Vol3 Chapter 11: Eri

Genji Uesugi was genuinely curious.

How had his sister managed to down eighteen bottles of champagne?

Forget the alcohol content—even eighteen bottles of water would be too much for him.

Sakura moved with utmost care, as if carrying a priceless, fragile treasure. Each step on the Genji Heavy Industries floor was silent. Bai Ci’s arm hung limply over Sakura’s shoulder, swaying slightly with her strides, her thick black hair covering most of her face, revealing only a flushed ear and jawline.

Genji trailed half a step behind, the cool night dew on him contrasting sharply with the heavy alcohol scent wafting from Sakura’s back. His brow furrowed slightly, his gaze on Bai Ci mixed with brotherly exasperation and pure physiological confusion.

Eighteen bottles of champagne… the number alone carried an absurd impact. Genji considered his own tolerance decent among hybrids, but eighteen bottles? The sheer volume of liquid, just imagining it forced into his stomach, made his temples throb faintly.

How did Bai Ci’s small frame handle it? Had her dragon blood not only enhanced her strength but also turned her stomach into a four-dimensional pocket?

Genji couldn’t wrap his head around it.

Is she secretly a booze hound?

“Did she…” Genji finally spoke, his voice low in the empty corridor, “…throw up?” It was a practical concern. He dreaded the thought of Sakura’s charge suddenly unloading the “essence” of eighteen bottles onto her.

Sakura’s steps didn’t falter, her voice steady as her knife hand: “She retched a bit in the car, but nothing substantial came up.” She paused, adding, “The young lady shares your bloodline—likely a metabolic advantage. But the intake was excessive. Full sobriety will take time.”

Genji sighed silently. The elevator ascended steadily toward a luxurious medical room at Genji Heavy Industries, equipped with top-tier doctors.

Let’s make sure she’s okay first…

The elevator doors opened.

Genji didn’t first see the doctors, who were likely still rushing back. Instead, his eyes met those of a girl in a red-and-white miko outfit, an alchemical sword at her waist. She froze, visibly flustered, clearly not expecting him.

Behind her, a mangled metal door lay on the floor, violently torn off its hinges.

Caught red-handed.

The air stilled for a moment.

Eri’s delicate face showed no emotion, calm as a doll. She held Genji’s gaze for two or three seconds before turning away, avoiding his eyes.

Runaway plan: total failure!

Genji rubbed his forehead. Why is everyone such a handful?

“No running away!” His tone was stern. He was usually lenient with Eri, but this was non-negotiable. Her frail condition meant any time away from medical supervision was dangerous.

Eri’s expression remained unchanged, as if his sternness was a breeze over a lake. She tilted her head slightly, long lashes lowering, her gaze fixed on her white-socked toes in a classic “I can’t hear you” defiance.

Genji eyed her stubborn stance and the pitiful, twisted alloy door behind her, feeling even more exasperated.

A little monster capable of ripping apart Genji Heavy Industries’ high-security door, now acting like a kid caught misbehaving but too proud to admit it.

He took a deep breath, the absurdity of Bai Ci’s eighteen bottles still lingering, leaving him utterly drained.

“Sakura,” Genji waved, his voice firm with command, “Take Bai Ci to the medical room. Ensure the doctors check her thoroughly—focus on her stomach and nervous system. Urgent.” He paused, glancing at the ruined door. “And… get someone to deal with that door.”

“Yes, Young Master,” Sakura replied, unflinching.

Without hesitation, she carried the limp Bai Ci past Genji and Eri toward the medical room, leaving a trail of potent champagne scent in the air.

Eri noticed the drunken girl on Sakura’s back. Her floor rarely saw outsiders—Sakura herself had only visited a few times with Genji.

For Eri, a complete stranger was a novel event.

She glanced at Bai Ci, then looked back, then tilted her head again, as if confirming something.

She seems familiar.

Genji caught Eri’s curious gaze and introduced: “That’s your older sister.”

Sakura’s steady footsteps faded down the corridor, the champagne scent thickening like an invisible fog between Genji and Eri.

The air grew heavy again, not just from the “caught running away” tension but from a new, quiet emotion—Eri’s curiosity.

Her gaze, drawn like an invisible thread, stayed locked on Sakura’s retreating figure—or rather, on the unconscious form on her back.

She’d seen many people: doctors, nurses, black-suited retainers, occasional visitors. But “older sister” was a term both foreign and weighty. Genji was her brother, her guardian, her closest bond.

