"Don't come in! M-my room's a mess right now! Let me clean up first!" Yuugi's heart pounded as she felt the door being pushed from the outside.
If Suika saw the state of her room, she'd murder her on the spot!
"We'll help you."
"NO!! My mess, my responsibility! Can't trouble you like that!"
"Something's off… Yuugi, did you drink without me?!"
Suika's voice grew dangerous, her eyes gleaming with suspicion.
Drinking alone in the middle of the night—without inviting your drinking buddy?! That was blatant betrayal!
Her tiny fists hammered against the door, as if she'd break it down any second.
"Nope! Just had too much at the banquet yesterday, then sleepwalked and trashed the place!" Yuugi forced her tone to stay calm, but as she leaned against the door, a trickle of white fluid seeped from her wounds.
Her pupils shook violently.
'WHAT THE HELLL?! WHY IS THERE SO MUCH?!'
Face paling, she frantically wiped at the mess, biting back the pain.
'I didn't even drink that much last night! How did it come to this?!'
"Let us help. More hands make light work."
"N-nooo~! I'm almost done! Just— ah~ just give me a sec!"
"...Why do you sound so weird?"
"Stubbed my toe on the wardrobe."
"..."
Outside, Sakuya and Suika winced in phantom pain.
After a long silence, seeing that Yuugi refused to budge, the head maid finally asked through the door—
"Yuugi… were you in your room all night?"
"Yeah, obviously!"
"Not drinking yourself into oblivion in the hot spring room? That mountain of bottles wasn't yours?"
"Of course not! I'm on probation—if I pulled that, the boss would skin me alive before even thinking about promotions!"
Yuugi's voice was full of righteous conviction, as if the idea was absurd.
'Wait… I blacked out in the hot spring?! Did I seriously fight my way back to my room with the boss after getting wasted?!'
A full-body shudder ran through her as the horror of the situation sank in.
'No. Freaking. Way.'
If she admitted to this, her life was over.
Outside, Sakuya and Suika exchanged glances. Yuugi's tone—firm yet slightly confused—made their suspicions waver.
'Maybe it really wasn't her?'
"Should we ask Marisa?"
"No way, she's probably still in the boss' bed. Let's just clean up first."
"Ugh… Why are you dragging me?!"
"You're helping. I'm getting lightheaded from the fumes, you've got better resistance."
"Geez… Slave labor right after waking up?!"
Grumbling, Suika let herself be dragged back to the disaster zone, knowing her probationary status left her no choice.
Only when their footsteps faded did Yuugi finally collapse in relief.
After double-checking the lock, she frantically scrubbed at the evidence, her face a mix of panic and regret.
'GODDAMMIT! HOW DID I END UP TANGLED WITH THE BOSS WHILE DRUNK?!'
Even when she used to get wasted with Suika, she never went this far!
And worst of all—that mountain of bottles!
She blacked out before even tasting most of it! What a colossal waste!
"Alcohol ruins lives… Starting… tomorrow, I quit!" She swore venomously, as if that would undo last night's crimes.
Meanwhile, Rin stepped out of his room, refreshed and energized.
No hangover. No soreness. Just the afterglow of a night well-spent.
'That post-drinking buff… I feel like I could take on ten people right now!'
As he stretched, Koakuma flew over, carrying Cirno and the other little ones.
"Good morning, boss! Is Lady Patchouli awake yet?"
"P-Patchy? Uh… probably not? She sleeps in a lot here."
At the mention of Patchouli, Rin sweated internally.
'I kinda… went overboard yesterday. Hope she's okay.'
Koakuma nodded, oblivious, and carried the kids toward the living room.
"Wake up, everyone~ Time to wash up and eat!" Ran's gentle voice floated from the kitchen, accompanied by the mouthwatering scent of breakfast.
Cirno and the others groggily rubbed their eyes, mumbled something unintelligible, and rolled over to keep sleeping.
"Ran, can you take them to wash up? I'll handle the kitchen."
"Thank you."
As Ran moved to gather the kids, Sakuya dashed past, dragging a mop and reeking of alcohol.
"Wait before going in! The bathroom's a biohazard zone right now!"
"...???"
Before Ran could ask, Sakuya was already gone.
'The first-floor bathroom… flooded with alcohol?!'
Back in the hot spring room, Sakuya held her breath and furiously mopped, her expression twitching with rage.
'What were the boss and Marisa thinking?! How does it even get this bad?! Not even Suika and Yuugi at their worst could've done this!'
"Eww—EWWW! What is this sticky stuff?!" Suika's disgusted shriek came from the massage bed, where her rag was now coated in something dubious.
She flung it into the trash and grabbed a new one, scrubbing with murderous intensity.
'If I find out who threw a secret booze party without me AND made me clean it up…I'LL POUND THEIR BRAINS OUT!'
"Move." Sakuya shoved past Suika with a high-pressure hose, blasting away every trace of filth.
Suika leaped back, avoiding the splash zone.
"There. Should be easier to wipe now. Finish the bed, then help me with the pool edges."
"The POOL too?!"
"The water's self-cleaning. Just the outer rim dirty."
"…Oh. Thank god." Suika sighed in relief, then went right back to scrubbing, her face dark as a stormcloud.