Chapter 80 – Tailing (8)

Did you say daiquiri? It’s refreshing and sweet and sour, so it’s really a drink that goes over as you drink it.
Are all cocktails this sweet?
I can see why Grape likes cocktails.
More than enough, it is very delicious.

“So other than that? What else was there?”
“What… What did you want to ask me from earlier?”
“Hmm… It’s just Anger thinking… Why was it hard to get close to me?”

I don’t know why you’re asking such a thing all of a sudden… There are several reasons for feeling a little distant from Grape.
I ate tacos and drank cocktails while answering Grape’s questions.

“Hmm… If I had to think about it before, why did the other person buy me a latte while the other person had it? The manager asked if I treated it special, so I said it was a child’s taste, and I couldn’t help it because I didn’t drink anything else.”
“That… No, if you buy an Americano for real, you drink it and then throw it away.”
“It’s written.”
“That’s a misunderstanding… Is it a misunderstanding… There’s a bit of a misunderstanding, but if it’s special treatment, it’s special treatment…”

Still, thanks to that, I got a good cup of coffee and drank it.

“Ah, since I confessed and apologized later, didn’t I really say that? We met at work, so I want to be friends, but… Since you’re the team leader, please don’t cross the line.”
“No, that… I will, yes… It’s not a misunderstanding, but that’s…”
“Come to think of it, at some point, the team leader started talking to me. Did he buy you coffee and talk to you? Uh, and there were times when female employees cursed at me because they cursed at me.”
“Am I?! When?”

I remember it well because I was so shocked because it happened after I gave the gift and became close to Grape to some extent.

“I don’t remember exactly when, when I was lying on a chair with my headset on and my eyes closed… That, the female employees told me that I just sleep during lunchtime and don’t talk to girls, but I don’t know if I’ll be in a relationship…”
“Ah! That… Then, that’s… ?”
“A member of the designer team asked me if there were times when I was still cute, so I asked what kind of cute is cute, bad eyes, bad dark circles, and I don’t know who will like it, but I think I’ll have a hard time, so maybe you like it… Did you just make fun of me? The employee said that and he said wow.”
“Aaaaa… That’s it… Ah…”

I remember this very well.
No matter how much it was, I couldn’t help but feel hurt when I made a woo-yuk sound, so I lied about my stomach hurting that day and left early.
I couldn’t think of it when I asked, but when I started talking, Grape’s bad things about me came to mind one after another.
It’s not that I said anything bad, but it was something that subtly hurt my tender heart.

“And besides that…”
“Baby. Mr Anger? Drink some more… Joe?”
“Ah yes.”

There was still a long way to go, but when I wanted to talk more, Grape toasted me with a smile and quickly emptied a glass of water instead of an empty cocktail glass.
It’s definitely a smiling face, but it’s a face that doesn’t look like it’s smiling strangely.
The eyes don’t look happy at all.
Seeing Grape’s eyes, I followed suit and finished the daiquiri, and Grape immediately pressed the order bell again.

“With Margarita… One with the original Faust.”
“Faust… Are these original words?”
“Yes.”

The employee who heard Grape’s question glanced at me strangely.
You? It’s a look that seems to ask.
Why are you doing this from the beginning?
Immediately, the table was roughly cleared, and the clerk took the empty glass and brought a new cocktail.

“You put it on my side wrong, this is Mr. Anger’s drink… My name is Margarita.”
“What is this on the rim of the glass?”
“It’s salt.”

Grape swapped the positions of the cocktails served and handed me a margarita.
Grape, who was looking at me with his chin resting on his hand, pointed at my cocktail with an empty hand and said,

“That is, drink it first, lick the rim with your tongue of salt, and drink again.”
“Are you licking?”
“Isn’t that a fun cocktail?”

Licking while drinking… Is there a reason why salt is buried in the rim of the glass like this?
When you take a sip, you can feel the fresh and cool taste.
It’s also a bit sweet… When he stuck out his tongue and licked the salt, he could see why it was buried.
The salty taste will wash your tongue, and you will enjoy the fresh and cool taste again…
This drink is also delicious.

“Gulp…”
“This is delicious, too. Have you drank a lot?”

I continued to drink, licking the rim of the glass with my tongue.
The more I drink, the more I feel that grapes deserve cocktails.
The taste is completely different from the beer that the manager is forced to drink together.

“Ha… Ha…”

I left a little cocktail in my glass and licked the rim meticulously, wiping my salty mouth with alcohol before meeting Grape’s eyes who were staring blankly at me.
Looking closely, even though the directions of the eyes met, the focus did not match.
I’m looking at him with hazy eyes, as if he’s already drunk.

“Manager?”
“Yes?! Yes yes… ? What was it? Oh, I’ll drink! Should I drink?”

