EXTRA: Yuka and the Tengu Sake

Yuka was gazing at a bottle of tengu sake.
From the neck of the bottle hung a tag, on which, in elegant calligraphy, were written the words: “Zekkei Takao Renpō — Scenic Takao Mountain Range.”

—The Takao Mountain Range… no, wait, Mount Takao is just Mount Takao, isn’t it?

Thinking it might be laying it on a bit too thick, she tilted her head and lightly tossed a comment at the bottle.

“Would you like a drink?”

The one who spoke to her was a tengu with white feathers—Suzuran.
Rather than a tengu, she had an air that felt almost shrine-maiden-like.

“Well, I am a little interested, but… um—
I’m kind of scared I might get completely wasted.”

“The sake known as ‘Reihō Takaosan — Sacred Peak, Mount Takao’, which was used in the drinking contest, is in a class of its own,
but this one should be relatively gentle.”
As she said this, she deftly filled the ochoko.

“Whoa—already?! Huh? We were just talking, weren’t we?”

Still surprised, she figured she might as well check the aroma.
The scent that softly rose up was sweet, clear, and pleasant.

“Wow… it smells really nice.”
A smile slipped out despite herself, but she didn’t take a sip.

“Basically, it’s the same as regular sake. However, anything brewed in this village has jintsūriki — a kind of supernatural power — imbued in it. There may be some kind of change to your body, but it won’t affect the taste.”
Suzuran smiled gracefully.

“What do you mean, some kind of change?! That’s way too scary!”

“We drink it regularly as part of our training in jintsūriki, but for you humans, it may be a bit too stimulating. Incidentally, ‘Reihō Takaosan’ sits at the very top of the range; it even brought down an oni.”

At the remark delivered so casually, Yuka could only force a stiff smile.

“…That’s basically a weapon…”

“Even so, because you receive the protection of jintsūriki, taken in proper amounts it can also help with maintaining your health.”

Pressed by Suzuran’s smile, Yuka lowered her gaze.
Sake infused with jintsūriki lay quietly in the cup.

—All right. If I don’t drink it, nothing’s going to start.
Steeling herself, she downed the ochoko in one go.

“…Oh. It’s good.”

As the gentle flavor spread through her mouth, the tension slipped from her shoulders.
But she quickly covered the ochoko with her hand.

“But I think that’s my limit. Anything more is definitely going to be bad.”

Suddenly, she noticed a crowd in her line of sight.
There, Misaki was surrounded by many tengu, being poured drink after drink.

Each time she drained a cup without changing her smile, cheers and murmurs rose up.

Tracing the rim of her ochoko with a finger, Yuka muttered quietly.
“…Even by tengu standards, that’s way past a reasonable amount, right…?”