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"I think I'll pass, thank you," says Vincent. Hearing this, both Yuyuko and Komachi frown at him, visibly disappointed. Youmu, however, nods her head slightly in approval. Chen simply looks curious, since she doesn't seem to understand the situation.

"But... that's no fun," mutters Komachi with a sigh. She gives the bottles a forlorn look. Looks like she really wants to drink.

"Vincent is mean!" cries Yuyuko suddenly. Her eyes are growing damp as she shudders. This time, she looks like she is about to cry for real.

"D-don't misunderstand," Vincent says. "If you all wish to drink, please don't hold back on my account. I do not think it is in my jurisdiction to tell you not to."

The room falls silent for a moment.

"I must refuse as well," declares Youmu. "This is not the appropriate time to drink."

"What is a party without some alcohol?" returns Yuyuko. "We don't have such company everyday, you know?"

"It would be a waste not to drink it," mutters Komachi. "I suppose that a little bit won't hurt."

Yuyuko turns to the shinigami and gives her a thumbs-up in approval. Her eyes flitter towards Vincent before she looks at Chen with a sly smile.

"How about you? Would you like to try some?" she asks.

"I want some!" cries Chen. "It's tasty, isn't it?"

Vincent glances at Youmu, but the half-ghost doesn't say anything. Certainly, she does not look like she approves, but she isn't arguing against giving the nekomata girl something to drink. Perhaps she knows something that he doesn't. He decides to keep his mouth shut and see how this develops.

"Alright then! The three of us have to work hard to finish everything, so give it your all!" cries Yuyuko happily.

...

Needless to say, Chen started feeling sleepy after drinking half a glass. The nekomata simply stood up and stretched her arms for a moment before declaring that she was going to take a nap. She walked drowsily to a quiet corner of the room, where she curled up and fell asleep instantly.

Things got more complicated with Yuyuko and Komachi. Without a word, the two started an impromptu drinking contest. As she drank, Yuyuko maintained a calm, almost regal air. Komachi laughed heartily as she told random stories together with her drinks. Vincent watched with mouth agape as the two imbibed a ridiculous amount of alcohol. Normal humans can't possibly drink that much (there may be a few exceptions, but he isn't one of them).

After only twenty minutes, the floor was littered with empty bottles. Youmu simply watched in silence as she sipped her tea. The other two girls had grown visibly tipsy, and it seemed like the duel was about to end.

"You know what?" says Komachi. "You're pretty good at this, for a princess. I'll give you that!"

"Ara? You aren't that bad yourself, for a slacker," returns Yuyuko.

Suddenly, they both burst out in laughter. It takes almost a minute for them to recover.

"It's been fun," mutters Komachi. "But I think that we should end this."

"You know what? I was thinking the exact same thing." replies Yuyuko.

The two of them glare at each other menacingly. For a moment, Vincent half expects them to stand up and start attacking each other with spells. Instead, they each grab a bottle from the bucket.

"First one to down it straight wins?" asks Komachi.

"Sounds like a challenge," says Yuyuko.

After a wordless signal, they both start drinking straight from their bottles at the exact same time. Youmu plants her palm lightly on her forehead in exasperation. Somehow, Vincent can understand the half-ghost's feelings.