Alcohol and Ogre-girls ch55

Is tonight the last?
Yeah, probably.

So what's this god like anyway?
Hmm, just normal. They're pretty nice.
Well that's pretty vague.

Okay, I'm off.
Thanks for watching over me these past few days, you two.

You've done pretty well yourself.
I'm surprised you could handle a duty like this.

Hehe.
Piece of cake.

Erm, the switch should be...
here, maybe?

!

Wow...
So these are all... artifacts relating to the legend of Shuten-doji?

Yeah.
The four Yorimitsu families have been gathering them for generations.

Some pieces have been loaned out to museums all over the place,

but it's still a pretty impressive collection.

Haeh~
Amazing...

Hah!
Wait, are you sure we should be lock-picking our way into this place!?

The Ibuki Group uses this for their employee training courses, so I don't see why not.
That easily, huh?

Not to mention I'm the descendant of the guys who have been collecting this stuff!
If anything, we get free admission!
That's quite the thing to say just like that...
It makes sense, though.

I'm so moved!
They collected all of these documents!

This tells the tale of our ancestors and their victory!

...Victory? Don't be ridiculous.

It's all just bloodstained bullshit
from our ancestors.

...An exhibition of the Yorimutsu families...

Shuten-doji...
and Hinata-san's ancestors...

So... you didn't speak with Naori at all today either?
Yeah...

I'm seriously ticked off!
It is frustrating, isn't it?

Saying I should stay an ogre all of a sudden...
Why would she say such a thing...?

There is nothing more easily frightened than the human heart.
What they see as good today could be seen as evil tomorrow.
I have seen both those who are at the mercy of such uncertainty and those who would use it to rule to a despicable degree.

...But it was still a shock.

I thought I wouldn't be able to truly stand alongside Naori as long as I remain an ogre,
but Naori didn't feel the same way.
The reason she couldn't think that way

...is because Naori's a human.
...It's not fair.

I wanted her to at least say "you don't need to change" or "you're fine the way you are"... something that was at least pleasant to listen to.
But she didn't.

I mean, Shuten-doji was terrible fiend who ate humans,
leading the humans to curse his descendants to suffer for eternity.
He brought misfortune to both humans and ogres alike.

Who'd want to become a race like that?

I'm sure Naori doesn't know how it feels
to be ashamed of your own birth.

!

...Are you crying?
Eh?

Wah, so embarrassing.
Sorry about this.

I didn't mean to...

Oh crap. Why won't it stop?
hic

Hii~

Naori.
...Aah.
Fu

Naori, you idiot...
Such sorrow.
Uuh.

Right now, your tears are being illuminated by the profound light of your mysterious power.
Not even the moon notices you are crying.

It is alright.
Cry as much as you need to.

p10

...I'm fully aware...
that a sake which gives humans who drink it the strength of 1000 men
and causes ogres who to drink it to lose their divine power might not really exist...

But the Shinpen Kidoku Sake is all I have to do something about this.
As long as I remain an ogre... this pain will continue...

You just need to change your outlook.
Your power is wonderful.

It is thanks to your power that I have become this filled with energy.
Is it not?

...I don't need it.
I don't need any of it.

It's a nuisance.

p11

In front of the one I care for,
it's all a nuisance...

This paining is pretty impactful too...

Oh... It's a picture of a banquet...

Then this thing painted here
must be the Shinpen Kidoku Sake that made Shuten-doji powerless...

p12

I left home so I could undo my curse and become human!

A curse...
Would drinking the Shinpen Kidoku Sake really bring everything to a happy ending
by turning her human?

Would that undo the curse cast on ogres?

...It still feels wrong.
Well, not wrong exactly,
but that's not I'm feeling uneasy about.

The curse...
What even is this curse anyway?

Is it causing them to grow horns when they drink alcohol?
Is it that they can only drink alcohol offered to them by humans?
I need to make it clear...

p13

You don't get it...?

...I don't know anything.

That's why I hurt her...
A painting of Shuten-doji and Yorimitsu's group having a banquet, huh?

Shuten-doji has such a stupid look on his face.
You wouldn't think he was the boss of the ogres.
Urabe-sensei...

After this, our ancestors would trick Shuten-doji into drinking sake that would rob him of his powers, giving them an opening to kill him.

It's hard to tell who's the bad guy in this painting.
Don't you think?

p14

...You have a point.

The reason he looks human
is because he was drawn like the other humans.

Who's the real ogre, I wonder...?
Woah, is this Shuten-doji?
Yep. That's probably him.

That painting's easier to understand, right?

A painting of a dead-drunk Shuten-doji, depicted as an ogre.

p15

This is gonna haunt my dreams...
They didn't have to make him look that ugly.

They needed to draw him ugly
to give the impression that the enemy was undoubtedly evil and needed to be taken down.

But y'know,
I don't think Shuten-doji's descendants would be able to bear
seeing paintings and words like these all the time.

Even though Aju is really cute!
Right, Isuzu?
Don't ask me...

I bet it would bring down their self-esteem.

Haha!
Self-esteem, huh?
Hilarious.

p16

This museum was curated by humans working for the Ibuki Group,
so the exhibition is pretty biased towards the four Yorimitsu families, who are considered hidden leaders,
but there is one little caption that strikes me as curious.

