Kuriyama Mai drank half a cup of Long Island ice tea directly into his mouth as if he were drinking water.
After tasting it carefully, it turned out that it was still a bit off, too sweet, and the latter part seemed a bit bitter, probably because there was too much gin.
The sweetness and sourness did not overwhelm the alcoholic taste, and did not show the soft taste like tea.
However, on the whole, it will still be drinkable.
Sure enough, is it still too difficult to perfectly coordinate so many drinks?
Kuriyama Mai took out the Hibari cigarettes bought from the convenience store from his pocket, tapped the hard shell on the table, and two cigarettes came out with a loud sound.
This bargain, priced at 150 yen per pack, actually has a familiar smell of cigarette smoke. Although it is only 70% or 80% higher than Ziyun, it can almost be regarded as a substitute.
He was no longer too lazy to find a purchasing agent. He had to first see if Mitsui Kanon's channels were reliable.
Jiu Chengzhen, who was sitting there, looked at her cell phone with a tense expression on her face, and the whiskey bottle in front of her was not moved at all.
Kuriyama Mai put another cigarette in front of him with a casual expression. Seeing that he didn't refuse, Kuriyama Mai lit the fire for him.
Jiu Chengzhen took a deep breath before showing a look of embarrassment.
"Brother Yamazaki, I'm sorry for causing you trouble."
"fine."
A cigarette can naturally shorten the distance between men.
Even though Jiu Chengzhen was still a little nervous, Kuriyama Mai relied on [Car Skill S] and the knowledge accumulated from playing cars in his previous life, Jiu Chengzhen gradually started to talk, and even showed admiration from time to time.
After two rounds of drinking and three rounds of smoking, seeing that the atmosphere was about the same, Kuriyama Mai changed the subject and asked directly:
"Qingzi is engaged in such a job, Jiucheng, do you really not care?"
"Hey~" Jiucheng had a strange smile on his face as if he was asked this question often.
"Yamazaki, since you know, then you should know that Fujii-san is a good boss."
"In other words, you are sure to be safe there."
"It's okay, it's just..." Jiu Chengzhen took a big gulp of whiskey, "But to be honest, the thought of her having to serve different men every night makes me feel very uncomfortable."
"Have you never thought about letting her change careers? Or Jiucheng, do you have other considerations..."
Kuriyama Mai guided him silently. Seeing that he was hesitant to speak, he called the waiter to bring him the wine list and give him some time to think.
"Actually..." Jiu Chengzhen picked up the wine glass and smiled bitterly, "I am just short of money and want too much, but Qingzi is really a good girl."
"But your R3 and R6 would cost a lot of money to modify. Did something big happen to you suddenly?" Kuriyama Mai asked confused.
"I want to be a professional racing driver!"
Under the dim light, Jiu Chengzhen's somewhat cloudy eyes suddenly seemed to shine with light.
But the next second, he sighed.
"It's just that a wild player like me has to train at his own expense and achieve results before he has a chance to be spotted by the factory team..."
Seeing his sad expression, Kuriyama Mai directly stated his inner speculation to him.
"So, now you are just eating soft food and relying on Qingzi to make money."
A career like a race car driver is 30% talent and 70% financial. If you have no money and insist on pursuing it, it is indeed difficult to maintain.
Jiuchengzhen shrugged his shoulders noncommittally, handed another cigarette to Hayato Yamazaki, and replied smoothly:
"Actually, I also work with Brother Fujii to help out in the shop. He can occasionally guide me to ride. He lent me two bikes to ride."
"Brother Fujii?" Kuriyama Mai slowly exhaled smoke, "Who is Ami Fujii's husband?"
Only then did he remember that the system reminded him that Ami Fujii turned into a boss because she met a sweetheart, and judging from the attitude of the Qingguchi group towards her, this person should have a good background.
"No, it's not." Jiuchengzhen denied, "He's just Fujii-san's younger brother. I used to ride with him when I was in high school, and then I dropped out of school and came to join him."
"Drop out of school?" Seeing his story becoming more and more bizarre, Kuriyama Mai's curiosity was piqued, "In other words, Jiucheng, are you still a high school student?"
"If I hadn't dropped out of school, I would have graduated by now."
"Sorry, it seems I can't invite you to smoke or drink."
As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Kuriyama Mai couldn't help but laugh in his heart, as if he was a real high school student.
"No, no, as long as it's not too small, no one in Yanagihara Town will care about it, and I officially turned 18 last month."
"No, someone is still in charge." Kuriyama Mai waved his hand towards him, "But it's not important. Just have fun tonight."
If Yuka Yoshida knew about this, she would have to go online. But fortunately, she was too busy with the big things at hand now, let alone such a small matter like underage drinking.
