Chapter 329: How a Sweet Drink Turned Into a Social Disaster [1]

Few minutes before ...when Rin was angry...

Kiera was bewildered.

She hadn’t expected him to be this angry.

No—angry wasn’t even the right word.

He was the type who usually let things slide, who brushed things off with a lazy sigh or an annoyed glance at most.

She had prepared herself for irritation, maybe disappointment, even cold sarcasm.

But not this.

Not the absolute stillness in his expression.

Not the way his eyes looked at her as if she were nothing more than a passing thought.

"I’m not angry."

His voice was calm.

Too calm.

So calm that it felt sharper than any raised voice could have been.

The words landed quietly, yet they echoed loudly in her ears.

The emotion carried in his gaze was not rage, nor resentment.

It was indifference.

Pure and unmistakable.

Those red eyes—clear, cold, and shining like polished jewels—seemed to tell her that she wasn’t even worth the effort of anger.

That realization struck harder than a slap.

For a brief moment, Kiera felt the same suffocating despair she had felt that day with Leo.

Her chest tightened.

Thump.

Her heart skipped violently.

And for some reason she couldn’t understand, that very indifference unsettled her far more than fury ever could.

His appearance only made it worse.

His hair was styled differently than usual, neat in a way that felt unfamiliar.

His posture was straight, composed, and distant.

Every detail made him look like someone she couldn’t reach anymore.

Someone far away.

And when his gaze met hers again—

Thump.

Her heart raced.

It felt as if he could see straight through her, peeling away every excuse, every justification she had clung to.

’Huh...?’

Kiera swallowed.

’Why am I like this?’

The guilt was there.

So was fear.

Anxiety twisted her stomach.

But beneath all of it, something unfamiliar stirred.

Something light, almost electric, brushing against her awareness like a tickle she couldn’t ignore.

Her cheeks grew warm before she even realized it.

Heat crept up her neck.

’No, this isn’t the time for this...’

She instinctively lowered her head, hoping no one noticed.

Thankfully, Ryan and Leo stood between them, blocking his direct line of sight.

Ryan’s expression was tense, his jaw clenched as if he were ready to step in at any moment.

Leo, on the other hand, looked unreadable, his eyes flicking briefly toward Kiera before returning to him.

"Let’s calm down," Ryan said cautiously.

"There’s no need to escalate things."

"I already said I’m calm," he replied, his tone unchanged.

"That’s the problem," Leo muttered under his breath.

Kiera flinched.

She pressed her fingers together nervously, her thoughts spiraling.

Why did his indifference affect her this much?

Why did it feel like something precious had slipped through her fingers without her noticing?

She didn’t understand.

She couldn’t understand.

This wasn’t how things were supposed to go.

’What do I do...?’

Her breath grew shallow.

’I-I think I’m going crazy...!’

And as she stood there, face flushed and heart racing, Kiera realized with growing panic that the emotion blooming inside her wasn’t something she could simply ignore anymore.

----

Rin’s POV;

I looked around and realized that everyone was still tense.

I wondered why.

I had already said that I was calm and that I would stay, but the situation didn’t seem to have improved much at all.

No, seriously, couldn’t they have just let it go when I said I wasn’t angry?

I felt a bit better after drinking the beverage prepared on the table. Only the awkward sound of sipping drinks echoed through the quiet room. It was almost painfully silent, like everyone was afraid that even breathing too loudly might set something off.

Oh. This was delicious.

It was sweet and slightly spicy, more like a sweet—no, wait. Was this alcohol?

I paused mid-sip, staring down at the glass in my hand.

Judging by the similar glasses in everyone else’s hands, it seemed like I wasn’t the only one who had drunk it. Moreover, everyone looked like they were drinking a little too much, probably because of how awkward the atmosphere was.

"Uwee...!"

Ah, shit.

I should have noticed sooner. No, I should’ve just gotten drunk without noticing and saved myself the trouble.

I focused and looked around more carefully. Except for Leo, who seemed to have known from the beginning that this was alcohol and casually dispelled its effects with mana, most of the others were already getting tipsy.

Leona’s face was noticeably red, her eyes unfocused as she stared at her glass like it had personally betrayed her.

"Why is it... spinning...?" she muttered.

"Uwaa... Rin, I’m sowwy...!"

Kiera—no, scratch that, Kiera Drunkard—staggered toward me with tears in her eyes and absolutely zero sense of balance.

"Hey, I’m not mad, okay? Just... stay back—ugh, your nose is running!"

She sniffed loudly, wiping her face with her sleeve as if that helped anything.

"I’m really sorry," Kiera slurred. "I should’ve stopped them. No—actually, I was curious too. You never talk about yourself, Rin. So... I’m just as bad as everyone else..."

As I tried to gently push her away before she collapsed onto me, a familiar voice cut in—way too serious for someone who was clearly drunk.

"Rin, I’m really sorry. I should’ve stopped them. No—actually, I was curious too."

I froze.

Slowly, I turned my head.

Ryan was standing there with a solemn expression, his posture straight, his eyes glassy but determined.

"...Ryan," I sighed. "You just said the exact same thing Kiera did."

"I know," he replied seriously. "That’s why I’m apologizing."

"...That doesn’t make it better."

"I was curious because you don’t usually talk about yourself," Ryan continued, nodding to himself. "So I’m the same as the others. But... I think I’m a little happy I got to hear about you."

I blinked.

"...Huh?"

Before I could process that, Ryan leaned closer, his brows furrowing as if he’d just remembered something important.

"Why don’t you talk to your father?" he asked suddenly. "He looked genuinely worried about you."

Oh.

So that was it.

It wasn’t exactly the same every time—but close enough. Repetition with minor variations. That was Ryan’s drunk habit.

"...Just go sit down," I muttered. "Please. Take Kiera with you."

Ryan nodded seriously, grabbed Kiera by the shoulders, and promptly missed, nearly falling over himself.

"Mission... accepted," he declared.

Watching the two of them wobble away felt more exhausting than reassuring.

"Phew..."

I rubbed my face and turned around at the sound of uneven breathing.

And there she was.

Leona stood a little too close, her eyes unfocused, her cheeks flushed red.

"...It’s hot," she mumbled.

"Yeah, it’s summer," I replied automatically. "That’s how seasons work."

She didn’t seem to hear me.

Instead, she reached for the buttons of her shirt.

My brain short-circuited.

"Whoa—Leon! Hey! No, stop, stop!" I rushed forward. "Snap out of it! You really can’t do that!"

She tilted her head, blinking slowly at me.

"...Rin?"

"Yes, Rin. Very real. Fully clothed. Please stay that way too."

She paused, hands still hovering near her chest, then frowned.

"...Oh."

Her arms dropped.

"...Okay."

I let out the breath I’d been holding.

Just five minutes ago, I’d been worried the mood was too awkward and tense.

Now this? This was the universe forcibly correcting itself in the worst way possible.