"Momo, haven't you done enough?"
Just as Momo fed Shichen another spoonful of crab roe, Nana—who'd been watching them the whole time—finally couldn't take it anymore. Feeding him was one thing, but using her own spoon. And using her own spoon would've been bad enough—she was even taking a bite herself in between. Don't think she didn't notice that's basically indirect kissing!
Fussing around like that, all flirty—Lala hadn't even gone this far! And she's the actual girlfriend!
How was this okay?
"What's wrong, Nana?" Momo looked over as if she had no idea what was going on.
"...Don't play dumb. Seriously, what are you doing? Is this appropriate? Even Lala hasn't gone that far!"
"What's wrong with it? Lala's happily eating over there."
"It's still not okay!"
"What's not okay? I just feel bad for brother-in-law. He worked so hard cooking, unlike you guys who only think about yourselves."
"..."
Nana's lip twitched. She was getting goosebumps again. Why did that line sound even slimier the second time? Where did she learn this stuff? How was it this deadly?
"And you're just enjoying it?" Nana glared at Shichen.
"What am I supposed to do? Momo means well; I can't just turn her down. It's not like you're feeding me," he shrugged.
"I—I—why would I feed you?!" Nana shot back, face red.
"See? That's my point. I work this hard, and Momo's the one being thoughtful."
"I…"
"Nana only thinks of herself; she doesn't know how to look after brother-in-law," Momo added, shaking her head.
"I do care about him! Why do you think I've been watching you two this whole time?"
"Weren't you just keeping an eye on us?"
"N-No, I wasn't…" Nana's denial lacked conviction.
"Really? In that case, you feed brother-in-law too," Momo suggested with a smile.
"Why?!"
"Brother-in-law's hungry, and his hands are full. If you really care, why don't you feed him?"
"It doesn't have to include feeding, does it?"
"What's the big deal? Unless… someone's feeling guilty."
"I am not!"
"Then what's the problem?"
"I… Fine, I'll feed him!" Nana blurted in a panic. She never noticed the smug curl at the corner of Momo's lips.
Holding a crab leg, Nana walked over to Shichen. She raised her hand halfway—and froze.
"Oh? What's this? Can't follow through at the crucial moment?" Momo teased.
"I…"
Nana bit her lip, face burning. Even though she'd stepped right into the trap, she still snapped awake fast—why had she agreed so suddenly? Regular baiting didn't work on her, but Momo's bait worked way too well…
"You don't have to force yourself. Momo's just messing with you," Shichen said.
"...What's that supposed to mean?" Nana suddenly frowned.
"Hm?" Shichen stared back, confused.
"Are you saying… you don't want me to feed you?" she demanded.
"Where'd you get that from?"
"Then why did you say that?"
"I was just… worried you felt awkward."
"You still can't say that kind of thing! You clearly told me those things before…"
"Fine. I do want you to feed me," Shichen said with a smile.
"Uu…" Nana immediately got flustered again.
"Knew there was something going on," Momo snorted.
"There is nothing going on!"
Nana glared at her, then steeled herself, raised her hand again, and held the crab leg up to Shichen's lips.
Shichen didn't hold back; he opened wide, clamped down, and sucked, pulling out the whole piece of meat in one go.
"Tastes really good," he nodded.
"..."
Nana watched him chew, his cheeks moving as he ate, and felt her heart twist into knots. It was just feeding, so why did it feel so weird? Embarrassing, awkward—and this strange itchy feeling in her chest.
"Just one bite? Give him another," Momo urged.
"I don't need you to tell me!"
Nana cracked open the rest of the segment and held it out again. Shichen downed that in one go as well.
As she watched him eat, clearly enjoying it, Nana couldn't say why—but she kind of wanted to do it again. To feed him again. To watch him eat.
What the heck was that about? Was that why Momo was so eager to feed him?
"Not bad, not bad. I'll admit you're not hiding anything," Momo nodded in satisfaction.
"Who needs your approval!"
Nana snapped, then hurried off to focus on eating the king crab claw instead. The claw meat was snow-white and tender. Scooping up a spoonful and putting it in her mouth was pure bliss.
