"Boss, why do you look so wiped out? It's been two days now."
"Your staff are all cute and gorgeous. You're surrounded by them every day—shouldn't you be happy?"
"Yeah. Don't act like you don't know how lucky you are."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah."
Shichen sat behind the register with half-lidded eyes, one hand propping up his chin. He tilted his head and didn't bother arguing.
These guys were Chisato and Takina's fans—regulars at his shop. Basically, "his people."
But they were totally the type to talk big because they weren't the ones living it.
Sure, they weren't wrong. Being surrounded by cute girls as a guy is obviously a good time.
The problem was… he'd been with them for a full month.
In the month since he came back, he'd been spending every day with someone different—meeting requests, keeping everyone happy, maxing out the "emotional support" like it was a daily quest.
And honestly? He was satisfied. When he was with them, he felt relaxed and content. Even if he was just carrying shopping bags all day, it didn't feel tiring.
But for some reason, the moment he snapped back to himself, he'd feel this deep exhaustion—not physical, but mental.
Even though he genuinely liked being with them.
Maybe no matter what, they were still girls and he was still a normal guy. A guy accompanying girls—no matter how much he likes them, no matter how "dreamlike" it once felt—eventually there's a kind of slow wear that sets in.
There's a reason so many men don't like spending endless hours shopping.
And he'd done it for a month straight. If every day hadn't been different, he might've gone numb ages ago.
Compared to the daytime陪伴, the "night battles" were actually the easy part—he'd been at it every night for a month and his stamina still hadn't dipped.
He was too strong.
Even he thought he was kind of terrifying. A male role model. An idol.
When he remembered the nightly laughter, the sweet singing, the lively atmosphere… Shichen couldn't help the grin creeping up on his face.
So yeah—daytime accompanying was worth it.
"Shichen-nii… why are you smiling like… that?" Chisato came out of the kitchen, glanced at him out of habit, and froze. She hesitated like she didn't know how to say it.
"Ahem. Smiling like what?" Shichen immediately wiped his expression and forced a serious face.
Chisato chuckled. "I couldn't describe it at first, but compared to now… just now, Shichen-nii, you looked so creepy."
"…" Shichen's face darkened. "Sounds like you were pretty satisfied last night?"
"Mm…" Chisato's cheeks reddened. She puffed her lips in a sulky, cute way. "Shichen-nii bullied me."
Last night, he'd been with her. And of course, he'd "collected" a little compensation after hours.
"You were the one who started it." Shichen shot back.
"Hmph. Shichen-nii is getting worse." Chisato huffed and turned to go serve customers.
Shichen watched her lively back and smiled without meaning to.
Honestly, just being able to see them like this—right in front of him—was already enough to make him happy.
So why did accompanying them still make him feel tired?
He didn't get it.
Was this just some hidden male "gene" thing? Something inevitable?
"Shichen-nii, why are you frowning?" Takina came out and caught him thinking.
"Nah…" Shichen shook his head, looked at her, and grinned teasingly. "Just regretting that I can't go on a date with you, Takina."
"I… w—" Takina instantly went bright red.
"M-me and Shichen-nii aren't like everyone else… why would we go on a date…" She lowered her head, fidgety and embarrassed.
"But I really want to go on a date with you." Seeing her flustered only made Shichen feel more mischievous.
"Y-you want to date me…" Takina looked even more lost.
"So… not allowed?" Shichen asked with exaggerated disappointment.
"Shichen-nii… if you really want to… I can…" Takina muttered.
"Yeah? Then I'm looking forward to it. Next time you get a day off, let's go out—just the two of us. Sound good?"
"Just the two of us…" Takina bit her lip, heart racing.
"So it's decided?" Shichen pressed.
"Whatever Shichen-nii decides…" Takina blurted, then fled in pure panic.
Watching her run away, Shichen felt genuinely pleased. A girl's flustered shyness beat a thousand scenic views.
