> Information
>
> Nagata’s current stress is 100. (High)
> This can always be viewed in the wiki.
>
> You will spend two days at the resort and return home Sunday afternoon.
>
> Time for activities
> Saturday: Evening, late evening/night
> Sunday: Morning, early afternoon
>
> Hot spring, sauna, and massages are separated by gender.
>
> Decision (Evening)
> >1 - Engage in small conversation at the dinner table (Yukimori, Matsuno, -10 stress)
> >2 - Play some games in the lobby (Enatsu Mari, Ichihara Riko, -10 stress)
> >3 - Go to your room and call it an early night (Kaiba Aoi, Chigusa Iki)
> >4 - Set yourself up at the bar (Watase Yoko, Stress reduction based on drinking)
>
> Winner
> >4 - Set yourself up at the bar (Watase Yoko, Stress reduction based on drinking)
You excuse yourself from the other two managers and make your way to the bar.
Watase Yoko is already there, as she said she would, watching you approach with what is quickly becoming her trademark smug smile.
It seems like she was sure you’d arrive as she already ordered a pair of shots.
[https://assets.legendkeeper.com/892a4d71-9dff-4ac6-ab96-3178e343611c.jpg]
“Was worried ya' might sneak off to yer' room instead,” she says, sliding a shot your way and ordering another one for herself.
Ah, both of those were supposed to be for her then.
As the drink slides you way, you stop it with a hand only for part of the contents to spill.
You quickly ask the barman for a cloth to clean it and Watase watches you work with mild bemusement while leaning on an elbow.
Once cleaned up, you carefully smell the shot of hard liquor.
Strong. Far stronger than you’re used to. Maybe you shouldn’t…
“Cheers,” says Watase, raising her shot glass near you so you can cling your glasses together.
“Cheers,” you say, tapping your shot glass against hers.
Well, just one is probably fine.
Watase slams it down in one go.
You, not wanting to be a person that carefully sips a shot, do likewise.
Hissing through clenches teeth, you grimace.
Whatever drink that was burns its way down your throat.
“So, how’s the Kaiba girl doing?” asks Watase, sliding you another shot, “She doing alright?”
She drinks down another shot.
“Yeah,” you say, holding onto the shot for now, “She’s okay. She has a job coming up with a famous studio. I might’ve just been nerves.”
You breathe in sharply through your nose and raise the shot glass to your lips.
“You know she was ogling you, right?” says Watase.
Only half of the shot makes it down your throat, the rest you sputter onto the bar counter.
It burns! You hastily rub the back of your hand over your lips.
After a while of coughing, you recover, “Kaiba? No way,” you say, then raise an eyebrow, “Weren’t you asleep?”
Watase flashes you a sly grin, then wags her head from side to side, “Not that asleep,” she says.
She calls out to the barman for another round of shots.
You give the barman a quick wave.
“Just a beer for me,” you say.
The barman nods and sends a half-litre glass of beer your way.
“Quitting on me already, manager-san?” says Watase.
You hold the cold, tall glass between your hands.
”Well,” you say with a light chuckle, “I’m not that young anymore.”
“Could’ve fooled me,” says Watase, eyeing you up and down.
Is she doing this on purpose or just messing with you as she was previously?
“Please,” you say, waving a dismissive hand, “I’ll be twenty-seven soon. That’s ancient in idol terms.”
The two of you talk for a long while as you continue sipping your beer.
The shots you downed in rapid succession are beginning to spread through body, soothing it with a comfortable warmth.
> >Stress reduced by 20 (10 stress per shot)
Drinking is probably a bad way to cope with stress.
It’s just too bad it feels so good. Like being wrapped in a warm blanket.
Like you could just drift off…
Watase waves a hand in front of your face, “Hellooo?” she says.
“Huh?” you reply, “Sorry, did you say something?”
“Yah. What’s the last time ya' dated anyone?” asks Watase.
It seems like she switched to mixed drinks.
Some kind of soda combined with rum or the like.
“Eh?” you say, caught off-guard by the question.
You’d blush, but judging by the warmth in your cheeks from drinking it probably wouldn’t even show.
“I mean I’ve tried,” you say with a shrug, “But it never really went anywhere.”
”And I have my cat, of course,” you add, “Can’t just… stay out, you know?”
