Journey to Godhood Begins in Frieren

Lunch time.

Shichen led the dazed Yami by the hand into the dining area.

She had changed into a blue-and-white striped yukata—small and delicate, the outfit suited her surprisingly well.

With her golden hair flowing and her refined features, she looked just like an elven princess.

Naturally, it was Shichen who helped her change, since she'd been out of it the whole time—practically sleepwalking.

What had just happened clearly left a huge impact on her.

"Shichen, over here!" Lala called out cheerfully when she spotted him.

Shichen smiled and nodded in reply, guiding Yami over.

Everyone who was eating cast subtle glances at him and Yami—especially their clasped hands.

After all, everyone knew Shichen was dating Lala, yet here he was, openly holding hands with another girl.

He didn't seem to care one bit, which only made others jealous. Maybe that's just how open-minded aliens were?

"Sit here!" Lala scooted over and patted the open seat between her and Yui Kotegawa.

Shichen sat down, pulling Yami into his lap.

It was a bit cramped—everyone from their room was sitting together. Alongside Lala and Yui, there were Risa Momioka, Mio Sawada, and Haruna Sairenji.

Shichen was squeezed in between Lala and Yui.

The others didn't say anything—he was the principal, after all.

"What's wrong with Yami?" Lala asked, noticing her dazed expression.

"She's fine."

"Hmph~ Her face is so red! You definitely did something to her," Yui teased, calling him out.

"You're so smart," Shichen replied, lightly smacking her on the rear.

Yui, who was also wearing a yukata like Yami's, instantly turned red. Shichen could feel how soft and springy the fabric—and what was under it—was.

"Y-you—!" Yui's face went bright red. She quickly glanced around before shooting him a glare.

"There are people around!" she whispered furiously.

"Oh? So if there weren't people around, it'd be fine?" Shichen asked with a wink.

"I did not say that!"

"Hehe~ Don't be shy."

"Who's shy?! Whatever, I'm not talking to you!" Yui turned away, focusing on her meal and pretending to ignore him.

"You look great in a yukata, by the way~" Shichen said suddenly.

"W-what…" Yui's face flushed all over again.

"Shichen, what about me?" Lala quickly chimed in.

"You? That goes without saying. You're the cutest," he said affectionately, pinching her smooth cheek.

"Hehe~" She beamed, smiling ear to ear.

"Principal, can you stop flaunting your love life? Some of us are trying to enjoy lunch here," Risa complained with mock irritation.

"Exactly! We're eating here!" Mio added with a nod.

"You're young—you should enjoy things like this," Shichen said with a grin.

"No thanks!"

"Yeah! We don't even have partners and now we have to sit here and watch all this PDA. It's torture!"

"What's 'PDA'?" Lala asked, puzzled.

"Lala… what you two are doing right now? That's PDA," someone explained.

"Huh?" She tilted her head and looked at Shichen, confused.

"Don't worry about it. Let's just eat." He ruffled her hair.

"Okay~ Try this shrimp, Shichen! It's really good!" Lala held up a piece of juicy lobster meat near his mouth.

"Alright, I'll give it a try." Shichen took a bite.

The shrimp was excellent—firm, tender, and clearly fresh.

"How is it?"

"Delicious. Gimme another one."

"Ah—sorry, that was the last piece," Lala said with a pout.

"Aw, that's too bad…"

"I-I still have some…" Yui said softly.

"Really? Then feed me one?" Shichen leaned toward her.

"Ah… o-okay…"

Yui, looking a little nervous, carefully picked up a piece of lobster and slowly brought it toward him.

Shichen didn't wait—he leaned in and took it straight from her chopsticks.

After chewing a couple of times, he nodded with satisfaction. "Mmm, delicious."

"Ugh…" Yui stared at her chopsticks, cheeks burning and heart racing.

Shichen didn't eat much from Lala or Yui after that. Soon, lunch was brought for him and Yami.

Yami was still out of it, so he fed her while eating himself—he was the last one to finish.