Grape didn’t say anything to me, but he suddenly continued to drink his cocktail.
I’m a little worried about whether it’s okay to drink like that, but… Judging from the way the grape just drank, it seems that the alcohol content is not very high.
Grape, who emptied his cocktail glass again in one gulp, jumped up from his seat, pulled out a menu board, and pointed with his finger.

“Hey, wait, go to the bathroom… With these two… Please ask me to make one stronger.”
“Oh, then I’ll be ordering.”

Grape got up and went to the bathroom.
Curiously, like someone who already knows where the bathroom is, he walks without hesitation.
Is it like the senses of a magical girl?
After a while, I handed the grapefruit and the empty cocktail glass I drank to the staff who came and ordered the next cocktail as Grape told me.

“Mojito, one strong… One normal, please.”
“Yes?”
“… I heard that you can do it like this, but can’t you?”

I’m sure I’m doing what Grape said, but the attitude of the staff is strange.
His eyes look like he’s looking at a very pitiful person, and he doesn’t speak well.
The employee suddenly sighed openly at me and said with a frown.

“Guest, I’m not really saying these things carelessly… Aren’t you being too blatant?”
“Are you being explicit?”
“All the drinks you order… That’s what you’re here for, but… Ha, no… “

The employee, who had been making incomprehensible noises, suddenly sighed and left with an empty glass.
What is the problem with the alcohol you order?
Looking at the menu, wondering if it was because the price was so cheap, it wasn’t even a cocktail with such a cheap price.
What the hell is weird

“Whoa… Did you order it?”
“Yes.”

As soon as the cocktail was served, Grape returned to his seat.
As if Grape had washed his face to get rid of the alcohol, there was still some water on his face.
The name of the cocktail that came out this time is Mojito… It’s a cute name like something like a pet.
The clerk who brought the cocktail glanced at the grapes and disappeared among the customers again as if he was busy.

“I didn’t tell you which one was stronger.”
“I-I will~? Mr. Anger is weak in alcohol, is that a big deal? Let’s drink it first, and if the alcohol is strong, should we change it?”

I nodded my head at Grape’s words.
I think I’ve only had two drinks, but I’m already getting drunk.
I don’t think I’ll be completely drunk like last time, but I’m already quite drunk.

“Cocktails seem to have a higher alcohol content than I thought instead of being sweet.”
“No? Not very high… Girl? Aren’t there a lot of women who drink it like juice?”
“Is it so?”

Is it simply that I am weak in alcohol?
I was a bit proud and immediately drank the new cocktail. I was a little surprised that this time there was no alcohol at all and it tasted like juice.
It’s not really like juice, it’s juice.
It’s clean and delicious enough to make you wonder if it’s alcohol.

“Rather than that, Mr. Anger… Hey, what I usually do… Is it all wrong? I had no such intentions…”
“Misunderstanding… Which one?”
“I don’t know what the problem is, but it’s all a misunderstanding! I was wrong! First! Skip all that! I really want to get to know you! You can call me Grape!”
“… Okay, first of all, since you say things like that, let’s move on… After all, why the hell do you want to be close then?”
“That, that, that…”

Grape hesitated, averting his gaze at my first question, then raised his finger on the table and scratched it.

“… Anger, don’t you want to get to know me better?”
“No, I… Good.”
“That, right? The reason doesn’t matter too much, I just want to get to know each other… Wouldn’t it be nice to be friends then?”

The logic is messed up… Grape is right.
I can’t explain why you usually try to keep a distance from me, but you’re saying it’s a misunderstanding, and it seems like it’s true that you want to be close to me…
I don’t know what the reason is, but it’s true that it’s not bad news.

“… But did you want to become friends after being discovered that you are a magical girl?”
“Ah, yes! So, that! Secrets, secrets to share? That’s how you got along, right? So, should I say I’m a friend at work who can talk like a magical girl…? Yes? I want to get to know you through that, so you understand, right?”

Understanding… It should happen.
It also makes sense logically.
I nodded and drank.

“Then… Mr. Grape.”
“Yes, yes…”
“Hmm… It’s only called this when there are two of us, and at the company, it’s okay to be the team leader like before, right?”
“Yes?”

Naturally, the company cannot call it Grape.
If that happens, all the staff will work with only Grape and me all day long, and I’m sure there will be strange rumors going around.
But still, we’re alone now… Grape’s mouth trembled as he called out his name while thinking about it.
Calling out names to my boss Grape, the magical girl Grape, made me feel strange.

“It feels strange, calling me by name.”
“When you do that… You called me by my normal name.”
“That’s what I’m excited about… No, is it okay if we talk then?”
“How are you? Are you alone? I think I drank too much… ? The atmosphere of the store… Like this.”
“Alcohol… Are you saying you can drink it? But before… You said not to look at me with dirty eyes? If you talk like this, you’ll look at me with erotic eyes… ?”

After making a well-deserved point, Grape’s face suddenly turns red again, and her gaze is directed downward.
Grape stuck out his tongue, licked his lips, and looked at me with very curious eyes.

