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“I’m home!”

It was finally 11 p.m. by the time I made it back to the home I shared with Ibuki.

I wish those “voluntary” year-end parties — which are practically mandatory — would just disappear. I can’t stand those huge gatherings where people from different departments show up, because I end up getting dragged into pointless conversations with strangers I never talk to. It’s exhausting.

I try my best to give off “I’m not interested in talking to you” vibes, but some people still approach me like we’re old friends. What are they even hoping to achieve?

I mean, if I were as ridiculously cute as Ibuki, I could maybe understand it. But why would anyone be so persistent with someone as plain as me? Do they think I’m easy or something, like I’d cave if they pushed hard enough?

“Welcome back, Yukino!”
“I’m home, Ibuki.”

I was halfway through taking off my shoes when Ibuki came running to the front door from the living room, her footsteps pattering against the floor. It hadn’t been that long since she started greeting me like this, but I’d already come to appreciate how amazing it felt to come home to someone you love. I couldn’t imagine going back to living alone again.

“What did you buy?”
“Hmm? Oh, this? Just some alcohol and snacks I thought you might like, Ibuki.”
“Alcohol?”
“Yup. Do you want some, too?”
“I’m good… It seems like taking care of you is going to be enough of a hassle as it is.”

I slipped past Ibuki and headed to the living room while she eyed the alcohol with curiosity. It made sense — I usually didn’t drink at all, so this must’ve been surprising for her.

I actually liked drinking, but I avoided it because I always blacked out. Since I had no idea what I did while I was drunk, I made a rule never to drink around people I couldn’t trust. But Ibuki was the exception. The first time I drank was with her, after we both turned 20, and sometimes we’d still drink together. I felt safe letting my guard down with Ibuki — even if she pounced on me, I wouldn’t mind one bit.

“Alright! I couldn’t drink at the party, so I’m making up for it now!”
“Why didn’t you drink at the party?”

Ibuki didn’t seem interested in drinking herself, but she had no problem stealing the snacks I bought for myself. She grabbed the cheese I’d picked out as my personal treat and started eating it without a second thought.

“’Cause I didn’t know anyone well enough. And you know how I black out when I get drunk? So I don’t drink in front of people I don’t trust.”
“Does that mean you trust me?”
“Of course I do. There’s no one in this world I trust more than you, Ibuki.”

I was already starting to feel floaty. Maybe the alcohol I bought was stronger than I thought. I usually stuck to stuff with, like, 3% alcohol, but the convenience store was out of my usual brand, so I just grabbed whatever was left.

“Ugh, this is way too strong. Nine percent? This isn’t a drink for humans.”
“But you’re chugging it anyway.”

Drinking something three times stronger than what I was used to probably wasn’t a great idea. But I’d already opened it, and wasting it would be a shame. If I was going to crash halfway through, I figured I might as well down it all at once.

“But still… I’m your number one, huh?”
“Of course you are. I’ve spent more time with you than my own parents, and on top of that, you’re the person I love most in the entire world. How could I not trust you?”
“Wh-what’s with you all of a sudden?”

My head started to feel foggy. My vision blurred, the room spun, and I felt overwhelmingly sleepy. When I looked ahead, I saw four Ibukis, their faces flushed, spinning like a kaleidoscope.

“Huhhh? Ibuki multiplied?”
“W-wait, Yukino?!”
“Gotcha! Let’s see which one’s real!”

I dove at the cluster of Ibukis and, by pure luck, grabbed the real one on my first try. She let out a panicked yelp as I pinned her to the floor, but now that I’d caught her, the clones didn’t matter anymore.

“Heh heh heh. So cute. You smell so nice…”
“You’re way too drunk! And you’re spilling your drink everywhere!”
“I’m not drunk~. But I am sleepy, so I’m gonna sleep~.”
“Not here! Don’t fall asleep here!”

I vaguely heard Ibuki’s distressed voice, which was unusual, but I passed out before I could figure out why.

“Ugh… uuuuugh… my head hurts…”

The sunlight hitting my face was blinding, and it woke me up. I reached out, fumbling around for my phone on the nightstand, but couldn’t find it.

I forced my eyes open just a crack and lifted my head, only to realize I wasn’t in my usual bed.

“Wait, what? No way. Did someone take me home?”

I was pretty sure yesterday had been the company’s year-end party. I always made excuses to avoid drinking at work events, so did someone actually manage to get me drunk? I was always extra careful never to drink around people unless Ibuki was with me…

Heart pounding, I cautiously lifted the comforter. My suit was gone, and I was in nothing but my underwear. Oh no. No way.

“Oh, you’re finally awake, Yukino. It’s almost noon. I brought you some water — think you can drink?”
“…Ibuki?”
“Why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost?”

I glanced around more carefully and finally realized I was in Ibuki’s room. We usually slept in separate rooms and rarely went into each other’s spaces, so my foggy brain hadn’t registered it at first.

“Ugh… thank god…”
“What’s wrong?”
“I thought… I thought one of the guys from work had taken advantage of me…”
“…Huh?”

Ibuki tilted her head, completely confused, but she gently slid her hand around my back to help me sit up and drink the water she’d brought.

“It’s just… I don’t remember anything before I went to sleep, and my clothes are gone… Wait. Why am I almost naked in your room?!”

Okay, so clearly the “getting taken home by a coworker” theory was wrong. But that just made things more confusing. Why was I sleeping nearly naked in Ibuki’s bed? And why was she being extra sweet to me?

W-wait. Did we… in a drunken haze… take things to the next level? No way. Having my first time wiped from my memory would be the absolute worst.

“Redo! I demand a redo! Having my first time while completely wasted is way too depressing! Oh, but wait… people say it hurts the first time, right? So maybe I got lucky and skipped the pain… ? But if I don’t feel sore at all, does that mean nothing happened… ?”

I’d heard from my friends that even the morning after, it still hurt a little. If I didn’t feel any pain or discomfort, maybe nothing actually happened. Maybe I just got drunk, stripped on my own, and made a huge deal out of nothing… again.

“You seem super confused, but just so you know — I’m the one who took your clothes off.”
“I knew it!!!”
“Yeah.”

So it wasn’t a misunderstanding. Even though I couldn’t remember, it seemed like Ibuki and I had really crossed that line. If she’d done that, then it had to mean she felt something more than friendship for me… right?

“You passed out after spilling your drink everywhere, so I took your clothes off and threw you into my bed. I thought it’d be weird to go into your room without permission.”
“Oh… …………………………… Yeah. Okay. That makes sense. Got it.”

My hangover brain had gone on a wild trip, but yeah, when I thought about it normally, that checked out. And honestly, even if something had happened, there was no way Ibuki would’ve been the one taking the lead. If anything, I’d be the one making her cry. She probably didn’t even have that kind of knowledge.

“You okay?”
“Honestly? Not really.”

Mostly my brain, though.

“For now… maybe put some clothes on?”
“…Yeah. I’ll do that.”

Even though I’d just woken up, I already felt completely drained.

And as I struggled to get dressed, pressing a hand to my pounding head, I completely missed the way Ibuki looked away, her cheeks tinged a faint pink.

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