Lala and the others had already gone off to the hot springs.

He wasn't worried about any boys trying to peek. After all, he'd already made it clear: anyone caught peeping would be immediately expelled.

There was even a reward for reporting offenders.

For students, expulsion was terrifying. Combine that with the fear of being snitched on, and no one dared try anything.

The afternoon was free time.

Students could do whatever they wanted—play games in their rooms, spend the whole time in the hot spring, or even head to the beach.

But there was one planned event for the evening: the classic Test of Courage.

Everyone knew about it—and everyone was excited. There was a long-standing tradition behind it:

Whoever reached the end together during the event would definitely become a couple.

So naturally, a lot of people were eager to pair up with their crushes.

But the twist? You couldn't choose your partner.

It was all done through random draw.

After dinner, the inn staff finished setting everything up. It was time for the Test of Courage.

"This time, things are a little different," Shichen announced, standing beside the draw box.

"We're not separating by gender. Everyone draws together—whoever gets matching numbers becomes a team."

"W-what?! What if it's two guys?!"

"Or two girls?!"

"Exactly!"

Some students started protesting.

"Isn't that even better?" Shichen replied calmly. "It'll test your friendship."

"That's not the point…"

"Just draw already. Everyone's participating!"

"Ugh, Principal's being such a tyrant."

"I miss the old principal…"

"He was a creep though. Always flirting with the girls."

"…Okay, maybe this one's better."

"Alright, everyone go draw! Let's see who makes it to the end."

"Yeah…"

Everyone began drawing lots. Shichen, of course, didn't make Lala and the others draw.

He was the principal. His word was law.

He would just go with them directly.

Soon, everyone found their partner by calling out their numbers. As expected, there were plenty of guy-guy and girl-girl pairs.

Once they were all ready, Shichen declared:

"Okay! The Test of Courage… begins!"

Everyone set out in pairs.

The route went from the base of the mountain to the top. The entire area was desolate and eerie.

Other than the inn, there were no buildings—just forest and pitch darkness.

The path was full of obstacles, with staff dressed up as ghosts and monsters. It was far from easy.

"Ahhh!"

Suddenly, someone screamed.

It set off a chain reaction—screams echoed one after another.

"Waaahhh!"

"There's a ghost—!"

"Help!!"

"Shichen~ this looks so fun! Let's go already!" Lala ran up, wrapping her arms around his.

"Yui, you coming?" Shichen asked, turning to Yui Kotegawa.

Yami and Est were beside her. Neither of them seemed too concerned with the event.

Yami hadn't even looked at Shichen. Her head was still a mess, replaying what had happened earlier, filled with nervous tension.

"Yeah, let's go," Yui nodded.

"Hm? You're not scared?" Shichen asked, surprised.

"Why would I be?"

"You used to be terrified of ghosts."

"Well yeah… but this is just a school activity. It's all fake, right?" she rolled her eyes at him.

"Maybe~" Shichen smiled meaningfully.

"…What do you mean by that?" Yui suddenly looked uneasy.

"You'll see soon enough."

"Maybe I shouldn't go…"

"Too late." Shichen took her hand and led the way.

"Yami, Est—keep up."

"Yes, Onii-chan~" Est answered cheerfully, following immediately.

Yami remained quiet.

They set off from the front of the inn, starting up a slope. Visibility was already almost zero—but that didn't matter to Shichen.

The trail was a dirt path with some logs placed at intervals—trip hazards.

Shichen didn't say anything.

Sure enough, after just a couple of steps—

"Ah—!"

Yui tripped.

Before she could fall, Shichen caught her by the waist.

"Careful."

"You okay, Yui?" he asked, concerned.

"Y-yeah… I think so… What did I just trip on?" she asked, clinging tightly to him.

"Probably a log," he said, distracted by the way her body felt against his arm.

"Probably?!"

"Don't worry about it. Let's keep moving. Just hold on tight." He tightened his hold on her.

"…Okay," Yui murmured, not thinking too deeply for now—and held on.

~~~

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