"Shichen-nii, you're back~"
Shichen split off from Utaha and the others and headed upstairs.
Right then, a small, adorable blonde girl ran toward him.
She had delicate, lovely features, fair skin, and a dainty figure. She was wearing an elegant white princess dress, and her bright golden hair fell loose around her shoulders, decorated with a little grape-shaped hair ornament.
Iris—the kingdom's first princess.
When Shichen had brought Utaha and the others to this world to help them grow stronger, Iris had summoned him to the royal palace.
As he told her about all sorts of things he'd experienced in this world, the two of them gradually grew closer, eventually becoming sworn siblings.
Shichen might not actually have a younger sister, but he definitely had a thing for doting on little sisters.
Life in the palace was terribly dull for Iris, so he'd secretly taken her out to play.
She had spent her whole life inside the palace and had never truly gone out to see the world.
But Shichen took her on adventures, brought her all over the place, let her fight monsters, and showed her a fantasy life unlike anything she had ever known.
A young, innocent girl like her naturally fell for him.
Shichen even set up a spatial portal in her chambers so she could freely come here whenever she wanted to play.
Iris had just come over during a break to have some fun, and she hadn't expected to run into him.
She hadn't seen him in ages, so she couldn't hold back her excitement and threw herself straight into his arms.
"Iris, long time no see~" Shichen hugged her back and stroked her hair. It was silky smooth.
"I missed you so much, Shichen-nii~" Iris wrapped her arms tightly around his waist.
She was so petite that her head only reached his chest.
"Is that so? I missed you too, Iris~" Shichen replied softly.
"Hmph~ I don't believe you. If you really missed me, why didn't you come see me first?" Iris looked up at him with a pout.
"I've just been busy."
"Busy getting closer to all the big sisters, right?"
"Well…" Shichen was at a loss for words.
"Hehe, I know you, Shichen-nii. I'm not going to get mad at you." Iris instantly brightened again.
"You little brat, you've learned how to trick people now." Pretending to be annoyed, Shichen pinched her soft cheek.
"Even if I'm not mad, I really did miss you."
"I see. Alright, that one's on me." Shichen let go of her face and admitted fault.
"It's okay. I'm not blaming you. We've met now, haven't we?" Iris said.
"You're such a good girl~" Shichen ruffled her hair and kissed her forehead.
Iris pressed a hand to her forehead, blinking, the corners of her lips curling into a smile.
"Go have fun. It's not often you get to sneak out."
"Okay~ But don't forget to come visit me at the palace."
"No problem. I'll be staying in this world for the next few days."
"That's great!" Iris happily skipped downstairs.
Shichen continued on and stopped at a room beside his own. He pushed the door open.
The room was spacious, quiet, and elegant. Sitting against the bed, reading a book, was a woman with long silver-blue hair cascading loosely around her.
"Shichen!"
The moment Mio Takamiya saw him, she happily called his name.
"Mio, I'm back." Shichen walked over to her.
As he approached the bed, her swollen belly was impossible to miss.
"How come you didn't tell me you were coming back?" Mio looked at him with a radiant smile.
"Couldn't you sense me?" Shichen climbed onto the bed and leaned against her.
"I wasn't paying attention."
"Then let's call it a surprise." Shichen wrapped an arm around her and kissed her forehead.
"Shichen…" Mio stared at him, then leaned closer.
Shichen lowered his head and kissed her—gentle, but burning with warmth.
They parted after a long while.
He hadn't done anything more. He was afraid of accidentally overstimulating her.
Whether it was startling the baby or stirring up her own desires, neither was a good idea.
At this point, she wasn't suited for anything too intense.
Even though, with her physique, there was no real danger, Shichen was still extremely careful.
It was his first time being an expecting father, so he was cautious about everything.
His hand moved over Mio's stomach, and he could clearly feel the life inside—strong, full of vitality, almost as if it were reacting to him.
Inside her was his child, the child he and Mio had created together.
Before that meteor hit him, this was something he'd never once imagined.
"Do you think the baby's responding to you?" Mio asked softly, smiling gently.
"Maybe. But how are you so sure it's a boy?"
"Would it be bad if it were?" Mio asked.
"I'd prefer a girl," Shichen said honestly.
"Why?"
"Girls are cute. Maybe she'd even be as beautiful as you."
"And if it's a boy, maybe he'll be as handsome as you."
"Let's not." Shichen immediately shook his head. "One handsome person in the family is enough."
"You really are something else… acting like that toward your own child." Mio laughed.
"It's not that I dislike him. The baby's not even born yet, so we don't know for sure."
Shichen still hadn't deliberately checked the baby's sex. He wanted to wait and find out in person when the child was born.
It was better to keep the anticipation.
"You say you're not playing favorites, but you've already decided it's a girl."
"A girl would be great. She'd definitely be adorable."
"There are already enough girls in this family."
"That's different. I don't have a daughter yet."
"Aren't Illya and the others basically that?"
"Of course they're not… besides, their affection's already gotten weird." Shichen shook his head helplessly.
"Hehe~ You're happy about that, though, aren't you? They all love you." Mio teased.
She didn't really mind what Illya and the others felt. After all, Yatogami Tohka and Tohka's other self were in similar situations.
And in the end, it wasn't a big deal. It was only a nominal relationship. In reality, it meant nothing.
"Not at all," Shichen said, obviously lying.
"Let's just say that's true, then. So you want a real daughter?"
"Yeah. A daughter would definitely be adorable, and clingy too."
"As for me, I don't really care. A son or daughter is the same, as long as you're happy." Mio said.
"You wouldn't care either way?"
"Of course I'd care. This is my child with you—my second-favorite person in the world." Mio rested a hand on her belly, her expression soft, glowing with maternal warmth.
"I see." Shichen decided not to say anything more.
He treated everyone fairly, and naturally that would include the child too.
Though of course, that was assuming it was a girl. If it turned out to be a boy… then he'd probably rank below everyone else.
"Oh, right—come to think of it, we still haven't picked a name. Do you have anything in mind?"
"I haven't thought about it. You should choose."
"No. Our first child has to be named by you."
"Me, huh…" Shichen held Mio and thought for a while.
He really hadn't thought about it before.
His child would take the surname Shi, so that narrowed things down a little.
But then again, family name and given name were separate. He didn't really need to worry about how they flowed together.
He just had to think of a good given name.
A child between him and Mio…
A few names came to mind immediately.
"What do you think about Mayuri?" Shichen asked.
"Mayuri? Why that name?"
"It just popped into my head out of nowhere."
"That name… it definitely sounds like a girl's name. Shi Mayuri… that actually sounds pretty good~"
"Right?"
"Then what if it's a boy? What if it turns out to be a boy? You should think of one for that too. We'll probably have a boy eventually."
"That one doesn't matter as much." Shichen shrugged.
"You really do treat them differently." Mio laughed.
"Are you worried that if it's a boy and everyone spoils him when he grows up, you'll get jealous?"
"As if!"
~~~
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