Although the drinking age has not been lowered together with the adult age, Kuriyama Mai did not take it to heart and continued to ask:
"Why did you drop out of school? Isn't high school pretty good? If you look at domestic ACGs, most of the TV series are praising the youth of high school."
"Alas..." Jiu Chengzhen sighed deeply and drank the remaining whiskey in the glass in one gulp. "If my family is better, maybe it will be fine."
"Huh? Did you have other lovers in high school?"
Kuriyama Mai filled his empty glass, added ice cubes thoughtfully, and waited for him to tell the next story.
"It's not like that. It's just that Qingzi's family doesn't support us being together. Some of her family may look down on people like me who hang out in public high schools."
"What about your home?"
"My mother has long since disappeared. She is just a drunken prostitute. Although he is a bastard, I must thank him. If it weren't for the CB400 he left me, it might be difficult to meet Qingzi. ”
As he spoke, Jiu Chengzhen's youthful face could not conceal his happiness from the bottom of his heart.
"Qingzi's family background is considered very prestigious in Kannagawa. After her family found out that she was hanging out with people like me, they forced her to break up with me over and over again, and even used some means to threaten Qingzi."
"But I didn't give up. When I heard that Brother Fujii was coming to Tokyo to help her sister with her business, my head got hot, so I eloped with her on that CB400."
Hearing this, Kuriyama Mai couldn't help but applaud him.
"You are so young. Qingzi is willing to give up her family background and come here alone with you, and she works part-time to support you. Jiucheng, I think you have the potential to be the protagonist of a light novel."
"Thank you, Yamazaki..." Jiuchengzhen shook the wine glass in his hand helplessly.
"Only when we got here did we realize that it was difficult to move forward. As high school dropouts, we couldn't find any serious jobs, and we couldn't always rely on Brother Fujii. Qingzi's family had also cut off her source of income."
"That's why she chose to work in Fujii-san's shop." Kuriyama Mai seemed to understand the entanglement in his heart.
"Now I realize that I feel sorry for her..."
Jiu Chengzhen wanted to light a cigarette at this time, but the hand holding the lighter was shaking a little, and it took several times to light it.
He took a deep breath and said, "Fortunately, I have made a lot of money from Qingkou group competitions since last month, but yesterday I was only a little bit short and lost to you Yamazaki..."
"Are you so dedicated to being a professional racing driver? You two can maintain your lives by doing other serious jobs."
Kuriyama Mai recalled how Takagi Kiyoko was too skillful when drinking with him, and she couldn't help but feel a little sour. It was just an elopement, so there was no need to go to this level.
"..."
After Jiucheng listened, he quietly put out the remaining cigarette, covered his face with one hand and propped himself up on the table, without speaking for a moment.
Seeing his painful look, Kuriyama Mai didn't say anything, picked up the whiskey on the table and filled himself a glass.
"Sorry, I said the wrong thing, I'll punish myself with a drink."
"No...it's not...Yamazaki-nii's fault."
Jiucheng felt so uncomfortable that he seemed about to cry, but he forced back his tears, which made his eyes look a little red and swollen.
"It's all my fault... I've been telling Qingzi about my bullshit dreams..."
"She took it seriously..."
"She said, with a serious look on her face, that she just wants the boy she loves to realize her dream! Isn't that possible?"
Jiuchengzhen imitated Qingzi and finished speaking in a playful tone that could not be refuted.
At this moment, he couldn't bear it any longer, and tears were dripping down bit by bit along the arm that was covering his face.
Kuriyama Mai looked at him carefully and didn't speak for a long time.
"I just want my beloved boy to realize his dream..." This kind of playful but unreasonable love, even if it were him, he would probably break through the defense...
Jiu Chengzhen's tears really didn't look like acting. It could be seen that they were a man's guilt and deep powerlessness towards true love.
Kuriyama Maitou couldn't help but think to himself, if he hadn't been the protagonist of the trinity of rebirth, system, and having a girl and a house, otherwise he would have doubted whether the handsome high school dropout in front of him would be the protagonist of a light novel with a single female protagonist. .
After Jiu Chengzhen's mood calmed down, Kuriyama Mai comforted him with a hint of alcohol:
"It's okay. After a while, when my motorcycle shop is up and running, you and Qingzi can come over and help. Although the income may be lower, when you are good enough, I can help you contact some factory teams for trial training."
Kuriyama Mai checked and found out that the Mitsui Group has a lot of shares in the Hongda Factory. If Mitsui Kanon is asked to help, this matter should be solved.
As for whether he can play, it all depends on Jiucheng's talent.
