for now. Higher expectations would be greedy; instead, it would be wise for Lindy and me to explore other options.

“Ugh, okay….”

However, her response seemed lukewarm for some reason. While it didn’t seem likely that Clarice would suddenly reverse her stance, I couldn’t help but worry.

“If things go well, let’s have another drink together like we did yesterday. By then, everything should be settled, and we can enjoy ourselves even more.”

There wasn’t much we could offer in return to the Spirit King. So instead of material gifts, it was necessary to display our gratitude. Remembering how she had come to offer drinks first and how recklessly we had downed them together, it seemed she enjoyed drinking; thus, setting up another drinking session would be a good way to show appreciation.

“Uh, even more than yesterday…”

Look at that! The moment I said that she gave me a look full of anticipation. My judgment wasn’t wrong.

Feeling thirsty, I filled a cup with water and drank. There was only an empty bottle left on the table, so it seemed all the alcohol we had was already put away. Surely, I couldn’t have gotten drunk off just one bottle.

I decided to pull myself together by washing my face, so I stepped into the bathroom. After a quick wash, brushing my teeth, and even washing my hair, I came out to find that Clarice was already gone. Still, thinking of the Clarice I’d seen before entering the bathroom, she would surely be working hard to advocate for us today.

As I dried my hair with a towel, I heard a knock on the door.

“Oh, it’s Lindy.”

I wondered if Clarice had come back to get something she left behind, but on the other side of the door stood none other than Lindy. Well, I didn’t have any other spirits I knew in the Spirit Realm, so if it wasn’t Clarice, it could only be Lindy.

“I came back after talking with Silphy, but it looks like you were already sound asleep. Did you drink a lot?”

“Uh… yeah, I guess I drank quite a bit. My head hurts, and since my memory is completely blank, I must have really overdone it.”

I put my hand on my head and shook it gently as I spoke. I had put on a brave face in front of Clarice, but there was no need to do that in front of Lindy.

“You really shouldn’t drink so much. How much did you even have?”

“Well… if there’s a bottle left, I’d know, but it looks like it’s all been cleared away, and I can only see one bottle. By the way, Lindy, did you manage to have a good talk with Silphy?”

“Oh, yeah. Well, I did apologize, but Silphy didn’t seem to care much. We just talked about what she’s been up to lately.”

“Were there no other spirits under contract?”

“There are other spirits besides Silphy, but among the top-tier spirits, Silphy is the only one. Once the issue is resolved and the restrictions are lifted, that’s when I’ll apologize.”

While we chatted by the door, I noticed someone approaching from the far end of the hallway. Turning my head, I saw the man who had guided us yesterday.

“He says there will be another meeting a little while after the sun is fully overhead, so you both should attend. Don’t forget to show up.”

I was about to respond, but he just tossed that out and turned back the way he came.

“…Don’t worry too much. Not all ground spirits are like that, but he’s particularly gruff.”

“What is there to worry about?”

I shrugged casually in response. I wasn’t pretending to be okay; I genuinely didn’t care.

His cold demeanor wasn’t exactly pleasant, but I had no interest in that sweaty, grumpy spirit. The spirits I cared about were simply the cute, cool, and beautiful ones. Like the adorable bird spirit that had followed me around yesterday or the lion spirit that looked regal on a rock, or the stunning Clarice. Ah, but Clarice is a Spirit King, a cut above the average spirit, so maybe she’s an exception?

“If you’re going to come, at least bring some food; the hospitality here is lacking.”

“Let’s head out. I saw plenty of fruit outside. You won’t have to worry about toxins, just pick some and eat a few.”

*

As I snacked on some fruits from the trees in the forest, spirits began gathering around me to play. It even seemed that the word had spread about my fondness for girls, as I was surrounded by little ladies and girls. While the rumor wasn’t untrue, it was slightly embarrassing to be labeled a pervert just for liking girls.

Fortunately, they were all good kids, and after indulging in their playful antics, I realized it was time, so I headed back to the palace.

After all, I didn’t have anyone to guide me, so I followed the same path I took yesterday toward the center of the palace. It appeared unauthorized spirits couldn’t enter the palace; the spirits trailing behind me stopped and stared from a distance when I stepped inside.

Upon reaching the door, I could hear voices of the Spirit Kings conversing inside, which made me wonder if we were late. I exchanged a glance with Lindy and quietly opened the door to hear Clarice’s voice, who seemed to be in the middle of an animated discussion.

“I told you I’ll take responsibility, right? Just stop already!”

Just as expected. Clarice was really putting in the effort, perhaps because we had forged a bond last night.

 

---