Silver Serpent Singing to the Sea ~24~ Intoxication

Just then, Isarame and Umiwaka, who had been enjoying walking on the waves, returned. The serious atmosphere from moments ago vanished.
Whether he is acting haughty or looking languid, Umiwaka has a way of stealing others' hearts just by being there. When he is in a good mood, it feels as if a dusting of cool, clear light has been scattered about.

The raft felt smaller now, but being huddled together was pleasant, and each of them ate and drank what they liked.

“Well then, I shall take my leave now.”

With that, Tsukuyomi said her goodbyes to everyone—even to the little twins—and climbed into the palanquin pulled by that strange beast with the face of a deer.

“It was good to see you, brother. If you two, or the little ones, ever come to my land, I will welcome you. Of course, for you, brother, it will be something special.”

Yarei shifted his gaze to Umiwaka, but he seemed not to be listening.
A lock of hair, down which silver light seemed to slide, hung over his cheek. Beyond the silver threads, I could see the corners of his eyes, fixed intently on the cup in his hand, were moist.

“My, my...”

Yarei let out an involuntary sigh, captivated by Umiwaka’s flushed, intoxicated profile.
At that moment, Seoritsuhime stood up slowly and blocked Yarei’s view.

“Hmm?”

“You must not look!”

“Eh, at what...?”

It is human—no, divine—nature to want to look when told not to. I peeked at Umiwaka, who was sitting behind Seoritsuhime.
The usual sharpness in his eyes and his aloof expression were nowhere to be found; his cheeks were flushed, and his thin lips were parted softly. What was the reason for such sweetness in his eyes, in particular?
Even Seoritsuhime, having seen it clearly, was flustered.

“Wow, you really drank quite a bit, didn't you, Umiwaka?”

“...Yarei? Just a little, though. Tsukuyomi...”

As he said this, the contents of the cup he held spilled out. Umiwaka just smiled vacantly, not even noticing that it had soaked his kimono.
He must have drunk it because Tsukuyomi offered it to him, but judging by how much it spilled, he probably hadn't even finished a single sip.

“Oh... have you forgotten that you cannot drink alcohol!”

“Did I?”

Seoritsuhime wiped his kimono, and Umiwaka swayed from side to side, letting her do as she pleased.
There was something unknown to Watatsumi, the King of the Sea. It was unimaginable given his dignified appearance, reminiscent of his predecessor, but he was a lightweight when it came to alcohol. One sip and he would be instantly intoxicated.
That was why, at banquets, Seoritsuhime would sit beside him and drink his cup without anyone noticing. The fact that Watatsumi couldn't drink a single drop, and that the demure princess could drink so much without changing her expression, was a secret known only to them.

Tsukuyomi, it seems, was unaware of this as well. She leaned halfway out of the palanquin, nearly dropping her fan. Umiwaka and Seoritsuhime had been sitting with Tsukuyomi between them, and since Yarei and Isarame were sitting opposite them, the princess’s drinking had gone unnoticed. If she had noticed, she surely would have stopped him.

“My, what a spectacular sight this is.”

Seeing that she could not stop Yarei's gaze as he continued to stare at him in fascination, Seoritsuhime took off her robe and threw it over Kaiwaka with a shout.
No matter what was done to him, Kaiwaka remained dazed, but Yarei criticized it with an "Ahhh."

"There's no need to hide it, is there?"

"You must not look."

"It's not like he belongs to you, Princess."

Saying this, Yarei tried to remove the robe, but the Princess stopped him.

"I cannot let him be exposed to your wicked gaze."

"Wicked! Me!?"

"Yes, you. I am well aware that you are always, always looking at my lord."

"Wait a minute! That's impossible."

"It is possible! It certainly is!"

"It's not! I told you it's not!"

The two gods began to push against each other. That said, Yarei was a male god, so he didn't push the Princess with any real force. They stood up, hands pressed against each other's, pushing and glaring. The twins watched them from below, looking amused.

""Go for it! Go for it, both of you!""

Although they were holding back their strength, the Princess was pushing with all her might, and before long, Yarei's sloppily worn kimono came undone and slipped off. Meanwhile, the Princess was also in an indecent state, wearing only her undergarments, but she was too heated to care about such things anymore.

"Not only did you have the young Watatsumi-sama all to yourself, but you are still obsessed with him?"

"That's why you're the one who came barging in!"

"Then please know your place."

"What do you mean by 'place'? In the first place, Kaiwaka doesn't belong to anyone."

"I have known him for 100 years!"

"I've known him since way, way before that too."

That is just a matter of names, isn't it?

Then what, if I'm nearby, will I get it?

Hey! That is beyond rude. Please, someone with such wicked desires like you, stay away from my lord.

Which one of us is the one obsessed!

And so, with tit for tat, the elegant night changed its appearance into a squabble, but Kaiwaka began to wriggle his head out from under the robes.

Before his eyes, a man and a woman, holding hands and blushing not just on their cheeks but all the way to their necks, were gazing at each other in their thin garments.

.........Since when did you two become like that...?

Startled by Kaiwaka's voice, the two deities looked toward him. He was smiling, his face still showing signs of intoxication, but he was staring intently at them. Realizing their state, they panicked; one tried to let go of the other's hand, while the other tried to fix their kimono as they were, and so............ splash! With a loud sound, they fell from the raft into the sea.

For a short while.........

No one came up from the sea.

They fell, didn't they.

Yeah, they fell.

The twins continued to watch the waves. High-pitched laughter echoed from Tsukuyomi's palanquin as it raced up to the heavens, and even after it vanished to the far side of the moon, the night shone all the brighter.

To be continued


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