Kiryu Kazusuke also withdrew his gaze and continued grilling the meat.
Since she had no intention of greeting him, he wouldn't go out of his way to embarrass himself.
After all, at an all-women's gathering, suddenly talking to a strange man would only invite endless gossip and interrogation from colleagues.
If he had to step in every time he saw something like this, he'd probably work himself to death.
But the neighboring table was indeed a bit noisy and was already affecting his appetite.
"Come, come, let's order drinks first!"
"I'll have oolong tea."
"Me too."
"That won't do! Today is Christmas, so of course we have to drink!"
"Five draft beers to start!"
Section Chief Yoshino Keiko, sitting in the seat of honor, waved her hand broadly and called the server over.
"Um... Section Chief, I'm not very good at drinking..."
Saionji Mina said quietly, raising her hand like an elementary school student.
"Oh, Mina-chan, everyone's drinking, don't be a wet blanket."
"That's right, a little sip is fine."
"This is to celebrate finally settling that troublesome citizen complaint this week."
"Young people these days are so delicate."
"Look at you, you're slow at work too, can't even handle a copier, and now you're making excuses about drinking."
"How will you survive in society like this?"
Several surrounding colleagues also chimed in to persuade her.
Mixing trivial work matters with private gatherings, tearing down her character to suck up to their superior, all while secretly relieved they weren't the ones under fire.
Saionji Mina shrank her neck back, not daring to voice further objections.
She knew resistance was useless.
If she didn't drink, for the next two hours she would become the center of attention, labeled as a "killjoy," "someone who doesn't give face," and "putting on airs."
Then when she returned to the office next week, she'd find her documents misplaced, or no one calling her to eat lunch together during break.
The beer arrived.
"Cheers!"
Beer glasses clinked together.
Saionji Mina cradled the huge beer mug and took a small sip.
Bitter.
It tasted awful.
She hated the taste of alcohol.
How was this beer anywhere near as good as sweet orange juice? Why did everyone like drinking it so much?
"By the way, Mina-chan, why are you spending Christmas alone this year?"
Section Chief Yoshino set down her cup and began the routine gossip session.
Taking stock of who had gotten a boyfriend, who was still unmarried, who had been dumped again—this was an indispensable staple of every gathering.
Gaining a sense of superiority through comparison, or finding psychological balance by stepping on others.
"Yes..."
Saionji Mina lowered her head, looking at the meat on the grill.
"Haven't found a boyfriend yet?"
"You're getting on in years too, twenty-four already, right?"
"In one more year you'll be Christmas cake."
The surrounding colleagues let out knowing laughter.
Christmas cake.
This was a popular term from Japan's bubble economy era.
Meaning, a woman past twenty-five was like a Christmas cake past December 25th—nobody wanted it anymore and it had to be sold at a discount.
Saionji Mina kept her head down, not knowing what to say.
Her eyes were somewhat red-rimmed.
Kiryu Kazusuke flipped the grilled meat while watching the light screen pop up before his eyes.
【Saionji Mina: Drop dead! You old hags are the ones who are moldy rice cakes! I want to smash this scorching hot grill onto the Section Chief's face and listen as the pork and human skin burn together...】
【Convergent World Line—】
【Branch One: The grilled meat is delicious, and you just want to enjoy your leisurely time. You'll go home after eating. (Reward: This meal is free)】
【Branch Two: Her looks are quite the cute type. You pretend to be her suitor and go over to get her out of the situation. (Reward: Handmade soba noodles made by her)】
【Branch Three: This foul workplace bullying is truly off-putting. You, who always seek revenge for the slightest grievance, will ruin their fun as well. (Reward: Slightly improved physical fitness)】
Three options lay before him.
Kiryu Kazusuke picked up a piece of grilled pork belly with his chopsticks, dipped it in sauce, and put it in his mouth.
Chewing.
Swallowing.
He had ordered quite a few substantial dishes this meal, but at most it was a bill of less than ten thousand yen.
For him now, this amount of money wasn't something he absolutely needed to save.
So, the appeal of Branch One was indeed limited.
As for the choice of Branch Two?
As a GalGame expert, Kiryu Kazusuke knew with his eyes closed that if he wanted to capture a heroine, this was the no-brainer standard answer.
As long as he stood up, loudly berated those nasty women, and then took the wronged Saionji Mina away, he could massively grind affection points.
And the subsequent plot development would probably be the two of them pretending to be a couple to maintain the lie, and finally bringing the fake into reality.
It was just a pity.
Kiryu Kazusuke remembered that exploding oven, and that piece of pizza that had turned into charcoal.
Then, the soba noodles made by her?
As a doctor, he knew all too well the pain of food poisoning, and valued his own life even more.
So, the final answer—Branch Three.
The body is the capital of revolution.
Especially in the First Surgery Department that worked people like livestock.
Not to mention, these women's noisy voices were indeed too loud and had seriously disturbed his enjoyment of the pork belly.
Since that was the case, he might as well kill two birds with one stone.
His decision made.
Kiryu Kazusuke picked up the beer mug before him and downed the last remaining dregs.
His eyes became somewhat hazy. His originally straight back hunched slightly. At the same time, he undid the first button of his shirt and pulled his originally neat tie askew.
The very image of a corporate slave driven to drink by excessive work pressure.
He braced himself against the table edge and staggered to his feet.
His footsteps were somewhat unsteady, as if treading on cotton, weaving with every step toward the restroom.
And the path happened to lead past the neighboring table.
By now, that Section Chief was clearly drunk and high, her cheeks flushed red, her voice growing louder and louder.
"Mina-chan, it's not that I'm criticizing you."
"Your personality is too gloomy. Men don't like that. You need to learn to act spoiled and learn to dress up."
"Sigh, your Section Chief is only saying this for your own good."
She picked up a piece of pork belly sizzling with grease and placed it on her plate, ready to enjoy it.
Now was the time.
Kiryu Kazusuke stumbled over.
Just as he passed behind the Section Chief, his right foot seemed to trip on something.
"Ah..."
He let out a short cry of surprise.
His body suddenly lost balance, and he toppled diagonally forward.
But he didn't fall directly to the ground.
His hand instinctively reached to grab something to maintain his balance.
But unfortunately.
Or perhaps, too fortunately.
He grabbed toward the edge of the nearby table, the back of his hand accidentally sweeping across the table corner.
There sat the large glass of draft beer the Section Chief had just poured full, the golden liquid still bubbling.
Bang—
The huge glass beer mug was knocked over. The golden liquid was like a breached floodgate, propelled by gravity and inertia, crashing into the Section Chief's chest.
Splash—
A full large glass of ice-cold beer exploded over this middle-aged woman like a waterfall.
"Ahh—!!!"
A shrill scream directly overpowered the clamor of the yakiniku restaurant.
Section Chief Yoshino jumped up violently.
The icy beer poured down her neck, from her collar, to her front, all the way to that expensive-looking wool skirt...
Everything was soaked!
Several female colleagues around her were all stunned stupid, mouths agape, completely forgetting to react.
Kiryu Kazusuke steadied himself with difficulty.
He held onto the chair back, looking at the chaos before him with hazy eyes.
"Oh dear..."
"S... sorry..."
"The floor... why is it so slippery..."
He mumbled vaguely, the smell of alcohol pouring from his mouth.
Then he let out a boozy hiccup that smelled of grilled meat.