“Anger, you keep looking at me with erotic eyes anyway…”
“Yes?”
“Because I’m a magical girl, I feel all those gazes… ?”

At Grape’s words, I immediately waved his hand and made an excuse.
It’s true that I saw it with those eyes, but I can’t say that.
Grape also said that he hates people who look at him like that, but if I admit that I usually peek at Grape’s breasts, I become a pervert who glances at her breasts while working.

“No, there… You said you didn’t look at it that way.”
“Then?”
“Team leader, since Mr. Grape exposed his chest and wore a garter belt… I saw it.”
“Then why did you touch your breasts at a motel while drinking cocktails before?”

Why is the story going like this?
I’m a little drunk too, but I think Grape is also drunk.
A conversation that had flowed normally has suddenly turned into an embarrassing subject for me.

“That’s because I was drunk… The urge becomes unbearable.”
“Are you usually patient?”
“Isn’t that what you’re talking about?”
“Does getting drunk make you unbearable?”
“That’s right…”
“Hmm…”

Grape sat there blankly, gently shaking his cocktail glass, then handed it to me.
It’s a signal for a toast.

“I’m getting a little thirsty from talking about embarrassing things~? Shall we drink some more? Because it’s like juice.”
“… I see.”

I don’t know why the story suddenly became like this.
Although the semen was packed too much at home and the cock did not stand, his heart pounded.
I gulped down the cocktail, feeling my breath choked by Grape’s sudden raunchy talk.
Then Grape looked at me, raised the corner of his mouth, and tilted the glass in his hand accordingly.

“… Huh?”

After taking a sip of the cocktail, Grape stopped him and slowly set the glass down in his hand, frowning.
Then he twitched his nose, took my glass abruptly, took a sip, and rang the order bell.

“Why?”
“No, wait… I must have received the wrong order, this is strange.”
“Yes?”
“I could make a mistake, wait a minute.”

It’s delicious, but what’s so strange about it?
I put down the cocktail I was drinking and waited because Grape said the order was wrong.
It tastes like juice to me, but something must be wrong.
The staff arrived right away, and Grape held out his glass to the staff and said with a smile.

“Excuse me… This, it seems like a spell and a drink are different?”
“What is your problem?”
“Obviously~ I asked for it to be a bit stronger… Do you think you are too weak?”

After hearing Grape’s words, the employee glanced at me with a confident expression, then straightened his back as if he were a waiter at a high-class restaurant, not an employee at a restaurant.

“Ah, the order is correct, but… I asked for it to be non-alcoholic.”
“Yes?”
“This order is a service I offer to my customer. It’s okay if you don’t count. But… It seems that women only order cocktails that are easy for women to get drunk, in the sense that our cocktails do not have to be high in alcohol, but have them…”

Somehow, he continues to look at Grape and smile, glancing at me and laughing.
I asked in amazement at the words I heard, paying no attention to the employee’s expression.

“Do you have any non-alcohol?”
“… It’s written so clearly on the back of the menu that it’s hard not to see it, but I guess you couldn’t see it?”
“Behind the menu… Oh, there are really non-alcoholic ones.”

Now, the last cocktail Grape ordered me, called Mojito, has a non-alcoholic version and an alcoholic version.
In addition, there are many cocktails that sound delicious but do not contain alcohol.

“This is why you drink it like juice.”
“That, yes… Joe? Is there anything like that? But Mr. Anger, cocktails still need to contain alcohol…”
“No, I think I’m going to get drunk soon… Is this non-alcoholic? It’s still delicious, but I’ll have to order the next non-alcoholic one.”

After drinking the cocktail that was just released, I could see that it was delicious even without alcohol.
Grape seems to prefer cocktails with alcohol, but I’m not that keen on alcohol, so if I can get away with it, I’d rather get the alcohol off.

“Is it so… ! Non-alcoholic too… It is delicious!”
“Thanks to the staff, I found out one thing I didn’t know.”
“I know… Yo. This! Really! You are kind!”

I looked at the menu board, amazed at the fact that there were so many non-alcoholic cocktails.
At that moment, I suddenly felt a creepy feeling as if all my hair was standing up, so I raised my head and saw Grape, who was staring at the employee with a smile on his face.
I feel a strange energy and pressure that doesn’t seem like I’m laughing even though I’m laughing.

“Then, give me this non-alcoholic Cuba Libre.”
“Ah~ That’s a good choice, Mr. Anger, because I drank a mojito and a daiquiri… Then, after this order, I want to order from someone else… Could you please call someone else?”
“Yes yes!”

The employee who took my order saw Grape’s smiling face and trembled and slowly disappeared.
Seeing the employee disappear, Grape immediately inhaled enough to make his chest look a little bigger, and then slowly… After a long exhalation, he raised the glass in his hand and drank the rest of the cocktail in one gulp.