Here it is. Look at this.

Humans created ogres as "beings that deviated from social order and brought chaos to the world", creating a structure of conflict that invigorated society.
Thus the ogres were unable to escape their fate of being vanquished.

...
Ogres were created by humans.
Makes sense.

One theory is that this tale was made up purely to strengthen Genji's providence
and Shuten-doji was nothing more than a foil.
It's always the strong who get to do whatever they want, after all.

Fated to be
exterminated...

p17

Hahaha!
!

Ah, sorry.
I was just reading this guestbook from visitors!

Everybody wrote down their thoughts.
I can't help but read stuff like this.

...May I read it too?
Sure.

You're right. They wrote a lot...
...

6/2
It was very useful!
I'll come again.
It was scary.
I'll put my work experience to good use<3
6/3
This'll make for good reference.
I feel like the truly scary ones are the humans who put a scary curse on the ogres.

p18

I see...

The curse...
The curse that was placed on ogres is...!

...I'm once again amazed.
Humans drew her ancestors in such a cruel light,
burdened her with a cruel fate,
and left her pained by a curse this whole time,

and yet the next Shuten-doji is living with you in a human habitat, Naori-senpai...
What makes her act that way...?

p19

It's because Naori is Hinata's one-and-only bartender, obviously!
She's cursed so that she can only drink alcohol offered by humans,
so by meeting Naori, Hinata gained the freedom to drink whatever alcohol she wanted.

I think you two were destined to meet.

Right? Ogre bartender!
Eh...?

I mean, sure,
that may have been what started it at first...

But if it were me, I wouldn't want to live with someone whose species was different from mine.
How could anyone bear such discomfort?

...Well that's...
Isn't it obvious?

p20

Why am I with you?
Isn't it obvious?

It's love.

It's...
love...?

p21

Don't you get it?

I mean...
it's probably that.
Knowing how that idiot thinks...
Geez, what am I saying...?

The heck does that mean...?
You wouldn't get it, Isuzu!
Huh!? And you're saying you get it, Tsukasa-nii-san!?
I have a special relationship with Aju, after all!

...
...I see...

That's what it was...

!?

p22

Naori-senpai!?

Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-What's wrong!? Did I do something to upset you again!? Or was it Tsukasa-nii-san!?
Ah, or maybe Urabe-sensei!?
Don't blame me.
S-Sorry, that's not it...
Now's not the time for crying...

Um!
I just need to go the opposite direction of this place to get to the shrine, right!?
Eh? Y-Yeah...

Thank you very much!
I'll be going on ahead...

p23

Excuse me!
Eh?

Naori!?

Ah, Naori!

I thought I'd find you here.
When I woke up, I couldn't sense anyone in the inn~

I felt lonely, so I followed your scent and...
Notarou-san!

I've made up my mind!
Hinata-san should stay as an ogre!

p24

At the very least, that's how I feel!

...

I see.
I think that's great.

Excuse me!

...

Naori's got some surprisingly quick legs~

p25

Phew... I've recovered quite a bit of energy thanks to you.
That so? Glad to hear it.

Would you mind pulling this out now then?
I'm getting a little woozy~ I guess I'm anemic, or something like that~?

But I feel refreshed after all the crying. Thanks.
Once I get back, I need to get lots of sleep, drink some booze...

and then tell Naori...
how I really feel so I can make up with her.

I wanna see her right away...
Oh?

p26

You're quitting already?

You're the one who said it.
"It's a nuisance."

"I don't need any of it."
...!?

Huh? I was kidding, obviously...
You should be more careful with your words.
Even a single thoughtless word can become a contract.

Wait, what is this? It won't come out at all!

Pull it out already!
Let me go back to the inn!

p27

!!

Ah...

Uwah...
Stop...

If you drain any more...
Remember how I said how nobody would think you were Shuten-doji?

p28

I lied.
You are without a doubt Shuten-doji's descendant.

Shallow,
foolish,
and easily deceived.
All traits that came back to haunt him.

You look just like the scoundrel of a boss who met a pathetic end.

An ogre through and through.

This is bad.
They sucked up so much power that my vision's getting blurry.

p29

I haven't told her yet.
Now... give me more power.
...Ng
Goddammit...
I haven't gotten her to understand yet.
I'll make use of that filthy power of yours.

How many times Naori has saved me.
Hahaha... That's good! I'm brimming with power! And there's more to come!
Nao-...

Does it hurt? Poor girl.
ri...
How much I...
But no matter how hard you pray,

there's no saving an ogre.

p30

Hinata-san!

Naori!?

Hey, what's the meaning of this!? Why are you here!?
Is Hinata-san inside the shrine!?
She's in there, right!?
She's still in the middle of her duty.

It'll just be for a moment! Let me talk with Hinata-san!
What are you saying!? It can wait until morning!

No it can't!
I need to tell her now!!
Calm down a little!

p31

What!?
What's that noise!?

Hinata...!?

Wha-... Ah!
Wait, Naori!

Hinata-san!

p32

I get it now!
I...

!?

...Oh? Quite a few of your here.
I appreciate the welcoming committee.

p34

Look.

I made her woman, just like she wanted.

Well,
I did take her life in the process, though.

Warning