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“It’s time for the real CELEBRATION ~!” Mari Ohara smiled brightly as she re-entered her hotel penthouse suite. Twas the night of New Year’s Eve and to ring in the new year, she had invited her close friends and fellow members of Aqours over to her place to enjoy the night and catch Numazu’s annual fireworks display from a high, clear view. The night had been going great so far. Kanan, Dia and Ruby had been gushing over idols, Yoshiko was currently caught in a go fish five game losing streak against Hanamaru as Ruby kept score, You and Riko were discussing plans for costumes and song ideas in the new year and Chika had ended up dozing off lazily under the kotatsu. Mari herself had taken a moment to step out and grab something she figured would seasonal and, perhaps, a little bit funny. In her grasp was a curved, beige-colored bottle and nine saucer-like cups.
“Eh? Mari-san, I thought us sleeping over here for the new year was the celebration…” Dia questioned, a hint of concern in her voice. Given the fact that it was Mari herself that proposed and planned this whole thing, there had to be a catch.
“What’s that, Mari?” Kanan eyed the bottle in her blonde friend’s hand. The more she studied it, the more suspicious she became. “The bottle looks...familiar…”
“Ah! It does, zura~!” Hanamaru chirped up in surprise. “My grandmother has one that looks just like that! She keeps it in our cabinet for special gatherings and ceremonies, zura~!”
“Oho~?” Mari grinned, kneeling by the economy kotatsu she had purchased just for this very night and setting a saucer out before opening the bottle and gently pouring some of its contents out. The liquid within was clear, yet tinged a slight oak color. “Then how about you be our first tester, Hanamaru-chan~?”
Hanamaru blinked, taking the saucer and leaning close to get a whiff of the strange fluid. She sniffed once. Then twice. A third time for good measure, eyes closed in concentration. Ruby watched her with just as much curiosity as there was concern. “W-Well, Hanamaru-chan?...D-Does it smell okay?”
Hanamaru’s brow furrowed. “Mmm...It smells...pungent, zura…”
“Pungent…” Kanan repeated, the wires in her mind slowly connecting with one another.
“Almost...plum-like…”
“Plum-like...Pungent...served in a saucer…”
“It reminds me of something I saw served to samurai in a movie once, zura...I think it was...it was…”
“SAKE?! You seriously brought out sake?!?” Kanan blurted out.
“ WHAT ~?” Mari questioned with a smile. “It’s the last day of the old year, isn’t it? Tomorrow’s a chance for us to start with a clean slate again, so why not do something completely unorthodox~???”
“M-Mari-san, we’re too young to drink!” Riko stuttered. “This is my first time even seeing a sake bottle in person!”
“Not to mention it’s highly irresponsible!” Dia added in. “We’re school idols! Local ones! If word gets out they we touched alcohol, rumors could spread!” She immediately took hold of Ruby and dragged her in close to her defensively, her sisterly instincts kicking in, earning a shocked and surprised “PIGII!!” from her red-headed sibling. “And I am not letting a single drop of that hit Ruby’s tongue! She’s still a baby!!”
“O-Onee-chan, I...I-I appreciate you, but I’m in highschool now…”
“A HIGH SCHOOL BABY, DESU WA.”
“Rumors? We’re in my own personal penthouse for the night, out of public and surrounded by each other~! Mama and Papa have gone out for a romantic night on the town and the only other people close by is our kind, caring and well-paid staff~ We’re as secluded and safe from such risks as money can buy~!” Mari planted her hands on her hips proudly. She really did have this all figured out. “Besides, Hanamaru-chan looks like she’s enjoying herself~”
“Zzzzura…” All eyes fell on Hanamaru, who sat there obliviously, empty saucer in hand and a tiny tinge of red in her cheeks. “H-Huah...That...made my mouth all tingly...It was sort of spicy too, zura…”
“Hmph~” Yoshiko scoffed, a hand drawn over part of her face. “Such is the effect of dark energy on the soul of someone as pure and innocent as Zuramaru~ Don’t you all see? This is the unholy beverage of demons and underdwellers! This is truly Devil’s Water~!” She immediately grabbed a saucer for herself and held it up to Mari. “Mari-san! Bless me!!”