"Shichen-nii, you bullying Takina again?" Chisato wandered back over.
"When did I bully her?" Shichen cried foul.
Chisato grinned. "Oh come on. I saw her face—she was basically a red apple. That wasn't your doing?"
"I'm just trying to get closer to her," Shichen said, righteous as ever.
"Get closer… is that 'closer' the wholesome kind?" Chisato leaned in, teasing.
"…" Shichen shot her a look.
"Hehe~ Want me to help?" Chisato blinked innocently.
"Help? With what?" Shichen paused.
"Help you two get closer, obviously~ With Takina's personality, if you're not a little forceful, you'll be stuck 'slow-burn' forever. And Shichen-nii, you're not the type to be forceful."
"I can be forceful, okay?!" Shichen protested.
"That's after the third time, Shichen-nii." Chisato poked right through him. "Before anything real happens, if she doesn't take the first step, would you actually push?"
"…Fine. You're smart." Shichen didn't even try to deny it.
"So? Want me to help?"
"How would you do it?"
"Hehe~ Just wait and see, Shichen-nii. I guarantee you'll be satisfied." Chisato's smile was bright—like she was enjoying herself way too much.
"…You're doing the riddle thing again."
Riddle people were the worst… but the anticipation made it tolerable.
And Shichen really was troubled by how things were stuck with Takina. He wanted their relationship to move forward—not just because he had feelings for her, but because of where she stood.
He could tell Takina was getting more and more self-conscious about her "place" in the household. Compared to everyone else, she didn't have a clear, concrete "relationship" with him.
So she felt like she didn't quite belong.
If he wanted her to live there comfortably, he had to think ahead for her.
For himself… that was only a small part.
Yeah. He was that great. A true masculine role model.
"Shichen, why are you smiling so happily?"
He snapped back and realized Ai Hoshino was at the counter.
"Ai—your event's over?" Shichen smiled and ruffled her head.
"Yep. Easy." Ai beamed. "The venue was packed—tons of fans came."
Ai had officially debuted. She was still young, but in Japan that wasn't unusual. And she already looked mature enough—she'd gathered a real fanbase fast.
Idols lived off youth and brightness.
Shichen hadn't really wanted her to debut this early, but he respected her choice. He also knew she wanted to repay Ichigo Saito.
After all, Saito had brought her from the countryside into the city—brought her into a life where she could meet Shichen, where she could be this happy.
Wanting to repay kindness was a good thing. Shichen's role was simple: support her, and protect her quietly.
Still… if Ai debuted, did that mean that girl was already in the hospital? And that powerless doctor…
With Shichen around, those two wouldn't get a chance to be "reborn," and the accident that followed shouldn't happen either.
But the little girl's fate… might not change on its own.
Shichen decided he'd look into it. If those two really existed in this timeline, he'd do a good deed and heal that girl.
And hey—Ai's fan count would go up by two.
"So many fans… should I go too?" Shichen asked.
"Hmph. If you wanted to go, would you even need to ask?" Ai snorted, clearly annoyed.
"I didn't expect it to be that intense last time. There were way too many people. I didn't realize you'd already gotten this big." Shichen rubbed her head in apology.
He had gone with Ai before—when he was out with Illya and the others and it lined up with her schedule.
He'd assumed a newly debuted idol would have a small crowd.
Instead, it was packed.
Ai's pull was even stronger than he'd thought.
But… obviously. Ai was adorable, and those starry eyes were lethal. One look and people fell.
She was born for the stage.
"Then pay attention to me properly. I swore I'd make you my fan," Ai declared proudly.
She truly loved being an idol—the spotlight, the cheers, the sea of fans.
"No problem. I'll pay attention. I won't miss a single moment you shine." Shichen smiled.
Truth was, he'd been her fan for a long time already.
And now he could watch her grow—and protect her too.
For a fan, there really wasn't a better kind of happiness.