"That was so good…" Soren leaned back in his chair, one hand drifting to his stomach as he patted it with satisfaction.
The food had been genuinely incredible: tender meat, rich sauces, warm bread, and side dishes that tasted as if they had been prepared by someone who took personal offence at the concept of mediocrity.
"It better be, for what it cost." Felix scowled, eyes flicking to the receipt the waiter had left behind like it was a personal betrayal.
Soren chuckled.
"Hey, relax. I told you already, I'm covering the bill tonight."
Felix's scowl deepened, but the edge of it looked more stubborn than truly angry.
"Do you even have that much?"
Soren turned his head slightly, giving Felix a look that said, "Really?"
"You should know better than anyone that I do."
The moment the gambling den was mentioned, even indirectly, Felix's entire posture stiffened.
He clamped his mouth shut so quickly it almost looked painful, eyes darting away as if the memory itself might bite him.
Soren's grin widened.
"Oi!" Esper suddenly slid in between them with the energy of a stage performer, arms wide like she was about to announce a festival. "What's with the doom and gloom? We're here to have fun!"
"Right, right," Soren said, still amused.
"Anyways! Cutie!"
"Yeah?"
Esper leaned forward, eyes shining.
"When!"
Soren blinked.
"When what?"
"When are we ordering drinks?"
Soren pinched the bridge of his nose as if he could physically squeeze the headache out.
"Seriously, do we really have to…?"
"Yes."
"Yep!"
"Yeah."
Three voices rang out at once.
Esper's was the loudest, Felix's was the most eager, and Amelia's was, somehow, delivered with the calm certainty of someone stating the sky was blue.
Soren exhaled through his nose.
"Those two I get, but you as well, Amelia?" he sighed, gesturing vaguely at Esper and Felix.
Amelia took a slow sip of water, then set the glass down with unhurried precision.
"Alcohol is nice."
"...Fair enough, I guess," Soren admitted, even though he didn't understand how she could say that so neutrally.
He glanced across the table.
"And the rest of you?"
Alex leaned back in his seat, eyes half-lidded like he could fall asleep at any second if he chose to.
"Whenever's fine," he said flatly.
"M-Me too!" Olivia squeaked, sitting up straighter as if the question had startled her.
Lilliana gave Soren a small smile, hands folded neatly in her lap.
"Same here, Ren."
Esper clapped her hands once, decisive.
"That settles it. We're ordering now!"
"...Fine, you win," Soren muttered, surrendering without further struggle.
He raised a hand and called the waiter over, letting everyone rattle off their orders.
Felix immediately went for something strong and expensive, as if he were trying to make a point.
Esper ordered with a grin, describing what she wanted as if she were telling a story.
Amelia picked something bluntly and confidently.
Olivia hesitated, then chose something light.
Lilliana quietly requested something modest.
Alex just said, "Beer," like it was a chore.
Finally, the waiter turned to Soren.
"And for you, sir?"
Soren paused.
His mind automatically flicked through every reason he didn't want to drink.
The taste.
The smell.
The way it pulled memories closer instead of pushing them away.
The way his body remembered the habit even when he didn't want it to.
Still… he had come out with them.
He had insisted he was fine.
He couldn't exactly sit here with a cup of water like a child while everyone else had fun.
He forced his expression into something casual.
"Do you have any wines?"
"Of course, sir." The waiter's smile was polite and professional. "We carry a range of reds, whites, and rosés. Would you like me to—"
"Cheapest red you've got, thanks."
The waiter didn't even blink at the sudden downgrade.
He just nodded smoothly.
"Very well. Your drinks will be here momentarily."
He bowed and left.
The second the door shut, two pairs of eyes snapped onto Soren like he had performed a magic trick.
"H-He actually got Cutie's gender correct?"
"He called Soren sir?"
Esper and Felix stared at him as if they had witnessed divine intervention.
Soren leaned back with a smug grin, enjoying this far more than he should have.
"Guess all that training's finally paying off."
""""...""""
The table went dead silent.
Soren's grin faltered.
Tug. Tug.
He looked down to find Lilliana gently shaking her head, her expression small but firm.
"That's not why," she whispered.
"...It's not?" Soren asked, momentarily thrown.
She shook her head again, the motion careful, like she didn't want to embarrass him further.
Soren straightened in his seat, clearing his throat.
"Since everyone's here, can I ask something?" he said, scanning the group as if bracing himself.
A few nods.
A few curious looks.
Soren hesitated for a beat longer than necessary, then pushed through.
"Do I really look that much like a woman?"
Felix didn't even give him the dignity of a pause.
"Not just look," he muttered.
"...What?" Soren's head snapped toward him.
Esper immediately joined in, bright and delighted.
"The trash is right! Your voice is cute too!"
"Stop calling me trash!" Felix barked.
