Today, the scientific kingdom was celebrating having made great strides in their quest to catch Whyman. Most of the crew was drinking, except for a few who had decided to stay sober in case something unexpected happened. Among them was you.

To the surprise of several, Gen managed to convince Ukyo to drink a little, insisting that he join in the toast to commemorate the progress made. However, it turned out that Ukyo didn't have much tolerance for alcohol, and he soon became intoxicated. A drunk Ukyo was a much more carefree and, above all, honest Ukyo.

You noticed that Ukyo was behaving differently than usual: his verbal filter was gone, his cheeks had turned a deep red, and his gaze seemed a little more distant than usual. Even so, he didn't show any exaggerated signs of drunkenness. Until he tried to stand up and almost collapsed. You caught him in time, helped him sit on a stool by the bar, and decided to stay by his side in case he needed help.

The night wore on, and the atmosphere calmed. Some crew members lay asleep on the deck; others could barely stand and were being guided to their cabins by those who had chosen not to drink. In the end, the deck was almost empty, except for a few who still insisted on drinking.

Ukyo leaned his head on the bar, laughing to himself. "You know..." he stammered, with a lopsided smile "You're... more important than you know... even if I don't know how to say." He made a vague gesture with his hand.

"I like you..." Ukyo let out a shaky sigh "More than I'd like to admit..." He laughed softly and lowered his voice "The worst part..." He leaned his forehead against his arm "is that I don't know if I'm going to regret this confession tomorrow..."

Silence was filled with the gentle waves hitting the ship's hull, while the rest of the crew were already dozing in the calm of the night.