The next day, with the sun high, Shichen woke to Illya and the others' playful noise. As his awareness returned, he felt a hand resting against his neck.
He opened his eyes and saw Saber sleeping, facing him. Her tense features were flushed; her pretty brows were drawn together, yet the corners of her lips lifted slightly. Shichen watched her softly for a moment and couldn't help smiling.
Even a Heroic Spirit has no real "resistance" the first time, huh.
Still, Saber had been brave last night. At first she'd been uncomfortable—honestly as helpless as a young girl—but later she'd wanted to take the lead. Too bad she could only keep it up for a bit.
Thinking back to the night—the way he'd been able to take in the sight of her from where he lay—set his heart racing again. He reined it in. They'd already crossed that line; there would be plenty of chances later.
He hadn't expected things to go that far. He'd only meant to use a "kiss cure" to distract her; after all, there aren't many problems a kiss can't fix. He hadn't expected her to get so into it that it ran away with them. Not that Shichen minded.
Looking at Saber's adorable sleeping face, he leaned in and kissed her lightly on the forehead, gently moved her hand from his neck, and got up—without waking her—and stepped out of the tent.
"Daddy! You're finally awake!"
Illya spotted him the moment he emerged and waved happily.
"You hungry?" Shichen noticed they'd set up the cookware and laid out ingredients.
"Dad, it's almost noon already."
"Is it?" No wonder Frieren was here too.
"Shichen, I'm hungry," Frieren said, cheeks puffed, glaring.
"All you think about is eating." He went over, vigorously mussed her hair until it was a mess.
Frieren didn't care. "You're the one who said 'being able to eat is a blessing.' Hurry up and cook."
"Maybe I won't."
"Really? Illya and the others are hungry too."
"…Fine. I'm hungry as well."
"So you're playing favorites?"
"What, you got a problem? Bite me."
"I'm ignoring you." Frieren rolled her eyes, sat to the side, and went back to her manga.
Shichen shook his head and told Illya and Sakura, indulgent as ever, "Give me a minute. I'll cook right now."
"Okay!"
"Go play for a bit."
"Okay."
Once the two had run off, only Irisviel remained. She lowered her voice. "How's Saber?"
"Should… be fine?" Shichen said, a little uncertain.
"'Should'?" Irisviel blinked, puzzled.
"I'll check on her in a bit."
"Okay. I trust you. And Saber's not the type to do anything rash. You've got this!" Irisviel pumped a tiny fist in encouragement.
"Only a verbal 'you've got this'?" He tilted his head toward her cheek.
"Uh?" She froze, slow on the uptake.
Shichen said nothing, simply turned his face to the side.
"Everyone's watching…" Irisviel finally caught on, glancing toward the others, embarrassed.
"Relax. Those two aren't paying attention, and Frieren only has eyes for her manga."
"Mm." Irisviel's heart thumped, but she couldn't bring herself to refuse. She leaned in and gave his cheek a quick peck.
Smack.
She immediately looked toward the kids; seeing them still wrapped up in their own fun, she exhaled in relief.
"What are you afraid of? A kiss between Mom and Dad is perfectly normal. Also—this side." He tapped his other cheek.
"Huh?" She hadn't expected him to keep going.
"No favoritism. Both sides, quick pecks, quick finish," he said, deadpan.
"I… feel like you're getting less serious by the day."
Even so, Irisviel pecked the other cheek.
"Okay, that's that. I'll go check on Saber."
"No need—she's still sleeping. Let her rest a bit longer," Shichen said quickly.
"Alright." Irisviel didn't overthink it and sat nearby to watch him cook.
On the other side, Frieren finally turned the page she'd been stuck on forever, though her lips were still pursed.
With holy fire to help, Shichen finished making "breakfast" quickly. He didn't call everyone to eat yet; first, he went to wake Saber.
He slipped back into the tent and raised a small barrier.
