Chapter 15 A Drinking Party with Colleagues and a Former Student (3)

A Drinking Party with Colleagues and a Former Student (3)

—About an hour had passed since the drinking party began.

It was the time when the alcohol was flowing, and people were becoming more talkative.

When the topic of my divorce came up, I spoke honestly about the situation.

And with that, the drinks continued to flow—

“I’ve decided, Shintaro!! I’m gonna crush the enemy who made you cry~!!”

“For once, I agree~. I’m pretty good at cleaning up messes, you know~? Hehe… trash like your wife shouldn’t exist in society, right? Right, Shin-chan…?”

“Wait, Shin-chan? Sahara-san, your tone is slipping. And you two, it’s fine—your feelings are enough, okay?”

“What are you saying, Shintaro!! A man’s enemies must be punished! Loose women must be eradicated!!”

“Fufufu…”

And just like that, Sahara-san and Atsushi had gone completely off the rails.

It seemed like their usual workplace stress had added fuel to the fire, and now their words were growing more and more extreme.

Atsushi had downed several drinks, while Sahara-san hadn’t even finished one, yet here we were.

I appreciated their anger on my behalf, but their slurred speech was starting to worry me.

When I glanced at Kanade, she wore the same awkward smile, as if thinking the same thing.

“Oh dear~, they’re completely wasted~.”

“Yeah. But I didn’t expect both of them to be this weak with alcohol.”

“Haha… I’m surprised too. But hey, at least we got to see a new side of them.”

“A new side…? Won’t they just regret this later as an embarrassing memory?”

“Well, that’s just how drinking parties go! Sometimes people need to mess up to realize things about themselves. Ah, but Ariga-cchi and I have to pace ourselves, or it won’t be funny if we all pass out.”

“Haha, you’re always so considerate, Kanade.”

“You can compliment me more, you know~?”

“Alright, alright. Good girl.”

She held her head out for me to pat, and I complied, ruffling her hair lightly.

“Ehehe~.”

She giggled happily and then snuggled up right next to me.

It might have been the alcohol, but the distance between us felt unusually close.

I felt a gaze and turned my head, only to see Kanade grinning at me.

“Hey, Ariga-cchi, did you know?”

“Know what?”

“When people are drunk, they tend to become more talkative and say what they’re really thinking. Things they usually can’t say out loud.”

“Is that so…? Well, it’s kind of embarrassing seeing them so genuinely angry on my behalf…”

“Fufu, you’re lucky to have such good friends~.”

“Friends…friends, huh. Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“…?”

—Do I have friends?

If someone asked me that, I wouldn’t be able to answer right away.

I have coworkers and juniors I get along with, but calling them “friends” feels a bit off.

As an adult, it feels like the word “friends” gets replaced by “colleagues” or “companions.”

The rest are people with shared hobbies or interests.

That’s why I think the term “friends” is something that naturally comes from being a student.

I used to have friends too.

Friends I was close to in high school. People I talked to a lot at the beginning of college…

But now, I’ve lost touch with all of them.

It’s fair to say that it’s my fault things turned out this way.

I was a mess back then…

“Which is more important, your girlfriend or your friends!?”

“That’s…”

Faced with that sudden question, I couldn’t come up with a good answer and fell silent.

And then, the words she said to me…

“You can’t even answer right away… I’m done!! I guess I’m worthless to you!!! I’ll just disappear!!”

She burst into tears, throwing a tantrum.

Back then, I had no idea what to do, and I was panicking.

No matter what I said, she wouldn’t listen—she just kept crying.

And in the heavy atmosphere that made it feel like she might actually follow through on her words… I got completely swallowed up.

After that, things only got worse, and I ended up complying with her every demand.

Or rather, I was forced to comply.

At least, that’s how it feels now when I look back on it.

…Why am I thinking about this now?

Because of all that, my ex-wife deleted all my friends' contacts from my phone.

Of course, she also forbade me from using social media.

…Haah, it’s honestly just awful.

As I sighed deeply, a bright voice cut through the darkness. “From now on, let’s do our best!”

Her cheerful expression seemed to blow away my gloomy thoughts, and I couldn’t help but smile.

Suddenly, Atsushi threw an arm around my shoulders.

At the same time, Sahara-san slammed her glass onto the table in front of her.

“Shintaro—? Listen carefully~.”

“Okay, okay. Here, Atsushi. Drink some water.”

“Haha, you’re so kind~. A man who’s this considerate is just amazing!!”

He laughed grandly, “Gahaha,” giving me a hearty slap on the back.

He was so drunk he didn’t realize how hard he was hitting me—it really hurt…

“Women like that think the world revolves around them. Be careful, Shintaro!”

“That’s right, Shin-chan! She might show up out of nowhere and say, ‘This is my house!’ or something.”

“Exactly! From what I’ve heard, she seems to have quite a fairytale-like mindset, so she’ll definitely do something unexpected!”

“Ugh, just thinking about it makes me mad again…”

“Well, thanks, both of you. But still, I have my own share of responsibility, so I can’t just—”

““No, no, no! You did nothing wrong!!””

“O-okay…”

Their overly passionate responses made me hesitate.

…Someone, please stop these two drunkards.

But my plea was ignored, and Kanade seemed to be enjoying the situation with a bright smile.

“If she doesn’t want you, then I’ll take you, Shin-chan~.”

“I, I want him as a wife too~! Make me food~…”

“No, I won’t lose! Shin-chan will cook for me…!”

““Grr!…””

After their outbursts, both of them crashed, fast asleep.

Their sleeping faces looked so innocent, it was kind of endearing.

I felt such a scene was heartwarming.

Honestly, they’re such a lively pair.

“In a way, they’re perfectly in sync…”

“Ahaha! Maybe so! Or rather, Ariga-cchi, you’re quite popular~.”

“What they’re saying makes it sound like they want a housekeeper though.”

“True! Hmm, if you’re tired, you can take a nap, Ariga-cchi. I’ll wake you when it’s time to go.”

“No, I’m fine. I kind of want to enjoy this vibe a little longer.”

“I see… Hehe, you’re experiencing youth, Ariga-cchi~.”

“Uh… is this what youth is?”

“Fufu, who knows?”

Her meaningful smile lingered.

I don’t understand what that smile means.

But still… this isn’t bad.

Nights like this—

Carefree, full of laughter, with nothing weighing us down—

I tilted my glass back and took another sip.