“Of course,” says Watase, taking a sip of her drink.
The realization that you have a non-existent love life is kind of putting you down.
”Oh,” you say, “There was a guy from my building that I kinda liked. He lives two floors down. Went on a date once.”
“And?” asks Watase, “Went anywhere?”
You scratch your cheek, “No, he, eh, works for a, well, black company,” you say, “I haven’t seen him in months, probably should’ve exchanged numbers, but haven’t.”
In some companies massive overtime isn’t just the norm, but outright expected.
People working at these “black companies” basically live at work and rarely go home for anything other than sleep.
If they’re not already sleeping under their desk at work, that is.
“So, I guess I haven’t really dated anyone in the strongest sense of the word,” you say.
This is depressing.
You take a long pull from your beer only to find it going empty on you.
Truth be told, your vision is already starting to swim a bit, but your room is just around the corner.
So, it’s fine, right? You could even crawl there if you had to.
> >Stress reduced by 10 for drinking beer
Against expectations, Watase isn’t doing much better.
She’s slouched over the counter and just sort of watching you.
Watase seemed so confident earlier, but the effects of alcohol appear to have snuck up on her.
Either that or she just has a low alcohol tolerance.
“Tell me about it,” she says, exhaling sadly, “Bein' an idol is miserable at times!”
“I figured that you with,” you say, gesturing at Watase in general, “Like all this and the way you are you… didn’t have those problems.”
Watase sighs, “It’s because of ma' face,” she says, slamming a fist on the counter.
Knowing the beginnings of a story when you see one, you order another beer and slide into the seat next to Watase.
“Y’know, I could be a cute magical girl,” she says, “I’d be adorable, no?”
You blink slowly. Huh?
”Yeah,” you say, “Absolutely.”
“But I don’t get those roles,” says Watase, “I always get cast as the evil people. Villains.”
“Like, typecast you mean?” you ask, sipping your beer.
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“Yeh,” says Watase, downing the remains of her drink, “Because of my face. Even with voice acting roles! It’s all stupid.”
“So, like, the evil grin and frown isn’t on purpose?” you ask.
“Evil grin? Do I really…?” she says, “I got into so many fights back in high school because people thought I was looking for one. Called me a delinquent before I knew it.”
“Oooh,” you say, “So it was all a mistake, you weren’t in a gang or something?”
The barman slides Watase a new mixed drink.
“Thanks,” she says, then looks back at you, “I mean, I was, but it sorta happened on its own.”
She sighs again and uses a finger to stir her drink.
”Then when I got recruited off the street as an idol, they took one look at me and decided a aggressive, punk look was the way to go,” she says, “I’ve been acting as my idol persona for so long now I barely remember how to be normal…"
“Then the whole ‘Watase-sama' thing that your fans are into is an act?” you say, “You’re not really into girls that way?”
Watase looks up, raising her eyebrows, “What? No, messing with girls is my favourite part of the job! I made sure that hitting on cute girls was a part of my idol persona. Even if somebody snaps a photo of me with a girl the comments will just be ‘wish that was me'.”
She thumps a fist to her chest, "I'm scandal proof."
You’re about to sue this damn girl for causing you mental whiplash.
The barman gives you a thin-lipped look before walking off.
Using her hands to squeeze down on something invisible, Watase continues, “I like the soft girls the best, you know, like the shy ones? That’s how a girl should be. Just huggable. Cute girls should blush and squirm when you hug them, and like pant when you kiss them…”
Great, you’ve become a sounding board for this girl and her fetishes.
You take a sip of your drink.
Steeling your resolve, you try out a dangerous question.
“Is that why you hang out with Ichihara-san so much?” you ask, “Is she your type?”
Watase looks at you in disgust, “No way,” she says, “She’s like sixteen. I like them older than that, besides she’s a total bitch. Real bad. Like on the first day I met her she said you… ”
A pang of realization hits her, “Ah… forget it…“
“No, no,” you say, scooting closer, “Tell. I’ve had my difficulties with Ichihara-san as well, so I’m curious…”
Watase looks away, “I dunno,” she says, “I sorta promised not too. s’not manly to break a promise.”
There's that manly again. What's with that?
Did Ichihara try something?
Back in the hot spring Ichihara mentioned that she thought Watase was a pain.
