"I'm not going!"
Frieren yelped after getting smacked on the butt—hard enough to sting. She scowled, deciding to stage a protest by refusing dinner.
Unfortunately for her, Shichen wasn't the type to cave to threats like that.
Smack! Another sharp slap rang out in the room.
"Ow…"
"Skipping dinner? Sounds like your butt's asking for trouble."
"Why'd you hit me again?" Frieren lay sprawled on the bed, glaring at him with watery eyes.
"Because you said you weren't going to eat. What are you, a kid? And seriously—are you not hungry?" Shichen asked, grinning.
"It's because you hit me for no reason…" she pouted.
"That's called discipline."
"But you already hit me once. Now you've hit me twice!"
"Equal treatment. Can't play favorites."
Frieren puffed up her cheeks, clearly annoyed.
"Alright, alright, don't be mad. I'll apologize, okay? I'll even feed you later to make it up to you."
As he spoke, his wandering hand found its way to the sore spot, rubbing it with slow, deliberate pressure. His palm was big enough to cover both sides.
"Feeding me is your idea of compensation? Sounds like you just want an excuse to do it."
She slapped his hand away. "How long are you planning to keep that up?"
"Until it stops hurting."
"I'm not letting you! Hmph—you're obviously just looking for ways to take advantage of me."
"Do I really need elaborate plans for that?"
Without waiting for an answer, Shichen scooped her up in a princess carry and kissed her soft lips.
"See? I don't need an excuse."
Frieren ignored him, pressing a hand to his chest before hopping back onto the bed. "I'm changing. Go wait outside."
She was still wearing a simple white camisole nightdress.
"Still shy? I'll help you change."
"No!"
"It's faster if I do it."
Before she could react, he grabbed the hem of her dress and whisked it off in one smooth motion.
Frieren just stood there, exasperated.
"Oh…" Shichen blinked, memorizing the image.
She was only wearing plain white underwear, but on her snow-pale skin it almost glowed.
The subtle curves of her petite frame—delicate and lightly flushed like the blush of cherry blossoms—were enough to hold his gaze.
"How long are you going to stare?" she asked flatly. She didn't particularly care—he'd already seen everything before.
"If I could, forever," he replied with a smirk.
"Heh, well, there's plenty of time. You can look all you want later."
He pulled a white sweater over her head—no bra—followed by leggings, pants, and a thick coat until she was bundled up like a snowball.
"How am I supposed to eat like this?" she muttered.
"No problem. I'll feed you."
Carrying her like a child, he left the room.
In the living room, Illya and Sakura were waiting—and to his surprise, Saber was there too.
The moment Saber saw him, she quickly turned her head, though she kept sneaking glances from the corner of her eye. Clearly, her thoughts were far from Lancelot now.
"Let's go eat!"
"Let's go!"
Shichen led the way, Illya and Sakura each holding one of his hands, Saber following quietly behind.
"Put me down, I can walk," Frieren murmured.
"Don't want me to hold you?"
"It's embarrassing…"
"Dad! If Frieren-nee doesn't want you to carry her, carry me!" Illya piped up.
"Onii-chan, me too!" Sakura added.
"Is that so? Well, if Frieren doesn't want me to, I'll just carry you two instead."
"Yay!"
At the door, he set Frieren down to change shoes and scooped up the two girls instead.
"Hehe~" They clung to his neck happily, one on each side.
"Saber, want me to carry you too?" he asked suddenly.
"Eh? I… I'm fine!" She shook her head quickly after a glance at the girls.
"Alright, maybe another time."
"Another time?"
"Let's go," he said, ending the topic.
The hotel's dining area was empty except for a few waiters—no surprise, given the Holy Grail War. Anyone wandering in would have been discreetly turned away.
Perfect—Saber could eat as much as she wanted.
The rich aroma of food filled the air. Saber, silent until now, couldn't help but swallow audibly.
Shichen caught it and grinned. "Didn't you say you weren't hungry?"
Saber gave him a rare, feminine side-eye.
"Should I get food for everyone, or do you want to choose yourselves?"
"We'll get our own!" Illya said immediately.
"Me too," Sakura agreed.
"Alright."
He set them down and they ran off.
"Shall we?" he asked, wrapping an arm around Frieren and glancing at Saber.
"Alright…" she nodded softly.
They each took a plate and started picking food. Saber simply grabbed whatever caught her eye.
Frieren's plate was stacked with fried chicken and other greasy snacks, plus a cola.
Shichen piled on plenty, knowing Saber wouldn't take enough otherwise.
Illya and Sakura finished fast; they didn't eat much. Once Saber's plate was full, Shichen returned to the table with her. Frieren was already eating.
He sat between the girls, with Saber and Frieren across from them. With a flick of his fingers, he set up a barrier so the waiters wouldn't notice them.
"Where's Iri?" Saber asked suddenly.
"You just noticed?"
"Uh…" She looked a little embarrassed.
"Mom's still sleeping," Illya answered.
"Is that alright?"
"It's fine. She'll probably sleep until morning," Shichen said.
"Why?"
"Don't worry about it. Just eat."
"…Alright."
Frieren gave him a suspicious look—she'd seen him teasing Serie before, so her mind naturally went there.
"What are you looking at?" Shichen asked.
"Nothing."
"By the way, didn't I promise to make it up to you?"
He picked up a honey-glazed wing and held it to her lips.
"No need…" she began to refuse.
"It's already at your mouth," he said, brushing it lightly against her lips, leaving a smear of sauce.
Frieren sighed and took a bite. "There. We're even."
"Dad, me too!" Illya said suddenly.
"Onii-chan, I want one too!"
"You want me to feed you too? Sure."
To avoid them indirectly sharing Frieren's bite, he took a piece for himself first, then asked, "What do you want?"
"I want shrimp!"
"I want steak!"
"Got it~"
He fed them in turn, both girls smiling happily.
"Saber, why aren't you eating?" he asked, noticing her untouched plate.
"Huh? Oh—I'll eat now." She ducked her head, shoveling food into her mouth like she was trying to hide something.
"Want me to feed you too?" he asked suddenly.
"M-me? No, I'm fine!" She shook her head quickly, eyes down.
"Really?"
"Really."
"That doesn't seem fair. Frieren and the girls all let me feed them, but you didn't. Doesn't that make you the odd one out?"
"I… I really don't need it."
"It's too late now."
He scooped up a spoonful of fried rice and held it out to her. "Come on—just one bite."
Saber stared at it, her cheeks turning pink. "I really don't—"
"Do I need to use a Command Seal?"
"You can't waste a Command Seal on something like that!"
"Then just eat it."
"…Fine. I'm just saving you the trouble of wasting one."
Shichen hadn't expected her to go tsundere.
After a moment's hesitation, Saber pressed her lips together, her blush deepening. Then she leaned forward, closed her eyes, and took the spoon into her mouth.