On Saturday, Shichen accompanied Hoshino Ai to shoot a magazine spread. This time they didn't call President Saitou Ichigo—just the two of them went.
Since Shichen could teleport, and the location was the same as last time, they didn't need Saitou to take them anyway.
Saitou Ichigo was busy too—he was recruiting members for an idol group.
Thanks to the magazine shoot, Hoshino Ai already had a bit of buzz. It was the perfect chance to make her debut.
And of course, idols launching as a group make it easier to grab attention.
In fact, Saitou had already found two members, and Ai had even met them.
Shichen wasn't sure whether the members would end up being the same ones or not, but while they were resting on set he still reminded Ai to keep her guard up around the other members later on.
"Why? I felt like they were pretty easy to get along with," Ai asked, curious.
"You can read a face, not a heart. And why do you think they want to be idols? To get popular and become famous."
"Isn't that totally normal?" Ai blinked at him.
Shichen smiled. "It is—but you're in the picture."
"Me?"
"You're already cute, and you're only going to get prettier. Most of the fans will end up liking you best. If your halo outshines them, they'll fade into the background—and they might start feeling jealous."
"That… does make sense… But how do you know I'll get prettier?" Ai's eyes sparkled, a smile tugging at her lips.
"You're this cute already. How could you not grow into a beauty?"
"Hehe~ so you admit I'm cute? Does that mean you like me?"
"I'm just stating facts…"
Shichen rested a hand lightly on her head and laughed. "If you want me to like you like that, let's talk when we're not coworkers and your debut is settled."
"Hmph, you're so two-faced. Back at the spa the other time, you totally snuck a look at me," Ai puffed her cheeks, teasing.
"Shh—" Shichen quickly covered her mouth, glanced at the staff around them, and only relaxed when he confirmed no one had heard. "Don't say things that can be misunderstood. What if people get the wrong idea?"
"Hmph~ don't kid yourself. Girls are very sensitive to where people are looking," Ai hummed, pleased with herself.
"It was just a random glance. You're all adults—what's there to see?"
"Yeah right—"
"Alright, alright, that's enough."
"Shichen-san, Hoshino-san, we're ready for you."
A staffer came over to remind them.
"Got it."
Photo work can be a little dull—pose and pose again, change outfits over and over. If not for a few female staffers nearby constantly calling him handsome and watching him with starry eyes, Shichen would've been bored out of his mind.
This time they were shooting fall looks—endless combinations and styles, too many to count—and he also had to shoot some winter pieces.
Unlike Ai, who could be available anytime, he wasn't necessarily around every month.
The winter shoot was a bit easier: fewer inner layers, mostly outerwear, plus a scarf here and there. All of these were sponsored by boutiques—Shichen was just too photogenic. Every outfit looked like it had been tailored to him, naturally flattering.
Because of that, the summer line he'd modeled previously sparked a wave of copycat purchases—the sales went through the roof.
What boutique wouldn't want a piece of that, to have their items shine brilliantly on Shichen?
It was basically guaranteed profit.
Even they themselves wanted to buy the clothes after seeing them on him—let alone fashion-hungry young men and women.
The only "pity," if you could call it that, was that Shichen wasn't a woman.
Magazine readers are mostly women, and women drive most fashion spending.
But that wasn't really a problem. Ai was no slouch either—her future looked bright. Just have her shoot a few sets together with him.
A man–woman pairing is even more heart-stirring.
Buyers don't care whether it "suits" them. If it looks good, that's enough.
That's the whole point of models.
The shoot wrapped up by the afternoon.
"Great work, Shichen-san, Hoshino-san. That's a wrap."
"You've all worked hard too."
"Not at all—not at all. Watching Shichen-san shoot is a pleasure in itself."
"Hehe~ thank you for the compliment."
"No, no—we're only telling the truth."
"Then we'll head out?"
"Take care, Shichen-san—go home and rest."
"Okay, see you."
"B-bye!"
Only after Shichen and Ai left did the cluster of female staff reluctantly pull their gazes back.
"Shichen-san is ridiculously handsome. He's perfect," someone sighed.
"Yeah, my heart was thumping the whole time. I couldn't look away."
"Is that it? My panties are already soaked."
"???"
"I wonder if Shichen-san has a girlfriend."
"With looks like that? He definitely won't be short on girlfriends."
"I want to be his girlfriend. Even if he already has one, who cares—having a few girlfriends is fine, right?"
"I'd even keep him. He wouldn't have to lift a finger. He could have all my money and assets."
"You guys are… completely bewitched, huh?"
"What about you?"
"…I want to, too."
"Figures~"
Shichen took Ai straight back to the café.
He had no idea what the female staff were whispering about him, and even if he did, he wouldn't be that flattered.
The girl he liked—once he realized he'd come to a multiverse—was already decided.
After all, if he wanted, with a vampire's physique, the charm he gave off without trying could make women swoon and go crazy for him.
The café was lively today. Besides Nishikigi Chisato and Inoue Takina, Yatogami Tohka and Kasumigaoka Utaha were also helping out.
The place had added lots of sweets—breads, cakes, and the like. It was the weekend, and tons of students were coming by. With just Chisato and Takina, it was getting hard to keep up.
Tohka and Utaha wore uniforms similar to Chisato and Takina's, just in different colors—one purple, one black.
All custom-made.
Who knew if they'd add more styles later.
Irisviel wasn't home; she'd gone out with Illya and the others to observe this world. With Yami accompanying them, Shichen didn't need to worry at all.
Frieren had gone with them too—the comics and novels in the study weren't nearly enough for her, and a lot of them weren't to her taste. She wanted to pick things out herself.
Once Ai got back, she went to the study to learn on her own. Her idol activities were about to begin, and she had to study up or risk falling behind later.
Shichen had things to do as well: it was time to arrange school for Illya and Sakura.
The next day, he had both Illya and Sakura enrolled, though they were in grades below Ai and the others.
Come Monday, Shichen took Tohru and secretly tailed the kids, watching from outside the school.
They'd only just enrolled and were already welcomed by everyone. Maybe they were just too cute—nobody could dislike them.
And Kanna and her crew were already the queens of the entire elementary school. By lunchtime, once everyone learned Illya and the others were friends with them, a few little girls who'd been unhappy about the newcomers stealing attention quietly backed off and gave up any thought of picking on them.
Not that they could have bullied them anyway.
Once he was reassured, Shichen and Tohru headed into the clouds and finally enjoyed some much-needed alone time.
Originally, Tohru had gone out with him to buy groceries; but with the Gate of Babylon as a storage vault, they could buy as much as they wanted.
They didn't get back until evening, and of course Nishikigi Chisato figured out exactly why they were late—Tohru's cheeks were still rosy, after all.
Naturally Chisato wasn't going to just let it slide, so the next day she dragged Shichen to the old radio tower for an all-out karaoke session.
Shichen wasn't about to play favorites either; he also made time to "revisit" kicking up waves on the sea with Kasumigaoka Utaha.
The days were full, leisurely, and free. Before he knew it, a month had passed.
Counting neither Est nor Yatogami Tenka, Shichen took just one person with him when he left:
The reluctant Frieren.
He only got her to agree by hauling along a huge stack of manga and novels.
He was clearly taking her to level up her strength, but she still didn't want to go. Not even the threat of a spanking worked.
Truly fallen to the dark side.
He didn't bring Artoria this time. He planned to let her get used to this world first and grow comfortable with everyone.
They were a family, after all.
In the morning, after breakfast, Shichen set out with Frieren. Their destination: Aqua's world.
~~~
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