What a big group of people you've become. What do you mean?


　Tsutomu returned to the Clan House after buying back Smith's wine and tilted his head when he saw Camille in the kitchen in her apron, the guild's receptionist, and for some reason, some members of the Red Demons, the Golden Check, and the Silver Beast helping out as well. Amy approached him quickly and whispered an earful.


'I'm sorry. It's a good thing that you're not the only one who has a lot of experience in this field. The silver-haired girl with the gold-colored investigation?　He also asked me to bring something with me, so he really wanted to go... and Silverbeast was quite insistent on following me.
...Oh, Mr. Milway, is that you?


　As I was receiving Amy's report, guessing that it was Milway who had come up in the story, Alma came over from the Red Demon's group to greet me in a catnip voice, as Tsutomu, the clan leader, had returned.


'It's like all the wines representing the labyrinth city are here, isn't it?　Oh my goodness. Master Tsutomu.
..........
..........
Just kidding. See, I even brought a rare drink like this from the Red Devil's Club?


　When Alma saw the blank faces of Tsutomu and Amy, she took out an expensive looking jar of liquor from her magic bag and showed it off as if she were proud of it. As if to throw off her response, Tsutomu waved his hand and then allowed her to stay, exchanging a light conversation with Weiss and Cecilia, who were standing behind him.

　Then, as if following that, the golden investigation also came to greet him. While Leon, who was so excited that he thought he was already drunk, was picking up Hannah, he turned his attention to the silver-haired woman who came in front of him.


''I'm sorry for barging in on you so abruptly,''
'I don't mind, but may I ask why?　Amy says you've been pushing yourself pretty hard, though.


　Tsutomu asked Milway, who was bowing his head apologetically, and she looked away as if she was lost, but she looked at him as if she was convinced and spoke with her eyes, removing all the construction.


''Senior Eunice was blocked up with skill development, so I wanted to let her talk to Tsutomu and give her a break.
Well, in that case, Mr. Milway...


　Milway became miffed at Tsutomu's distant words, but he approached as close as he could, perhaps because he was concerned about his surroundings, and complained in a small voice.


''You do understand, right?　He respects you because of the respect he has for you. And although he may deny it, it's clear that he developed his skills in order to be recognized by you. And after your skills were recognized by you, he looked happy. You can't be that evil, can you?
'Why should I care so much about Eunice in the first place?　It's a pain in the ass.
''........I think it's unfair to be so accommodating to the same disciple, Stephanie-san, and then speak so harshly to her senior. I did a lot of research on Stephanie-san, but I think that was a more troublesome disciple than the senior, don't you think?
..........


　When Tsutomu was told that, he was at a loss for words. It's a good thing that the people around you saw Stephanie as more troublesome, and in fact, Tsutomu was pressured by her unusual power and didn't think she was that sulky. After that, fortunately, he was able to persuade her to become a healer, but it was clear that he was in a troublesome situation where he was in danger of being harmed, and where he and Aldrete Crowe could get into a sulk.

　Nevertheless, Tsutomu was determined to resolve the issue. For the sake of Stephanie, his former apprentice and likely to become a promising healer in the future as well. And yet, the logic of not even bothering to care about Eunice, who had a proven track record of developing the dango skill and was expected to develop new skill applications in the future, for the reason that it was troublesome was strange.


''I'm not suggesting that you should care about your seniors all the time and say kind words to them. It's just that senpai has always been concerned about what was said in the Clan House before. Could you at least clear up that misunderstanding?
I can't make any promises. I don't know how things will turn out in the end.
It's enough for you to talk to me normally. Mr. Tsutomu, you are trying too hard to show me by your actions, sometimes you have to show me by your words.　I hope you can take a lesson from Leon on that one!


　Milway, who had built his current one-armed PT after seeing the hints he got from Tsutomu's stern words to Eunice and standing around in Kamidae, squeezed Tsutomu's hand as he finally said something mischievous and entrusted it to her. With such expectations, Tsutomu looked away from her with a disgusted look on his face.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find a lot more information on this topic in the future.


'You look fine,'
'Yes. Unlike that Stephanie and Eunice, I'm hiding in the ninety levels without needing to hear anything from my master, and I'm feeling better now. Not long ago, it was really hard for me to die, and I was hoping that someone would say something to me, but in the end, they didn't even look at me, let alone speak to me!
'You're a good teacher with a hands-off disciple.
Do you mind if I kick it?
No. You've got the legs to kick an ordinary monster to death.
''Do you see how hard I was struggling on the ninety levels of the ninety level!　That's what I'm here to tell you today!　So why are you here?　You look like that!


　Lorena poked Tsutomu's body wildly with her long ears.


'Good!　Stephanie could do something horrible like bite off her fingers in front of her mentor and then get that much decent comfort from him!　And from what I've heard, Eunice would love to be praised while being nudged on the head!　Aww!　Breasts?　So the man is a boob, after all!　Or, if you're young and pretty, anything goes!　Hahahahahahaha!　If only I had rolled into Tsutomu's bedroom crying, he would have cared for me too!
Are you drunk yet?
It's not in there!　Are you making fun of me?!


　When Lorena, who is closing the distance with a look like a complete thug and seems to be grabbing you by the chest gag, Tsutomu says so-so and rejects her softly with both hands. And Misir, who was behind her, squeezes her rabbit ears with his hands and holds them down.


''You'll have to forgive him for being a little rude.
'That's fine. In fact, it's true that I didn't interfere only with Lorena. It's a good idea to have a pre-concert celebration for today's event, so please enjoy it. I've also bought a few dozen bottles of wine.
Oh, come on, don't put the pressure on me.
'I'm not finished with you!　And before this--


　Then Tsutomu let Lorena go along and vent with him until a dozen or so people, led by Oli, worked together to complete the cooking and serving of the food. Because if he didn't, he was really going to roll into the Clan House one day.

