Night fell over the SVIP restaurant floor of the King of Gold Hotel.
Inside a luxurious "King's Room," exquisite dishes covered a golden table.
Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, the nighttime panorama of Gold City spread out below, neon lights flashing above streams of traffic.
Sephiroth sat at the head of the table, with Nami and Uta on either side. Carina, Tashigi, Nojiko, and Galette took their seats in turn.
Baby 5 chose the seat closest to the separate refreshment room. Only Sephiroth's "orders" kept her from stealing the local maids' jobs.
"Happy birthday, Nami."
Sephiroth raised his glass.
"Happy birthday-!"
Everyone offered their congratulations in unison.
Nami's cheeks flushed slightly.
"Thank you, everyone~!"
As she thanked them, she lifted her glass with gusto and drained it in one gulp.
"Nami... you can drink that much!?"
Seeing Nami's performance as a "heavy drinker," Tashigi's glasses went crooked. She had the lowest alcohol tolerance of the group and could only take small sips.
They had spent quite some time together, but this was still Tashigi's first glimpse of Nami's drinking capacity.
"Nami, don't drink too much."
Nojiko sounded disapproving.
But seeing her little sister surrounded by everyone warmed her heart.
"Just drink however much you like. Don't force yourselves..."
Sephiroth had hated drinking-pressure culture in both his lives, so he offered a reminder.
"What~? Come to think of it, we really don't see you drink much, Sephi~! Want to have a contest~?"
Uta leaned over and nudged Sephiroth in the ribs.
Her alcohol tolerance was average, but she wasn't afraid to drink. Besides, this girl was shrewd enough to cheat during a contest.
"...Do you need me to expose your tricks...?"
Sephiroth flicked Uta's forehead with his left hand while using his right to stop Baby 5 from pouring him a drink.