Two days later, school officially opened.
Frieren was, of course, enrolled—placed in the same class as Lala. The two had a small misunderstanding at first, but they're family now and Frieren didn't mind, so there was no lasting friction.
With her silver hair and pointed ears, Frieren's look stood out immediately and drew the students' attention. Aliens weren't new anymore—Shichen had acclimated the student body to that sort of thing—so he simply announced that Frieren was an elf. The students were surprised, but since she was someone Shichen brought, they took it at face value. Aliens and elves—now everyone was oddly excited to see who else Shichen might bring to this school.
The only pity was that, under Principal Shichen's imposing aura, nobody dared make any moves on Frieren. Lala and Yami already had ambiguous ties to him; Frieren had also been placed by him in class; she was this cute—what relationship could she possibly have with him? No need to overthink it. Real life had turned into a manga/novel setup, and yet—they weren't the protagonists. Painful.
"Frieren, get along with everyone."
Frieren: "…"
After the introduction, Shichen cheerfully ruffled her hair and left the classroom to relax in his office.
"Frieren, over here!" Lala waved from her seat.
Frieren scanned the curious faces, walked over at an unhurried pace, and sat in the empty seat beside Lala.
"Frieren, let me introduce you. This is my good friend, Yui Kotegawa… Yui, this is Frieren—the girl I was just telling you about."
"There really is an elf… what is Shichen-nii, anyway?" Yui peered at Frieren, fascinated. She hadn't believed Lala moments ago, but seeing is believing. Then again, with aliens around, maybe folks from another world weren't so strange… Who was she kidding? How was any of this reasonable?
"Shichen is amazing," Lala replied, nodding happily.
"You're hopeless…"
"He's just a huge flirt," Frieren put in quietly.
"I knew it—you too…" Yui glanced at Frieren, understanding dawning. She'd figured Frieren's relationship with Shichen wasn't ordinary.
"Are you one of his women?" Frieren asked coolly.
"I… I'm not…"
"Don't worry, I don't care how many women he has."
"…" Yui pressed her lips together, unsure how to respond. She really wasn't "his woman," but they'd kissed, and there had been plenty of affectionate moments… and he hadn't come to see her at all the past two days. School just started and that's how she learned they were back; only now had she heard from Lala that they'd returned two days ago. Two days and he hadn't looked for her… Had he already forgotten her over the break?
…
At noon, Lala and friends headed to the principal's office to go home for lunch with Shichen.
"Shichen, we're here~"
"So early? Yui, you came too." Shichen gave Yui a small smile.
"Mm…"
"What's wrong? It's been a while—feeling shy?"
"I am not." Yui denied it instantly.
"Heh~ Alright, let's head back. I slept all morning—time to cook something and wake up."
"As the principal you sleep in your office?" Yui couldn't help chiding him.
"I'm already the principal. What else do you want me to do?"
"…"
"Let's go."
With a snap of his fingers, Shichen took the three straight home. Yami didn't come—she wasn't in their class. It wasn't that she didn't want to be… well, that was part of it. Mostly she wanted to attend quietly alone; Lala and classmate Risa Momioka could be a bit much.
Leaving them to entertain themselves with Magical Girl Kyoko, Shichen headed to the kitchen to cook. Yui watched his back, glanced at the others, hesitated, then got up and followed.
"Yui? Where are you going?" asked Lala.
"The bathroom."
"The bathroom? Isn't there one upstairs?" Lala looked at Frieren.
"Don't mind it. She likes the one downstairs."
"Oh—then let's keep watching Magical Girl Kyoko. We missed so many episodes over break."
"Alright." Frieren nodded solemnly; she was already hooked.
As soon as he stepped into the kitchen, Shichen noticed Yui tailing him. "Yui, what's up? Here to help?"
"Mm…"
"Perfect. Help me wash the vegetables."
"O-okay…" She hadn't expected him to treat her so naturally like family, but it eased her heart.
She washed; he chopped. The kitchen filled with the sounds of running water and the steady thock of knife on board.
After a bit, Shichen said, "All set, Yui. You can go join Lala and the others. I've got it here."
"Oh…" Yui didn't move.
He looked over and chuckled. "Came with something to say?"
Yui's lips moved, then she nodded. "…Mm."
"If you've got something, say it. Don't play coy with me."
"I…"
"That's not like you."
"…Okay."
Drawing a breath, Yui met his gaze. "I want to know… why you came back these last two days and didn't tell me."
"That's it… Are you mad?"
"No."
"Playing tsundere is out of style."
"I am not a tsundere," she protested, blushing.
"Really?" Shichen set down the knife and stepped closer.
"Sh—Shichen-nii…"
He lifted a hand and cupped her cheek, voice gentle. "It's not that I didn't want to see you. I've just been really busy since I got back. Even if I told you, I wouldn't have been able to keep you company."
"I—I wasn't asking you to…"
"Tsundere's out of style."
"I am not a tsundere!" she insisted, mortified.
"Heh~ You really are cute, Yui."
"Mm…" Her face flared crimson.
Watching her nervous eyes, Shichen thought a moment, then leaned in and pecked her lips.
"Eh?" Yui froze.
"How's that for compensation?" he asked.
"I-I wasn't asking for compensation…"
"Guess it wasn't enough." He leaned in again.
"W-wait—mm!" Yui couldn't get the rest out. The kiss of a youthful girl was tender and tempting; he couldn't help holding her tighter—and going deeper. Yui melted in seconds, slumping against him, arms winding around his back, letting him do as he pleased.
The kitchen went perfectly quiet—until—
"Mm—!" Yui's eyes flew open and she pushed him away.
"Ahem… sorry. This hand has a mind of its own," Shichen said, blaming his right hand.
"Sh—Shichen-nii… y-you should finish cooking! I… I'm going upstairs." Yui crossed her arms over her chest, head down and face blazing, then fled.
Watching her retreating, flustered back, the corners of Shichen's mouth lifted. Girls that age—so green, so charming.
…
Time sped by. Friday came in a blink.
In the past few days, Frieren had fully adapted to school life. Like Lala, she was a bona fide prodigy; there wasn't a subject that could stump her—and she never had the language barrier to begin with. Teachers called her a genius; students adored her. The only class she couldn't deal with was PE. She didn't want to exercise—running was a pain; better to sit in class and zone out. But rules are rules.
She cut second period to sneak to the principal's office and was promptly escorted back to the track. Which, frankly, was the point—Shichen liked that helpless little face she made. He didn't know why; he just wanted to tease her lightly. Maybe it was his way of showing affection. Frieren certainly didn't need that kind of love language, but she couldn't resist him.
Now, Shichen stood at his office window, watching the tiny last-place figure on the track—Frieren, grimly bringing up the rear—and feeling unreasonably pleased. It's not like he had any real work anyway; motivation was hard to find.
"Hm?"
As he watched, he sensed a ripple in space. He turned, half expecting some alien bold enough to attack him, but only saw an envelope appear from thin air and drift onto his desk.
He walked over. The envelope had three characters on it: "Invitation."
Familiar.
With no concern, he picked it up and opened it.
Space rippled again. Shichen didn't resist as the waves enveloped him.
And then he vanished from the spot.