　In the blink of an eye, the wine-tasting party that Zeno had planned for the three clans, the guild staff, and the Babenberg family were all involved, and it had turned into a grand social gathering. The living room of the Clan House is much larger, so it's not a problem, but Daryl and Corina look nervous because they've never had so many people enter the house.


''Well then, everyone, grab a glass.''


　Zeno, who is even rather tense in the midst of it all, goes up to the stand and, with a graceful motion, holds a wine glass with a large bottom made to allow the aroma to spread. Then, after slowly making sure that everyone has a glass, he declares on a high note: "All of you here," he says.


'To all of us here, here's to all of us!


　At the declaration of the organizer, everyone sipped the Marutho wine that Tsutomu had bought along with the one brought by Zeno. As Tsutomu had never tasted wine before, he only had an image of getting sick from it, but when he tried it, he didn't feel the alcohol as much as he had expected.


(What is that smell?　It smells like grapes, but it smells like something else too. (I just know it smells good...)


　A complex aroma that was pleasant to the palate and quickly spread to the nasal cavity. But Tsutomu couldn't describe the scent well. The only thing you can detect is the smell of grapes, but there are also other faint floral aromas, like the aromas I smelled in Corina's room.

　But all that was certain was that Marteau's wine was delicious. The amount poured is small, so I was thinking of drinking it all in one go, when a nearby Zeno sensed the mood and softly stopped me.


'Let it get a little more air before you drink it, the taste will change, so you can enjoy the change while you drink it. In the meantime, you can talk to the others and pick at your food.
Wow. How can that change in such a short time?
It's quite a change. The other thing is, well.... The shape of this glass of wine will affect the type of wine you can put in it. Marteau's wine is--


　Since he had no knowledge of wine, Tsutomu enjoyed his meal as he listened to Zeno's crap about wine, and as he said, he sipped on the food and added the wine to it like a sauce. When Xeno had finished his explanation of the wine, he took a breath and looked around.


'Then again, I didn't expect this to be such a large social event, I was going to have a PT, but this is a good one.'
Oh, I'm sorry. I got some on my end, but I'm probably not going to be able to drink as much as I used to.
No, I don't mind. No, that's fine, because you have to drink it with other people. I like the sight of everyone sharing a glass of wine and talking about it.
Yeah. I'd take it all for myself, though.


　Tsutomu, who was starting to get a little drunk, said with a wicked smile, and Zeno picked up the wine bottle and held it up to the light for him to see.


You can never drink enough wine to get by on your own, and even the best wines get boring. Besides, after buying an expensive bottle of wine, it's nice to imagine who you're going to spend it with.
Hmm. That's one way to enjoy it. I thought wine connoisseurs were meant to drink alone.
'Hmmm, I suppose that would be nice too. See, it looks like one of them is here.


　As Zeno said this, he turned his attention to Lee Leia, who was walking over to us with a bottle of wine that seemed to be asserting itself, saying how high class it was.


''Would you like a glass of wine at 400,000 g?''
The one I paid for with my own money, though.
It's my money, too. So I thought about selling it, but the wine is not in my heart, so I'll open it. I know it's not much, since it's more than enough for a member of the infinite circle.
Yes, thank you for coming.
"...What's wrong?　You seem to be in a very good mood, but I hope you don't get drunk as it is.


　Leleia's cold words with a dubious look on her face were cute after hearing what she had just said. It's a very good idea to have a good time with them.


It's a good idea to have a good time.
Well that's good to hear.


　Leleia, who seemed to be drained of her venom by Tsutomu's frankness, moved away from him and served the wine to the other clan members.

　Even after that, Smith said it was a thank you, and opened a bottle of wine that was as good as Marteau's and poured it into Tsutomu's glass, and talked with the explorers while receiving the local wine that Alma had brought with her. Normally, this would have been a good opportunity to exchange information, but Tsutomu was much looser on this day.

　Perhaps sensing such a different atmosphere from Tsutomu's usual one, Vice and other clan members, who are not usually involved with him, approached him and talked with him. Amy, who was hiding quietly in the circle, saw an opening and asked a few questions.


'Do you know where Tutom's parents are?'
You're somewhere far away now, aren't you?
'Oh ... yeah. I'm sorry.
Okay. It's not that unusual.


　However, even under such circumstances, Tsutomu would never tell the truth about his origins or his family. Even if he was drunk on fine wine, even Amy couldn't cross that line. She just talks about vaguely blurred things, and enjoys the moment, talking about trivial things as she leisurely walks around in a random manner.


'Yo, yo,'
Ah, Eunice. Thanks for helping out with the dishes.
Oh, thank you very much.


　Tsutomu, who was in an unusually good mood, had a chance to talk with Eunice, who was slightly awkward in such a state, and he seemed to be in a particularly good mood, talking with her as well. Tsutomu, who had such a soft atmosphere, seemed fresh or perhaps Eunice looked nervous, and Camille and Alma, who were around him, also looked on with round eyes.


(I definitely had too much to drink, but I don't feel bad today. I'll leave the heels for tomorrow.)


　Tsutomu himself didn't notice as he was talking to Eunice in such a tone that he thought of such a thing at the end of the social gathering, but her complexion had changed interestingly in the middle of that conversation.

　Tsutomu had already forgotten about the content of the conversation, but he didn't feel bad when Milway thanked him and left. Tsutomu, who found himself in bed in his room after being carried by Garum, suddenly fell asleep after thinking that.