The Female Knight Who Was Too Adorable After Getting Carried Away By Alcohol And Taking Her Subordinate Home

It was sometime after midnight at a certain tavern.

Normally, the customers who had started drinking in the evening would have cleared out by now, and the place should have been settling into the atmosphere of closing time. At least, according to common sense.

But for Black Hawk, their “festival” always began in the middle of the night.

“—Due to mission schedules and various other circumstances, this ended up being held rather late and feels somewhat overdue, but starting now, we’ll be holding a welcome party for Haru, the rookie knight who recently joined Black Hawk. Everyone, tonight’s entire tab is being covered by the Royal Guard—you all understand what that means, don’t you?”

Holding a huge mug filled to the brim with beer in one hand, Karen-san surveyed the tavern, which had been reserved entirely for them, and every knight under her command nodded solemnly in unison.

Tonight, they could drink to their hearts’ content without worrying about the contents of their wallets.

“Good. Everyone, tonight we drink until we die—cheers!”

““““YEAHHHH!!!””””

At the signal of Captain Karen-san raising her mug high into the air, a ground-shaking roar erupted from the battle-hardened men.

By the next instant, the mugs in their hands were already empty, and voices were rising everywhere shouting, “Another one!” and “No, ten more!!”

In a situation like this, even I felt tempted to get swept up in the momentum and shout, “Keep ’em coming~!” but since I still hadn’t reached the legal drinking age, I was slowly sipping grape juice specially prepared by the tavern staff.

“Haru, sorry about this. The people who are supposed to be welcoming you have already started going wild while ignoring the guest of honor.”

After leading the toast, Karen-san sat down beside me in the back of the tavern. Despite having competed in several drinking contests with other squad members during the short time it took her to return to our table, her complexion remained completely sober. Apparently, her alcohol tolerance was first-rate too.

“No… I more or less expected this to happen, and besides, I prefer watching everyone having fun like this.”

“I see. Then since you can’t drink, make sure you eat plenty. You’re far too skinny.”

With that, Karen-san kept piling plates heaped with meat in front of me. I appreciated the consideration, but I honestly didn’t think my stomach could hold more meat than my own body weight.

“By the way, Captain.”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“Why did you—turn down my confession back then?”

“PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFT!!!????”

At the completely unexpected killer question I suddenly threw her, Karen-san magnificently sprayed the beer in her mouth toward the tavern ceiling. It traced such a beautiful arc that a splendid seven-colored rainbow appeared, almost like a street performance.

“Captain, you don’t have to be that surprised…”

“Y-You idiot!? If someone suddenly says something like that in the middle of such a relaxed atmosphere, of course anyone would react like this!?”

Admittedly, asking in front of so many people might not have been the best idea, but as I watched Karen-san’s lovely profile while she happily drank her beer, the words simply slipped out.

It was a bitter memory I myself didn’t particularly enjoy remembering, but I believed it had happened on my very first day after joining.

The induction ceremony for the Royal Capital Guard was held in the throne room of the royal palace.

Having graduated at the top of knight school and completed the ceremony without incident as the representative of the new knights, the instant I saw the woman standing before me, I became completely unable to look away.

“…You’re small. Are you Haru?”

“Y-Yes. I’m Haru… Um, excuse me, but…”

“I’m Karen. I’m the knight serving as captain of the Royal Capital Guard’s Fourth Knight Squad, 【Black Hawk】, to which you’ll be assigned starting today. Let me make this clear: I won’t give you special treatment just because you’re a rookie. You’ll complete missions like everyone else, and you’ll cough up blood like everyone else, so if you’re still thinking like a student, throw that attitude away now.”

After giving me a cold glance, the captain turned her back on me and began walking as though telling me to follow.

Seeing her back, so impossibly solitary and beautiful, I instinctively blurted out,

“Um—please go out with me.”

It was complete love at first sight. I had met plenty of girls before, but never in my life had simply being looked at made me this nervous or caused my heart to pound so violently.

“—What did you just say?”

The captain stopped and turned back toward me at the words that had unexpectedly escaped my own mouth. Because of our difference in height, her clear, pale silver eyes were completely looking down at me.

“I’d like you and me to… have a personal relationship.”

“…And exactly who is supposed to have a personal relationship with you? Say it clearly.”

“That would be… me and you, Cap—”

Before I could finish answering, the captain silently closed the distance between us and swung her arm, slapping me across the cheek.

Smack—a dry sound echoed throughout the royal palace, and the instant I heard it, I immediately realized what I had done.

“C-Captain, I’m terribly sorry! It’s only my first day, and I’ve already said something so disrespectful—”

How could I have behaved so rudely as to suddenly ask someone I had just met—and who would now be my direct superior—to enter a romantic relationship with me?

And naturally, as punishment for such behavior, the captain quietly spoke the words I deserved.

“…I refuse. As if I would date an outrageously disrespectful brat like you, especially some weak little boy. If you want to fool around with things like that, do it in another squad.”

“Y-Yes… of course. I’m sorry, Captain.”

