'Where the hell is the boss?!' Marisa's eyes were bloodshot from waiting half the night.
'I finally take the initiative, and he just... disappears?! You don't just light a fire and walk away!' She gnashed her teeth, viciously clawing at her pillow as if it were Rin 's face.
But then—
'Wait. He assigned all the rooms, even his own, to me. If he were coming back, he'd be here. So if he's not back by now... did he crash in someone else's room?!'
Marisa shot upright, glaring at the door.
'Who's the thieving cat? Patchouli? Reimu? Yukari? Sakuya? Or— Goddammit, why are there so many suspects?!'
She tore at her hair, then.. after a moment's hesitation, crept toward the door.
'Time for some reconnaissance.'
Meanwhile...
Patchouli lay stiffly in bed, staring at the ceiling.
'Is he really passed out drunk? I should be relieved... so why can't I sleep?! And where's Marisa? No way she's behaving tonight. This isn't right!'
She scratched her stomach restlessly, an inexplicable emptiness gnawing at her.
'Maybe... I should check?' The thought took root, refusing to fade.
But as she slid out of bed—
Creak.
Footsteps. Patchouli froze, holding her breath.
'...Is that him? Sneaking around at this hour, finally going after Marisa?'
Her hand drifted to her abdomen, the earlier hollowness replaced by a traitorous thrill.
'...Ugh. My damn body.' Before she could intercept him, though—
'Huh?'
The footsteps weren't confident. They were... furtive. Like someone snooping outside doors.
Frowning, Patchouli pressed her ear to her own door.
The lurker lingered outside her room for an oddly long time before moving on, upstairs.
'Who the hell—?' After a pause, Patchouli slipped out to investigate.
Meanwhile, the Actual Situation...
"B-Boss~... m-more... hic~... bottles… S-slow down—ah! It's... spilling—! Eek~! S-so cold...!"
"Heh... all mine... oops. Spilled. Clean it... hnn~... clean it for me... here too... pant..."
Empty bottles rolled across the floor, the air thick with more than just steam.
The "battlefield" was a disaster—claw marks gouged into walls, the massage bed barely holding together.
Yet neither combatant showed signs of surrender.
Two titans clashed from hot spring to shower stall, leaving devastation in their wake.
But when Yuugi found herself pinned against the door, defeat loomed. With a final act of defiance, she sank her teeth into Rin 's shoulder— only to go limp moments later.
"Hah... hah... can't... no booze left... can't fight… B-Boss... gimme... whimper... three more bottles... then you're... toast. H-how... are you... still moving?! Time... pant... timeout! Need... supplies...!"
Yuugi's request for a truce came as she slumped against him.
Stepping outside, the chill air made both shiver.
Each step toward the living room sent sweat dripping, further eroding their resolve.
By the time they reached the couch, Yuugi was a boneless heap.
"Fridge has a few left." Rin pressed an icy bottle to her cheek.
She jolted. Then chugged greedily.
"Aaah~..."
The cold liquor revived her slightly, and she stretched with a tipsy grin.
The stifling heat from earlier faded, replaced by a different kind of restlessness.
As she drank, her bleary eyes flicked to Rin , still catching his breath—, hen to the suddenly warm-feeling living room.
"B-Boss... wanna... hic~... continue in my room? Got more... glug glug... stashed there."
"Let's go."
"W-wait... carry me? Legs... not working..."
Rin obliged, and Yuugi giggled against his neck, bottle still clamped in her teeth.
Their path upstairs left a very telling trail of damp footprints.
Back to the Stalkers...
Marisa, now on the second floor, tensed at a noise, and spotted Patchouli too late to hide.
"Patchy? Why're you lurking around?"
"...I could ask you the same." Patchouli coughed, deflecting.
"Ahaha... just, uh, insomnia! Thought I'd see if anyone's up for midnight snacks."
"Funny. Me too."
"Wanna... team up?"
"Sure."
'I was just being polite, dammit!' Marisa twitched but played along as they headed downstairs.
Casually, she probed:
"Hey, Patchy... you seen where the boss sneaked off to?"
"He's not in your room?!"