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Chirp chirp, I opened my eyes to the sound of birds beyond the open window. Naturally, the chirping birds weren’t ordinary birds but spirits that looked like birds. Even with the window open, they couldn’t come inside and were just perched on the windowsill, chirping away.

Hmm…

I must have overindulged in drinks again yesterday. I couldn’t recall anything about how the drinking party went. I distinctly remembered sitting across the table from Clarice, raising my glass to toast with her, but after that, it was a blank.

Surely I couldn’t have gotten drunk on just one drink; I probably drank enough for my memories to vanish into thin air. I’d done all sorts of preparations with water and snacks to drink less, yet here I am, completely wasted. Just how much did I drink…?

“Ugh… I messed up…”

Looking at Clarice, who was lying next to me and still mumbling in her sleep, it seemed she had too much to drink as well and couldn’t muster the courage to return to her room.

I stretched lightly and got out of bed. I half-expected to suffer from a hangover like yesterday, but strangely enough, I felt fine. No, I felt even more refreshed than usual.

I had definitely fallen asleep past midnight, so I should have been tired, and after drinking so much, I should have felt thirst, or at least a headache from a hangover, yet I felt absolutely none of that.

It was as if I had been sleeping like a good child, completely refreshed, not even a hint of dryness in my throat, and my mind was running perfectly fine.

Seeing that the Spirit King, Clarice, was still fast asleep, unable to shake off the effects of the alcohol, I felt a bit smug. Clarice snoring away was proof that my drinking capacity surpassed hers.

Cheesy as it may be, that’s just how men are. Still, it’s better than hearing, “You can’t drink as much as me!” Of course, even if I bragged about out-drinking the Spirit King, most people probably wouldn’t believe me, but just knowing it myself and feeling satisfied was enough.

Fully getting off the bed, I approached the spirits that were chirping by the window. As soon as I got closer, they started chirping busily to greet me.

Maybe it was because I drank Clarice’s tears, but unlike yesterday when I had no spirit sensitivity at all, today I could feel the spirits’ energy much more keenly. Yesterday, Clarice said my spirit sensitivity was limited to low-level spirits, but it was clearly different from the utterly useless time before.

While basking in the energy of my spirit sensitivity, I suddenly felt a strange sensation.

Compared to the energy I could feel last night, today’s spirit sensitivity felt a bit more vivid. Of course, it might just be my illusion since it’s still a newly felt power from just yesterday. Perhaps the effect of Clarice’s tears was gradually increasing over time.

But what if it’s not just that?

What if I drank another bottle of Clarice’s tears last night?

She had definitely said she only had one small bottle to give me, but what if there were hidden tears she kept away?

And what if, in her drunken state, she unconsciously let those tears out?

And what if I drank that…? Wouldn’t it explain the increased spirit sensitivity I experienced today?

Of course, all of this was just my speculation. But it was a rather convincing guess. In fact, recalling Clarice’s disappointed reaction when she saw my spirit sensitivity barely at the low-level, it held some considerable potential.

“Hmm…”

As I was diligently piecing everything together, I suddenly heard Clarice stirring behind me. When I turned my head, there she was, her expression dazed, just waking up. It looked like she, too, was trying to recall last night’s drinking festivities like I was.

Looking around confusedly, when her gaze met mine, Clarice was startled and her face flushed. It was no wonder she’d be embarrassed.

Clarice, who loved to party with drinks, had woken up late with her clothes disheveled while I was awake and looking fresh as a daisy. Anyone could tell I could out-drink her, which must have bruised the Spirit King’s pride.

“Are you awake?”

“Uh, yeah…”

“Yesterday was a lot of fun, wasn’t it?”

Clarice, stuttering and unable to admit it because of her pride, could only nod her head with a red face. Really, she had her cute sides, just as much as her beautiful appearance.

“Speaking of which, I heard the ritual to lift Lindy’s seal takes a few days. Did you know?”

“Yeah. Since it was quite a strong seal, it will probably take at least two or three more days.”

Well, it made sense that the Spirit King would know more details than I did. But the reason I brought it up wasn’t purely out of curiosity.

“Heh… that’s good.”

“Huh? Good?”

When Clarice tilted her head in confusion, I replied with a sincere smile, free of any pretense.

“Oh, come on now! You’ll have to drink again tonight.”

“Oh, tonight too…?”