“If you understand, hurry up and follow me, you precocious brat. I had planned to take it easy on you today, but I’ve changed my mind. I’m going to beat that student mentality right out of you immediately, so prepare yourself.”

Ah, so this was how it ended after all. My impulsive confession had spectacularly failed, and now I had to endure hellish training while in this emotional state.

I messed up. She hates me now—as those regrets spun endlessly through my head—

—SPLAT!!

“Huh?”

A sound like someone tripping spectacularly and slamming their face hard into the floor echoed throughout the castle.

Naturally, the person lying face-down in an almost artistic pose was the knight captain I had been watching.

“Wh—Who was it!? Who put a stun spell formation under my feet!?”

While saying that, the captain’s face rapidly turned red as she looked around frantically, but from where I stood, it simply looked like she had spectacularly tripped over absolutely nothing.

“Um, Captain, are you okay…?”

“…! O-Of course I am! My body isn’t so weakly trained that something this minor could injure me.”

“Um, your knee is scraped. Is that really okay?”

“…! I-I said I’m fine, so I’m fine! Something like this will heal if I just spit on it!”

With that, the captain stormed off toward Black Hawk’s station, inexplicably fuming while her footsteps pounded loudly.

“Hmm… I guess she’s… a very unusual person?”

An appearance that endlessly drew people’s attention, a cold gaze, and then this unexpectedly clumsy side that suddenly surfaced.

(Could it be that Captain—Karen-san—is actually an incredibly adorable person…?)

Watching Karen-san spectacularly trip again in the distance, I found myself gaining just a little hope for my future working life.

“—H-Hmm? Did something like that happen? Even if it was an unforgettable day for you, to me it was nothing more than an ordinary scene from some afternoon at work… probably? I kind of don’t remember it? Maybe?”

I became absolutely certain from the way she spoke that she remembered every detail.

Actually, now that I knew the current Karen-san, I could say this: back then, my confession had probably flustered her so badly that she tripped over nothing and turned the bridge of her nose bright red.

Because of that beginning and all the events that followed, I was now working hard every day as Karen-san’s right-hand man (self-proclaimed).

But as that continued, I also found myself wanting to become closer to her as a man and a woman than we were now—

“Captainn… Even now, am I still not worthy of standing beside you? Is it because I’m smaller than most people? Because I’m weaker than you?”

“Wait, wait, you can’t suddenly ask me something like that… Actually, Haru, aren’t you acting strange? It sounds like you’re having a little trouble speaking clearly…”

“Huhhh~? Thash not trueee. It’s not like I’m drinking alcohol or anythinggg…”

That was right. What I was drinking was supposed to be grape juice specially prepared by the tavern staff. It wasn’t sweet, but dry, slightly bitter, and had a mature flavor—

“…Haru, let me see that for a second. Hey, owner, isn’t this actually wine rather than grape juice—”

“Fnyaa…?”

Karen-san took a sip of the juice I had been drinking and seemed to hurriedly say something to the tavern owner, but with my vision spinning strangely and my thoughts swaying, I couldn’t understand what was happening, and my consciousness slowly faded away.

“—Ngh?”

When I suddenly woke up, I was lying on a bed.

A faint sweet scent drifted from the blanket covering me, mixed with the slight smell of an animal—

“Woof!”

The first to rush over after noticing I was awake was the two-headed dog named Cerberus. It had been a while since I had seen it, but judging from the incredible enthusiasm with which it licked my face, apparently it still remembered me.

If the pet Karen-san kept at her home was here, that meant—

“—Y-You’re awake, Haru.”

“…Captain.”

When I turned toward the voice, I saw Karen-san sitting at a table sipping a warm drink. Instead of the armor she wore for work, she was actually dressed in casual clothes. Her hair, normally tied behind her, now hung straight down.

“Honestly… It was quite a struggle carrying your drunken self all the way here and taking care of you. Since you were still wearing your armor after work, you were extremely heavy.”

From Karen-san’s explanation, it seemed I had passed out because the tavern staff had accidentally served me wine. The delayed throbbing headache that now struck me was probably evidence enough.

“Huh? Come to think of it, I was wearing my armor—”

My armor was currently neatly placed beside the bed. In fact, it even seemed slightly shinier than before.

“Um, did you perhaps do this, Captain?”

“…Mm, yes. You might not remember, but your armor was badly covered in alcohol and vomit. Leaving it that way could have caused rust, so I polished it for you.”

“Um, that isn’t quite what I meant… Ah, no, it sounds like I behaved terribly at the tavern, so I am extremely sorry about that.”

What I wanted to ask about now was something else.

“Um… Were you the one who removed my armor and put me in bed, Captain?”

“? Of course I was. Who else besides me was responsible for taking care of you while you were drunk?”

So it really was her.

The one who removed my armor, stripped me down to nothing but my undershirt, and laid me in bed was Karen-san right in front of me.

Upon hearing that, I pulled the blanket tightly against myself and looked up at her with the mannerisms of a bashful girl.

