The chestnut haired girl smiled and patted the utterly bewildered Jenny on the shoulder.
Then she turned back to Kabe and explained kindly:
"Mister Kabe, even though Jenny and Aries are both newcomers, Jenny is the one Lady Karen personally picked as her successor and the future top star of Blue Pegasus.
"With the two of them serving you together, I believe you will have a much more pleasant experience."
Once she finished, the chestnut haired girl gave a small bow and briskly left the three of them there, leaving Jenny standing alone, stunned.
Kabe had just been thinking that the atmosphere between him and Aries was a little too dry.
Now that there was one more person to dilute the awkwardness, and considering the tab would be picked up by Makarov in the end, he accepted without hesitation and beckoned to Jenny.
"We meet again, Miss Jenny. Please, have a seat."
Jenny answered with a miserable little "okay", then reluctantly sat down beside him and started pouring drinks for the three of them like a robot.
Kabe took the glass that had just been filled and set it down in front of Aries.
At that, Aries' face instantly showed a hint of panic.
Kabe, who had been watching her closely, asked at just the right moment:
"What is wrong, Aries? Do you not like this drink?"
"N no. I am fine. I like it a lot."
Her mouth said that, but she looked like she was about to cry.
What do I do? I have never drunk alcohol in my life!
The very next second, Kabe happily raised his glass and suggested:
"Let us all have one together."
It did not matter to him why Aries had come to work as a hostess. He had paid for the service and the staff were arranged by the guild.
Why think so hard about it? He might as well just enjoy himself.
This was a job shift, and Jenny could not refuse the way she had yesterday.
And since it was work, and Kabe was her guest, no matter how bad her impression of him was, she had to give it her all and behave professionally.
She immediately put on a smile and clinked her glass against his.
"Yesterday I was still regretting not getting to drink with Mister Kabe. I did not expect the chance to come so quickly.
"Mister Kabe, I will drink first."
With that, Jenny tipped her head back and downed the glass in one go.
Even Kabe could not help putting his glass down to applaud her.
"Miss Jenny, that was impressive. I cannot be stingy then."
He followed up by draining his own glass in one shot, which drew Jenny's polite praise in response.
After a round of insincere but smooth business flattery, the two of them suddenly realized there was still a third person here.
They turned at the same time and looked at the fidgeting Aries sitting beside them.
…
Jenny had already noticed something was off.
She had been in the guild for over a month, yet she had never seen this so called "new girl" before.
Now she watched Aries fumble around, unable to even do basic hostess work or provide any emotional support, sitting there dumbly clutching her glass.
Jenny could only shake her head in her heart.
This girl really does not seem cut out for this line of work at all.
Our manager is too bold. That brave soul actually sent someone like this to serve a client who is both the guild master's guest and a famous name in the magic world.
Feeling a bit of responsibility as the "senior," Jenny proactively tried to guide Aries.
"Aries, right? Relax. Just treat it like drinking with friends, the way you usually do.
"Come on, I will drink another with you and we can toast to Mister Kabe together."
She raised her freshly filled glass again.
Kabe wore an easy smile and lifted his own.
"Do not call me mister. Just call me by my name."
"… Kabe, we toast to you."
Watching them clink glasses a second time, Aries knew she could not just sit and stare anymore.
She bit down lightly on her lip, raised her own glass, and drank it in one gulp.
"Nice. I did not expect you to hold your liquor this well, Aries."
Kabe immediately rewarded her with another round of applause.
It was his first time drinking with a celestial spirit, after all.
Even though Aries' performance was not exactly professional, the novelty alone was enough to satisfy him.
Seeing her "junior" finally getting the hang of things and Kabe looking pleased, Jenny quietly sighed in relief and began diligently refilling their glasses.
After that first drink, Aries frowned a little, then smacked her lips in surprise.
Huh, it is sweet and fizzy.
It is like fruit juice that is not quite as sweet.
It seems alcohol is not as awful as everyone says.
The innocent little white sheep had no idea that there are many kinds of alcohol.
And the champagne Kabe liked to order was nothing more than the appetizer before the real show.
Even as an appetizer, its aftereffects were plenty strong.
It was a trick Kabe had picked up from the old degenerates in his own guild.
It was tailor made for girls who did not know anything about drinking and had low tolerance.
To be fair, Kabe did not intend to do anything to the two girls.
In his mind, they were professional hostesses. Surely they could handle at least this much.
After four or five rounds, the three of them gradually relaxed.
"Just drinking is boring. How about we play a little game?"
Now that she had loosened up, Jenny pulled out a deck of cards she kept in the booth and suggested cheerfully.
Kabe had no objections, and Aries did not understand anything but nodded along out of curiosity.
Seeing that both agreed, Jenny was secretly delighted and began to shuffle and deal while explaining the rules.
"We will keep it simple and just play high card. Whoever loses can either drink or answer a question. How does that sound?"
"Oh? Just answering questions?"
Kabe gave her a wicked little smile that made Jenny "shyly" swat his shoulder with a light punch.
After that small joke, Jenny started dealing, two cards each.
Kabe flipped one card over. It was an ace.
He picked up the other card and rubbed it in his palm, then cracked his hand open a little to peek.
"Ah. An ace and a two. Three points. I will just drink."
He grabbed his glass and took a gulp without hesitation.
On the other side, Jenny had fourteen points and Aries had nine, so Jenny won that round.
Under Jenny's reminder, Aries belatedly realized she had lost and also raised her glass and took a drink.
For some reason, Kabe's luck did not improve after that.
He drew the lowest total several rounds in a row, and in a matter of minutes had already finished nearly half a bottle by himself.
Jenny hurried to stop him.
Part of it was that she was worried he might get drunk too quickly.
Part of it was that she was starting to get anxious that he still had not answered a single question.
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