Splash—! Splash—!
Waves surged; the "singing" rang out clear. The two were bent over the pool's edge, with Shichen behind them. This "battle" was destined to drain at least half the water from the bath.
He hadn't planned on handling the two of them together—truly a matter of time, place, and people aligning.
Even Artoria couldn't withstand the pull of the body's instincts. If he hadn't set up a soundproofing barrier, the guests downstairs might have heard. Good thing he thought ahead.
At some point the waves stilled and the "singing" ceased. Shichen carried the two of them to Artoria's room. Having taken the hit together and walked the same road, that was more than enough to turn them into fast sisters. Sharing a bed would be no problem.
Looking at their utterly spent faces, he smiled with satisfaction and stroked their cheeks. Aqua sharing was something he could imagine; Artoria joining in too was the surprise.
Timing really is everything. Who knew if they'd get another chance—this was an experience he'd never had before.
A bit addictive. Still, it's the sort of thing you can't force; he wouldn't push for "group efforts." Leave it to luck.
He reined in his thoughts and checked the time—just about when Kanna and the others would be getting out of school. Perfect time to pick them up. He couldn't wait to see those little ones.
He didn't plan to tell Megumin and the rest first. After all, he'd been with Aqua and Artoria for quite a while—things had obviously happened—but once he brought Kanna and the others home, there'd be plenty he could explain.
Pickup went smoothly. The kids missed him too; they took turns hugging him—right at the school gate. Not the first time something like this happened there, so nobody paid much mind, even though each of the girls was delicate and lovely.
With looks like Kanna and her friends', it was hard not to draw certain kinds of attention—even shady types or talent scouts from the entertainment world.
But Tohru handled that now. With Kanna and Yoshino around, anyone with bad intentions was easy for them to sense; they just had to tell Tohru at home and she'd take care of it.
The girls came first; Shichen left Tohru to do whatever she saw fit, regardless of how she "resolved" the issue.
Truth be told, Kanna and Yoshino were more than strong enough on their own, but Shichen only wanted them happy, without a care in the world.
Once people knew Tohru stood behind them, they wouldn't dare make a move. Judging by the results, it worked very well.
They'd been apart a while, so he didn't rush them straight home—he took them for a stroll. Since there'd be a big get-together that night and he and Tohru would cook, he didn't buy them burgers or fried chicken.
Not even Illya's cutesy "Daddy~" routine swayed him. He hadn't realized the girls liked that stuff so much, but it wasn't a big deal—it wouldn't hurt them. They could have it another time.
He wandered with the six little ones for a good while, until Yatogami Tohka and the others got out and came to meet them. Est showed up too—she'd had no chance to come out in Megumin's world and was mad about it, deciding not to tag along to other worlds next time.
Before long, students poured out of Toyogasaki Private Academy. Among them, two dazzling figures emerged surrounded by classmates.
"Shichen! You're back!"
The moment she saw him, Yatogami Tohka jogged over and leapt into his arms, not even minding Illya perched on his shoulders. She burrowed into his chest and nuzzled him, inhaling his scent. "It's Shichen's smell… I haven't had it in so long~ hehe~"
"Why are you like a little puppy?" Shichen laughed, ruffling her long black-purple hair.
"I am not a puppy!" Tohka pouted up at him.
"Alright, alright—but your classmates are watching. You sure that's okay?" He'd noticed many eyes on them from the school—mostly girls, and the very ones who'd walked out with Tohka.
"It's fine~" she said, unconcerned.
"If you say so." Shichen smiled, then turned to the softly smiling Kasumigaoka Utaha. "Where's Eriri? Not with you?"
"She has art club activities…"
"Shichen-nii!"
Before Utaha finished, Eriri came running, her porcelain face alight with excitement. Shichen waved to her from afar.
"Huff—" Eriri skidded to a stop in front of him, took a deep breath to steady herself, and greeted him with an irrepressible smile.
"Shichen-nii, you're back~"
"Yeah. Long time no see," he replied with a grin.
"Long time no see~" Eriri beamed.
"Don't you have club?" he asked. "It's fine—nothing important. It's okay if I skip," she said with a dismissive wave. It was something, but with Shichen finally home, no way was she choosing club over meeting her "Prince Onii-chan."
Utaha shot Eriri a sidelong glance but didn't call her out. When she'd asked Eriri to head out together a minute ago, the girl had acted all reluctant. The switch had been… fast.
"In that case, let's go home together. I'll introduce some new family members," Shichen said.
"New family? Shichen, did you bring more girls home?" Tohka puffed her cheeks.
"Yup—you've got new sisters," he said, pinching her cheek without a hint of guilt.
"Mm… We've already got a lot of sisters."
"The more family, the better. They're easy to get along with."
"Really? …Fine," Tohka conceded.
"How many this time?" Utaha asked.
"Not many. Just four."
"That's your idea of 'not many'?" Utaha rolled her eyes. Shameless philanderer… too bad she'd already fallen for him.
"Four…" Eriri's face tightened as she listened. She knew the café's dynamics pretty well; aside from a few little ones, most girls Shichen brought back had… obvious ties to him. With four at once, she was falling behind again. What to do…?
Back at the café, Shichen pushed the door open first.
"Welco—ah, Shichen, you're back."
"Yunyun?"
Balancing a tray, Yunyun stood there—in the same maid uniform as Tohru. Shichen blinked.
"Hehe~ How is it?" Yunyun did a happy spin.
"Adorable! But why are you helping out here?"
"I wanted to get to know everyone, so I came to help," she said, a little shy.
"I see… Where's Megumin?"
"She's—"
"I'm right here." Megumin stepped out of the kitchen—also in a maid outfit. She was much smaller than Yunyun, practically childlike; the maid getup made her extra cute. No wonder people love cosplay.
"Super cute," Shichen said without holding back.
"R-really…?" Megumin looked delighted.
"Oh—these two are the new ones?" Utaha stepped up, looking them over.
"And you are?" Yunyun asked.
"I'm Kasumigaoka Utaha—your senpai; I got here before you."
"Really? But why does your voice sound so familiar?" Megumin frowned, thinking.
"What, you know me?" Utaha asked, puzzled.
"No…" Megumin shook her head, then it clicked.
"Got it—your voice sounds just like Darkness's!"
"Now that you mention it…" Yunyun noticed it too.
"Who's Darkness?" Utaha asked.
"She's—"
"Megumin, were you calling me?" Darkness emerged from the kitchen—also in a maid uniform. Hearing her voice, Utaha's eyebrows arched.