小嫂子的味道

Smiling, she went to the shelf behind and picked one of the bottles with back, stained glass. She returned, picked one of the glasses, and decanted the bottle until it was half-full. It was a brownish golden liquid but I can't say for sure as the colorful lights were distracting.

Then she held a jar and poured the rest of the glass with a transparent liquid—it was probably water.

I gripped the glass, it was slightly cold. I wonder if they were using custom magic to keep the drinks cold or if it was the effect of the cold weather.

I bought the cup close to my lips and took a sip. The liquid went rushing inside and I experienced an explosion of flavors in my mouth. As I gulped it down, there was a slight burning sensation in my throat.

The taste…I can't say I disliked it. It was actually better than what I expected. I mean, I thought it would be more bitter. Rather than that, the taste was closer to fruit beer—which I've tasted in my former life.

"It's good," I said with a smile as I sipped the rest of the beer.

An amused smile appeared on the girl's face as she watched me enjoy my drink. I turned around to see and saw that the other students who were sitting beside me had similar reactions.

I didn't know the reason, maybe they had not seen someone drink before or something. I observed them for a while from the side of my eye but then ignored them afterward.

Finishing my glass I thumped it on the wooden counter. Maybe this was a way of saying that I need another drink since it attracted the girl's attention and she poured me another fill. At that moment I was unaware of this but my glass was already full, hence I took the risk and emptied it as well.

This time I finished it in two long sips and made sure to put the glass carefully on the counter so as to not get another fill. I didn't know how much alcohol this drink contained as not drinking too much was probably for the best.

"Want some more?" the girl asked after a while when she returned with my dinner which was neatly packed in paper and foil.

"Nah, I should get going now," I took the package from her and paid for the drinks and the food, all the while I tried to ignore the smirks from the students nearby.

Then I left the cafeteria and walked away from the building. As I walked further and entered the darkness, distant from the bright lights of the cafe, I stumbled upon a stone and almost fell.

Though I balanced myself well and was back on my feet, I felt was if the vision around my eyes was getting blurry.

'Is the alcohol finally doing its work?' I thought. But maybe the thought was too powerful as it went to Req via the thought communication and she replied soon afterward.

[This is the first time I've seen someone get drunk without actually getting drunk,] she said.

'What do you mean?'

[Huh? Don't tell me you didn't know?]

'Didn't know what?'

[What you drank was not beer.]

'What?!'

[It was apple cider with no alcohol in it.]

'Well, it certainly tasted a bit like fruit beer but—'

'Ah, I see. It didn't taste like fruit beer, it was fruit beer.'

[Apple cider isn't really fruit beer but you're right. They swindled you for the price of a beer and gave you a sugar drink.]

'And why are you telling me this now? You could've alarmed me back then'

[Hehe, it wouldn't have been fun then. Plus, it's not like you got robbed or lost all your money or something. They were teasing you, pulling a prank on you because you made it so obvious that you're a newbie. These types of things are pretty common in bars…or were? I don't know if the custom has changed.]

'It's not really about the money, but…well, whatever. If nothing I just learned something new,' maybe it was a way to console myself, but this was my best thought at the moment.

I came back to the dorm buildings and entered my room, looking up I saw that it was 8:20 right now. I had a lot of time to hear Req's story.

I set the food on the desk since I wasn't going to eat it right now and then removed my hoodie and hung it on one of the pegs drilled into the wall. I removed my socks too, as they were slightly wet. The water must have gone in, I guess the grass was moist for some reason.

Setting them aside I went inside the kitchen and turned on the burner. I placed a metal container on top of it and decanted some milk in it. It was night and I was going to need this to stay awake, and at night I prefer milk over water.

I grabbed one of the containers from the shelf and spilled some coffee beams from it into the stone grinder. Then, as the milk was getting boiled I grind the beans until they were turned into a fine powder, just the type I like.

My sense told me something was wrong, hence I peeked outside the kitchen and saw Req. She was trying to open the package I'd bought and was aiming for the paper box that contained the donuts.

"They aren't for now," I said.

She was startled and almost jumped upon hearing my voice. "I-I know! I was just checking," she replied, turning to face me with her eyes wandering around and looking everywhere except for me.

"That's good. Because I won't go out to do something for you late at night, so you better keep those in good condition till then," I stated and went back inside the kitchen.

I turned the burner off as the milk had boiled. Taking a large cup from the cupboard I first transferred the coffee power I'd made into it and then poured the milk. After that, I went and brought another jar and added a spoon full of sugar to the mixture.

And it was done. I put everything back in its place, took hold of the cup, and came out from the kitchen.

When I entered the room Req was sitting on the chair and fidgeting with her fingers, basically, she was doing nothing. I took my place on the bed and set the cup on the desk nearby.

"Good. Now I'm ready, so tell me," I said, looking at her.

"Hmm, it isn't as easy as you made it sound like. I mean, we are talking about millennia here! Back in the time, many things were different so if I don't explain it the right way, you won't understand a word. So first, I need to know how much you know about history," she asked.

"I thought we were already over this point. But well, I'm saying it again. Explain it to me as if I were a child. I know nothing, nothing at all," I stated.

"That just makes it more difficult, you know," she said under her breath, mostly mumbling to herself. But the room was quiet hence I was able to hear her very clearly.

"Okay, I am gonna get to it now. So pay attention and listen with your ears wide open, as I will not explain the same thing twice," she announced and adjusted on the chair with her back straight.

Then maybe something was not according to her, or not fitting her mood because she jumped in the air and levitated until she landed gracefully on the bed in front of me.

She crossed her legs and sat there, a smile of satisfaction covering her face. Her expression was cheerful, like an excited child. It left me wondering for a while that I was the one who should be excited over this, but the roles were reversed.

"Since you don't know anything, I am going to start from the start. A thousand years ago, the world was very different from what it is now. So let me tell you, from the very beginning…"