Saber was still asleep, lying on her side. Even with the blanket a mess, it didn't seem to bother her.
He watched her for a while, then decided to wake her. "Saber, time to get up—the sun's already high."
No response. He gave her a gentle pat. "Saber, up you get~"
"Mm…" She murmured, eyes fluttering open. The first thing she saw was the face she'd already etched into her heart.
"Shichen… what is it?" she mumbled.
"It's noon. Lunch is ready."
"Oh…"
Saber answered softly and slowly sat up—then frowned. The soreness brought last night's memories back all at once. She flushed, grabbed the blanket, wrapped herself, and lowered her head, not daring to meet his eyes.
Shichen chuckled. It was rare to see her like this, and the way her pale face turned instantly scarlet was… kind of cute.
"Why shy now? You were pretty bold last night," he teased.
"Mm…" Her head dipped even lower.
"This isn't like you." He crawled over and ruffled her hair.
"L-Last night, we…"
"Yeah. It wasn't a dream. Everything that should've happened… happened," he said.
"Heh." Shichen stroked her cheek and lifted her gaze. Her face was bright red, her eyes shining. He blinked, leaned in, and kissed her. Saber froze for a beat, then, by habit, put her arms around him and kissed back.
"Stop…" Shichen pulled away in time.
"Ah!" Saber snapped out of it and tried to hide again.
Cupping her face, he said, "Don't be shy. That's not you. Be straightforward."
"After everything that happened… how can I be straightforward…"
"Planning to run from it?"
"I-I'm not running," she whispered.
"Good." He smiled and drew her into his arms. Saber leaned against him despite herself, and her heart settled.
So it really wasn't a dream. Otherwise she wouldn't be clinging to him like this. She found herself reflecting on why things had unfolded as they did—especially that she'd had no impulse to refuse. Maybe it was too fast?
She suddenly realized neither she nor Shichen had properly dated; they'd skipped straight to being like husband and wife. Then again, in her era, people often got together first and talked about love later.
"Shichen…"
"Mm?" He rested his chin on the crown of her head, holding her, his hands not exactly well-behaved.
"Is… is this really okay?"
"What is?"
"Last night, I think I had a… questionable thought."
"What kind of thought?" he asked gently.
"I think… I felt free."
"Isn't that good?"
"Huh?" Saber looked up at his chin.
"People should live for themselves. The one bound by the past is the past you. The you right now should have a new life," he said, lowering his head to meet her eyes.
"Is that really alright?"
"What's wrong with it? Besides, I approve."
"You… approve?"
"That's right. You're my Servant, and I'm your Master. If I approve, what's the issue?"
"I…"
"Would you be willing to stay my Servant—always?" he asked suddenly.
"What?" Saber stared at him.
"Stay by my side from now on. Be my sword. Where my heart points, your blade points."
"That kind of—"
"I already said I approve," Shichen cut in. "You don't have to think about anything. Just listen to me. Okay?"
"Okay… and you're not getting away either."
"Seems that way." Saber couldn't help smiling.
"That's better. Get dressed—everyone's waiting to eat," he said, giving her a light, playful pat to get her moving.
"Right… First, let me treat you." He reached out to heal her wound. "Heal."
"W—" Saber hadn't reacted in time; she went still, face blazing.
"All done," Shichen said, pulling his hand back.
Saber stayed curled against him, not moving.
"What's wrong?" he asked, feigning ignorance.
"H-How could you…" She pressed her knees together, cheeks red as blood.
"No helping it—this skill needs direct contact with the injury. And what's our relationship, anyway?"
"Mm…"
"I'll help you get dressed." He eased her up and fetched her clothes.
"I can do it myself…" Saber wasn't about to get used to changing in front of him that fast.
"It's fine. We're past formalities." He started helping her with her underthings.
Saber obediently lifted her feet, then suddenly remembered to ask, "Can a Heroic Spirit… get pregnant?"