Thoughts on Drinking Parties with Young People

As I wrote in an article I published about two years ago, shortly after I started using note, there is a drinking party that is held on a regular—or rather, an irregularly regular—basis.

The members consist of two men, including myself, and two women, for a total of four people.
Originally, we often had opportunities to drink with six people, but due to work situations and the like, it seems that the four of us have become the fixed members recently.

There is a significant age gap between me and them; I am in my 40s, and I am being included by three people in their 20s to early 30s.
It is a mystery why they keep inviting an old guy like me, but having the chance to drink with people from a different generation is, in its own way, quite pleasant.

When generations differ, fresh events can occur that are different from how one usually drinks.

Sanuki Udon

It must have been around the latter half of last year.
Someone said, "Let's go to karaoke this time!"
The location was a karaoke place at the east exit of the station.
Just as we were about to head there, C, the youngest, spoke up.

"Let's eat udon at Marugame Seimen before we go!"

Why? Why?

Everyone is properly employed, and I doubt anyone is struggling to eat.
No, if they were struggling to eat, they wouldn't be participating in a drinking party like this.
Therefore, the reason of 'saving money by filling our stomachs at a cheap place before going' is immediately ruled out.
However, I couldn't think of any other reason.

When I asked immediately, they said, "Well, isn't it better to eat something that is definitely delicious, even if it is a chain store, rather than paying money for the weird frozen food that comes out at karaoke? Let's go to karaoke after that!"

An old guy is weak when a novel opinion is presented logically, yet with an innocent smile.
I see, so there is that way of thinking.
Young people are sensible.
But... no, never mind.
The scene from my student days when I had no money and would buy rice balls or bread at a convenience store to eat with friends before heading to a cheap izakaya crossed my mind for the first time in 20 years, but I decided not to mention it.

I sat in a row at the counter with them, ate Sanuki udon until I was full, and then moved to the karaoke place in the same building to finish our fun drinking party.

Activity Policy

New Year's.
We somehow coordinated our schedules, and a drinking party was held at a yakitori restaurant under the guise of a New Year's party.
The conversation was endless, but someone mentioned the aforementioned karaoke via Marugame Seimen.
"Drinking beer after getting full on udon was a bit tough."
"I never thought I'd end up doing something like that as an adult."
Everyone talked with complaints mixed in, but of course, no one was serious.
That itself is one way to enjoy it.
I joined in on that too.
"We aren't students anymore. If it comes to this, it's going to end up like 'The next drinking party will be at Saizeriya!' or something. Give me a break."

Was this the trigger?
One person said.
"...Eh? That... doesn't that sound fun??"

Thus, the candidates for the 2023 drinking party venues were decided as follows:
・Bamiyan
・Saizeriya
・Gyoza no Ohsho
・Bikkuri Donkey

A 'schedule that makes no sense' that normal adults wouldn't list as venues was completed.
We have already held parties at Bamiyan and Saizeriya.
Every time, I am surprised by how cheap the drinking bill is, which is inversely proportional to the length of the receipt.
And, drinking at chain stores is unexpectedly interesting.

By the way, I lost my escargot virginity at that Saizeriya.
I had reached the age of 40 without being able to muster the courage, imagining them as regular snails, but it was surprisingly okay.
Would it be different if I ate them in their home country?
The youngest, C, was giggling and saying things like 'losing your virginity with escargot lol,' but I felt a chill because the phrasing seemed to change the meaning a bit.

Y's Birthday

Celebrating someone's birthday is a good thing.
Perhaps starting this year, a trend has begun in our drinking group to 'give gifts to members whose birthdays are coming up.'

A few days before a certain drinking party.
“What should I get for Y-chan’s birthday present!”
C, the youngest of the group, sends me a personal LINE message.
I no longer have any thoughts on the casual speech, but the sparkly youth slang “birthday present” makes me feel a little embarrassed, and this old man feels dizzy.

Since we don’t have a custom of giving each other expensive gifts, we settled on me “buying something nice” at a roadside station in Yamagata Prefecture where I happened to be working on the day I received the message.