But an “older sister”… what was that?

Eri’s flawless face showed no change, like a perfect porcelain doll. Yet her actions betrayed her inner turmoil and curiosity. She tilted her head, ruby-red eyes fixed unblinkingly on Bai Ci’s dangling arm and swaying black hair. The flushed ear seemed to her a mysterious signal.

She took a small step forward, her delicate nose twitching as the sharp alcohol scent hit her, stronger now, unfamiliar—sweet with fermented grapes and the sting of liquor, unlike the paper and ink or Genji’s faint tobacco smell. Was this the “older sister’s” scent? Why so strong? Why did it make her so… limp?

Her gaze shifted from Bai Ci to Genji’s face, brimming with silent questions: Older sister? Why’s she like this? What’s that smell? Why isn’t she moving?

Genji read her curiosity. Sighing, he set aside his frustration over the door and worry for Bai Ci, aiming to explain simply: “She… drank a lot of alcohol. Like… a ton of water, but the kind that makes you dizzy and sleepy.” He paused, his tone tinged with lingering disbelief. “Way too much, abnormally so. So she’s asleep now, not feeling great.”

“Alcohol…” Eri’s lips moved silently, as if tasting the unfamiliar word. Her gaze drifted to the corridor’s end, as if seeing through walls to the medical room. She recalled a fleeting sense of familiarity. Where have I seen her?

Her eyes fell back to the alloy door she’d torn apart. The urge to break free and explore the world was now overtaken by a new, equally fierce desire—to understand this “older sister.”

She looked up at Genji, her gaze mixing lingering embarrassment from being caught with a firm plea. No words were needed; he knew she wanted to see her.

Genji met her clear, stubborn eyes, glanced at the wrecked door, and sighed deeply. One sister who could dismantle security doors with world-ending powers, another who downed eighteen bottles of champagne with equally potent blood…

Being a brother was tough.

“Go take a look, Eri,” he said, softening, resigned. “But only look—don’t disturb the doctors. Then straight back to your room, okay?”

Eri didn’t nod or shake her head, but her ruby eyes lit up, as if granted silent permission. She ignored the ruined door, her focus shifting to the medical room. She took a step, paused, and looked back at Genji, waiting for him.

His heart twinged. Eri’s world was so small; any novelty sparked immense curiosity, and this “older sister” was no exception.

He stepped forward, taking her cool, slender hand—capable of tearing steel yet unresisting now.

“Let’s go,” he said, leading her toward where Sakura had gone.

The medical room’s door was ajar, bright light and faint machine hums spilling out. Sakura had settled Bai Ci on the central bed, her movements gentle as if handling fragile porcelain. White-coated medical staff hurried in, exchanging low, serious words, efficient and focused.

Genji and Eri stopped at the door. Eri rose on tiptoes, peering through the gap.

Bai Ci lay on crisp white sheets, her dark hair fanned across the pillow, her jaw and neck starkly pale against the unnatural flush of her ears and cheeks.

Eri watched intently. She rarely saw someone so defenseless, unconscious. Genji was always upright and restrained, doctors and nurses were busy and professional, retainers respectful and distant. This “older sister”… well, she wasn’t sure, just sleeping like a little pig.

“Young Master,” Sakura appeared silently at the door, reporting softly, “Initial checks show stable vitals, no acute alcohol poisoning. But her stomach’s severely distended, and her nervous system’s deeply suppressed. The doctors suggest high-dose glucose infusion to speed metabolism and close monitoring.”

Genji nodded. “Follow their plan.” He glanced at the curious Eri, adding, “Eri wants to see her.”

Sakura’s gaze lingered on Eri’s focused profile for a moment, then she stepped aside calmly. “Lady Uesugi, please.”

Eri seemed deaf to Sakura’s words, her attention wholly on Bai Ci. Genji gently released her hand. Like a scientist studying a strange specimen or a curious beast, Eri stepped into the room, approaching the bed.

Her eyes stayed fixed on this “older sister.” She poked Bai Ci’s cheek—soft, not like the fuzzy feel of a stuffed toy.

She looks happy…

Does drinking make you happy?

After a while, Eri pulled out a small notebook—found by Sakura in another room—and wrote to Genji: “Kinda sleepy. Going to bed.”

“Go rest,” Genji said, patting her head. “Goodnight.”