After Mayuri was born, she became the little princess of the whole family. Everyone adored her.
Shichen was secretly glad she was a daughter. If she'd been a son, he would have been jealous.
Of course, having a son was only a matter of time.
So he decided to wait a while before having another child. With the kind of eternal lives they had, there was no need to rush.
A daughter was meant to be spoiled. Shichen wanted her to be the most cherished person in the family, at least until she grew up.
A year passed in the blink of an eye.
"Daddy~ Daddy~"
"Mayuri, come here."
Shichen was lying on the sofa in the living room watching TV when little Mayuri came looking for him.
She was only one year old, but already so delicate and adorable she looked like a doll.
And in her features, you could already faintly see Mio.
Her eyes, though, were like Shichen's—bright as stars, deep and radiant.
"Daddy~ take me out to play~ I'm so bored~" Mayuri clung to him as he picked her up, whining sweetly.
Her voice was soft and babyish, unbearably sweet.
She had started talking before she was even half a year old, then quickly learned to walk, and before long she could run and jump too.
She was gifted far beyond normal.
Which made perfect sense. She was Shichen and Mio's daughter. She had been extraordinary from birth.
"Is staying with Mommy that boring?" Shichen asked fondly, kissing her forehead.
"Yes! Playing with Daddy is more fun. Mommy only ever talks about teaching me things."
"I see. So playing with Daddy is more fun, huh? Alright, I'll take you up into the sky."
The words made him ridiculously happy, and he was already ready to take her flying.
"What do you think you're doing?" Mio walked in just then.
She looked no different than before—still a young girl in appearance, still beautiful, nothing like the mother of a one-year-old child.
"Obviously taking our precious daughter out to play."
"You really do spoil her." Mio looked displeased.
Lately, in Shichen's eyes, even she had been losing to their daughter.
And that made her very unhappy. She was starting to get jealous of her own child.
Really, maybe having a son would have been better.
A daughter was born to compete with her mother for affection.
"A daughter is meant to be spoiled."
"Hehe~ Daddy's the best~ Mommy's only a little worse~" Mayuri added fuel to the fire.
"You'd better make sure your father stays with you the whole time. When you come back, I'm definitely teaching you a lesson," Mio warned, glaring at her.
"Daddy~" Mayuri immediately turned to him for help.
"Mio, don't be so harsh," Shichen said at once.
"...I'm done with this!" Mio huffed and stormed off.
Shichen and Mayuri looked at each other, then burst into laughter.
"Alright, let's go. We're going to play in the sky."
"Okay! I want to sit on Rayquaza's head!"
"No problem."
That day, Rayquaza soared all over the sky with them, and everyone saw it—including the Demon King.
But no one was surprised.
The whole world already knew Rayquaza was Shichen's mount.
Shichen had already become a new Demon King-like existence in this world.
Not to mention, he had so many wives, each one more powerful than the last, each one more imposing than a Demon King.
It was evening by the time Shichen and Mayuri returned.
The moment they got home, everyone gathered around Mayuri, each one doting on her.
She was treated like an actual princess.
But in everyone's eyes, there was another emotion too—longing.
Shichen knew exactly what they were longing for, but chose to pretend he didn't.
That night, after dinner, he ended up alone again.
Mayuri was taken away by Mio.
For bedtime lessons.
Mio had now fully embraced the role of strict mother.
Shichen only occasionally went against her on that. Most of the time, he respected her decisions.
He didn't have any appointments that night. He could do whatever he wanted.
Then he remembered a promise—one he'd accidentally delayed by a whole year.
It was time to go on that journey.
Quietly, Shichen made his way to Frieren's room.
In the spacious room, Frieren was sprawled inelegantly across her big soft bed in a nightdress, reading manga.
Her skirt had ridden up to her thighs.
Her skin was even paler than the sheets beneath her.
Shichen didn't bother hiding himself. He walked to the bed, climbed up, and lay down beside her.