“Unless you’re telling me, Spirit King Clarice… that you’re okay with just yesterday? If that’s the case, I’d be a bit disappointed.”

“More than yesterday…? I mean…”

As expected from Clarice, who loved her drinks, I touched her pride a little, and she responded with interest at the mention of another drinking session.

Since Lindy went to perform the ritual, we probably had about three days left at most.

If my guess was correct, if I drank with Clarice every day until Lindy returned, and if, like yesterday, she secretly brought out her hidden tears while drunk, wouldn’t that make my spirit sensitivity, which merely stayed at a low level, improve even further?

At least if I could reach intermediate spirit sensitivity, I would be able to meet the spirits that are cute, cool, and beautiful even in the material world.

Of course, I wasn’t going to force her to hand over her hidden tears or steal them. I’m not that shameless or bad. It’s just that by drinking together, she might willingly reveal them when she’s feeling good because of the alcohol.

Then again, the more I kept saying “tears,” the more I felt like I was trying to make Clarice cry, which was a bit uncomfortable.

“Um… Clarice, since we’ve been drinking the same liquor for two days, could you maybe bring something a bit stronger today?”

“Uh, what I have is already the strongest… Is that not good?”

“No, that’s not it. I just thought maybe we should try something a bit richer than yesterday.”

“Richer than yesterday…?”

See? She seemed so eager for another round that, even though she looked scared at my suggestion for stronger liquor, her eyes sparkled with excitement.

If we drank something with a higher alcohol content, she would surely get drunk faster, and her mood would lift further, allowing her to bring out her hidden tears without hesitation. Now that’s a win-win situation. I’d get the tears to boost my spirit sensitivity, and she’d enjoy her favorite drinking sessions every day.

“Alright! Flora is out right now anyway, so I’ll sneak a few bottles from Flora’s storage!”

Wait, that’s not what I meant by steal…

Well… I guess she wouldn’t be losing her reason over drinks, and they were good enough friends to share their things with each other freely.

*

After the ritual ended, Lindy returned. I could now summon high-level spirits whenever I wanted. Of course, there were minor restrictions, like female forms being forbidden, but those were trivial matters worth bearing.

“Sorry to keep you waiting! I apologize. It turned out erasing the old seal wasn’t too time-consuming, but placing a new one took longer than expected.”

“No, no. You did well. I only spent my time drinking with Clarice, after all.”

Lindy, who returned on the fifth day—one more day than expected—was all the more appreciated for taking an extra day as it allowed me to squeeze out another bottle of tears from Clarice.

I ended up receiving Clarice’s tears while tipsy, and I, too, was so drunk I couldn’t remember exactly how many bottles I still had hidden away. But this was enough. I had significantly increased my spirit sensitivity to the point I could potentially create a contract with an intermediate spirit, so anything more would be greedy.

Of course, since I just reached this level today, I hadn’t signed a contract with any spirit yet. Still, the contract didn’t necessarily have to be made in the Spirit Realm. While selecting a spirit in the Spirit Realm beforehand was compelling, there was a different allure in wondering which spirit I’d contract with in the material world.

By the way, from the very first day I visited the Spirit Realm until now, I have spent six consecutive nights partying. Although I had the goal of receiving Clarice’s tears… no, I had the goal of repaying the help I received from Clarice, it was truly a week of living like a carefree drinker.

All that said, I was lucky to be in decent condition after a week of heavy drinking. Having consumed so much, my body should be sending warnings to slow down, but instead, every morning felt so refreshing.

Strangely enough, it was Clarice, the Spirit King, who seemed to be the one tired every day. Yet, she was always readily agreed when I encouraged her to drink.

She could at least take a break once in a while… Though, on my end, getting more tears was also nice.

“So, shall we go?”

“Huh? We’re leaving right away? You’re not going to say goodbye to Silphy?”

“Forget it. Silphy helped throughout the process of the ritual, and since the contract isn’t terminated, I can summon her again regardless of her appearance.”

True, that makes sense.

“Right. Then let’s just say bye to Clarice. It’d be nice to see Flora too, but that might be difficult.”

As we made our way to Clarice’s room in the western palace, I saw her through the open door, looking dazed, staring blankly into space.

Knock knock, I knocked softly on the open door, startling Clarice into looking our way.

“Clarice! I’ve come to say goodbye! Lindy’s ritual is over, and it’s about time I head back.”