“Okie-dokie~!” Without even a second thought, she poured Yoshiko’s a saucerful as the self-proclaimed fallen angel immediately slurped the contents down.
“Y-YOCCHAN, NO!!” Riko cried out, but that couldn’t stop Yoshiko from finishing her first serving.
“Bweh~...Join us, Lily. surrender your soul to utter damnation before the light of the new year cleanses you back to purity~...hic…” Yoshiko beckoned, having another saucer poured out for her.
Riko glanced around the room. Hanamaru and Yoshiko were already on their second servings, Mari was insistently pouring out some for Kanan, Dia and Ruby, despite how much they protested...Sooner or later, she and You would be dragged into this, too. As if knowing, her fellow second year tugged on her arm amidst the commotion.
“Uh, Riko-chan? Should we wake up Chika, or…”
“N-No!” She whispered back. “Who knows how she’d take alcohol! Let her be and hopefully she sleeps through it all. If we get dragged down with everyone else, at least she’ll make it out in one piece!”
“Ah…” A bead of sweat rolled down her forehead as she glanced back to Chika, a dopey smile on her face as she snoozed peacefully and obliviously. “...Good point…”
Before they could discuss any further, Mari slid two more saucers of sake over to them. “Riko-chan, You-chan! LET’S TOAST ~!” Dia, Ruby and Kanan were all also holding their own saucers, their expressions varying from annoyance to begrudgement. Riko and you exchanged glances, nervously gulping before taking their saucers and raising them up. Mari took the lead from there.
“To Aqours~! To lifelong friends~! And to another SHINING new year~! KANPAI~!!”
As the others shakily echoed their friend’s cheer, Chika continued to sleep soundly through the entire ordeal…
“Mmn...I-I have a separate stomach....for mikans...Ehehe~” Chika’s vivid dream was interrupted when she felt something sizeable land right on top of her chest, stirring her awake. “Mnnhuh...Eh?...D-Did I sleep through the fireworks?” She looked around groggily before her eyes fell on just what fell on her, immediately recognizable by her dark crimson hair.
“Riko-chan…?” Chika poked her friend’s head curiously. “Oooi...Riko-chan? What time is it?”
“... Hic …” Riko hiccuped, staying slumped over Chika lazily. “Chika-chaaaan...When are we gunna get marriiiiiiied…”
“...Eh?...” Chika blinked before actually mulling over what she asked long enough for it to sink in. “...EH?!? W-What are you talking about, where did that come from?!”
“Hey...HeyHeyHey…” Riko finally turned her face to Chika’s. The orange-haired girl immediately knew something was wrong. Riko’s cheeks and nose were almost as red as her hair, her pupils clouded and unfocused. Her expression was also extremely un-Riko-like. At least it was to Chika. “If we get married...Z’at mean Shiitake ish my son-in-law…?”
“H-Huh? Riko-chan, are you okay-”
“I CAN’T DO THAT, CHIKA-CHAN!!” Riko suddenly shouted, grasping Chika’s collar with tears in her eyes. “I CAN’T HAVE A DOG THING AS A SON-IN-LAW I WON’T ALLOW IT!!! BUT I WANNA GET MARRIED!!!...BUT THE DOG!!!...WAAAHAAAAAH!!!”
“R-RIKO-CHAN?!” Chika struggled to wriggle out from under both the kotatsu and Riko, the latter weakly trying to grip onto Chika’s chest as she finally escaped. “How long was I asleep?! W-What happened to-...What are you doing…?” She noticed her friend slowly reaching up for her pajama pants, grabbing them by the waist and weakly tugging at them.
“Mmmngh... hic ...Gimme my mikan juice…~” Riko slurred, licking her lips.