“—C-Captain, you beast…!”

“PFFFFFFFFFFT!!!????”

At my words, Karen-san magnificently sprayed the brown liquid that looked like coffee from her mouth. That made two beautiful arcs today.

“Cough, cough… W-W-What the hell are you saying!? Yes, I stripped you down to your undershirt, but I absolutely did not do anything strange to you!?”

“Liar. You’re definitely lying. You took advantage of me being drunk, dragged me into your room, and had your way with my body, didn’t you? That coffee you’re drinking now is obviously so you can relax after finishing a round with me, isn’t it?”

“No!? Do you really think I’m the kind of person who would abuse my superior position to do something to a subordinate that goes beyond sexual harassment and practically amounts to sexual assault!?”

No. Of course I didn’t.

A shy female knight who still couldn’t take that first step even with alcohol giving her courage—that was the adorable Karen-san I knew.

But precisely because she always panicked like this, I couldn’t resist teasing her.

“I’m joking, I’m joking. I know better than anyone that you aren’t capable of something like that, Captain. Besides, if you could do things like that, you wouldn’t have remained hopelessly single this long, would you?”

“Hmph… That isn’t true. If I properly prepared myself mentally and all the other circumstances lined up, it’s not like I couldn’t do it, or something…”

Karen-san muttered that stubborn excuse under her breath, so I decided to press her further.

“Then can you kiss me right now?”

“K-Kiss—!?”

When I lightly pursed my lips toward her, Karen-san became so visibly shaken that she accidentally knocked her cup off the table.

“K-K-K-Kiss!? On the lips?! And with you!?”

“Yes. Can’t you?”

“O-Of course I can’t, you idiot!? A man and a woman who aren’t even officially dating doing something that shameless—”

“You don’t need to be officially dating just to kiss. Apparently, some other countries even do it as a greeting.”

“E-Even if you say that, you can’t just suddenly ask me to do something like that.”

“Captain, you just said, ‘If I mentally prepared myself and the circumstances lined up,’ didn’t you? Let me ask you one thing. Don’t you think the current situation is practically perfect?”

A young man and woman. One had gotten drunk at a drinking party and been taken back to the other’s home. It was late at night, and they were alone together. There was nobody to interfere, except one pet.

If you wanted an opportunity to make something happen between the two of you, it could hardly get more perfect than this.

“I’m terribly sorry that your partner would be someone you already rejected once, but wouldn’t a man you’re at least somewhat comfortable with be ideal for getting some experience, Karen-san?”

“U… Ugh… But, still…”

“It’s okay, Captain. I won’t tell anyone what happens tonight, and I’ll tell the other squad members nothing happened either. So, come on, why don’t we try it? For your sake.”

“Haru, you’re actually just saying it that way because you want to do it yourself, aren’t you…?”

That was part of it. After all, I still loved Karen-san.

“Or, um… do you still dislike me, Captain? Someone small and weak who isn’t stronger than you or anything like that?”

“N-No, that isn’t… It’s just that something like this should be done a little more properly—”

While Karen-san continued making excuses with that indecisive attitude—

“Woof!!”

Cerberus, who had been sitting quietly beside Karen-san, suddenly rammed straight into its owner’s backside.

Naturally, Karen-san lost her balance, and since the floor beneath her feet was wet from the spilled drink, she fell straight toward me.

“Ah, Captain, watch out—”

I instinctively reached toward Karen-san to catch her body—

—and at that moment, something outrageous happened.

“Mm…?”

“Mmph—?”

Karen-san and I stared at one another, our faces now extremely close.

Our lips were touching at that very moment.

Each other’s saliva slipped into our mouths, along with the tips of our damp tongues.

At the faint wet sound of a soft smack, Karen-san and I sprang apart as though launched, retreating to opposite corners of the room.

“C-C-C-Captain, I’m sorry!?? I-I never imagined something like that would actually happen!”

“N-No, no, I’m sorry too! This happened because Cerberus did something unnecessary, and…”

When our gazes suddenly crossed, Karen-san and I immediately looked away in embarrassment and lowered our heads.

What do I do what do I do what do I do?

I was the one who had suggested kissing, yet my heart was pounding this violently.

I had only intended to tease her and let things end in the usual confusion, but even though it had been an accident, I had actually kissed her.

“Um, Haru. Well… I’m going to practice swordsmanship… I mean, do my morning training…”

It wasn’t even close to dawn yet. Even normally, her training time was still a while away.

But I didn’t have enough mental composure to point that out.

“Um… I’ll leave the spare key to the room here. Once you feel better, well… you can leave whenever you like.”

“Y-Yes. Um, thank you, Captain.”

Without making eye contact even once, Karen-san finished the conversation, hastily grabbed her greatsword, and left the room while still dressed in her casual clothes.

“Woof.”

Cerberus wagged its tails with the satisfied air of someone who had successfully completed a job, but this time its meddling might truly have been unnecessary.

And so, the first kiss I ever shared with Karen-san left behind a faint bitterness on my lips.