“I’m really grateful for everything, Clarice.”

Even though there was no invitation to enter, the door wasn’t closed anyway, so it didn’t matter. After a week of drinking together, we had grown close enough for her to forgive me for coming in.

“Uh… already? Yeah, I guess…”

If I felt melancholy about leaving Clarice, I couldn’t expect her to feel any different. For the past week, Clarice and I had become drinking buddies. Sure, I could barely remember anything thanks to all the drinking… but, it could be thought of as an indelible bond between our bodies and souls.

“Wait, just a minute!”

As I was about to leave, Clarice suddenly called out to stop us.

Turning around, I saw her fidgeting with her fingers nervously.

“Umm…”

“Is there something you want to ask?”

“Uh….”

Clarice seemed hesitant, wanting to say something but struggling to find the words. I wanted to wait for her, but after a few moments of silence, I nudged her a bit.

Of course, urging the Spirit King might be seen as disrespectful, but like I said before, I was practically her drinking buddy at this point. I’m sure she could brush this behavior off.

“Clarice? If you don’t speak up, I won’t know what you mean.”

“Y-yes!”

Rather than scold me, Clarice was so nervous that she even used formal speech with me.

“So… um, Elysia!”

“Yes, what is it?”

Fortunately, she seemed to gather her resolve, biting her lip before finally calling out my name.

“C-contract with me! Uh… now that Elysia’s spirit sensitivity has reached an intermediate level, under the assumption that we limit your power to the maximum, I can barely step out into the material world…”

“Wait, what?”

But what came out of Clarice’s mouth was completely unexpected, not just for me but for Lindy as well.

“No, more importantly, when did you gain spirit sensitivity, Elysia? And a contract with the Spirit King?”

“The whole spirit sensitivity thing is a bit complicated to explain… but I haven’t heard anything about a contract with Clarice…”

Seeing us flustered, Clarice hurriedly spit out her words in a mix of excitement and worry.

“That—uh, would be because I need to keep an eye on Lindy’s new restrictions! I trust Lindy, of course, but the other Spirit Kings… especially Truwell and Ignis, I’ve been told to watch closely! Even Ignis, who always talks about honor, said he wouldn’t mind losing face if it meant a contract with the Hero!”

It made perfect sense why Clarice would want to limit her power to the intermediate spirit level before making a contract with me.

“Well… it would make things easier if you’re assigned as a supervisor, so we’d be grateful for that…”

But Lindy’s concern made her voice slow, as though she sensed something fishy. She even threw me a doubtful glance. What is it? Why are you looking at me like that? Are you suspecting that I’ve collected dirt on Clarice and threatened her?

Of course, as a friend of spirits, I understand her concern, but I’m innocent. I merely drank with Clarice. I’d hate to be mistaken for someone like the old Lindy, a twisted lesbian, you know?

“Is it a no…?”

With her head deeply bowed, Clarice questioned in a soft voice. Although she tried to lift her gaze slightly, it was trembling. She musters up a lot of courage to speak now. After all, as someone who urged lifting Lindy’s seal, she couldn’t find a good reason to refuse Truwell and Ignis.

But even if she decided to send another spirit instead, she would probably have some worry about whether that spirit would tell the truth. Thus, she probably decided to endure the humiliation of taking on a contract with someone who barely has an intermediate spirit’s level.

Letting this offer go would surely lead Clarice to feel mighty embarrassed today. To be turned down by an intermediate Spirit Mage, even if she is a Hero, would be quite the blow.

But I had no intention of shaming Clarice. On the contrary, I felt gratitude since I gained my intermediate level of sensitivity thanks to her. So I stretched out my hand toward her.

“No way! I’m honored. I’m looking forward to working with you.”

As soon as I said the word “please,” Clarice’s face lit up with a bright smile as she clasped my hand in hers. Of course, given my limitations, she could only utilize the power of an intermediate spirit, so she wouldn’t be able to assist us greatly.

But so what? The very reason I wanted to sign a contract with a spirit was not for combat help, but because I was captivated by their cuteness, charm, and beauty.

In that regard, Clarice satisfied all my desires. She embodied beauty with a bright and cool personality, and deep within her, she revealed cute aspects now and then, all wrapped up in a stunning appearance.

In truth, the statement that I feel honored is no mere modesty.

“Hmm…”

So, couldn’t we put a stop to that suspicious look, Lindy?