After leaving the theater, Shichen spent the rest of the day shopping with Elaina.
First, he bought her a milk tea, since they were both a little thirsty.
The two of them kept holding hands like an ordinary couple as they made their way to a huge shopping mall.
Shichen also cast a concealment spell around them, so passersby would barely notice them unless they made themselves obvious.
Otherwise, there would've been no way to properly enjoy shopping and a date.
Either one of them would have drawn attention on their own, and being constantly stared at would definitely ruin the mood.
Elaina liked it this way too. Quiet, peaceful, just the two of them.
They looked at clothes together, bought clothes together—things for themselves, and even matching couple outfits. All of those were picked by Elaina.
And of course, shopping wasn't complete without food. Every time she saw something tasty on the way, Elaina wanted to try it.
She bought a little of everything and shared it with Shichen.
At this point, they had already kissed, so sharing food wasn't a big deal anymore.
Elaina actually really liked that feeling.
They kept going like that until evening, only ending their first date when they finally walked home together.
That whole day, Elaina looked like a seasoned dating pro. Her routine was clear, and she threw herself completely into the experience.
She had done her research and memorized everything.
And because her relationship with Shichen had moved a step forward, she had allowed herself to really relax and enjoy the date.
On the way back, she was still full of lingering excitement, swinging his hand as she walked beside him, her steps light and cheerful.
She had been so happy today. Completely satisfied.
So this was what dating was like. So this was what romance felt like. It was unbelievably sweet.
She already wanted to go on another date tomorrow. What was traveling, what was "seeing the world," compared to this?
Back at the café, Shichen made coffee, and the two of them sat together to rest and drink it.
They had already eaten dinner outside, so there was no need to cook.
After the coffee, the two of them fell into silence, and the atmosphere gradually turned a little strange.
Shichen moved over and sat beside Elaina, pressing close to her.
"Why did you... come sit over here?" Elaina asked softly, a little nervous.
"Am I not allowed to?"
"You are, but…"
"Then there's no problem." Shichen wrapped an arm around her waist. It was slender and supple.
"Elaina froze."
"Let me hold you for a bit. I won't do anything else," Shichen said.
"R-really?" For some reason, Elaina didn't quite believe him.
"Really," Shichen said with complete seriousness.
"Then… okay…"
The two of them fell quiet again.
After a little while, though, Shichen's hands began to move on their own.
He tightened his grip at her waist, feeling the inward curve of it. Her clothes were thin enough that he could almost imagine the softness of her skin beneath them.
"Shichen…?" Elaina couldn't help raising her voice slightly.
What he was doing was way too obvious, and she was sensitive enough to feel it clearly. It made her feel flustered and helpless.
"Hm? What's wrong?" Shichen asked as if nothing was happening.
"Didn't you say… you wouldn't do anything?" Elaina asked in a low voice.
"I'm not doing anything."
"Liar." Elaina glared at him shyly.
"I don't want to either. It just has ideas of its own."
"You're way too shameless, you know that?"
"I'm serious. Your waist feels too good in my arms. It just couldn't help itself."
"Mmph… my waist really feels that good?"
"I think it does. I want to keep holding it forever."
"Keep holding it forever… what are you even saying?" Elaina turned red again.
"I'm telling the truth."
"Hmph, I don't believe—eh?" Only then did Elaina realize she was already sitting on Shichen's lap.
When had that happened?
She hadn't noticed at all.
"Elaina." Shichen lowered his head and met her eyes, his gaze burning.
"Y-you… what are you trying to do?" Elaina asked, flustered.
"I want to kiss you."
"You—mmph!"
Before she could say anything, he had already sealed her lips with his.
She didn't struggle at all. Instead, she closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around him in return.
The two of them sank into it.
That night, Shichen didn't stay, and Elaina wasn't fully prepared either.
Anything more would've been too fast.
Shichen wasn't in a hurry. Building their relationship little by little was enough.
He only returned to Frieren's world after Elaina had fallen asleep.
Over there, it was still only noon.
The moment he came back, the flow of time changed again.
Frieren and Serie were still asleep, and Stark was already out training.
The only one awake in the house was Übel.
While Shichen was making breakfast for Frieren and the others, Übel came looking for him.
With no one else around, she didn't hesitate. She wrapped her arms tightly around him from behind.
Without even turning around, Shichen only needed to gauge her size for a second to know it was her.
"Hungry?"
"No. I came to find you."
"Be careful. What if Frieren and the others wake up?"
"I really don't think they'll wake up that early. You gave them both a proper workout last night, didn't you?"
"You were eavesdropping?"
"No. I just guessed."
"Very smart."
Shichen put down the ingredients in his hands and turned to face her.
Übel opened her arms. "Hold me."
"Alright." Shichen pulled her into his arms.
"Kiss me." Übel tilted her chin up at him.
Shichen didn't answer. He simply leaned down and kissed her.
For a while, the kitchen fell completely silent.
By the time Frieren and the others woke up, Shichen had already finished making breakfast—well, lunch, really.
He and Übel were eating quietly, both looking as if nothing had happened at all.
After breakfast, they set off again.
Stark became the coachman again, driving the carriage with complete focus, watching the surroundings carefully.
He wanted real combat. Actual battle.
Monster or demon, anything with horns was welcome.
Inside the carriage, Shichen continued giving Frieren and the others lap pillows.
Fern had one side to herself and lay there comfortably.
Frieren and Serie still fought over position and bickered.
Shichen didn't intervene. Instead, he continued chatting with Elaina, who contacted him the moment she woke up. Once again, the flow of time between both worlds synced up.
"Yesterday went by way too fast," Elaina said while brushing her teeth.
"What, you already want to watch another movie?"
"Yes. Is that not allowed?" Elaina admitted openly.
"There aren't really any good movies showing."
"Didn't a few new ones come out? We can still check them out."
"They're not romance movies. They probably won't be good."
"Why do you… want to watch romance movies?" Elaina asked shyly.
"Weren't you the one who brought me to one?"
"I only picked it because it seemed popular…"
"So, was it good or not?"
"Mmph… you've got some nerve saying that. You barely watched it."
"That's true. Then how about we watch it again?"
"Again? But won't we just end up… again?"
"Then we'll keep watching it until we actually finish it. I refuse to believe we can't finish one movie before it leaves theaters."
"You just want to do bad things, don't you?" Elaina accused him.
"That's nonsense. If I wanted to do bad things, couldn't I just do them at home? I could even do a lot more there."
"You're not allowed to even think that!" Elaina warned him, flustered.
The day before, they had only made out a little at the café, and Shichen had already started getting less and less well-behaved, unable to resist feeling her heartbeat.
That was the reason they had stopped.
It had all happened too suddenly, and Elaina had gotten scared.
"Now that you say it, I'm remembering it again. Nice."
"You're the worst!"
"Haha, alright, I'm done teasing. So where are you planning to go today?"
"I don't really feel like going anywhere for now."
"Hm?"
"Can I… meet your wives?"
"You're sure?"
"We're going to meet sooner or later anyway… That Kato Megumi from the other day—is she the leader?"
"Still remember her? Yeah. She's the leader. She's the big sister of everyone."