An Agreement

"Ah, ha... A victory celebration just isn't complete without alcohol." Ishizaki cracked open a can of beer, downed it in one go, then wiped his mouth and shared his thoughts.

"You kids are going to get me thrown in jail." Sakagami wore a wry smile, clearly at a loss with his class.

Minors weren't allowed to drink or buy alcohol, but Sakagami was an adult, so he could. It was illegal to encourage minors to drink, but the students had asked so earnestly that he'd agreed anyway.

"Don't worry, Sensei. We've booked out the whole restaurant tonight. Nobody will find out." Sawahara smiled, raised his glass to Sakagami, and downed it.

"Cough, cough—"

He'd drunk too quickly, and the sudden burn in his throat made Sawahara cough.

"Hahaha! Sawahara, you really can't hold your liquor!" Perhaps the alcohol had emboldened him, because Ishizaki laughed loudly at the sight.

"Whew..." Sawahara patted his chest, then took a closer look at his glass. "Who switched my drink?"

He'd only poured himself a glass of low-alcohol fruit wine, which would have been no problem to down in one go. But someone had replaced it with pure grain alcohol.

There was only one person in Class C who could have pulled a stunt like that. Sawahara turned around, and sure enough, Ryuen was holding a bottle of vodka, waving it at him provocatively.

"..." Sawahara rubbed his stinging throat. Lately, Ryuen seemed to be getting more and more brazen.

"Sawahara." Shiina promptly handed him a cup of tea.

"Thanks." Sawahara took the tea and drank it. The burning sensation in his throat finally eased.

"Tch." Seeing this, Ryuen gave up on his plan to challenge Sawahara to a drinking contest.

"Sensei, it should be fine to have a little more to drink tonight, right?" Sawahara asked Sakagami about the timing of their next exam.

"Yeah, you're in the clear tonight." Sakagami nodded. "But if you can't get up in a couple of days, you'll be in trouble."

The hint was obvious: the next exam was in two days.

As for what the exam would involve, Sakagami couldn't say. That was a hard line he absolutely couldn't cross.

"You all heard him, right? Tonight, everyone can do as they please. Let's have a great time!"

"Yeah!" the class cheered excitedly.

Sawahara rarely drank. Alcohol dulled the mind, after all. Knowing they had nothing to worry about for the next couple of days let his guard down, and the strong drink he'd had earlier soon left him a little tipsy.

"Sawahara, tomorrow, come with me to..."

In his daze, Sawahara vaguely remembered agreeing to something.

"Tch, what a lightweight."

That was Sawahara's last memory of the party.

"Ugh, my head hurts." When he woke, Sawahara found himself lying in his dorm room bed. He rubbed his forehead, still aching from the alcohol, and struggled to sit up.

"Ha, you finally woke up." Ryuen spoke from the bed beside him, his tone as usual. "You're hopeless. One drink and you were out."

"You're one to talk, sneaking a different drink into my glass." Sawahara rolled his eyes. That stuff was 98 percent alcohol! Why didn't Ryuen try downing a glass himself?

"But thanks for staying here until I woke up."

"Hmph. Now that you're awake, don't forget what you promised her yesterday." Ryuen snorted, making no attempt to deny it. He really had waited for the idiot to wake up, though mainly because someone had asked him to.

"What did I promise yesterday?" Sawahara looked a little confused.

"Heh. You promised a young lady you'd go see a play with her. You've forgotten after just one night?" Ryuen scoffed. He looked at Sawahara like he was some scumbag who'd sleep with a woman and then pretend it never happened.

"...Why do you sound like I slept with her?" Sawahara was at a loss, though he vaguely remembered agreeing to it.

"Doesn't make much difference." Ryuen pursed his lips. Was this guy playing dumb?

There was a huge difference, Sawahara grumbled inwardly, then got up to wash up in the bathroom.

"Sorry I'm late. Thanks for waiting."

By the time Sawahara arrived at the theater, Shiina was already there waiting. He couldn't remember what time they'd agreed on, so since she'd arrived first, he figured he might as well assume he was late.

"No, I just got here early." Shiina shook her head. In fact, since Sawahara had been drunk the day before, they hadn't set a time at all.

Shiina wasn't wearing her school uniform today. Instead, she'd changed into a light purple dress, and she'd left off her usual knee-high socks, leaving her smooth, white skin exposed.

"That looks great on you." Sawahara glanced at her slender legs, quickly looked away, and complimented her.

Though Sawahara's gaze hadn't lingered long, Shiina had noticed. A faint blush flashed across her face.

"Thank you."

There was no one else in the theater. Perhaps times had changed, and few students were interested in plays anymore.

Young people these days were more interested in games, popular music, idols, celebrities, and the like. Girls like Shiina, and people who came to the theater, were both a rare sight.

Sawahara and Shiina sat in the middle of the theater, where they'd have a better view.

The play Shiina had invited him to see was Prometheus.

"Did it move you at all, Sawahara?" Shiina looked at him.

"Are you saying I'm a tyrant like Zeus?" Sawahara thought for a moment about the feelings the play was meant to convey.

"No, you've never been a tyrant, Sawahara." Shiina shook her head. "In my heart, you've always been a hero like Prometheus. I just... hope you'll believe in humanity the way he did."

Prometheus—a god who sacrificed himself to bring blessings to ordinary people. I'm sorry, Shiina. I'm not that kind of person. Maybe I really will lead everyone in Class C to victory, but I'm not someone who would sacrifice myself.

"Believe in everyone in Class C?" Sawahara understood what Shiina was trying to say.

"I will."

After the play ended, Sawahara and Shiina were about to leave. The next play was called Wings of Icarus, wasn't it?

The clacking of high heels against the floor rang out. A third visitor had arrived at the theater.