Chapter 08 - Drug and Booze

Drug and booze is Saiyuki's eight chapter.

Summary
Kougaiji, Dokugakuji, Lirin, and Yaone have traveled east to stop the Sanzo-ikkou and are discussing how to proceed. Kougaiji expresses his anger that so many of his yokai men have been killed by the ikkou already because of Gyokumen Koushu's orders to send out assassins. Dokugakuji asks him if he is having second thoughts about participating in the Gyumaoh revival under Gyokumen, but Kougaiji insists that this is not the case. Yaone requests permission to carry out a solo mission to assassinate the ikkou, and Kougaiji reluctantly agrees.

Yaone becomes a waitress at the only tavern on the ikkou's travel route. She plans to wait for their inevitable arrival and then add poison to their food once they place a meal order. However, the tavern is extremely busy and as she is being hassled by constant customer orders, a customer sexually assaults her by groping her.

An ashtray suddenly zips through the air and hits the groper in the head. Yaone looks around to see where it came from and sees the ikkou sitting at a table. They call her over to take their order and ask her for an ashtray, revealing that they were the ones who saved her from the groper. She feels sympathy for the ikkou, but pushes it away by remembering her loyalty to Kougaiji.

Once Yaone leaves to prepare their order, the ikkou discuss how little they still know about the mysterious Kougaiji and the Gyumaoh revival experiment. Yaone soon returns with the poisoned food, but just as Goku is about to take the first bite the groper grabs Yaone from behind. Gojyo asks the groper if he wants another ashtray to the head. The groper kicks over their table in a rage, sending all the poisoned food crashing to the floor. Goku and Gojyo immediately begin to brawl with the groper and his friends.

As Yaone laments to herself about how unpredictable the ikkou are, the tavern owner intervenes with the brawlers and asks them to settle the matter with a drinking contest rather than with violence. The ikkou are unimpressed with this idea, until the groper says that a priest like Sanzo wouldn't be able to handle his liquor anyway. Sanzo responds by whipping out the credit card given to him by the Sanbutsushin and orders all of the liquor in the tavern. As the drinking contest commences, Yaone continues to lament to herself about this unexpected interruption of her plans.

Several bottles into the contest, Goku and three of the four members of the groper's group have fallen asleep, leaving the groper himself up against Sanzo, Gojyo, and Hakkai. The groper says that he has never lost a drinking contest, prompting Hakkai, who is still completely sober, to call for stronger booze. Hakkai reassures Yaone that he is going to win, telling her that they can't let the groper's group get away with sexual harassment. Surprised by his kindness, Yaone recalls how Kougaiji saved her life in the past.

When Yaone was about to be delivered as a plaything to the centipede yokai Hyakugan Maoh, Kougaiji rescued her and installed her as his personal chemist, instead. Ever since that day, she has lived her life in service to Kougaiji alone. Because of this loyalty, she renews her resolve, shaking off her sympathy for the ikkou and any doubts about carrying out her mission to kill them.

As the drinking contest continues, the groper taunts Sanzo again by telling him he has a girly face. In response, Sanzo is about to use his Makai Tenjou attack, but is prevented from doing so by Hakkai.

The groper's friends suddenly stand up and state that they are going to brawl with fists after all. Gojyo agrees, but before they can start fighting, a chemical fog suddenly fills the room. As everyone else starts to feel the effects, Hakkai covers his face with his hand and tells them not to breath in the fumes. As Sanzo, Gojyo, and Goku collapse, Hakkai realizes that they are more susceptible to the drug because they are drunk. He checks on Gojyo and discovers that he is still breathing normally. Yaone approaches and confirms that it was only a sleeping drug. She reveals herself to be an assassin sent by Kougaiji and proclaims her intent to kill the ikkou.