After the bath, Shichen was the first to leave the bathroom. His face was glowing, like he'd just had a massage. Tohru and the others hadn't massaged him at all—they were still soaking in the pool, blissfully savoring the afterglow of their massages.
They were limp all over, completely out of strength.
Massages really are a luxury.
Even though Shichen hadn't been massaged himself, he felt almost the same—massaging women is its own kind of pleasure, with smooth, soft skin under his hands. His palms still felt slick, as if the sensation of Tohru and the others' delicate skin were lingering there.
Give a massage, and your hands "keep the fragrance."
What he couldn't stop thinking about most was massaging Artoria—so shy, straining to hold it in; it was honestly adorable.
At first she flatly refused, but once everyone egged her on she somehow couldn't turn them down. She knew perfectly well they were ganging up on her a little—but that kind of "bullying" also meant closeness, and she let herself be cornered.
She held it in for a long time. In the end she relaxed, and wound up the weakest of all of them, as if she'd burned through every last bit of energy.
Inside the steamy room, hers was the heaviest breathing.
Shichen changed into loungewear and headed up to the third floor, where he found Illya and the others deep into a game.
"Yoshino, get over here and save me!"
"W-wait a sec!"
"Sakura, wipe them out~"
"On it."
Explosions and sound effects boomed from the TV—proof of just how into it they were.
"Takina, why aren't you playing with them?" Shichen slipped up beside Inoue Takina and murmured the question next to her ear.
"!"
His warm breath brushed her ear and she jumped. Instinct had her about to spring away, but Shichen had already circled an arm around her waist.
Nice spring to it.
"W-what are you doing?" Takina balled her hands into fists in front of her chest, tense.
"Why are you acting like I'm some threat?" Shichen looked at her, exasperated.
"Because—"
"Ah! Shichen, you're here!" Hoshino Ai noticed him first.
"Onii-chan." Est glanced back at him, then turned right back to spectating.
Kanna and the others didn't react at all, eyes glued to the screen, controllers clicking.
Illya and the rest looked positively hooked.
Games are easy to get addicted to—once they click. People who "don't like games" usually just haven't found the one that grabs them.
"Why aren't you two playing?" Shichen kept one arm around Takina and asked Hoshino Ai.
Ai answered, "Illya's squad is fighting Kanna's squad. The losers rotate out—then it's our turn."
"Squads, huh…" Shichen chuckled. "How long have you been at it?"
"Since you went to bathe with Tohru and the others."
"Ahem. Right." Teased by Ai, Shichen felt a bit awkward and chose not to press.
"Shichen… your hand…" Takina whispered a reminder.
"Hm? What hand?" He looked at her, playing dumb.
Takina pressed her lips together and stared at him, helpless. There he goes, teasing her again.
"What is it?"
"It's nothing…" she sighed.
"Really?" Shichen flexed his fingers and gave her waist a light tickle.
"W-wait—hahaha—stop…" Takina twisted away, but the laughter broke out anyway.
"See? Smiles look good on you." He stopped tickling.
"Whew…" Takina exhaled, cheeks flushed as she glared at him.
"Not enough?"
"No, no, no—I was wrong, okay?" The instant she felt his hand twitch at her waist, she surrendered.
"What were you wrong about?"
"I was…" Takina froze mid-sentence.
Right—what was she wrong about?
She was the one getting teased!
"Shichen, you're awful!"
She pouted and shot him a look.
"Alright, alright—I'm the one who was wrong. Happy?" he conceded.
"Hmph. You're always bullying me."
"Only because you won't bathe with us."
"How could I possibly bathe with you all?"
"We're family. Why not?"
"That's not the same… I don't even know what role I'm supposed to be in…"
If Shichen weren't around, she'd absolutely bathe with the girls. But with him there, she had no reason to join in.
There was nothing "official" between them yet—how could she just strip down and bare it all?
"What role? Family, of course."
"Family still doesn't make it okay!"
"You're too formal with me, Takina."
"…," she huffed, choosing to ignore him.
"Sigh. Looks like I'll have to keep working at it," Shichen said, shaking his head.
"Working at what?"
"Getting you to willingly bathe with us."
"Yay! We won!" Kanna whooped.
"Drat!" Illya pouted, then unwillingly passed her controller to Est and Ai.
"Alright, our turn."
Est and Hoshino Ai hopped in, swapping with Illya and Yoshino.
"Hee-hee~ You don't stand a chance," Kanna chirped, talking big in a cute voice.
"Don't get cocky."
"Sakura's invincible."
"Not really…"
"Ai, let's make sure we beat them."
"You got it!"
They were playing Super Smash Bros. Nearly every fighter was unlocked now; last time Shichen played, plenty were still grayed out.
He didn't have to guess—it was definitely Sakura who'd done the unlocking.
Who knew she had such gaming chops? She could probably stream for a living someday.
"Daddy~ I need comfort~" Illya dove into Shichen's arms, sulking.
"Alright~" He scooped her up indulgently.
"Daddy, Sakura's too strong."
"I saw. She's got real game sense."
"How do I beat her?" Illya curled an arm around his neck, asking sweetly.
"What else can you do? Practice more."
"No fair… Can't you help me, Daddy?"
"I might not be able to beat her either."
"What? No way you can't beat her." Illya didn't buy it.
"Ahem—even if I could, I shouldn't."
"Why not?"
"You and Yoshino are a team. Are you going to abandon her?"
"True… Then Yoshino and I will work hard together."
"That's the spirit." He ruffled her hair.
"Hee-hee~ Come on, Yoshino—team cuddle!"
Illya was inviting Yoshino to join her in Shichen's arms.
"I-I'm fine…" Yoshino refused in a tiny voice.
"Don't be shy~"
"Yeah, don't be shy." Shichen freed one arm and lifted Yoshino up too.
"Mm…" Yoshino reflexively hugged him and lowered her gaze, flustered.
"Yoshino, did you miss me?" he asked.
"Mm… I did…" she murmured.
"Good girl~"
"Daddy, let's bathe together later."
"I just took a bath."
"But you haven't bathed with us yet. No playing favorites!"
"If you put it that way… I guess I'll join you again."
"Hee-hee~ Yoshino too, okay?"
"M-me too?"
"Of course."
"Mm…" Yoshino snuck a peek at Shichen, met his eyes, and turned bright red.
"Haha." Amused, Shichen turned to Inoue Takina. "You coming too?"
"No!"
A crisp, unequivocal rejection.
"By the way—where's Frieren?" he asked.
"In the study," someone answered.
Very on-brand for her—the shelves there were stacked with manga and novels.
"Forget it. Leave her be. When this round ends, let's go bathe."
"Okay!"
Bathing with the petite ladies didn't call for much commentary—beyond their compact figures and soft, delicate skin, there wasn't much else to take in.
And just like that, the first day back was over.
The next day was Friday. With Tohka and the others out, Shichen played the role of the shop's poster-boy manager.
It did draw in a lot of female customers.
He wasn't just spacing out behind the counter, though; he was planning Illya and Sakura's school enrollments.
Being cooped up at home gets boring, and it'd be nice for them to have Kanna and the others around at school.
The second time's easier than the first—he'd already handled enrollment for Hoshino Ai before, so the process was pretty simple.
And with the weekend coming up, he could get everything arranged so they could start next week.
There was one more thing: who to take along on his trip.
He was thinking of visiting old friends and, while he was at it, wrapping up the Holy Grail matter. He had no intention of going alone.
If he could, he'd bring everyone—but it's not like this would be the last trip. For this run, the goal was to test a few things.
So taking just one or two people would do.