Looks like Firefly was well aware that her mixology skills were, to put it kindly, not exactly top-tier.
So, after sliding the glass over to Sylvia with what she'd hoped was a cool flourish, she couldn't keep up the act herself and was the first to crack a grin.
Leaning forward with both hands on the bar, Firefly propped herself up.
Then, with a smile, she said:
"Try it, quick! Kafka taught me this a couple days ago. It's how she usually drinks—simple and tasty. Hehe~"
She was wearing relatively form-fitting clothes, which showcased her quite striking figure to its full advantage.
And now, leaning over the bar to get closer to Sylvia, bent at the waist, the simulated gravity of the starship did its work.
It made certain already prominent and ample features seem even more impressively sizable.
There was even a faint hint that they might strain against the fabric of her shirt.
Plus, the top two buttons of Firefly's shirt were undone—whether from discomfort or forgetfulness, who knows.
With her leaning in like this, bent forward…
Sylvia's eyes couldn't help but linger for several extra moments before she managed to wrench her gaze away from that profound valley.
So much so that Firefly's words nearly went in one ear and out the other.
A faint blush colored Sylvia's cheeks as she hurriedly lowered her head and took a sip from the glass.
Honestly, Sylvia didn't drink much, and she hadn't recognized what Firefly used while mixing it.
But once it touched her lips, it was far more pleasant than she'd expected.
Sylvia blinked, moved the glass away, glanced down at the liquid inside, then looked back at Firefly with surprise.
"It's… actually pretty good?"
"Of course! You totally thought it'd be bad just now, didn't you? Were you already planning how to politely choke it down?"
Firefly propped her elbows on the bar, furrowing her brows slightly and puffing out her cheeks as she glared at Sylvia.
It looked like she was complaining about Sylvia's earlier lack of faith.
Sylvia's tail flicked guiltily a few times behind her, a smile plastered on her face as she pretended not to hear.
She lowered her head and took another couple of sips.
Hmm, it really was quite nice.
I should make this for Mei sometime.
Though I'm not sure if she even likes drinking.
"Aha—! I knew that's what you were thinking!"
Firefly's cheeks puffed out even further.
Snapped back to attention by Firefly's voice, Sylvia took in her expression and, smiling, raised the glass, offering it to Firefly's lips.
Firefly took the glass, tipped her head back indignantly, and downed more than half of it in one go.
Only then did Sylvia speak up with a chuckle.
"Why would I think it's bad? I just meant I don't drink much, so the flavor was a surprisingly pleasant surprise."
"Really?"
"Absolutely."
Sylvia said this without a trace of guilt—it was a white lie, after all.
And she wasn't wrong. She truly hardly ever drank, and this drink's taste was unexpectedly good.
She'd just… omitted part of the reason.
Satisfied with Sylvia's confirmation, Firefly's pout melted back into a smile.
"Want some more then?"
Since she'd drunk most of it herself—whether out of embarrassment or the alcohol starting to kick in—Firefly's face was now flushed, and her eyes held a certain charming gleam as she spoke.
"Let's have another round."
Sylvia figured Firefly was a soldier, after all. From what she'd said, she'd probably had drinks with Kafka a few days prior, so her tolerance was likely fine.
So Sylvia didn't think much of it.
Some people just flushed easily—it didn't necessarily mean they were drunk. It varied from person to person.
And then…
Sylvia miscalculated.
Firefly's constitution was fairly tolerant; though her face stayed rosy, even after several glasses, she showed no real signs of tipsiness.
But she couldn't resist trying new things.
Not only did she seem unable to stop once she started, she also dragged the AI bartender into showing her all sorts of liquor behind the bar, learning a bunch of mixing methods in one go.
And of those concoctions—whether tasty or not—most ended up in Firefly's own stomach.
A smaller portion was drunk by Sylvia, and the truly disastrous attempts were promptly discarded.
So, unsurprisingly, the girl ended up completely sloshed.
"Hehe… ehehe… So many Sylvias… hic— But the one with the tail is the real one!"
"…"
Sylvia rested her chin on her hand, watching the drunken Firefly with a mix of amusement and exasperation.
The girl was flushed all over, now clutching Sylvia's tail tightly and nuzzling against it, as if savoring the cooler-than-body-temperature sensation.
Sylvia tried twitching it a couple of times and could even feel Firefly's surprisingly strong grip.
If she tried to pull it away forcefully, Firefly would just look up at her with these pitiful, pleading eyes.
As if Sylvia were committing some heinous crime.
"Whatever."
It's not like anyone else was around. Might as well let her be.
Sylvia instructed the AI to prepare something to sober her up.
Then she stood, using her tail to gently guide Firefly—hooking it around her—toward the sofa beside the bar.
"Ehehe—don't go~"
Firefly could barely walk straight now, but at least she remembered to hold onto the tail.
So Sylvia simply looped her tail around Firefly's waist, supporting her as she got up.
Right after drinking, a bath wasn't ideal.
But just dumping her into bed reeking of alcohol didn't sit right with Sylvia either.
Better to rest on the sofa for a bit.
Sylvia needed a break too.
She wasn't drunk, but after humoring Firefly's antics and drinking all that random assortment of cocktails, she felt a little lightheaded herself.
She sank into the sofa, and Firefly plopped down beside her.
But losing her balance, still clinging to the tail, she ended up sprawled across Sylvia's lap, giggling foolishly.
The sofa was spacious and comfortable—sleeping right here would probably be fine.
Sylvia took the glass of cool water brought over by the autonomous service bot and drank some.
Looking down at Firefly lying there, she used her tail to prop the girl up and offered her a drink too.
"Glug… can't drink anymore, Sylvia… hehe, we'll reach our destination tomorrow, let's go surfing! I'll, hic… I'll grill for you with SAM! Hehe…"
Firefly mumbled about being unable to drink any more, yet obediently swallowed the water Sylvia gave her.
Then, hugging the tail again, she started rambling.
"And if there are too many bugs at night… hic! I'll, I'll just set the sea ablaze! Hic…"
"…Is this Firefly's real personality?"
Sylvia blinked, staring at the dazed girl.
It seemed she really didn't know her well enough.
Come to think of it, Sylvia used to assume Firefly would feel embarrassed spouting lines like 'set the sea on fire.'
Seeing her now, it felt more like this kid genuinely thought it was cool, hence the battle cries.
Surely the weapons of the Glamoth Iron Cavalry didn't come with pre-recorded catchphrases for their ultimate moves.
This was probably eighty percent Firefly's own idea?
"Well… it's kind of cute, too."
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.