Going Out with Ming to Buy Liquor

Ming paused briefly at the bottle the shopkeeper pushed toward him, but picked it up anyway and looked at the lettering on it.

Yes, it was cider.

Bai Yu read the name on the bottle from beside him. Ming generally didn't drink fruit wine; he said it was no different from soft drinks. Just as Bai Yu thought he would refuse it, however, Ming spoke.

"Mm, I'll take this too."

That came as a slight surprise to Bai Yu.

"Don't you avoid fruit wine?"

Ming looked at Bai Yu beside him.

"Mm, I don't drink it."

"Then why buy it?"

"Bai Yu can't hold his liquor. It's for Bai Yu."

Well, look at this brat.

Bai Yu's eyebrow twitched at those words.

"I can't hold my liquor? I'll drink with you as long as you like tonight!"

"Mm, Bai Yu had better keep his word."

Bai Yu merely gave a soft huff, looking quite confident.

"Of course I will."

But the hand hidden behind his back couldn't stop trembling slightly.

I'm screwed.

Ming nodded lightly, pushed the fruit wine back, and pointed at the strongest bottle on the shelf as he calmly asked a question.

"How much of that do you have left?"

"This one? Not much in stock. People rarely buy it. About twenty bottles."

Each bottle wasn't particularly large, but it wasn't small either-roughly the size of a bottle of mineral water.

"Mm, I'll take all of it."

"A-all of it?"

The shopkeeper stared wide-eyed at the boy in front of him.

Beside him, the corner of Bai Yu's mouth twitched, but he managed a strained nod.

"We'll take it all."

The shopkeeper eyed the two boys buying liquor with some doubt, clearly wondering whether they could afford it. But once Bai Yu placed a stack of cash on the counter, he promptly went into the storeroom and brought out every bottle of that liquor.

Meanwhile, Ming continued looking at the shelf. There were two kinds he had never seen before, and Bai Yu pointed at the two bottles in the lower-left corner.

"Could you bring those two bottles over for us to look at?"

"Those two? They're new varieties that only came out recently. There aren't many on the market yet, but everyone who's tried them has given them very good reviews."

Ming nodded, paid for the two bottles first, and opened one right away. A faint aroma of liquor drifted from the bottle, and he leaned closer to give it a gentle sniff.

It smells pretty good.

After taking a small sip, Ming closed his eyes slightly. Only after a little while did he open them and look at the shopkeeper before him.

"Ten bottles of this. Twenty-five of that."

By now, the shopkeeper assumed they were probably holding some sort of banquet, so he brought everything out quickly without further hesitation. Finally, Ming went over to the pure grain liquor and ordered a large jar. Everything was set by the door, where a driver was loading the liquor onto a carriage.

After all, this wasn't Bai Yu's first time accompanying Ming to buy liquor. He knew perfectly well that the two of them couldn't carry it all themselves.

They boarded the carriage and headed back to the Survey Corps headquarters. Ming held the two bottles he had opened earlier and handed one to Bai Yu across from him.

"Bai Yu, here."

"Thanks."

Bai Yu accepted it and took a small sip. At first, it didn't seem particularly strong, but when he paid closer attention, he realized its alcohol content was actually quite high. Something had been added to make it taste mellow and easy to drink.

Beside him, Ming cradled his bottle, taking little sips from time to time. His wine-red eyes gazed out the window, simply watching the scenery.

Golden sunlight streamed through the window. Because of the angle, it fell only on Ming, who narrowed his eyes slightly. It was hard to tell whether he was enjoying it or finding it too bright.

Before long, they arrived at the Survey Corps headquarters.

As Bai Yu and Ming unloaded box after box of liquor, the nearby Scouts looked at Ming knowingly. Everyone in the Survey Corps knew that his capacity for alcohol was downright absurd.

At a group dinner once, Ming had single-handedly drunk the entire Levi Squad, along with the other soldiers who had joined the challenge, under the table on Bai Yu's behalf.

Since then, hardly anyone had dared challenge Ming. Even the older men who loved their liquor looked at him with awe.

He had made a name for himself in a single battle.

Some of the soldiers looked at the boxes of liquor in confusion.

"Hey, didn't Bai Yu buy Ming a whole load of liquor just a couple of days ago? It's only been two days, right?"

"Heh, that's Ming for you. The man who utterly crushed me in a drinking contest."

"Ming's only fifteen, isn't he?"

"And he only looks about thirteen."

"Don't you think Ming looks really cute when he's drinking?"

"Yeah, and the liquor scent on him smells nice. It's completely different from that unpleasant stink on those drunks who get wasted and go around making a scene."

"Mm-hm, I think so too."

Bai Yu listened as the conversation around them drifted off in a strange direction, then looked at Ming, who silently sipped his liquor as though none of it had anything to do with him.

Bai Yu didn't pay it much mind, though, and helped Ming carry his liquor into their quarters.

Their current quarters were quite good by Survey Corps standards, with one large room, several smaller rooms, and a living room. Upstairs was another floor, filled with assorted parts and gas canisters. This was where Bai Yu modified his equipment. The light was quite good too, with a large window that let in some sunlight.

There was also a staircase in the corner that led straight up to a fairly spacious terrace. Ming loved this spot and often went up there to sleep or drink. Whenever they couldn't find him, he was usually up there.

Bai Yu had shamelessly pestered Erwin for these quarters. Erwin had refused the first time, but after Bai Yu kept bringing it up, he eventually gave him the place as a base for their Support Squad.

According to Erwin, it had originally been intended as a small warehouse for supplies, but Bai Yu had snagged it first.

At the time, Bai Yu had offered to kill a hundred or so Titans as payment, and he had indeed followed through.

Bai Yu and Ming put half the liquor in Ming's room and carried the other half up to the terrace. Ming asked Bai Yu to drink with him. Xiate wasn't particularly fond of drinking, but she came up to slack off for a while anyway. Originally, she had planned to have Bai Yu train with her.

But since Bai Yu was drinking with Ming now, she simply went up to laze around with them instead.