"Aoba..."
After a few more cups of sake, Aoba still didn't feel anything unusual.
But Uchiha Mikoto had already narrowed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder, beginning to mutter like a drunk under her breath.
He glanced at Kushina again and found that she was looking at him as well, smiling as she said, "It looks like Mikoto's a little drunk."
"I'm not drunk! I can still drink!"
Hearing Kushina's voice, the drunken married woman immediately lifted her head and puffed out her cheeks in protest.
Then she picked up her cup and tried to pour more sake into her mouth.
But a hand stopped her.
"Aunt Mikoto..."
Aoba took the cup from her hand. Before he could finish trying to persuade her, Uchiha Mikoto had already slumped onto the table, leaving only half of her somewhat adorably innocent profile visible.
"..."
"Looks like she's really drunk."
Kushina looked curiously at the Uchiha Mikoto lying on the table, reached out, and poked her cheek, unable to help feeling puzzled.
Logically speaking, this amount should only have been enough to stir her emotions. It shouldn't have been enough to make someone fall asleep.
Mikoto's reaction seemed a bit too strong.
"Since Aunt Mikoto is drunk—"
"Since Mikoto's drunk, Aoba, you stay here and take care of her."
Kushina cut Aoba off before he could finish.
"Hm?"
"Hm?"
Aoba and Sasuke both looked at her in surprise.
Kushina explained seriously, "Aoba must have taken care of Sister Tsunade when she got drunk plenty of times before. He's definitely more experienced with this."
"Being drunk is very uncomfortable. Sasuke, do you really want to watch your mother stay miserable the whole time?"
"Mm..."
Uchiha Mikoto happened to let out a soft groan at just the right moment. Her brows were tightly furrowed, as though she really felt awful.
"Well..."
Sasuke had nothing to say. He really had no experience taking care of someone who was drunk.
But leaving Aoba alone with his drunk mother...
Aoba didn't have much to say either, "Then I'll head back after Aunt Mikoto feels a little better."
"In that case, Aoba, I'll leave Mikoto to you."
A smile appeared on Kushina's face. A trace of satisfaction flashed through her narrowed eyes, then she grabbed Naruto beside her and stood up.
"Naruto, it's time for us to head home too."
"Huh? Aren't we waiting to leave together with Aoba?"
Naruto looked completely confused, "Wait for what? You'll only get in the way if you stay here. And Sasuke, you too. Come with me!"
Sasuke: ?
'Isn't this my house?'
But his opinion was destined not to matter. The two of them were forcibly dragged away by Kushina.
Standing at the doorway, Aoba watched the three of them leave, feeling somewhat speechless.
'So this is Kushina-nee's plan?'
But Mikoto was already so drunk she had lost consciousness. There was no way he could take advantage of her while she was drunk...
'Wouldn't that make me a beast?'
'But if I don't do anything, wouldn't that make me worse than a beast?'
Clink!
The sound of a teacup hitting the floor suddenly came from the living room.
Aoba quickly returned and found that Uchiha Mikoto had woken up at some point.
She was squatting on the floor, cleaning up the broken pieces of the teacup.
Seeing her swaying unsteadily, Aoba couldn't help worrying that she might fall.
And his worry wasn't unnecessary...
"Ah!"
Just after gathering up the broken pieces, Uchiha Mikoto suddenly slipped as she was about to stand up, about to fall backward.
Aoba flashed forward and appeared behind her just in time.
Her soft, delicate body fell into his arms. Even with all his experience, he couldn't help feeling secretly amazed.
Uchiha Mikoto was pressed completely against him.
He could clearly feel her weight.
Enough to envelop him completely.
"Aoba..."
Without even needing to guess, Uchiha Mikoto knew who was behind her. Leaning against his chest, she rubbed against him lightly.
"Aunt Mikoto, let me take you back to your bedroom so you can rest. I'll clean up everything else."
Aoba wrapped an arm around Uchiha Mikoto's full, soft waist. At this distance, he could even smell the faint scent of alcohol on her breath.
Uchiha Mikoto actually hadn't drunk much. After all, Kushina had only brought over a single bottle of sake.
Although she was an Edo Tensei body and couldn't taste the alcohol, she still went through the motions and drank a few cups because the atmosphere called for it.
Aoba had also drunk quite a bit, so Uchiha Mikoto hadn't actually had much at all.
"Sorry... Auntie seems to have overestimated her alcohol tolerance... I've caused you trouble again, Aoba."
Uchiha Mikoto's voice was full of apology, slightly slurred, yet unexpectedly a little cute.
"It's nothing. I'll take you to your bedroom first. You'll feel better after you get some sleep."
"Mhm. Auntie can still hold on..."
That's what Uchiha Mikoto said, but judging by the way she looked, she was only one step away from passing out completely.
He couldn't exactly slap her a couple of times to force her to stay awake, so Aoba simply picked Uchiha Mikoto up in a princess carry.
"A-Aoba?"
Uchiha Mikoto gave a start. Her already flushed, drunken face seemed to grow even more intoxicated.
To be honest, this did seem a little strange.
It wasn't as though he had never drunk with Uchiha Mikoto before.
She had also drunk with Tsunade before. Logically, she shouldn't have gotten drunk this easily.
Could Kushina really have slipped something into the drinks?
But he had drunk the sake and eaten the food too. He hadn't tasted anything unusual, and he wasn't reacting at all.
Was it something in her cup?
There was no time to think about it now. After all, what was done was done.
Entering Uchiha Mikoto's bedroom, Aoba carefully laid her down on the bed.
He had intended to straighten the bedding for her and tuck her in properly.
But the moment Uchiha Mikoto touched the bed, she hugged the blanket and curled up into a ball, leaving Aoba at a loss.
Uchiha Mikoto wasn't Tsunade. If it had been Tsunade, he would have simply climbed into bed and slept with her.
"Aunt Mikoto, let go for a moment. Let me cover you with the blanket, or you'll catch a cold tomorrow."
"Mmm..."
Uchiha Mikoto only let out a cute nasal sound and rubbed against the blanket again, with no intention of letting go.
"..."
Aoba sighed helplessly. Sure enough, no matter what someone's personality was like, they were troublesome once they got drunk.
He could only think of a way to take the blanket away first.
However, the instant he moved closer, before he even had time to reach out, Uchiha Mikoto suddenly opened her eyes, and her mature body leaned toward him of its own accord.
One arm wrapped around his neck, while the other hand lifted his chin.
In Aoba's view, Uchiha Mikoto's flushed, beautiful face rapidly drew closer.
Aoba's eyes twitched. He could clearly feel the warmth radiating from Uchiha Mikoto's body. Accompanied by the rich scent of alcohol, it was like savoring a cup of fragrant aged vintage.