After Miss Saori left, the girls nestled beside their temporary partners, pouring drinks for them.
"Big brother, let me toast you…" A girl named Rena sat next to Tetsuya, holding up two cups and offering one to him. Tetsuya noticed her smiling face had two shallow dimples, along with her small canine teeth visible when she spoke. Her slender eyebrows added to her charm, and two strands of hair curled down from the sides, framing her bright, sparkling eyes; her glossy black hair draped over her shoulders, highlighting her radiant, fair skin.
Tetsuya's gaze wandered downward, and he noticed the low neckline revealing smooth, fair skin; her forward-leaning posture and gathered arms created a hint of cleavage. It seemed Rena noticed Tetsuya's gaze; her cheeks flushed as she shyly turned her eyes away.
Having already drunk enough to redden his face, Tetsuya took the two cups and placed them on the coffee table. "Sorry, old man really can't drink anymore; if I do, I'll be sick."
"Old man? Hehe… how old are you?" Rena naturally placed her hand on Tetsuya's thigh, instantly brightening up.
"People… shouldn't be judged by their appearance," Tetsuya didn't stop her, propping himself back against the sofa as he leaned back.
"Then guess, between us... who's older?" The girl blinked her big, sparkling eyes and leaned closer to Tetsuya's reddened face.
"Do I even need to guess? Old man here... is definitely older than you." Tetsuya turned his gaze to the spinning disco ball hanging from the ceiling.
"Hmph... if I have to guess, I'd say I'm definitely older than you." The girl applied a bit of pressure with her hand, giving his thigh a pinch. Tetsuya was taken aback and looked down to see her pouting, looking quite pitiful.
"No way!"
"Well, if you guess wrong... how about a penalty of three drinks?" Rena seemed to be trying to revive the dead conversation.
"Ah... drinking... let's skip that."
"Then let's not drink… If I guess wrong, you can punish me however you want. But if you guess wrong... then you have to let me control you tonight, no objections allowed!" A mischievous smile appeared on the girl's face, stirring something in Tetsuya's heart.
"Alright then."
"I'm a goat, what about you?"
"The old man is seven years older than you; you lost…" Tetsuya blurted out.
"Eh… no way." Rena didn't disguise her skeptical look, her body instinctively beginning to sway.
"Want to see my ID?" Tetsuya glanced down at the fair, delicate hand resting on his thigh.
"I'm telling you, Rena, you lost; our Tetsuya just happens to have a Tetsuya-like appearance!" Shu Daisuke chimed in from a distance, hugging the sexy Lingling beside him.
"Big brother, you're really... already twenty-five?" Rena's mouth dropped open in surprise; seeing Tetsuya nod seriously, she silently lowered her head to pick up her drink and said, "Oh... how annoying. Alright, big brother, let's drink this cup first, and then… you can punish me."
Tetsuya didn't hesitate any longer and downed the drink in one go before leaning back.
"Eh? Big brother, you won! Does this mean... you want to make me your plaything?" Rena, seeing Tetsuya fall back, quickly leaned over to his chest, gently shaking him a few times, with a mischievous smile on her face.
"Not really. Old man is dizzy... your punishment is to go fetch some fruit..."
…
Rena propped Tetsuya against the corner of the sofa, stuffing a few cushions behind him so he could sit up facing the TV. She helped him take off his shoes and stretch his legs out across the short side of the sofa. Now, Tetsuya could enjoy the orange slices that Rena was feeding him, while also watching the TV on the wall and the karaoke booth glowing with blue light not far from him.
"Big brother, singing can drive away the alcohol in your system. What song do you want to sing? Mami can help you pick!" Unbeknownst to him, Mami suddenly climbed onto the sofa, and even onto Tetsuya's lap, like a little cat, innocently asking him. Tetsuya glanced over and noticed that the loli maid's chest looked slightly raised as well.
"Old man... can't sing, you should let the others sing," Tetsuya said, making an effort to lean back.
After a moment of staring, Mami looked at him with a disappointed expression and then climbed off.
"We can't let Mami have a solo concert, can we? I'll go first, but you all have to follow along!" Shu Daisuke said as he embraced Lingling. Tetsuya turned his head, gazing past Rena, and saw that Shu Daisuke's left hand was already slipped under Lingling's armpit, resting on her generous chest, and the girl seemed thrilled to sing for him, showing no signs of resistance.
After finishing a lively and exotic song, Shu Daisuke set the mood in the room, and the atmosphere gradually heated up. Hitoshi and Kazuya began to sing as well, spurred on by the encouragement or flirtation from the girls.
Mami was busy running around assisting with the song selections, while the girls urged drinks upon everyone. The sound of singing, laughter, applause, and cheers swirled together with the music and lights, combined with the bottles of alcohol igniting everyone's excitement. Tetsuya couldn't help but tap his fingers to the familiar rhythm.
Amid the lively atmosphere, Kota indeed kept his word and came over, holding a drink and offering a toast to each of them, showering Tetsuya with flattery and kind words that made his ears heat up. Tetsuya noticed Rena's gaze toward him subtly changing, mixed with surprise and a hint of admiration.
"That Kota doesn't harbor any good intentions. He's always trying to undermine me. Whenever there's a big contract we're eyeing, he'll sniff it out and follow along within days… damn it! We still have to play nice on the surface, can't let him know we're at odds…" After Kota left, Shu Daisuke vented his frustrations to Tetsuya.
Shu Daisuke and Kota held equivalent positions in their respective companies, both serving as Vice Presidents of the marketing departments, making them competitive rivals in the business world. Though Tetsuya didn't fully grasp the details of their rivalry, he could understand Shu Daisuke's anger. However, he thought that competition could benefit both companies and the overall market. The more intense the competition, the heavier the burden on their tech department, leading to stronger motivation for innovation.
Next up was the song chosen by Hitoshi and Yuki. Yuki leaned in to whisper something in Hitoshi's ear before standing up and walking toward the steel pole. As Hitoshi provided background vocals, Yuki placed her hand on the pole and began to dance, twisting her body gracefully... Tetsuya pulled his thoughts away from work and turned his gaze toward them...