After dinner, Shichen took Frieren and Aqua back to his room.
The two of them would be sleeping there tonight.
Megumin and Yunyun didn't come along.
Megumin had learned about Shichen and Aqua secretly sleeping together every night before. Surprisingly, she didn't really react. Who knows if it was because that one shot of Explosion Magic hadn't worn off yet… or because she was satisfied.
Yunyun wanted to join too, but she was far too shy—it was all too sudden, and she didn't want to do anything just because others were. Besides, with Frieren there, she wasn't worried anything would happen.
It's not like Shichen could do something to two people at once, right?
Aqua sleeping with Shichen was normal—she slept better that way, and besides, they'd already been sharing a bed every day before.
Frieren's reason was simply that her room wasn't ready yet.
She could have made do in Aqua's room, but Shichen decisively ignored that option.
Back in the room, Aqua and Frieren dove onto his bed like they owned it.
They'd already spent half the day on it, after all; they were more than familiar with it.
There were manga and novels scattered everywhere. The two of them each picked up a book and lay down side by side, reading on their stomachs.
"Hurry up," Frieren suddenly said without looking back.
"Hurry up with what?" Shichen blinked and walked over.
"Didn't you say you were going to spank me? The sooner it's over, the better. I don't want you getting the urge randomly later. While I'm braced for it—just get it over with."
"Oh? Not afraid of a spanking anymore?" Shichen asked with a smile.
His gaze drifted to Frieren's perky butt; beneath the skirt he'd made, there was a noticeable curve.
Frieren didn't have much of a figure, but because she was petite, she had a bit of shape.
Of course, only from the back. The front was… average at best. Probably not much hope there.
"What good is being afraid? You'll do it anyway," Frieren said, turning to pout at him.
"If you can talk me out of it, I won't."
"Hmph. I don't buy it. You're into this—no way you won't do it."
"How is that a 'thing'?"
"Who likes spanking girls' butts?"
"You're afraid of being spanked, so I want you to learn the lesson. Though it doesn't seem to work."
No matter how many times he spanked her, she still slipped up. Shichen was starting to wonder if she was even scared of it at all.
Surely she didn't want him to do it… right?
"Hmph! If you hadn't done those things, I wouldn't have slipped up," Frieren shot back.
"'Slipped up,' huh?" Shichen laughed.
"It was an accident."
"Still talking tough?" he said, raising his hand.
Frieren flinched, turned her head forward, squeezed her eyes shut, and clenched her little butt. But after a moment, the pain she expected didn't come.
She opened her eyes in confusion, looked back, and met his smiling face.
"Why aren't you hitting me?"
"Do you want me to?" he asked.
"Of course not. But what good does saying that do?"
"It does help. If you don't want me to, I won't." He lowered the raised hand and rested it lightly on her rounded butt.
"What are you doing?"
"Nothing. Don't mind me," Shichen said as his hand began to move, gently stroking.
"How could I not mind?!"
"Better than getting spanked, isn't it?"
"I… guess so… You pervert. Whatever, I can't stop you anyway. Seriously, who even has a kink like this? What's so great about touching?"
"After all the manga and novels you've read, you still don't understand men?" he said, shamelessly owning it.
"I don't read that kind of stuff."
"Then you haven't read enough."
"Is that so? Fine, I'll check the male-oriented ones when I'm done with these… By the way, how long are you going to keep touching?"
"Until I've had enough."
"…Suit yourself."
The sensation from her butt was strange, and her body was starting to feel off too—but she could endure it.
"Shichen, don't leave me out. Lie down next to me," Aqua cut in.
"You want to be touched too?"
"If it's you touching anyway… hurry up." Aqua patted the spot between herself and Frieren.
"Alright."
Of course he wouldn't refuse. He withdrew his hand, lay down between them, and pressed a palm to each of their round rears.
Obviously, Aqua's was larger than Frieren's—and softer.
But after a while, he lost interest. The two of them were absorbed in their manga, ignoring him completely, not reacting at all.
What was the point of that?
Might as well sleep.
"When are you two going to bed?" Shichen pulled his hands back, bored.
"When I finish this volume."
"When I finish this arc."
They answered flatly.
"Forget it. Do what you want. I'm going to sleep."
Shichen closed his eyes and nodded off in no time, while the two of them kept reading.
Over the next few days, Shichen continued taking Frieren and the others on simple quests to earn some pocket money.
Frieren was a newbie, but also not a newbie. Shichen always picked the hardest jobs available.
Most of the strong monsters nearby had already been dealt with. The starter town had truly become a starter town.
Even so, Shichen left a few for the team—just so they'd have a target.
After all, to leave the starter town, you needed a clear goal. The day you hit that goal would be the day you moved on.
And that target, naturally, had to be a powerful monster.
Because they were adventurers.
Half a month after Shichen's return, snow began to fall on Axel. Winter had fully set in.
Two days later, Kazuma Satou came back.
Not that it made a difference—aside from Shichen, Megumin and the others didn't care about him at all.
If Shichen didn't know him, he probably wouldn't bother either.
Kazuma didn't mind in the slightest. He came back and acted like he was home—stayed the night, ate with them, and chatted to Shichen about his adventures.
With him around, the girls talked less.
Two days after his return, Shichen brought him along on a quest.
The guild happened to have a new posting.
"Shichen, how about this Snow Sprite extermination? The name doesn't sound strong at all."
"Snow Sprites, huh…"
Shichen looked over the bounty and thought it over, then decided to take it.
He vaguely remembered something about them, but if he couldn't recall clearly, it probably wasn't important. And the pay—something on the order of ten thousand Eris per Snow Sprite—could rival the rewards for hunting powerful monsters. The key was, with a name like "Snow Sprite," there ought to be plenty of them.
"Works for me. Let's take it."
"Awesome!" Kazuma tore down the notice and went to report to Luna.
"Aren't Snow Sprites really weak? They're all over deep snowfields—you can slice them apart with a sword. Why'd you let Kazuma take something like that?" Megumin asked, puzzled.
"Did you forget? Kazuma isn't strong. I can't have him just standing around doing nothing."
"Then why bring him?"
"He's part of the team. We should look out for him."
"Trouble," Megumin pouted.
"Heh~ Tell you what—how about we go somewhere else in a few days?"
"Go somewhere else?"
"Yeah. In the dead of winter… how about a hot spring? And we won't bring Kazuma—just us."
"Really?"
"Of course."
"Now that's more like it!"
"Hot springs? Amazing!" Aqua and the others lit up.
"What's everyone so happy about?" Kazuma came back over.
"Obviously, the Snow Sprite job."
Shichen explained, "Snow Sprites don't harm people. And supposedly, for every one you take down, spring comes half a day earlier."
"That good? Then let's bag a bunch—maybe this damned winter will end early."
"You don't like winter?"
"Of course not. It's freezing, I don't feel like moving, and there aren't many easy jobs."
"Oh? And once winter's over, you're going to run off again?"
"Ahem. I just don't want to get in the way of you and the girls."
"I think you just want to hit that shop."
"I do not!" Kazuma said, flustered.
"Young man, learn some self-control, or how will you get stronger?" Shichen said, patting his shoulder meaningfully.
"I—I get it…" Kazuma muttered.
Shichen shook his head—he didn't believe him. But he couldn't be bothered to nag.
It's not something an outsider can talk someone out of, and those succubi are too tempting for most men.
As long as Kazuma doesn't get himself killed, it's fine.