The Best Way to Test Oolong Tea Is with a Lighter (Continued)

(How much chili pepper is in this? Do they put this kind of chili pepper in dumplings in Shenzhou?)

"Hmph~~" Himeko glanced at Liu Bai provocatively.

Liu Bai: "... Your captain is such a good person."

"Speaking of which..." Ragna drew Himeko's attention back, "Himeko, you're from the Far East, right? Is this something you did... a practice unique to the Far East?"

"No, I figured it out myself."

"Ah... um, no wonder..."

"No wonder?"

"Oh, no, I mean it's very good."

Ragna quickly gulped down a mouthful of his drink.

"By the way, what did you put in it? I tasted pork... and... chili peppers?"

"Mexican chili peppers—I know this ingredient very well. I bought a bag of them when I was in college and used them to cook every day back then."

Himeko introduced the situation with great excitement, while Liu Bai silently used his Haunting Ability to refill Ragna's drink.

"How is it? Isn't it super delicious?"

"... It really has a unique flavor, everyone should try it."

Ragna simply couldn't bear to crush Himeko's confidence.

(Huh? Did Himeko just pour me some water?)

Ragna glanced at his cup in confusion, but then, determined not to suffer alone, Ragna promptly called over the others.

"Food even the captain praised? Let me try it... Damn, this is... cough cough, I mean this... cough cough, water, give me a glass of water."

"...?"

Himeko felt uneasy when the other person inexplicably shed tears and looked for water.

Meanwhile, the other party's reaction sparked even more curiosity.

"I'll try some too... Pfft—!"

"Wow... is this a chili pepper wrapped in a dough?"

"Murder? Is this murder?"

"Even though I only ate one bite, I'm already worried about my butt tomorrow..."

The words of the others finally made Himeko realize that something was wrong.

"Um... could it be... really bad?"

"Bad? Not really..." The seniors, seeing Himeko's confidence, didn't want to directly discourage Himeko, so they exchanged glances.

(What should I do? I can't just say it's bad, can I? Himeko seems quite disappointed.)

(If you don't say anything bad, you can eat these dumplings yourself. I'll contact a proctologist for you tomorrow.)

(If I remember correctly, Himeko is a PhD student at Caltech... It seems even high achievers have things they're not good at.)

(Um... doesn't anyone think these dumplings would be perfect for pairing with drinks?)

Everyone silently glanced at the person who had suggested drinking with the beverage.

I have to say, that spicy flavor... is really perfect for pairing with alcohol?

But the captain said before that this time it wouldn't be allowed...

"... Captain, I suggest we go to the logistics department and get two cases of beer."

"Didn't I already say that today... Okay, go and come back quickly."

Seeing that his teammates were considering offering him dumplings as a form of "filial piety," Ragna finally gave in.

If I eat too much of this, I'll really have to go to the proctology department tomorrow!

"Also, since there are a lot of us, remember to bring a few extra boxes, just the usual amount."

Once one's mindset succumbs, it becomes much easier to slip up again.

"... Captain, did I do a really bad job?"

"I think so," Liu Bai interjected from the side—only to be glared at by Himeko in return.

"Um... everything was pretty good except it was too spicy."

Ragna said tactfully, "Maybe... we don't need to put so much chili in the dumplings? I remember the seniors saying that there used to be a senior at headquarters who was very good at making Shenzhou cuisine, but unfortunately we don't know where he is now."

"... I understand." Himeko nodded with mixed feelings, deciding to try and find that senior when she had the chance.

"Also, things might get a bit chaotic later, so please bear with me Himeko."

Ragna watched as the team members went out to get beer and gave Himeko a heads-up.

"... It's rather chaotic? The seniors might get drunk and act crazy?"

"Pretty much, after all, the pressure of being Valkyrie is immense... If someone gets too rowdy, just give her a punch."

"I've never seen my seniors act like this when they're drunk before," Himeko, sounding quite curious.

"That was a pretty chaotic experience... but I can't really say anything about it."

Ragna sighed in frustration.

"Don't worry, I'll help you clean up when we're done... By the way, do you not have any valuables in your living room? If you do, put them away quickly so they don't get dirty later."

"... Is it really necessary to go this far?"

"Yes, absolutely—don't underestimate the workload of Valkyrie throughout the year. But since you've never been on a mission, it's normal that you don't understand."

"Could you elaborate, Captain?" Himeko asked, quite curious.

"Specifically... most of the time the missions are relatively easy, such as dealing with a small Honkai point in a certain place, or the Anti-Entropy Mecha force crossing the border in a certain area. These are the easiest missions. Of course, ordinary Valkyrie will also have missions to act as bodyguards for important figures, but we don't get to do these good jobs."

"What about the more dangerous ones?"

"The most dangerous thing is the large-scale Honkai source. Whether it appears in a city or in a deep mountain forest, it is very dangerous. In cities, civilians need to be evacuated, while in deep mountains and forests, exploration is difficult and follow-up support is troublesome. In addition, the Honkai Beast that appear in this situation are not weak. The wide variety of Honkai Beast is a very troublesome problem for any army."

