"Haaah~"
Sitting behind the register and watching the calm vibe in the shop, Shichen couldn't help yawning.
It had already been a month since he came back from the Fate world.
And during this month, things had stayed the same: every day he spent one-on-one time with everyone, and sometimes it was two or three at once.
Like Yuzuru and Kaguya.
Or Origami, Nia, and Sawa, and the like.
It really just depended on whether people were willing to loosen up.
Honestly, Shichen didn't have any strong obsession with "one" or "two" or "three."
Just having each of them by his side already made him happy.
Now that he finally had the chance to gather them all around him, what was there left to be greedy about?
So as long as they were happy, that was enough. Follow their hearts, follow their wishes—do whatever they wanted.
If they were happy, he was happy.
Living like this—plain and quiet—actually felt pretty good. He even liked it.
The only thing was… "she" had been completely silent, and that bothered him.
Before, she'd been constantly pushing him to collect the god-fragment shards, like she was racing against something.
It was obvious she'd been afraid of running out of time.
In the beginning, she'd even slapped him with a one-month deadline to force him to hurry.
Shichen knew perfectly well the "tasks" were set by her, and the rewards were probably abilities he already owned.
A previous loop—an earlier version of him—had already possessed those powers.
So why had he "started over" again?
Had he run into something he couldn't solve, and chosen the path of beginning from scratch?
Then why did she and Jeanne still have their memories?
And what exactly were these god fragments?
No matter how lazy he was, no matter how much he enjoyed peaceful days, he still had to get answers.
If she wasn't in a rush anymore… then he'd take the initiative himself.
"Shichen~"
A voice full of affection cut through his thoughts.
Shichen looked up.
It was Takamiya Mio.
Long silver-white hair fell over her shoulders, braided on both sides; her perfect face carried a gentle smile, refined and graceful.
Even in modern winter clothes, she still gave off a sacred aura that made ordinary people instinctively keep their distance.
Just looking at her made your mind settle—as if nothing in the world could possibly be wrong.
"Mio, you're back." Shichen smiled and held out his hand.
For the past while, Mio had been traveling across the world—literally visiting every corner of the planet.
With her power, it was effortless. The strongest weapons this world had couldn't harm her.
Even satellites couldn't detect her.
In fact, Mio passed through every place while essentially invisible.
That was Shichen's idea. Otherwise, there'd be some insane headline, and that would be a hassle.
Sure, in a science-first world like this, people probably wouldn't believe it. They'd chalk it up to tricks, hallucinations, or special effects.
Mysticism and sci-fi hadn't truly "arrived" here—not because people didn't want to believe, but because reality never gave them anything solid enough to believe.
Still, Shichen didn't want to risk anyone with power and influence digging too deep and disturbing their lives.
After all, people at the top always knew more.
Who knew what kind of hidden projects or secrets they might be sitting on?
"Mm. I'm back. And I finished." Mio took his hand and smiled softly.
Shichen tightened his grip and pulled her into his arms in one smooth motion.
"As expected of you. That was fast."
Mio traveling the world wasn't really because she was curious—though she was, a little.
What she was truly doing… was becoming this planet's "god," merging herself into the world.
She'd been born from a world before. Merging with a world was something she could do.
But if she did that… then what did it make her relationship to Shichen? And his relationship to this planet?
Did that mean… he'd basically slept with his home planet?
Mio had turned into "Earth-hime."
No—bad thought.
At the very least, Mio hadn't been born from this world.
Still, if he ended up being intimate with her again later… how was he supposed to explain that?
And right now, it seemed like she couldn't do much of that anyway.
With Mio in his arms, Shichen's hand rested on her stomach, and he could immediately feel the difference.
What had once been flat was now subtly rounded, filled with a quiet, living presence.
A new life.
"Shichen…" Mio covered his hand with hers and looked up at him, her glass-clear eyes overflowing with love.
She was going to be a mother.
And the reason she was becoming a mother… was her love for Shichen.
Their child was the crystallization of that love.
