Yunyun really is pure—she even buys that kind of talk. If Shichen had bad intentions, he could've tricked her into getting pregnant ages ago.
Good thing he's a decent man.
With Megumin around, Yunyun naturally won't be fooled. Either way, Shichen's goal was achieved: he wanted the two of them to know exactly what he had in mind, so they'd be mentally prepared.
Shichen had the two of them get acquainted with Frieren, then went to look for Aqua and the others.
It was early; Aqua was still asleep. When he entered her room, she was curled on her side, hugging her quilt, sleeping soundly.
"Hm?"
The moment Shichen came to the bedside, Aqua seemed to sense it. She turned over, slowly opened her eyes, and looked at him.
"Shichen?" she asked drowsily.
"It's me," he said with a smile, squatting down.
Aqua might be a bit of an airhead, but just looking at her made him happy for no reason.
"It really is you!" Aqua's eyes flew open and she shot upright.
"It's really me."
"Ahhh! It's you—finally! You're back!" Aqua flung herself into his arms, then burst into tears.
"What's wrong?" Shichen steadied her by the waist, puzzled.
"Sob, sob—Yunyun and the others bullied me!"
"They bullied you? Seriously?"
"For real! They won't let me drink. I only get one bottle every half month."
"That's it?"
"What do you mean, that's it?" Aqua glared. "How am I supposed to live without booze?"
"You look pretty alive to me."
"You've changed, Shichen… you don't care about me anymore." She pouted.
"Who says I don't?"
Shichen freed one hand and reached into the air beside him, palm up. A golden ripple bloomed above his hand, and a golden container dropped out of it.
Not a Holy Grail—just a bottle of liquor.
"Recognize this?" He held the bottle between them.
"This is… sniff, sniff—" Aqua immediately caught the aroma. "It smells amazing. Is it… alcohol?" Her eyes lit up at the bottle.
"Of course. I brought it just for you."
"Shichen, you're the best. You're the only one who treats me right. Here—your reward."
Aqua smacked a quick kiss on him.
"Uh… what was that for?" Shichen blinked.
"Hm? Don't you like that? Or do you want a sip of blood first? That works too." Aqua tilted her head without hesitation, revealing her smooth neck.
"Not really in the mood right now."
"Then what reward do you want? A squeeze? A swat?"
"Could you have a little dignity?"
"What dignity? You brought me such good liquor," Aqua said grandly.
"In that case, I won't hold back."
Shichen leaned in and kissed her; the kiss deepened, slow turning to heated. They'd done this before—so after a long separation, sparks flew and the mood escalated quickly.
Aqua might be scatterbrained, but that didn't mean she didn't understand anything—and Shichen felt no guilt about it. Mostly, she was breathtaking—more so than anyone he'd met so far. Even the flawless homunculus Irisviel couldn't compare.
Irisviel was perfect, but compared to Aqua, she lacked that aura.
Aqua was a water goddess; both her looks and presence were beyond anything human.
She was just… a little silly.
And whether it was because she was a water goddess or not, Shichen tasted a sweetness on her lips.
It made it hard to pull away.
Even when she was out of breath, he only let her catch it for a moment before continuing their "duel of tongues." Sweet and intoxicating—like nectar—no worse than blood.
A bold idea crossed his mind: if this tasted this good, what about other places?
He'd already "sampled" similar delights elsewhere; he wasn't about to skip Aqua. There was nothing shameful about private fun between adults. He filed it away for another time.
Only when Aqua was thoroughly winded did Shichen finally let her go. He left the bottle behind and headed out.
When he reached Darkness's door, he heard heavy breathing inside. He didn't hesitate and pushed the door open.
As expected, Darkness was doing push-ups, sweat beading on the floor.
"Eh? Sh-Sh-Shichen!" Darkness froze mid-rep, staring in disbelief.
She wore only a tank top. Her pale arms were well-toned but not bulky—striking in a comfortable way.
Shichen closed the door, turned the lock, sat down at the edge of the bed, and watched her quietly.
"Y-you're back," Darkness said, still holding the lowered position. A faint blush spread until her whole face was flushed.
"Mm." Shichen nodded lightly.
"You came back and didn't even tell me—"
She started to get up, but he stopped her. "Don't move."
"Eh?" Darkness halted.
"Yeah. Just like that."
"B-but I've been training for a while…" Her arms started to shake—but her expression wasn't pained; if anything, she looked excited.
"Heh-heh…" She couldn't help a little laugh.
Shichen's mouth twitched. He still wasn't used to Darkness's masochistic streak, and probably shouldn't have indulged his curiosity.
"Forget it—get up."
"Eh? That's it?"
"You're unhappy about not doing more?"
"N-no," Darkness said, standing, though a bit regretful.
"Come here."
"W-what are we doing?" she asked, face full of anticipation as she stepped up to him.
"Kneel."
"Again? But I'm all sweaty…"
"Sweat makes things smoother."
"What if I smell?"
"I want to smell you."
"Shichen, you really are…" Darkness knelt, looking up at him, eyes shining.
He reached out and ruffled her golden hair.
She hadn't tied it back—her hair hung loose, full of feminine softness, which only made him want to tease her more.
He'd already gotten worked up with Aqua; this was a good place to take the edge off.
After a while, Shichen lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. "Your turn."
Darkness leaned in, blush deepening; her breathing grew louder as the playful teasing continued. After a bit, Shichen said, "Too slow—switch it up."
"W-what else?"
"What did you just use to talk?"
"M-my… mouth?"
"Hurry," Shichen said in a tone that brooked no argument.
"I understand…"
Darkness didn't hesitate and lowered her head.
The room was quiet, save for the occasional soft sound, the sort that made it seem like someone was enjoying something delicious.
Shichen said nothing; Darkness couldn't.
"Mm!"
No one knew how long had passed when Darkness let out a startled little cry.
"Wait."
She started to get up to head for the bathroom, but Shichen stopped her.
Cheeks puffed out, she looked at him in confusion.
"Don't go."
"Hm?"
Shichen sat up, touched a finger to her throat, and pressed lightly.
"Mm!"
Caught off guard, her throat worked on instinct—gulp.
"Cough, cough!"
She started to cough dryly.
"Consider it your punishment—for getting rusty," Shichen said.
"P-punishment…"
Her throat felt a little uncomfortable, as if something were stuck, but Darkness's face was alight with excitement.
Seeing her like that, Shichen suddenly felt like "feeding" her one more time.
~~~
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