"What are you reading?"
"Manga. Can't you see that?" Frieren didn't even turn her head.
"What's wrong? Who made you mad?" He could hear the resentment in her voice.
"You being here makes me mad," Frieren said plainly.
"What? You dare be mad at me?" Shichen swatted her lightly.
Frieren didn't react at all.
"What is it, really?" Seeing that, he sat up and pulled her tightly into his arms.
"Hmph. You know perfectly well."
"If you don't say it, how would I know?"
"Stop playing dumb."
"Alright, alright. Then guess why I came tonight," Shichen said with a smile near her ear.
"Why did you come?" Frieren asked, pretending not to care.
"Guess." He kissed her ear lightly.
"Mmh... really?" The corners of Frieren's lips finally lifted.
She had waited a whole year.
"Would I lie to you?" Shichen asked.
"Haven't you already? You said once you found Flamme, you'd finally make your move. It's been a whole year!"
"Well..." Shichen looked a little guilty. "You know Mayuri was born. I wanted to stay with her."
"I know. That's why I waited this long." Frieren turned and looked him straight in the eyes.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
"Then what are you still wai—mmph."
Before she could finish, Shichen kissed her.
That was right—what were they still waiting for?
It was time to fulfill that promise at last.
Frieren had been the very first person he met in this life. And now, finally, they were going to cross that last line together.
She was like the final boss he'd prepared for all this time.
And this battle—he was going to win.
He did win, too, and quite easily. Frieren, just as he had imagined, stood no chance at all.
He had spent all this time holding back and being patient.
So in the end, no matter how much you prepared, real experience still mattered.
Still, what surprised him was that Frieren had more fight in her than he expected. Even after losing, after resting for a while, she wanted to challenge him again.
She hated losing.
She wanted to fight all the way until she blacked out.
As expected of the final boss, Shichen had to admire that spirit.
But he still had no choice but to go easy on her.
Because he was just that kind-hearted.
Even though he held back, the final boss still couldn't defeat him. In the end, she lost consciousness in tears.
Out of respect for her determination, Shichen stayed by her side.
That night, he felt a deep sense of completion. He slept incredibly well.
It might have been the best sleep he'd had so far.
Because he had finally defeated the true final boss and could rest completely satisfied.
…
"Dad, Ai Mommy is amazing."
"She is. She really does shine brightest on stage."
Below the stage, a man and a girl sat side by side, talking as they watched the performance.
The man had black hair and strikingly handsome features.
The girl had golden hair and a flawless, delicate face.
They were Shichen and his daughter, Shi Mayuri.
By now, Mayuri had grown into a young girl.
"But Akane Mommy, Kana Mommy, and Mem Mommy are amazing too," Mayuri said.
"Haha, I think so too." Shichen smiled as he watched the figures on stage.
At the center was a purple silhouette, dazzling and untouchable, drawing every eye.
Beside her were a red silhouette, a blue-violet one, and a golden one, each radiant in her own way, all revolving around that purple center.
They were now the strongest idol group in existence, unmatched and famous throughout the world.
Especially the one in the center—Shi Ai, who had inherited her mother Hoshino Ai's gift and had climbed to the very top of the idol world.
Shi Ai was, of course, Hoshino Ai.
But she couldn't return under the name Hoshino Ai anymore.
So she could only come back as her daughter.
After spending so long in another world, Hoshino Ai had wanted to return and be an idol again, and of course Shichen supported her.
He had even found her new companions: Kana Arima, Akane Kurokawa, and Memcho.
Each of them had her own strengths. They were outstanding partners, and together with Hoshino Ai, they exploded into fame with ease.
Looking at the shining figures on stage, Shichen couldn't help thinking that all of them had their own stage.
And it was on those stages that they shone brightest.
He had always encouraged them to live freely.
Their time was long. They could do whatever they wanted.
And he would always stay by their side.
His story with them was far from over.
It had only just begun.
~~~
End! Thank you for reading!