"But it's true!" Esper insisted, then turned back to Soren like this was a compliment that deserved appreciation. "Your face is cute, your voice is cute, your whole vibe is cute—"
Soren held up a hand like he could block the words physically.
"No. Stop. Someone back me up here, please?"
Amelia, traitorously, spoke next.
"It's true."
Soren's eyes widened.
"You too?!"
"It's fine, though, I like your face," she muttered lazily.
Olivia shrank slightly, looking guilty.
"I thought you were a girl for a while…" she mumbled, cheeks faintly red.
Lilliana's smile turned apologetic.
"...Sorry, Ren."
Even Lilliana.
Soren slumped forward, one elbow on the table.
'Is it really that bad…?'
Then, like a ray of salvation, Alex spoke.
"Well, I knew you were a guy from the start. You just… gave off that impression."
Soren's head snapped up so fast it almost looked desperate.
"Really?" he asked a little too eagerly.
Alex scratched his cheek, his eyes drifting away as if he didn't want to overexplain.
"Well, I mean… you don't act like a girl at all."
Felix leaned in with a grin that was entirely too pleased with itself.
"Translation, you're an asshole, little hedgehog."
"I didn't say that," Alex replied, tone flat but not denying it either. "Just… his personality's unique."
"Wow, harsh," Felix deadpanned.
"Ugh…"
He groaned and planted his face on the table.
If his ears were red, no one needed to comment on it.
He could already feel the heat.
'So I'm cute, my voice is cute, and my personality is… unique.'
He heard Esper snickering.
Felix sounded offended on his behalf for about half a second, then amused again.
Amelia quietly sipped her drink like the conversation didn't concern her.
Then Esper perked up suddenly, eyes glinting with fresh mischief.
"Professor Roseblood?"
"Yes, Miss Rup—Esper?" Lilliana corrected herself quickly, still flustered from earlier.
"Doesn't Stellaris Academy hold a crossdressing competition at the festival?"
A cold sweat ran down Soren's back.
Slowly, very slowly, he raised his head, his expression turning into something genuinely fearful.
"...No."
"Cutie?" Esper's voice went sweet in the most dangerous way.
"N. O."
"Hee~"
"I said no."
Soren's tone sharpened, the iron resolve in it immediate.
That only made it worse.
Everyone's eyes lit up like they had been handed a gift.
"He'd win for sure," Felix said casually, like he was stating a fact.
"Soren would look adorable," Esper added, practically vibrating with excitement.
"It wouldn't even be close…" Olivia murmured, sounding horrified by her own imagination.
But Soren cut them off before they could build momentum.
"Not. Happening."
"Boo!" Esper whined dramatically.
Their pleas bounced cleanly off his refusal.
Olivia tried a different angle, turning to Alex with hopeful eyes.
"What about you, Alex?"
"...I'd rather not."
"B-But I want to see…"
Alex stared at her.
"..."
Olivia visibly wilted.
Esper turned to Felix, grinning like she already knew the answer.
"Mr Trash?"
"Is that even a question?" Felix scoffed.
Esper's grin widened further.
"Heh."
Felix's eyes narrowed.
"See, even just thinking about it, you're already laughing."
"But now I'm curious, hehe."
"Why should I care?"
Knock knock.
The waiter returned like a divine rescue, carrying a tray with practised balance.
"Here are your orders."
"Drinks!" Esper cheered.
"Yippee!" Felix added shamelessly.
"Finally," Amelia said, sounding genuinely pleased.
The alcohol enthusiasts accepted their bottles like they had been waiting their whole lives.
The others took theirs more calmly.
"Thank you," Lilliana said politely.
"Enjoy your evening, sir."
The waiter bowed toward Soren again, then vanished.
"Ren?" Lilliana spoke hesitantly, staring at her glass.
"What's up?"
"Why didn't you want to drink?"
The room fell quiet.
It wasn't an accusation.
It wasn't prying for the sake of gossip.
It was concern, genuine, careful concern.
Everyone had wondered, yet no one had dared ask.
Soren rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly aware of how many eyes were on him.
"It's not a great reason," he said, trying to make it light. "I don't really want to drag the mood down."
Because if he explained even a fragment of his old life, it would sink its teeth into the room.
It would shift the air from playful to heavy, and he didn't want that.
They had come out to have fun.
He didn't want to ruin it.
But instead of letting it go…
"I wanna hear!" Esper said immediately.
"Me too," Felix added, far too casually.
"Spit it out already," Amelia said, tone flat like this was the logical next step.
"If you'd rather not, that's fine…" Lilliana started, then met his eyes with gentle honesty, "…but I'd like to know as well, Ren."
Olivia nodded quickly.
"Are you sure?" Soren asked cautiously.
"Yep!" Esper grinned. "So spill it already."
Soren sighed, defeated.