Since I had some time, I went to the roadside station, looked for candidates, and sent photos of the options to C.
The following two patterns seemed decent.

In addition to these, I sent a joke photo, anticipating some banter with C like, “Hey, stop it! She definitely won’t want that lol.”

I really cannot understand the values of young people.

I warned her, “Don’t blame me if it flops,” but with her authoritative “It’s cute!” the third option was decided.
No, perhaps I should say it was decided by the decree of a hawk.

The recipient seemed to really like it, and later sent this photo to the group LINE.
Apparently, she liked birds of prey to begin with.
I wouldn’t know.

An unexpected deduction

On the day I gave Y the traditional craft hawk, about two months had actually passed since her actual birthday.
Since no drinking party had been held during that time, it was a belated celebration.
Here, one problem arises.
Actually, my birthday was two weeks after the day I picked up the wooden bird of prey to banter with the youngest member.
I am not the type of person who gets sad thinking, “Well, my birthday is actually closer…”
As I wrote before, I am the “type of person who is very bad at being celebrated on their birthday.”

Anyway, I cannot let it be found out.
On top of being bad at being celebrated, considering the timing, I am even more afraid of the atmosphere becoming like, “Oh… sorry about that…” if it were to be found out.
I must exercise extreme caution to celebrate onlyY’s birthday and spend the time as if nothing happened.

Just when I was relieved that I had finished celebrating Y with the bird of prey, O, a male member, started taking a paper bag out onto the table.
“And next, Omo-san (actually using my real name), happy birthday!”
The other members followed suit and wished me a happy birthday.

…???
Why was it found out??
They know about the existence of this note, but I have never written the date, and of course, I have never told them my birthday directly.

When I asked, they said they prepared the gift by intuition and celebrated by intuition, they said.

As if that’s possible.

They analyzed my words and actions up to now, deduced that it should be around this time of year, so it must be [Month]! They hit the mark with their precise yet rough deduction, and now they are welcoming this moment.
Of course, since they knew from my note articles that I am bad at being celebrated, they seem to have even considered that I would play dumb if they asked me directly.

Scary.

No, having said that.
Since they thought about it that much to celebrate me, there is no way I wouldn't be happy.
Trembling with both joy and fear, I express my gratitude and open the package.

What came out from inside was...

Mechanical pencil lead.

What do you think?
You, who are reading this now, must have thought, "Poor guy," "He's being teased," "Are they holding a grudge against him?" or "Is the old man hated?"

However, the actual reaction I gave them was this:

"You guys really get it!"

Most people would probably think, "No, I don't need that."
Even the ones who gave it to me said, "I wouldn't want it for myself, though," and that is the item in question.

They said they read through my note articles one by one and considered it over and over.
Stationery loverand gadget lover, and that's how they arrived at this.
Checking the price of a gift is something I wouldn't normally do, and shouldn't do, but for the sake of writing this article,with all due respect,I searched for it.
I started my search assuming it would be around 500 yen, but I was astonished.

The value of a gift is not in its price.
The fact that they gave it to me and took the time to choose it is what makes me truly happy.

However, I feel I must say this.

1,650 yen for a mechanical pencil lead case is way too expensive.
Admittedly, I wouldn't buy it for myself.
Absolutely not.

Nevertheless, I was deeply moved that they started by guessing my birthday and put so much effort into thinking about what I might like.
And their sense in choosing this, in an era where plastic is strong enough and you can buy lead at a 100-yen shop, really hit the mark for me.
Above all, it's cool.
I love this kind of unnecessarily sturdy, over-specced feel.

I don't think I'll ever get used to being celebrated, but it was a day that made me think, 'Once in a while, this is nice.'

Will the next one be held at a place like Ohsho?

*This article is a random collection of stories from a past drinking party held some time ago, written out of chronological order, so it does not mean 'My birthday is coming up soon!'
Therefore, I kindly ask you to refrain from posting comments like 'Happy Birthday!'
It would make things awkward.