Shichen stopped playing along with Momo and started cooking rice, tending the crab and shrimp on low heat. Next up would be the mixed-rice stage.
But everyone was pretty full already. He left the heat low, letting the crab and shrimp keep warm while he helped them digest a bit.
First was Frieren. Since she'd asked for it, he obliged: he pulled her into his arms and rubbed her round little belly. He'd already held her like this and rubbed her earlier in the afternoon, so she didn't react at all—just let him do whatever he wanted. Let him have his fun; if it meant she'd be able to eat more delicious food later, she could put up with it.
The feel of a full stomach was very different from a chest—especially right after eating. Firm, taut, round—almost like kneading a ball.
Shichen only had the patience for it because it was Frieren's stomach; everyone else understood that too.
So he spent two and a half minutes smoothing her belly flat, then moved on to Lala. If he didn't get to Lala soon, her freakish metabolism would digest everything on its own.
They all had great figures—slim and tall, long and elegant lines, smooth and flat stomachs. That sort of build was better for touching legs, not rubbing bellies.
After Lala, it was Kotegawa Yui's turn. With everyone watching she was embarrassed, but managed to endure it. Maybe they were too full—despite being belly rubs, no one made a sound. To an outsider, the scene would've looked improper, but in reality there wasn't an ounce of lewdness.
After Kotegawa came Momo, who ended up surprising Shichen. Unlike Lala and Yui, her belly looked flat but was unexpectedly soft and fleshy to the touch—very comfortable. He kept at it longer than intended, right up until Nana snapped.
"I'm just asking—but how long are you planning to keep doing that?"
"Looks like Nana's finally out of patience~" Momo replied weakly, face red.
Brother-in-law's technique really was incredible. Just rubbing her stomach had sent her floating; what would happen if he touched anywhere else? She really wanted to know…
"Who's out of patience?!" Nana shot back.
"Tsundere isn't popular, you know~"
"I am not tsundere!"
"Fine, fine. Since you're my twin, I'll lend him to you for now," Momo said loftily.
"Who wants you to lend him! I don't need my belly rubbed! Didn't you say there was another way?"
"There is."
Shichen flicked a small burst of energy at Nana, helping her digest in an instant.
"So it was that easy…" Nana's brow twitched. The guy had let her watch belly-rubbing for ages when he could've just done that… this playboy really…
"All right, food's ready," Shichen went back to the grill. Darkness didn't need digestive help, and while he could have insisted, dinner took priority.
He scooped steaming white rice into crab shells, mixed it with crab roe and tomalley—the aroma was mouthwatering—and topped it with crab and shrimp meat. The colors were bright and inviting.
"All right! Dig in!"
"I'm starting!"
They were all family; everyone grabbed a spoon and dug in, biting and stealing from each other's shells with zero ladylike decorum.
When one portion was gone, Shichen added more rice, more meat, more roe—and kept going until they couldn't stand another bite.
A crescent moon climbed into the sky. Outside the barrier the sea was pitch black, but inside there was the glow of firelight and drifting clouds of fragrance. From the outside, it would've looked like an island paradise—if anyone could see it.
When they were finally stuffed, every belly was round again, and no one wanted to move. Shichen did a quick tidy-up, then set up the tents and turned them into proper rooms before carrying each girl back.
Frieren first, then Lala, then Momo, Darkness, and Nana. Nana was carried princess-style back to the tent; she was too full to even complain.
Last was Kotegawa. Shichen didn't bring her back to the tent. Instead, he lay down on one of the loungers and pulled her into his arms, gently rubbing her stomach to help her digest.
"S-Shichen…?" Yui asked softly.
"Remember what I said earlier?" he asked, looking down at her.
"Said… what?" She blinked up at him.
"About making you like us."
"Like you… guys?"
"Like a superhero—someone with extraordinary powers. ESP, magic, that sort of thing."
"R-Really?" Her eyes grew wide.
"Of course. I don't need to lie to you. Do you want to be like us?"
"Yes!" She nodded hard, without the slightest hesitation.
"Then, in a bit… don't cry on me, okay~?"
"?"
~~~
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