Shichen hadn't planned on having a child so soon. He could guess he was caught in a loop, which meant he could also guess bigger storms might be ahead.
Having a baby now wasn't ideal. Danger was always possible.
But he really did owe Mio.
Because he didn't listen. Because "she" got jealous. Because Mio ended up alone for thirty years.
And even then, Mio still loved him, never blaming him.
If he didn't make it up to her—if he didn't fulfill what he promised—he wouldn't be able to live with himself.
Mio wanted a child.
So… he'd give her one.
Even though he'd never been a father before, he was mentally preparing himself. He could do tenderness. He could do devotion. He could love their child fiercely.
As for "education"… that was probably not a concern. With everyone at home, there would always be someone suited for it.
They'd all be "future moms," in a way. Whoever took care of the baby, it would still be love.
And Shichen had a feeling Mio would absolutely binge-study parenting on her own.
His only worry was whether the environment they had created might warp the kid in some weird direction.
Just imagining it made him sigh internally.
"There are customers downstairs," Shichen said with a laugh when he noticed Mio was starting to lean in, unable to resist getting affectionate.
"Then… upstairs?" Mio suggested.
"No." Shichen shook his head.
"Why?" Mio's eyes instantly softened into a wounded look.
"Don't overthink it." Shichen flicked her forehead gently and smiled. "I'm just worried I won't be able to control myself."
"Control yourself?"
"Yeah. You're way too irresistible." He sighed, then looked down at her stomach. "What if we accidentally hurt the baby?"
"But it's already been three months. I read about it—there's no problem." Mio said calmly.
"Still no." Shichen refused. "Better safe than sorry."
When Mio got swept up, she could be… intense. Shichen wanted to be extra cautious.
It wasn't like their bodies or abilities would ever actually allow harm to come to the child.
Otherwise, he would never have let Mio wander the entire planet alone.
"But…" Mio pouted, clearly frustrated. She was already feeling it—already in the mood.
"No 'but.'" Shichen cupped her cheek gently. "I'm waiting for our baby to be born healthy."
"…Fine." Mio sighed, then mumbled, half stubborn, half sincere, "If you really can't… I can ask someone else to help."
"…Help? What kind of help?" Shichen's mouth twitched.
Mio really was a little unhinged sometimes… but it wasn't surprising. In her mind, Shichen always came first.
"We can ask Tohka. You still haven't… you know… been with her." Mio said.
"…Let's not." Shichen flicked her forehead again—this time with clear disapproval.
That was exactly the kind of thought only she would have.
"Hmph. You're totally spoiling her," Mio said, eyes full of grievance. She was jealous now. "You can't even bring yourself to do anything with her, can you?"
"It's not about spoiling," Shichen said helplessly.
Mostly, Tohka was just too pure. He genuinely didn't know how to approach it. It was harder than with even Yuzuru and the others.
After all, Tohka was basically a real "two or three years old" in the truest sense—while the others had lived for decades, even if they looked young.
"You're biased!"
"How am I biased?"
"Then when are you finally going to—"
"Timing. Fate. The right moment." Shichen cut her off.
"That's literally bias!"
"If I were biased, wouldn't I have done it ages ago?" Shichen shot back.
"It's not the same, you—"
"That's our third sister, isn't it?" A clear, pure voice interrupted Mio mid-sentence.
Mio turned her head sharply.
A blonde woman she didn't recognize was walking over.
Mio had only just returned—this was her first time seeing her.
"Mm? And you are…?" Mio narrowed her eyes.
"Third sister, long time no see." Jeanne walked up and greeted Mio with a warm smile.
"Third sister?" Mio frowned.
"I'm your second sister."
"Second sister?" Mio immediately turned to Shichen with a questioning look.
"She's Jeanne," Shichen answered. "And yeah—she really is your 'second sister.'"
"Jeanne… as in Saint Jeanne d'Arc? Like Artoria?" Mio asked.
"Yes." Shichen nodded. "She's also a heroic spirit—the historical Saint."
"Then why is she my second sister?"