𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙥𝙚 | 𝘢𝘬𝘪 𝘩. ᯓ ᡣ𐭩

014. | ᴅʀᴜɴᴋᴇɴ ᴀꜰꜰᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ

Touko became completely past her limit, finally letting her head fall onto the table with a soft thud. Her eyes were hooded and unfocused, and her cheeks were rosy and flushed from the alcohol. Her usually well-groomed hair was messy and disheveled, with strands falling loose around her face.

She lay there, motionless and silent, as Himeno and the other colleagues laughed and chatted around her.

Aki's heart skipped a beat as he saw Touko's head fall onto the table with a soft thud. He had been watching her closely throughout the evening, silently worried about her level of intoxication. As she lay there, motionless and silent, he felt a pang of guilt and helplessness wash over him.

He couldn't help but feel responsible for her condition, knowing that he should have stepped in earlier and stopped her from drinking so much. But now, it was too late. She was clearly past her limit, and he wasn't sure how to handle the situation.

Aki found himself staring at her, unable to tear his gaze away from her disheveled form. Her messy hair and flushed cheeks only served to further emphasize the vulnerable state she was in. He longed to reach out and touch her, to smooth back her hair and bring her some comfort. But he knew better than to do so.

Himeno and the other colleagues noticed Touko's head resting on the table and chuckled.

"Looks like she can't handle her alcohol very well," one of them commented.

"Little Touko," another added. "How adorable."

But despite their jokes, there was a hint of fondness in their voices. They found her defenseless and disheveled state endearing, like a kitten who had gotten into the catnip.

Himeno, grinning at the sight of Touko slumped over the table, couldn't help but find her adorable. "She really is a lightweight," she said, shaking her head in amusement. She reached out and poked Touko's cheek gently, eliciting a grumble from the drunken woman. "Hey sleepyhead," she teased. "Are you done for tonight?"

Touko, still half-conscious and completely plastered, managed to let out a drunken giggle at Himeno's words. But she was too far gone to form any sort of response. Her head lolled back onto the table and her eyes drooped shut again. She mumbled something unintelligible into the wood of the table, an incoherent string of syllables that didn't make any sense.

Himeno chuckled again, finding Touko's drunken state both amusing and endearing. She poked her again, trying to get a reaction out of her, but Touko just grumbled and swatted at her hand weakly.

"Looks like she's really out of it," one of the colleagues commented. "She won't be able to walk straight tomorrow."

"Yeah, she's going to have a hell of a hangover," another one agreed.

Himeno nodded in agreement, still poking at Touko's cheek and trying to get a reaction out of her.

Aki's irritation slightly flared up he realized the extent of Himeno's recklessness. "Seriously, Himeno, this is too much," he spoke up. "You know Touko's never really drank before, and you let her get this drunk on her first time?"

Himeno shrugged again, still seemingly unbothered. "Hey, she's her own person and I couldn't tell her what to do," she said casually with a drunken chuckle. "I didn't force her to keep drinking."

Aki glared at her, his frustration boiling over. "But you could have stopped her, or at least cut her off when you saw how drunk she was getting," he snapped. "Instead, you just kept pouring drinks for her and encouraging her to drink more."

Himeno rolled her eyes, clearly not taking Aki's lecturing seriously. "Oh relax, she's an adult," she retorted. "She should know her own limits. And besides, she was having fun. Isn't that what matters?"