"I told you not to drink it!" Rindō snapped, clearly irritated.
"Haha, sorry about that," Sōma chuckled. "But it's quite tasty!"
"Rindō-senpai, is this 'really' your Kuchikamizake?" Erina asked, unable to hide her curiosity.
"No, this one's actually chewing wine made by the Gaoshan people," Rindō explained.
"Really? What's special about it?" Soma asked, taking another sip. The wine tasted sour and sweet, with a faintly pungent smell that intrigued him. Much like stinky tofu, the more he drank, the more its fragrance grew on him.
"Oh, the recipe they use is made by an elderly woman—post-menopause—chewing the rice," Rindō explained nonchalantly.
Sōma froze, his expression turning to one of horror.
"Let me borrow the kitchen real quick," he muttered, suddenly imagining the amount of saliva from the old woman he had just consumed. He rushed toward the kitchen, apparently ready to vomit.
"Wasn't he enjoying it just a minute ago?" Yoshino said, baffled.
Sui and the others exchanged sympathetic looks. Just the thought of drinking wine made from the chewed rice of elderly women made their stomachs churn.
"Hey, Sōma! This bottle's for you," Rindō called out to the kitchen.
"I don't want it… Ugh… Ugh…" Soma's groans of regret echoed from the kitchen, where he seemed to be questioning all his life choices.
"Kuchikamizake varies by region," Erina added, shaking her head. "In some places, it's even made by pregnant women. After giving birth, they offer it to people to taste. Sōma-kun really knows how to pick them…"
——
"Hey, little brother," Rindō sidled up to Sui, pressing her body against him. "How about trading my wine for yours?"
Sui sighed, feeling a bit exasperated. "I think I'll pass on that one."
"It's 'my' Kuchikamizake, you don't want it?" Rindō teased seductively.
"Wait, 'your' Kuchikamizake?" Megumi interjected, surprised.
"When I visited the Gaoshan tribe, I thought their tradition was interesting, so I made some myself. It should be fermented by now, don't you think?" Rindō said with a mischievous grin. She leaned closer to Sui. "How about it, kohai? This is my personal batch—every drop has been chewed by me."
Sui felt utterly helpless in front of his shameless senpai.
"Rindō-senpai! That's completely inappropriate!" Erina blurted out, her face turning red from embarrassment.
"Didn't you just say that customs vary by region? How am I shameless now?" Rindō asked, feigning innocence.
"Um... well, regardless! Sui, you can't drink her Kuchikamizake!" Erina insisted, blushing furiously. The thought crossed her mind—wouldn't drinking it be like an indirect kiss?
Sui felt speechless. He hadn't even 'said' he wanted to drink it!
"Fine. I'll trade with you, but just give you some regular wine, senpai," Sui finally said, surrendering to the situation.
"Really? That's why you're my favorite Kohai!" Rindō beamed, hugging Sui tightly. She pressed her soft chest against him, nearly suffocating him with her enthusiasm.
Once he had freed himself, Sui poured a bottle of fruit sake for her. "This one has a higher alcohol content, so go easy on it."
"Thanks, kohai!" Rindō said with a grin, flashing her sharp little canine teeth. She opened the bottle, inhaling the rich aroma. "Mmm, what a delightful scent."
"But, senpai, aren't you still underage? How do you manage to bring so much alcohol back with you?" Erina asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Hehe! Well, I'm an adult now! I just turned eighteen yesterday!" Rindō replied, proudly puffing out her chest.
"Wait, so Rindō-senpai is officially an adult now?" Megumi asked in surprise.
"Yup! I can finally live like an adult," Rindō said with a triumphant smile.
Sui glanced at her ample chest and said dryly, "That part certainly looks mature."
"That's right," Rindō continued, rummaging through her collection of bottles and jars. "This one's a thank-you gift for you."
Sui took the bottle, slightly wary. "What kind of sake is this? Is it like the sake that Soma drank?"
The moment Sōma heard this, he dashed back into the kitchen to vomit again.
"This is just regular rice sake!" Rindō pouted.
"Alright," Sui said, shrugging, as he put the bottle away. He handed her some sashimi in return since there was more than he could finish anyway.
"Thank you, kohai," Rindō said happily, flashing another toothy smile. She leaned down and gave Sui a quick peck on the cheek. "That's your gift from me."
"Senpai!" Erina shouted, clearly frustrated by the flirtatious gesture.
Rindō grinned mischievously, gathering her newly acquired ingredients before leaving with a satisfied look on her face.
---
Meanwhile, Sōma was still struggling to shake off his unpleasant experience with the strong sake. All he wanted was to sleep and pretend it was a bad dream.
Megumi and the others eventually left as well. Sui, meanwhile, stared at the bottle of rice sake that Rindō had given him. Curious, he poured a small amount. The liquid was white and slightly cloudy, with a faint, pleasant aroma of rice.
"Erina, want to try some?" he asked.
"No thanks," Erina replied, frowning. Clearly, she was still upset over the kiss Rindō had just given him.
Sui shrugged and took a sip himself. It was sweet and sour with a subtle rice fragrance—a pleasant and delicate flavor.
"Tastes pretty good," he remarked. It wasn't as refined as his own fruit sake, but it had a unique sweetness that he enjoyed.
---
Rindō, now in a great mood from acquiring new ingredients, hummed a tune as she walked back to her place. After arriving, she carefully organized her bottles of wine.
"My batch of Kuchikamizake should be just about ready," she mused aloud, searching for the bottle.
But no matter how hard she looked, she couldn't find it.
"Huh? Where is it?" she wondered aloud. Then it dawned on her. "Did I... accidentally give it to Sui?"
A deep blush spread across her face as the realization sank in. While she had joked earlier about trading the sake with Sui, she had never intended to actually give it away. It was meant to be her own personal stash.
Thinking about Sui possibly drinking her 'chewed' sake, a rare expression of embarrassment crossed Rindō's face.
"Isn't this basically... an indirect French kiss with Sui?" she muttered, covering her face as she felt the heat rising in her cheeks.