“NO, STOP THAT!!” Chika immediately leaped out of reach, letting Riko flop back onto the floor with a lazy moan. Her face was just as flushed as Riko’s. “Uh, guys? I think something’s wrong with Riko-...chan…”
Two whole bottles of sake, emptied and laid on their sides on the kotatsu. Saucers once filled and re-filled with sake scattered around the floor. And finally, counting Riko, seven friends looked worse for wear and in the sorriest states Chika had ever seen them in, moaning, groaning, gurgling and hiccuping all the while.
“...W-What exactly did I miss…?”
“CHIKA...Who said you could shtand... ulp …” Kanan shouted, pointing straight at her childhood friend with an annoyed look. “You...You sit back down n’ wait...to be called on, Missy…”
“Kanan-chan...Not you, too…”
“That’sh Princess Kanan of The Dolphin Kingdom, THANK YOU VERY MUCH…” Kanan huffed angrily, crossing her arms and turning up her nose. “Hmph... hic ...Peasants…” She eyed Chika up and down with a scoff. “Pajamas? You wear pajamas in the...the presence of royalty?! If you don’t wear something...ngh...shomething more fitting, I’ll...feed you to the otters!! SO I DECREE!!”
Chika could only nod slowly. Her mind was racing to try and find a way to handle the situation. She glanced over to the Kurosawa siblings sitting next to Kanan. Dia was squeezing Ruby tightly, crying just as comically as Riko was prior. “Ruuuubyyyyyhyyyyy….I don’t want you to grow up I want you to- hic ...to stay small and cute and protectable forever, please don’t leave your Onee-san, pleeeease….!!”
As for Ruby, the usually timid and shy girl wore the most disgruntled look of all the girls. Her reddened cheeks were puffed out angrily as her sister snuggled her to bits. “Nnngh...Jeez, sis, stop bein’ such a...hff...such a worrywart...Ruby goes where she pleases...Ruby does what Ruby wants...RUBY IS HER OWN WOMA- URP …...Ssshut up…”
Chika’s right eye began to twitch as she swapped her gaze over to the other trio at the kotatsu. You was currently face down on the table alongside Hanamaru. The only one not seemingly passed out was Yoshiko, who stood and stumbled over them ranting and praising her heart out. Though unlike her usual dark mantras and worshippings…
“OH MIGHTY GOD ABOVE! PLEASE HAVE MERCY ON THE SOULS THAT I, THE MESSENGER ANGEL SAINT YOHANE, HAVE DEEMED PURE AND DESERVING OF YOUR LOVE~! Hic ...T-THEY DO NOT KNOW SIN! THEY SHOULD BE GRANTED ETERNAL HAPPINESS IN THE KINGDOM OF LIGHT HIGH ABOVE HUMANITY~!!”
You twitched for a moment. Was she awake? Did she sleep off the sake’s effects? Either way, all Chika saw was a potential savior for her as she moved closer, reaching out to pat her shoulder. “You-chan?...Please tell me you’re not-”
“THERE I WAS!” You’s hands slammed against the table as she looked up with a fierce sense of adventure in her clouded, drunken eyes. “Me and me shipmates gathered on the deck! The typhoon and rain pounding our ship like a war drum! We looked to the open waters where the giant wave had erupted from when we finally saw it!!” She cheered, a small belch escaping her lips as she raised her hands to the sky. “THE GREAT WHITE WHALE HERSELF!! I grabbed me net in hopes of capturing the elusive beast! ‘YOUSOUROOO!!!’ I cried! And then-”
“ZURRRAAAAA!!!” Hanamaru shouted next, looking as groggy as everyone else. Unlike You, it did look like the country girl had tried to fall asleep. “Zura... hic ...Zuraaaa…”
“What’s that you say, First Mate Zura???” You shakily lifted her leg up and planted her foot on the table, leaning against her knee like a pirate as she bent down to listen closer to Hanamaru’s single-word communication. “You want me to start over again???”
