At noon, Shichen had a simple lunch with the two little ones.
Yoshino recovered quickly—of course he hadn't actually eaten her.
Well… he had eaten a little.
Her "flavor" wasn't all that different from Frierën's.
It was just a shame he hadn't had time to drink anything before Yoshino got tired and fell asleep.
Her underwear had been soaked through.
But there would be plenty of chances in the future, so there was no need to rush. He had to let Yoshino adjust slowly.
During the meal, Yoshino kept sneaking glances at Shichen, only to yank her gaze back down right away, her little face flushing bright red.
Her mind was full of what had just happened.
It was a bit too intense for her… but she was very happy inside.
At long last, she'd become truly intimate with Shichen-nii. She wasn't just being treated as a kid sister anymore.
While Yoshino couldn't stop looking at Shichen, Natsumi couldn't stop looking at Yoshino.
She watched Yoshino's cheeks flush over and over, and her own heart itched with curiosity. She desperately wanted to know what exactly had happened.
She could guess it was something not-for-kids, but she didn't know the details.
It was driving her crazy.
And she definitely couldn't pretend to be Yoshino anymore.
So… who should she pretend to be?
"You two keep eating. When you're done, you can watch some TV or something. I'm going to bring Nia her food."
Once he'd finished eating, Shichen packed up a portion for Nia—she was waiting on him to deliver it.
"Okay, Shichen-nii," Yoshino replied in a small voice.
"Got it," Natsumi echoed.
Once Shichen had everything ready, he used teleportation to head over to Nia's place.
He wasn't worried about the two girls. And without him around, they might be more likely to talk.
Natsumi certainly had things she wanted to ask.
"Yoshino…"
After wrestling with herself for a long time, she finally spoke up.
"What is it, Natsumi?" Yoshino turned to her.
"Um…" Natsumi hesitated, words catching in her throat.
"Mm?"
"Ah—forget it! Yoshino, did you… do something with Shichen just now?" Natsumi scratched her head, steeling herself and blurting it out.
"Eh?" Yoshino froze. Her face went instantly scarlet.
"So something really did happen, huh? What exactly did he do to you?"
"N-Nothing…" Yoshino ducked her head, denying it.
"No way. You do not look like 'nothing happened' right now."
"R-Really… nothing…"
"I don't buy it. Did he kiss you?" Natsumi probed.
"Uu…" Yoshino's head drooped even lower.
"I knew it. Did he do anything more than that?"
"He didn't…"
"That doesn't sound convincing at all. What else could he do? It's not like he straight-up ate you, right?"
"Uu!" Yoshino squeaked, flustered.
"What? That can't be true… can it?" Natsumi stared at her, eyes wide, looking her up and down.
"That doesn't seem right either… it hasn't even been that long, and you don't look like…"
She was definitely not that naïve.
"N-Natsumi, don't say any more…" Yoshino pleaded softly.
"No way. I have to know what happened between you two."
"W-Why?"
"Because it affects whether I win."
"Win…? Ah, that thing. But Natsumi, do you really want to win?" Yoshino asked.
"Obviously! Of course I want to win!" Natsumi insisted, though her tone betrayed a bit of tsundere wobble.
"Don't you want to live with us?" Yoshino asked gently.
"…That's…"
"And don't you like Shichen-nii?"
"Wh-Who likes him?!" Natsumi yelped, turning away, her cheeks burning.
Heh.
Yoshino smiled, covering her mouth as she laughed quietly.
"What are you laughing at?!" Natsumi snapped, embarrassed.
"Natsumi's really bad at lying."
"I didn't lie! You're the liar. Come on, tell me—what did Shichen do to you? What did he… um… eat?"
"Um…"
Their squabbling echoed through the room, with no one to interrupt them.
Shichen wouldn't be back anytime soon.
After Nia finished eating, she wanted to walk it off, but she didn't have any workout gear at home.
The best way to digest, for her, was singing together.
Now that they were past the initial awkwardness, Shichen didn't hold back much this time. He had her put on her spirit dress, then "rehearsed" with her on the bed.
The nun outfit was perfect for lying prone… like a cat stretching.
By the time Shichen had "helped Nia digest" and came back, it was already afternoon. Kotori would be getting out of school soon.
When he returned, he found Yoshino and Natsumi curled up together on the couch, fast asleep.
The TV was still on.
The two of them looked adorable when they slept.