"I..." Jiucheng was hesitating and speechless, "Brother Yamazaki...you, are you serious?"
"Of course, you have to show some strength in the competition with me in a few days. My motorcycle shop needs a few experts to be in charge. It would be good for Qingzi to come over and do sales."
"...Thank you...Thank you...Thank you Yamazaki brother, thank you Yamazaki brother..."
Jiu Chengzhen didn't know whether he drank too much wine or had a sudden short-circuit in his head. He kept repeating a simple thank you, and finally picked up the half-empty whiskey bottle and finished it in one gulp.
"Just call me Brother San Gei. Don't drink too much. Come on, I'll take you to the casino to play."
"Thank you, thank you, Brother Pheasant, let's go." Although Jiu Chengzhen didn't quite know what it meant, he shouted it out without any hesitation.
"But if you drink, don't ride. Let's walk."
"Okay, Brother Pheasant!"
Kuriyama Mai dragged him, who was half drunk, towards the casino, thinking that if Yuto Igarashi could successfully brainwash him, and including Yui Asaka, he would have formed a small team.
You have to think carefully about a goal that they will all work hard for. The theoretical construction work cannot be left behind...
Some specious theories quickly flashed through Kuriyama Mai's mind, and he carried Jiu Chengzhen into the splendid front hall of the casino.
He had to find some books to read.
————
In the end, in order not to affect Jiu Chengzhen's consumption threshold, after only playing for a few million yen in the VIP room, Kuriyama Mai sent Jiu Chengzhen, who was already eighty percent drunk, downstairs to his rented apartment.
Takagi Kiyoko, who had just gotten off work, seemed to have been waiting downstairs for a long time.
As soon as he saw her, Jiu Chengzhen suddenly woke up and proudly showed off to her, saying how much he had won tonight and that he could let her rest a few more days this month...
Then he excitedly introduced 'Pheasant Brother' to her. Since it was the second time they met, Kuriyama Mai simply smiled at her.
Perhaps because it hadn't been fully implemented yet, Jiu Chengzhen didn't tell her about his plans to take her to change jobs at Hayato Yamazaki's motorcycle shop.
Takagi Kiyoko kept listening with smiles in her eyes, but after he finished speaking, she gently reminded in a low voice:
"Next time, don't drink so much~"
The high-spirited Jiuchengzhen immediately became like a little lamb that made a mistake, leaning on Qingzi's narrow shoulders, begging her for forgiveness.
Takagi Kiyoko didn't say anything, she just held his hand so that Jiucheng could lean against her more comfortably, and nodded politely to Yamazaki Hayato:
"Sorry, I'm very sorry, Xiaozhen, he has caused trouble to you."
"No, no, Takagi, please send him back quickly."
"Then...we're going back."
"OK, all right."
"Brother Pheasant, goodbye."
Hearing that Takagi Kiyoko's pronunciation was quite standard, Kuriyama Mai happily waved to her.
Takagi Kiyoko gave a slight salute before helping the drunken Jiu Chengzhen to walk upstairs.
Looking at the two people slowly climbing up the stairs, Kuriyama Mai couldn't help but sigh, maybe this is what love looks like.
At this moment, the voices and looks of several girls suddenly popped into his mind, but he didn't miss them too much and started on his way home.
Perhaps, as he told Yuka Yoshida yesterday, "He has more important things to do now than love."
On the way back, Kuriyama Mai chatted with a few homeless people on the roadside for a while, and then walked slowly downstairs to his house.
Just as he was about to open the rolling shutter door and walk in to see the Igarashi knot lights, a red Ducati 1199 stopped next to him with a loud sound of iron.
A pretty woman wearing a full-face helmet handed him a heavy box.
"This is 4 million US dollars. The eldest lady ordered it to be given to you."
Her voice sounded a bit like the professional woman who had sent him money before.
"4 million?" Kuriyama Mai was a little surprised, "Didn't you tell her it was 3 million?"
"You don't need to know this. The eldest lady has her own considerations." The cold female voice didn't want to explain too much to him.
"I'd like to thank her, but I asked you to work overtime late at night. It's time for you to give her some advice. Thank you for your hard work tonight~"
The maid Xiao An looked at him in surprise, but when she saw the face carefully, her thigh suddenly staggered, and the motorcycle was about to lose its balance.
Fortunately, Kuriyama Mai quickly helped her steady the handlebars with quick hands, and the two looked at each other through the windshield of the helmet.
"Hayato...?"
Her voice suddenly became trembling, without the cold air before.
"You mean, Yamazaki Hayato himself?" Kuriyama Mai asked.
"No..." She shook her head, as if she had regained consciousness, "You are not him, the young lady's makeup skills are really good..."