“Z-Zurrraaaa…” Hanamaru simply groaned, going back to her face-down position and attempting to go back to sleep.
“Well I thought ye’d never ask~!!” You grinned stupidly, raising her fist to the sky. “THERE I WAS!! ME AND ME SHIPMATES GATHERED ON DECK!!”
Yoshiko only continued to sing praises to the ceiling. “PRAISE BE TO THE ALMIGHTY ABOVE FOR SPARING THE SOUL OF THIS HUMBLE SAILOR AND HER VALIANT CREW~! SO PRAISES SAINT YOHANE~!!”
Chika looked back over the scene before her with an exasperated and stressed sigh. When she dozed off, everything was normal, just like every other time the girls would gather together. Now? It was a total madhouse...A madhouse that was seemingly missing somebody.
“...Okay, so...where is Mari-chan?”
“Did someone ask for me~?” On cue, Mari walked back into the penthouse living room, rubbing her hair down with a towel and clad in her own set of pajamas. It looked like she had just gotten out of the bath. Unlike the others, she seemed perfectly fine, save for a very light tinge of red on her face. “ OH ~! Chikacchi’s finally awake~! Just before the new year begins, too~”
“Enough about me, Mari-chan! What did everyone else do?!” She asked, pointing to the emptied bottles on the kotatsu top. “Is that what I think it is?!”
“A-Aaah...Mmh~” Mari nodded, glancing away awkwardly. “Ahaha~ I guess not everyone can hold their sake as well as I can.” She stuck her tongue out both playfully and apologetically. “You were still asleep, so I thought maybe I’d just leave them to work it through their system while I cleaned up for the night...Thooough it looks like you weren’t as light a sleeper as I thought~”
“Mou, Mari-chaaan!!” Taking her elder by the shoulders, Chika shook her back and forth desperately, her expression pleading for a hint of sanity from her friends again. “Isn’t there something we can give them to make them stop acting like this?! There has to be, right??? I mean, you can afford anything!!”
“Mmh...Anything but sobriety, Chikacchi~” Mari winked. “We just have to leave them be until they fall asleep. They’ll be back to normal in the morning...Hung over, but normal~” She nodded nonchalantly before shuffling off to the balcony.
“EH?!...Mari-chan?! W-WAIT, YOU CAN’T JUST LEAVE ME HERE WITH-”
“Chiiikaaaa-chaaaan…” Riko clung to Chika’s leg tightly, nuzzling it up and down with a doofy grin. “Can we go to Hawaii for our honeymooon…~? Dogs can’t swim that far...We’ll be safe from Shhhhiitake…~”
“LIEUTENANT CHIKA~!” You followed up Riko by slinging an arm around Chika’s shoulders. “Let me unravel fo’ ye the tale of the time me and me crew faced the great white whale! IT’S HANAMARU’S FAVORITE STORY!!”
“NO ONE’SH TELLIN’ STORIES UNTIL- HIC -EVERYONE CHANGES INTO CLOTHES BEFITTING TO BE IN THE PRESENCE OF THE DOLPHIN PRINCESSH!!” Kanan then declared from behind, tugging at Chika’s shirt. “CHANGE OR OFF WITH YOUR LEGS!!”
“Ah~!” From outside, Mari could see the first bursts of the fireworks lighting up the sky, rainbows of color illuminating the night beautifully. She quickly glanced to one of the clocks on the wall: 12:01 AM. “It’s officially the first day of the new year! We made it~!” She spun around excitedly to face her friend, striking a cute pose for emphasis. “Everyone~! Congratulations and HAPPY NEW YEAR ~!”
Chika could only chuckle wearily under her breath. Three of her closest friends were clung drunkenly to her, the other four were stuck in their own alcohol-fueled stupors and the final one was celebrating as if nothing was even happening. The lead idol slumped, a smile of defeat creeping over her face. “H-Happy New Year, everyone...Eheheh...heh…”