Shichen didn't wake them. He switched off the TV and went out to meet Miku instead.
Miku was in the process of formally withdrawing from school—she'd decided to move in with Shichen and the others. With him around, commuting to class was as simple as a teleport, so staying with them made more sense.
It would take a couple of days to handle the paperwork, and during that time Shichen had promised to come keep her company after school.
Naturally, he agreed.
…
On Tuesday, when Shichen opened his eyes in the morning, he was greeted by a wash of blue. His gaze slid downward to Yoshino's sleeping face, soft and childlike.
He'd slept holding her the night before.
Once things had moved forward between them during the day, it only felt right to reinforce it at night.
He hadn't gone all the way—just gone back over what they'd done earlier.
He still hadn't gotten to enjoy the "full course" he wanted.
Yoshino still couldn't handle too much teasing. She'd quickly worn herself out and fallen asleep.
She would need more training.
Leaning in, he kissed Yoshino lightly on the forehead. Without waking her, he slipped off the bed with a teleport and left the room.
Yesterday had been buns; today he was in the mood for dumplings—boiled and pan-fried.
As for the filling, no need to say: the usual extravagant combo of Australian lobster and king crab. He had plenty in storage.
He was halfway through folding dumplings when Tohka, as usual, was the first one up.
"Shichen~ good morning~"
"Morning, Tohka," he said, glancing up before going back to his work.
"What are you making today? Smells so good~" she asked, bouncing into the kitchen, eyes shining.
"Dumplings."
"Dumplings! I want some!"
"Don't worry, they'll be done soon."
"Yay! I'll go brush my teeth first, then."
Tohka practically sprinted off to the bathroom.
A few minutes later, freshly washed, she came back and stood in front of Shichen, opening her mouth to show her bright white teeth and pink little tongue.
"Shichen~ check for me."
"So eager today?" he asked with a smile, pausing his hands.
"No I'm not."
"In that case, I'll have to check carefully."
He looked directly into her mouth—rosy, neat, gleaming teeth, and that faint sweet scent of toothpaste…
Exactly the same as yesterday.
Pulling the same stunt, huh? Did she really think he'd let his guard down?
Normally, it would be easy to fool someone with this, but Shichen was far too familiar with Tohka's presence and scent.
"Natsumi, I'm not going to hold back this time."
"Wh—mmph!"
The moment she cried out in shock, Shichen sealed her lips with his. Natsumi, undercover as Tohka, could only stare wide-eyed at his face so close to hers as her mind blanked.
Shichen didn't show any mercy. He went straight in and tangled with her tongue, guiding her along.
Natsumi snapped out of it after a heartbeat, but she didn't push him away. Instead, she couldn't stop wondering where she'd slipped up this time.
She'd been sure her plan was flawless, confident he wouldn't notice.
She'd even thought she'd read all the little behaviors right… and yet she'd been exposed instantly again.
Did Tohka have some secret trick she didn't know about?
Otherwise, how could she have blown her cover so quickly?
"Mm…"
Those thoughts evaporated as the kiss deepened. She had no space left for anything but the overwhelming sensation washing over her.
Under that barrage, she couldn't maintain Tohka's form any longer and reverted to herself.
Shichen felt the "fit" of her lips change, her tongue grow smaller, but that didn't stop him in the slightest.
Scooping Natsumi up, he continued kissing her, holding her securely in his arms.
She lay limp against him, cheeks steadily going redder, eyes going a little glassy.
When she was finally on the verge of running out of air, Shichen let her go.
"Haa… haa…" Natsumi panted, resting her forehead on his shoulder.
Her body felt drained; she didn't want to move at all.
This guy… he was way too practiced at this.
"So, Natsumi—do you surrender?" Shichen asked with a grin.
"Haa…"
"If you don't, I'll just keep going," he added, leaning in again as if to kiss her once more.
"Don't—! I surrender, let me catch my breath first," Natsumi blurted, waving him off.
"That so? So you surrender," he said, sounding satisfied. "Then from now on, you're part of the family."
"Mm…" Natsumi didn't even feel like speaking; her chest rose and fell as she tried to breathe normally.
"Welcome aboard, Natsumi," Shichen said softly, looking at her with warmth. "From now on, you won't be lonely anymore."
"Shichen…" Natsumi stared at him, dazed.
So he really did like her.
"Oh, and I'm still not satisfied. Let me kiss you a bit longer."
"Eh?"
~~~
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