Ragna seemed to recall the battle, and a troubled expression appeared on his face.

"However, we've been lucky these past few years, as no Emperor-Class Honkai Beast have appeared. In the past, when Emperor-Class Honkai Beast appeared, it was often accompanied by the annihilation of the entire team... Of course, that's not the biggest problem."

"Isn't this the biggest problem?"

Himeko was shocked. This was a team-wiping incident, and it wasn't considered a problem?

"The real problem is... well, it's not appropriate to talk about this now." Ragna waved his hand with a slightly sad expression.

For these Valkyrie, the biggest source of pressure is actually the sacrifice of their teammates... but Ragna felt he didn't need to tell Himeko about it.

"Captain! The beer's here! Want a can?"

"... Give me a can."

A few cans... well, more than a dozen cans.

After each person downed more than a dozen cans of liquor, the atmosphere in the room was completely heated up.

Aside from these young Valkyrie throwing their clothes around carelessly, no one cared whether Himeko was still a minor.

"Come on! Himeko, how about a can?"

The senior, whose skin was mostly white, greeted Himeko.

"Let's have a toast!"

"The seniors are really... lively."

"I knew that bringing such a large group of people together couldn't be a good thing."

"When did you say that?" Himeko glanced at Liu Bai. "But... it really is as chaotic as the captain said... You're not allowed to look away."

Her seniors had already thrown their clothes all over the floor, and they were basically just one step away from being completely honest with each other— Himeko wouldn't let Liu Bai "act like a hooligan" here.

"What do you take me for... I would never be interested in drunkards—I actually quite dislike the smell of alcohol."

"Eh... I really didn't realize you were the kind of guy who would accept anyone... glug glug..."

"... Himeko, what are you holding in your hand?"

"It's a wheat drink that the captain gave me," Himeko said matter-of-factly. "I have to say, it's pretty good."

"... Why don't you say this is Oolong Tea?" Liu Bai's eyelids twitched.

Don't you even know what this "wheat beverage" in this context is?

Don't just take what Ragna gives you! And Ragna, weren't you against Himeko drinking?

"Oolong Tea ...? You mean the cup in front of the captain?" Himeko tilted her head and pointed to Ragna, who was still wearing a maid outfit but sitting in a chair with a blank expression, and the dark liquid that was only half full in front of Ragna —well, the kind of large cup with a capacity of about 500 milliliters.

... Are you seeing things? Why does it seem like the liquid level in the cup is slowly dropping?

—Is this fucking evaporating?

"I never thought I'd see something like Flammable Oolong Tea in the real world in my lifetime..." Liu Bai muttered, rubbing her forehead. Well, enough said, Ragna was already drunk, though her excellent drinking manners made her look like she was in a daze. "Aren't you guys drinking beer? I remember Flammable Oolong Tea is vodka + whiskey..."

Drinking half a large cup of this, to put it more directly, is equivalent to about 5 ounces—even if it's not a full cup.

Hopefully, it's diluted vodka, not distilled vodka...

"Oolong Tea is Oolong Tea... Liu Bai, you're really talking strangely." Himeko waved her hand, puzzled.

"... I think you could try lighting it with a lighter." Liu Bai couldn't stand it anymore.

"Lighter?"

Himeko tilted her head, glanced at the half-full cup of Oolong Tea in front of Ragna, and then...

He reached out, brought it to his lips, tilted his head back, and drank it all.

"Isn't it a big deal?"

Himeko shook the cup in front of her with a silly grin on her face.

"Did you change your name to 'Wuliangta Lighter'?"

Liu Bai's lips twitched.

"I told you to light it with a lighter, not to... Hey, Himeko, were you already drunk before?"

Liu Bai finally realized what was happening.

But how could Himeko possibly answer Liu Bai's question now—even if she wasn't drunk before, she's drunk now.

"... Oh no, this is a huge mess."

No matter how much they planned, they never expected the traitor to be Ragna —although Ragna seemed to have been tricked as well.

In other words... no one can stop these guys now, right?

"—Cheers! Liu Bai, don't just stand around! Take your clothes off! Drink!"

Himeko simply took off her top and threw it aside.

"And there's someone else, senior! Come on! Drink!"

"Wow! That's awesome! Himeko! Want to go rowing...?"

Thump--!

The guy who was about to suggest playing rock-paper-scissors suddenly collapsed onto the table.

Liu Bai gave a blank, smirk – although no one could stop it, the ghosts still existed.

Do you really think my level 10 haunting is just for show?

I'll take down any of you Valkyrie who're drunk and completely defenseless!

"... Is it dawn yet?"

Ragna slowly opened his eyes, then instinctively covered his head. "Ugh... my head hurts so much. Did I drink that much last night? I think I only had two cans of beer last night..."

But you drank half a cup of flammable Oolong Tea —diluted vodka is over 40 degrees, and distilled vodka is the real "water of life," okay!