So if there’s mutual dislike, why are they spending so much time together?
“Come on…” you say, trying to encourage her.
“I dunno,” replies Watase, then grins lusciously, “Gotta make it worth my while.”
The implication leaves you blushing.
You glance over your shoulder back at the dining hall and find it empty.
It seems like the other managers went elsewhere in the pat hour or so you've been drinking and the barman still hasn’t returned.
Honestly, you knew this was a possibility the moment somebody like her invited you out for drinks.
You don’t see girls that way though, so there’s no way you would do anything physical with her.
Right? Yeah. Doing something like that would surely be a bad decision.
You can’t allow yourself to be swept away by her.
> Information
>
> > Time drinking: 1h 30m. Beer downed: 0.5 litre. Shots: 2 Weight: 120lbs
> > Blood Alcohol Percentage: 0.11% (0.08% is limit for driving)
>
> Bad Decision Points = ((Percentage * 100) * 5) = 55
>
> These points will then be added to the roll and a higher roll usually means a more daring result.
>
> >00 - 80 - Convince her using words
> >81 - 120 - Buy a round of shots
> >121 - 140 - Say you’ll owe her a favour
> >141 - 160 - Like a small kiss, maybe
> >161+ - ??? (Not drunk enough to reach)
>
> Decision
> >1 - You're not playing her games
> >2 - Make a bad decision roll (1d100+55)
>
> Winner
> >1 - You're not playing her games.
You’re curious as to what Ichihara has been up to and what kind of relationship she and Watase have where they both dislike each other, but are still willing to keep secrets to shield the other.
However, your vision is swimming and you’re not even sure you could walk a straight line right now.
With all this alcohol in your system you might find yourself doing something you might regret.
It’s best not to try anything.
You simply shrug, “I want to know, but not that badly,” you say, finishing your drink.
> >Stress reduced by 10 for drinking beer.
“Aw,” says Watase, with an exaggerated pout, “You’re no fun.”
”Isn’t gossiping and oversharing part of drinking?” she says, then sighs, “Oh, well. Another shot?”
You stare at the bottom of your own empty beer glass.
All those problems that bothered you seem like a distant memory, hidden far away, deep in your mind.
It feels great. To just relax like this. Unconcerned with what else is going on.
Having another drink or two is very tempting, but you have to be careful to not overdo it.
Lest you become known as the employee that gets stupid drunk on company trips.
There's still some stress weighing you down, but it's nothing compared to what it was.
Still though, one or two more drinks might make you feel even better...
> Time drinking: 2h. Beer downed: 1 litre. Shots: 2 Weight: 120lbs
> Blood Alcohol Percentage: 0.14% (0.08% is limit for driving)
> Nagata Miho’s stress: 60 (Average)
> Decision
> >1 - Nah, you’re gonna switch to water.
> >2 - One more drink shouldn’t hurt (-10 stress)
> >3 - Two more and then you’re done for real (-20 stress)
> >4 - Room around the corner? Go all out. (-30 stress)
>
> Winner
> >4 - Room around the corner? Go all out. (-30 stress)
----------------------------------------
“It’s fine, no?” says Watase, “We’re celebrating all the new idols after all…”
Yeah… She’s right. You should be able to indulge for once.
After a while the barman returns and Watase orders another round of shots.
It’s the same stuff over and over.
“To the new idols,” says Watase, raising her shot glass.
You tap your small shot glass against hers, then cheer, “Oooo!”
Both of you unceremoniously down your shots.
Immediately a now familiar warmth fills your cheeks.
It suddenly occurs to you how you’re acting overly familiar.
“Ah,” you say, “I’m sorry for the ‘Oooo', that’s really…”
Watase laughs to herself, “Don’t be,” she says, “We’re celebrating.”
”Besides, it’s cute,” she adds.
Cute? Isn’t it just childish behaviour?
Among friends you might be able to get away with such a thing, but this is a professional relationship.
Doesn’t seem like she cares a lot about such things.
Watase has been awfully forward in a lot of ways.
You roll the shot glass between your fingers, “Watase-san,” you say, “I don’t want to be presumptuous, but you know I’m straight, right?”
Watase raises an eyebrow, “I don’t see how that’s relevant?”
Gosh, that’s embarrassing.
With all these signals you were sure she was into you in some way.
