The grilled meat they had for lunch really came in clutch—Chisato kept singing until the afternoon, using up every bit of that energy.
By the time she was done, she was so exhausted she knocked out completely.
After making sure there were no signs left behind, Shichen scooped her up and carried her back to the café.
Once in her room, he didn't bother wiping her sweat or cleaning her up. He just tucked her into bed and pulled the blanket over her.
Her cheeks were still rosy, her beautiful brows slightly furrowed. Loose bangs stuck to her forehead, still damp with sweat.
Shichen loved how she looked in moments like this—so peaceful, so his. That's why he didn't disturb a thing.
It had been the same with Kasumigaoka Utaha. To him, this was proof they were his now—and he was gonna take a good, long look.
Smiling at her sleeping face, he leaned in and kissed her gently on the forehead before stepping out of the room.
She wasn't waking up anytime soon, so no need to interrupt her rest. Tonight's plan was already set: he'd be right there with her when she woke up.
But just as he walked out, he bumped into Takina Inoue—he'd nearly forgotten she was still home.
His head was still swimming with Chisato's singing—so sweet and beautiful.
"Takina? What are you—"
"M-Manager…" Takina glanced toward the cracked door, catching a glimpse of the bed inside—clearly someone was sleeping there.
"Is Chisato…?"
"Oh, she's just tired. Went down for a nap," Shichen said casually, nudging the door shut without a flicker of emotion.
"Tired?" Takina blinked.
"What? You wanna go in and check?" he asked.
"N-No! I'm good," she said quickly, shaking her head.
"That so…" He nodded calmly. "How're you feeling now?"
"Manager, I—"
"Stop calling me 'Manager.' That's way too formal, don't you think? We're family."
"Family, huh… Then what should I call you?"
"Call me what Chisato does."
"Shichen-nii? Got it."
"Let's hear it."
"Shi… Shichen-nii…" she mumbled, shyly.
"Mm." He nodded, clearly pleased.
"You're not messing with me, are you?" Takina asked, seeing his smug smile.
"Would I do that? Do I look like that kind of guy?"
"Yes, actually… You used to spank me, remember?"
Shichen cleared his throat. "That was just to help you make up your mind."
"Who even does that?!"
"Okay, but did it work?"
"Ugh…" She couldn't even argue.
"Anyway, what were you doing?"
"I was getting hungry… came to grab something to eat."
"Perfect timing. Come with me to pick up Yoshino and the others."
"Huh?" She tilted her head in confusion.
"I'm hungry too. We'll grab a bite together."
"You haven't eaten yet?"
"Not really. Just feeling it now."
"I see… Alright, I'm in."
"Let's go." He held out his hand.
"What's this for?"
"You were planning to walk there? Come on, we'll warp over."
"Oh…" She slowly placed her hand in his.
Her hand was soft, smooth—no signs of training or rough skin. He made a mental note to help her keep it that way. Girls deserved soft skin, no matter where.
In a flash, they were standing at the school gate—silent, seamless. Not a single parent around them noticed.
"Whoa… That's amazing," Takina whispered, impressed.
"You can learn too."
"You'll teach me?"
"Of course. We're family, right?"
"Right!"
Shichen's timing was perfect. Less than a minute later, the school bell rang.
A wave of happy, chattering kids flooded out of the building.
Yoshino and the girls came out soon after, surrounded by classmates like little celebrities.
Last time it had just been her and Kanna—this time, Ai Hoshino had joined them. Shichen had finished her enrollment a few days ago, and today was her first day.
All three were gorgeous—like real-life dolls. They stood out in the crowd, instantly drawing attention from nearby parents.
Still holding Takina's hand, Shichen waved to the girls.
"Um, your hand—" Takina whispered, but he pretended not to hear.
She just gave him a helpless smile. Typical Shichen. She'd seen him act like this before… just not toward her.
"Shichen~!"
"Shichen-nii!"
"Shichen!"
The girls spotted them right away and ran over.
Once they reached him, Shichen let go of Takina's hand, crouched down, and hugged both Yoshino and Kanna tight.
They were small, soft, and smelled sweet. Hugging them felt… nice.
Kanna giggled. Yoshino blushed.
Shichen let them go and turned to Ai, arms open.
"Aww~ You really do like me, huh?" she said with a cheeky grin, diving into his arms.
He caught her with ease—she was tiny. Definitely needed to eat more. He knew what kind of potential she had.
"How long are you gonna hold me, hmm?" she teased.
"What, not into it?" he replied, letting go with a smirk.
"I don't mind~ but what if Yoshino and Kanna get jealous?"
"I—I'm not jealous!" Yoshino quickly said.
"Oh? So you don't want Shichen to hug you?"
"I didn't say that either!"
"Quit teasing her," Shichen flicked Ai's forehead.
"Ow! You're so biased!"
"Damn right. That's what you get for being the cheeky one."
"Ugh, I knew Yoshino was just pretending to be the innocent type!"
"I am not pretending!"
"Okay, okay—enough." Shichen spun Ai around and gave her a light swat on the butt.
That shut her up fast—she froze, mortified that people might be watching.
"Calm now?" he asked with a grin.
"Mmm…" Ai nodded furiously.
"Good. Let's go eat something awesome."
"Really?!" Kanna lit up.
"Would I lie to you?" he said, giving her cheek a playful squeeze.
"Yay! First time eating out!" she cheered.
With a café at home, they almost never ate out.
"Did you hear that?" Shichen looked back at Takina and winked. "First time taking them out to eat."
Takina blushed and gave him an eye roll.
"There we go. So cute," he said, teasing her again.
She turned away, too shy to reply.
"Onii-chan, don't you think my Yoshino's cute?" someone piped up.
"Of course—cutest girl in the world," Shichen said, lifting Yoshino up and walking ahead.
"Let's go get food."
"Shichen-nii… I can walk, you know," Yoshino mumbled.
"Just let me carry you."
"O-Okay…" She buried her face, avoiding all eye contact.
"Me too~!" Kanna tugged on his pants.
"Alright, one at a time."
"I get a turn too, right?" Ai asked.
"Of course. Gotta be fair."
"Hmph~ You just want to hug us."
"What about me?" Takina asked, a little nervous.
"If you want…" Shichen chuckled. "I'm totally down."
"I—I don't need that!"
"My hugs are top tier. Ask Yoshino—right?"
"Ugh…" Yoshino looked away.
"Hm? You want another pat?" he teased.
"Eep! It's comfy!" she blurted.
"See?"
Takina just rolled her eyes and looked away again.
"You'll regret it later~"
"Not happening."
"Alright, alright. So—what do you wanna eat?"
"Meat! Grilled meat!"
"Again with the barbecue…"
~~~
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