"Kurenai-nee, how's your alcohol tolerance?", Aoba suddenly asked.
"Huh?", Kurenai looked clearly taken aback.
She didn't understand why he would suddenly ask that. Logically, he should already know her tolerance.
After all, it's been so many years; for small things like drinking, they knew each other inside out.
Still, despite her confusion, after hesitating for a moment she answered vaguely.
"Probably… it's okay, I guess."
"Then, Kurenai-nee, if you finish this pot of liquor, could you get drunk?"
Aoba pointed at the pot on the table as he asked.
Kurenai's hand holding his wrist suddenly tightened.
'Get… drunk?'
She stared blankly at the pot, 'Is this guy trying to get me drunk?'
'If I get drunk, what will he do next?'
Kurenai swallowed instinctively, her heart pounding.
'I… I haven't agreed to his confession yet!'
'Could it be that he wants to—"
Kurenai felt at a loss.
By her standards, with her drinking ability, she definitely wouldn't get drunk from just that pot alone.
However…
"Hmm! This liquor is a bit high-proof. If it's just the two of us drinking, it would be easy to get drunk," Kurenai felt her face grow hot.
But she wanted to see what this guy would do after getting her drunk.
"I'll drink more with you then, otherwise if you get too drunk alone, you'll feel awful tomorrow," Aoba nodded, then sat back, poured a cup for himself and one for her, and began sipping slowly.
Seeing the meaningful look he'd given earlier made Kurenai even more nervous. She glanced down at the cup on the table, picked it up, and lightly rubbed it.
'What will he do…'
Maybe Aoba had another motive, but Kurenai didn't feel afraid; she couldn't explain why.
Since she couldn't guess, she decided not to.
She raised her cup and tasted it as well.
Outside, the streetlights were bright, pedestrians noisy; it was a lively time.
Aoba's gaze was unconsciously drawn to the street, while Kurenai silently observed the outline of his profile.
'I have to admit: this guy is pretty good-looking.'
"I didn't expect you to become Hokage so soon."
"Feels not that soon. Sensei has wanted me to be Hokage since a year ago," Aoba said with helplessness that sounded very showy to others.
Kurenai couldn't help rolling her eyes, "Then why don't you go be Hokage sooner?"
"Does Kurenai-nee want me to be Hokage earlier?", Aoba asked back.
Kurenai's expression shifted, then she replied with righteous confidence, "Of course. If you become Hokage, as your team leader, my status in the village would definitely rise a lot."
Aoba blinked, "Then do you want even higher status?"
"What do you mean?", Kurenai was puzzled.
Aoba leaned close to her ear and said quietly, "Like, being the Hokage's wife or something."
Kurenai's cheeks immediately flushed again, "Idiot… dummy, don't say such stupid things!"
"Why is that stupid?", Aoba feigned confusion.
"You have so many girlfriends. Even if I wanted that, the Hokage's wife wouldn't fall to me," Riding a bit on the alcohol, Kurenai vented.
"Who says so?", Aoba said matter-of-factly, "Does Konoha have a rule that you can only marry one person?"
"I'll throw a wedding for each girl. Won't they all be Hokage's wives then?"
"You…", Kurenai was left speechless, 'I should have known, this is exactly a playboy.'
'A capable playboy with high rank and power.'
Now she really had no comeback.
"So, Kurenai-nee, do you want to be the Hokage's wife?", Aoba looked into her eyes and asked seriously again.
"You're not even Hokage yet! Talk about Hokage's wife after you actually become Hokage!", Kurenai's face reddened as she averted her gaze.
"All right, then I'll ask again after I become Hokage," Aoba smiled, then said no more. He quietly drank his cup; Kurenai hurriedly refilled hers and put it to her lips.
Cup after cup, without pause.
A cold breeze lightly brushed their faces; time passed bit by bit.
The clear liquor went down and began to warm her, then spread through her body.
Kurenai's face grew redder and redder. Though not drunk, she felt a bit tipsy.
Her head unconsciously leaned against Aoba's shoulder, the cup at her lips, her gaze grown somewhat hazy.
"You… you're so excellent, why are you a playboy?", Kurenai complained, perplexed.
"I'm not a playboy. I just want to give all of you a home," Aoba said earnestly.
"Smooth talker!", Kurenai elbowed him in dissatisfaction.
"How would you know if you've never tried?", Aoba looked puzzled.
"Huh?", Kurenai's slightly numbed brain failed to catch on immediately, "What do you mean?"
"Of course I mean it literally," Aoba said casually.
"Literally?", Kurenai paused, thought it over, and then understood, feeling embarrassed and annoyed.
"Can't you be serious for once?", she snapped.
She reached for the bottle to drink a couple more cups, but suddenly found it empty; they had no idea how much they had drunk.
Yet she didn't seem fully drunk.
She looked at Aoba, who remained clear-headed as if unaffected.
'If I drink more, I'll almost certainly get drunk.'
'Should I drink more?'
"Uh… there's no more liquor," Kurenai said with weakened resolve.
Aoba looked at her for a moment and asked curiously, "Didn't you say you'd get drunk if you finished this pot?"
"Maybe we got too absorbed in chatting," Kurenai looked away, "I'll go get another bottle."
She tried to stand but Aoba grabbed her hand.
"If you drink more, you'll lose your senses."
"P-probably," Kurenai added.
'This guy, indeed trying to take advantage of me when I lose consciousness,' Kurenai thought, and then added, "But if it's at my home, even if I lose my senses it's fine."
"Then forget it," Aoba said.
Kurenai trembled slightly, then stared at him in a daze.
The sounds from the street outside had quieted considerably.
For some reason, Aoba felt her eyes looked full of grievance.
He had only meant to tease her; Kurenai wouldn't really want him to do anything, would she?
"Mainly because if you drink too much, you'll feel awful tomorrow. I have things to do tomorrow too, so I can't stay home to take care of you."
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