[Did you collect the fiftieth divine fragments?]
Early morning—Shichen hadn't even fully woken up when "her" voice sounded in his mind.
He slowly opened his eyes, not surprised at all, the corners of his mouth lifting.
[So you're finally talking to me?]
[Feeling smug?] she dodged the question.
[Yeah. I've been looking forward to meeting you for a long time.]
[So you really figured out who I am.]
[If I couldn't, I'd be disappointing myself.]
[Your situation is… special.]
[Maybe. But I still met all of you—and became something irreplaceable to you.]
[Hopeless flirt.]
[I'll admit that.]
[Thick-skinned.]
[I'll admit that too.]
[So you really are smug.]
[I already admitted that.]
[But I never said collecting fifty fragments would let you meet me.]
"Hm?" Shichen sat bolt upright.
"Mm…"
The girl beside him murmured in her sleep but didn't wake.
Shichen turned his head to look at Eriri. Her porcelain-smooth face was delicate and flawless, her cheeks still marked by faint tear tracks that made her look even more fragile.
Her eyes were a little puffy and red—she'd cried hard. He'd been too carried away last night.
Thinking that he might finally meet "her" had gotten him so excited… and Eriri ended up paying the price.
She was soft-skinned and inexperienced—of course she couldn't easily handle his intensity. She'd been stubborn, refusing to show weakness, quietly enduring with watery eyes.
Remembering her expression from last night, Shichen's chest tightened with guilt.
He shouldn't have let it go that far. He wasn't some clueless teenager.
But he could make it up to Eriri later. Right now, "she" had said something else: fifty fragments doesn't mean he can meet her.
[What do you mean?]
[Exactly what it sounds like.]
[Why?]
[Why? I never said fifty fragments would make us meet.]
Shichen fell silent.
Strictly speaking, she hadn't promised it. That had mostly been Betty misleading him. Still—"she" had never denied his expectations, either.
[Really?] His inner voice carried a hint of disappointment.
[You're that eager to see me?]
[Yeah.] He admitted it.
[Hah. You didn't sound so eager when you were enjoying yourself last night.]
[Jealous?]
[Yes. Jealous.] she admitted openly.
[So do I really have to collect ninety-nine fragments to meet you?] Shichen asked, completely unashamed.
[Fine. I lied.]
[You lied to me?]
[I can meet you now, actually.] Her tone was teasing.
[…So you weren't lying just now?]
[I wasn't.]
[Good.] Shichen let out a breath.
[You're not angry?]
[Angry? Not a chance. Come out already—I want to see you.]
[Heh. And then you'll punish me the moment you appear, right?]
[I'm not that kind of person.]
[I almost believed you.]
[…So when are you coming out?]
[Let me finish shaping a body first. In the meantime, take care of Eriri. When she wakes up, she'll need you.]
[Weren't you jealous?]
[And what am I supposed to do about it? I know exactly what you're like.]
[Yeah. I want to see you.]
[Me too.]
[So… see you in a bit?]
[In a bit.]
After she said that, her presence vanished completely—Shichen couldn't sense her anymore. Even the "system" feeling he'd associated with her was gone.
He wasn't alarmed.
He was thrilled.
He was finally going to meet her.
Overexcited, he pulled Eriri close and kissed her firmly—forgetting she was still asleep.
That, of course, woke her up.
"Mmm… Prince Onii-chan…" Eriri opened her eyes to Shichen's familiar face, and a wave of safety washed over her.
Then she frowned and sucked in a sharp breath.
"It hurts…"
"I'm sorry—I woke you. Are you okay?" Shichen apologized immediately, his movements turning gentle.
"I'm fine…"
She remembered last night clearly. She didn't panic—just flushed.
"You don't look fine. Let me heal you."
He held her with one arm and used the other to help her recover. Eriri was small and slim, delicate in his arms, her skin warm and soft.
"Mm…" Eriri froze, too shy to move.
She hadn't expected "healing" to involve such close contact, and her embarrassment spiked—different from last night, when everything had been a blur.
The discomfort faded quickly, warmth spreading, the soreness easing until she felt normal again.
But Shichen still didn't withdraw right away, lingering a little too long.
"Prince Onii-chan…" Eriri's voice turned tiny.
Shichen snapped back to himself. "Ah. Right—I got carried away."
He pulled his hand back.
Eriri let out a long breath.
Still, Shichen couldn't resist teasing—he held up his fingers where a faint threadlike residue clung.
"Prince Onii-chan!" Eriri flared up, mortified.
"What? Don't be mean to yourself," Shichen said lightly.
"You're awful."
"Yeah? But do you like me?"
"I do," Eriri admitted boldly—face burning red.
Shichen laughed. "I like you too, Eriri. Really, really."
Eriri stared at him, eyes bright and overwhelmed.
Shichen hugged her close and kissed her again. Eriri had already started getting used to his affection; she closed her eyes and leaned into it.
This time, Shichen didn't let it go too far—he broke the kiss before he lost control.
He couldn't push her again so soon. She needed at least a day to recover.
Shichen wasn't going to chase short-term pleasure at the expense of her comfort.
"That was a good-morning kiss," he said, smiling as he stroked her cheek.
"Good-morning kisses… I want them forever."
"Then you'll have to move in with me."
"I want to!" Eriri said seriously.
"I don't mind. But are your parents okay with that?"
"They're fine. Honestly, they've been telling me to move in with you for ages—always pushing me to be braver."
"…That really sounds like your parents."
"So it's decided?"
"Yeah. You can come over today. After school, I'll help you move your things."
"Eh… I don't want to go to school today," Eriri pouted, trying to wheedle.
"Nope," Shichen said firmly.
"School matters. You won't get to experience this forever."
"Why not?"
"You know I'm… different. We'll be together for a long time. Someday you'll miss the days when 'going to school' was just normal life."
"…Then can't I skip just one day?" Eriri tried again.
"No."
"But you let Utaha skip before!"
"…How do you know that?"
"Skipping is the kind of thing people talk about. I didn't know before, but now I'm pretty sure it was because of you."
"Smart," Shichen said, ruffling her hair.
"So I can skip too?"
"No."
"Why?!"
"When I took Utaha out, it was for something important. Why would you be skipping?"
"…Important… like what we did last night?" Eriri asked carefully.
Shichen didn't answer—basically confirming it.
"Then I can do that too."
"No, you can't."
"Why not?!"
Shichen sighed. "You forgot how hard you pushed yourself last night?"
"I—it was my first time," Eriri protested.
Shichen chuckled softly. "Then take it slow. Pushing too hard isn't good. I'd worry."
"Prince Onii-chan…"
"And your room needs cleaning up, too. You don't want your parents to notice anything, right?"
"…Fine." Eriri finally gave in.
They tidied up, took a shower, and Shichen walked Eriri to school.
On the way out, Eriri's mother couldn't resist teasing them—she was an adult; she could tell what had happened, especially with how different Eriri looked this morning.
And she seemed very satisfied with Shichen.
Of course, she had no idea about the full extent of Shichen's situation.