"You guys don't give up, do you… Fine."
He paused, gathering his words, trying to find the safest version of the truth.
"Short version?" he began. "I only have bad memories of alcohol. Most times I drank, it was to forget something."
His gaze flicked briefly to Lilliana, and for a moment, the memory of that night, stumbling through streets with his head full of static, rose up like a ghost.
"And the long version?" Esper pressed, leaning forward.
Soren hesitated, then looked around the room.
To his left, Amelia leaned against him slightly, already sipping her drink without a hint of hesitation.
To his right, Lilliana watched him with patient warmth, like she would sit here all night if that's what it took.
Felix and Esper were pretending to drink, but the way they kept sneaking glances at him made it obvious they weren't fooling anyone.
Opposite him were Alex and Olivia.
Olivia's lips opened and closed as if she wanted to say something but couldn't find the right moment.
Alex stared, silent, not pushing.
The room was filled with people he never would have thought he could befriend.
A princess.
A duke.
A Hero.
People who, in the original world of Ivansia, would have been untouchable.
Yet here they were, sharing drinks and listening to him like he mattered.
It made Soren realise, again, just how much had changed since he had transmigrated.
A small smile tugged at his lips before he could stop it.
"It was a while ago," he began, voice quieter now, "but I had a friend I was close to."
He swallowed.
"She helped me at my lowest. She was basically my saviour. We lived together for a long time…"
'It's a good job Louise isn't here,' he thought bitterly.
If she were, she would notice the contradictions immediately.
She would see the gaps.
"Then one day someone approached me," he continued.
His smile turned bitter, the image of that person's face flashing in his mind like a bad dream.
"She was… deranged. Completely insane."
He exhaled slowly.
"She didn't like how close we were. So she framed my friend. Ruined her."
His voice tightened, and he hated that it still could.
"She became a shut-in. Hurt herself. Shut everyone out… until I confronted the one behind it."
His fingers curled slightly around his glass.
"And she told me she'd done it for me."
He took a sip to wet his dried-out throat.
Although he had come to terms with what had happened in the year since, that didn't mean it stopped hurting when he remembered.
And with the Wraith's curse bringing those old feelings back to the surface, the emotions were sharper, closer, like they were happening again instead of being far away in the past.
He let out a deep breath and forced himself to continue.
"At some point after that, my friend's parents said they were going to take her back home to look after her."
His gaze dropped to the table.
"And I… I ended up telling her what that person had said. That she did it for me."
His jaw clenched.
"She didn't respond. Not to me, not to anything."
His throat felt tight.
"Then her father arrived and took her home."
For a while, there was nothing.
No message.
No update.
No sign of life.
"I didn't hear from her for ages," Soren said quietly. "And I just… hoped she was doing better."
Then he bit his lip hard enough to sting.
"…One night she suddenly sent me a message."
The memory landed like a stone.
"She said she trusted me. Said she liked being with me."
His grip on the glass tightened.
"And then… she blamed me. Said it was my fault."
He forced himself to keep speaking, even though his stomach churned.
"I tried replying. Apologising. Explaining. Whatever."
His voice was rough now.
"But by the next morning she was… gone."
Silence weighed heavily over the table.
Soren stared into his glass, the wine's surface reflecting the warm room's lights like a lie.
"After that," he finished, voice low, "I drank. A lot."
He let out a strained laugh that didn't sound like him.
"That's the end of the story. Sorry. Told you it was depressing."
He still didn't look up.
He couldn't.
The group stayed quiet for a moment longer.
Then Felix's blunt voice cut through, as tactless as ever.
"...Wow, you weren't kidding."
Esper's head snapped toward him.
"Mr Trash, read the room."
"But I'm right?"
"That's not the point, you living garbage."
"That's so harsh!" Felix protested. "Am I not allowed to point out facts?"
"Shut up," Amelia growled, her tone suddenly sharp.
"This is unfair!" Felix shot back, wounded in the most dramatic way possible.
Soren blinked and then let out a small laugh, surprising himself.
It slipped out before he could stop it.
Watching them bicker, watching Esper glare and Felix whine, and Amelia shut him down with a single word…
The knot in his chest loosened.
'What was I so worried about…?'
Lilliana's voice cut through gently.
"Thanks for telling us, Ren," she said softly. "I'm glad you're better now."
"I am," Soren replied before he even thought about it.
The words were simple.
But they were true.
"That's good," Lilliana said, smiling.
Olivia and Alex stayed quiet, but their silence wasn't cold.
It felt careful, like they were letting him have the space without making it heavier.
"Alright, enough sap," Felix groaned, already grabbing his drink. "Can we drink already?!"
"Go ahead," Soren said, exhaling.
"Finally!" Esper threw her arms up. "Let's get wasted!"
The night descended into chaos.
————「❤︎」————