You’ve complimented other girls on things your entire life.
It wasn’t weird for her to say something you did is cute.
You’ve been spending too much time around all these lesbians.
Now it seems like your perception is messed up.
Normal friends would be nice, yeah.
“Another drink?” you say in an effort to move on.
Watase shrugs, then waves at the barkeep for another round.
Once arrived she pounds hers down without hesitation.
You, however, are a bit slower.
The burning sensation from the previous drink is still there.
Can you keep up with Watase? Should you be trying to?
Well, your room is just around the corner, right?
Getting there should be easy, even if you overdo it a bit.
Slam it down, Miho!
“Pwoah,” you say, lowering the shot glass back down.
Now you really do feel warm all over.
Yet, shivers race down your spine.
“I have to say, Nagata-san,” says Watase, “You can drink with the best of them.”
[https://assets.legendkeeper.com/3f620e9f-c47c-4454-bce6-d88b354405cb.jpg]
Mind cuddling around what sounds like a compliment, you smile.
”My~” you say, holding a hand to your warm cheek, “I’m trying my best.”
You’ve never been much of a party animal, but it seems like you can at least hold your liquor.
As you lower you arm down, you can’t help but feel that it’s moving awfully sluggish.
“Say, Nagata-san,” begins Watase, leaning on an elbow with a smile, “Thanks again for organizing the trip, I had a lot of fun.”
”I was having so much trouble fitting in,” she adds, looking sad.
You blink a few times to get Watase back into focus.
”That’s not true,” you say, acting stern, “You’re a, ah, wonderful new girl. You’ll be a great idol.”
”Watase-san is already a famous idol, no?” you add, “You should be more proud…? prouder? … of yourself.”
Watase shoots you a thin smile, as she continues leaning in a propped up fist, “Why I’m so glad to hear you say that, I thought you might hate me after what happened at the massage parlour…”
“Eh?” you say, thinking back to how she was basically swaggering around naked.
”No way! I could n-never hate you, Watase-san,” you say, then open you arms wide for a hug – nearly catapulting the shot glasses off the bar, “I h-have a lot of respect for hard-working idols!”
Watase rolls her eyes with a smile, but leans in towards you.
She’s a lot taller than you are, she might be almost six feet! Or something?
A lot taller than your five foot two, at least!
The result is almost comical, with you having to reach upwards to wrap your arms around her head.
“When my friend gets sad, I make her feel better like this~” you say, patting Watase’s head.
“I feel better already,” says Watase in a somewhat distracted tone.
The result of what should have been a wholesome action is that because of the height difference you are basically pulling Watase’s face into your chest.
After a few moments of rubbing Watase’s head, this unfortunate side-effect dawns on you.
“Ah!” you say, quickly letting go, “I didn’t meant to! Ah… A drink! You want a drink?”
Not waiting for a response, you wave at the barman, “Barman! One more!”
“…Are you sure?” says the faraway voice of the barman.
You glance at Watase, who’s simply observing you with a sly grin.
Is she judging you? She must be, right? A real manager wouldn’t be dismissed so easily.
You slam your fists on the counter and barely feel it, “Come on,” you shout, head craned towards the ceiling, then sheepishly mind your manners, “Please.”
The barman sighs, then prepares and slides two shots your way, “Last ones.”
Your heartrate is up. You can feel it all the way up in your throat.
After receiving the shot glass, you raise it, “Oooooo!”
Watase and you tap your shot glasses together.
For once you beat her to it and are the first to slam down your drink.
Strangely, Watase simply places her shot back on the counter and slides it to the barman – who takes it away.
Does this mean you won? Did she give up?
Eyes pressed closed, you pump both your fists.
Winner!
You open your eyes and everything’s sliding all over the places.
Hand questing for the counter to steady yourself, you instead find Watase supporting your back and pushing it towards the counter.
Seems like you were about to topple from your bar stool.
Everything feels like a dream.
Not in the ‘this is wonderful' sense, but in the ‘nothing feels real’ sense.
Your consciousness is flickering.
Rest. You need just to rest for a moment. Just put your head down.
“Ah~” says Watase with a drunk grin as she watches you lay your head down on the counter, “Insecure office ladies really are the best… ♡”
You pass out, the last thing you see being Watase Yoko smiling down at you.