Journey to Godhood Begins in Frieren

At Lunch

During lunch, Shichen told everyone that Hoshino Ai was officially joining their little found family.

Tohru and the girls already knew Ai, and maybe they also had a good sense of Shichen's real personality—so no one was surprised. In fact, they welcomed her warmly.

Shichen didn't even need to explain much. The girls could already guess that Ai's past probably wasn't easy either.

Girls tend to click fast—just a few words and boom, besties. Age wasn't even a factor.

Though Yoshino and the others were still at school, so he'd introduce Ai to them that evening.

As for Ai's official identity? After lunch, Tohru casually handled it for her.

God, magic really is convenient.

That afternoon, with nothing urgent to do, Shichen went with Ai to her agency so she could grab her stuff—she still had a bunch of personal belongings there.

Sure, they could replace everything. But most of the items were gifts from Saitō Ichigo and the others, so it felt right to keep using them.

While Ai was packing, Saitō came over and surprised Shichen by saying he already found him a job.

Talk about fast.

It was a modeling gig—just a fashion shoot for a magazine. Simple enough.

Only thing was, the deal wasn't locked in yet.

Saitō had connections in that industry. Since Shichen had just joined the agency, Saitō didn't waste any time and jumped right into negotiations.

He could talk up Shichen all he wanted, but no one was going to sign a contract without at least seeing the guy first—so a meeting was still necessary.

The pay wasn't much, but they'd let him keep the outfits from the shoot, which was a nice bonus.

Shichen agreed. With his looks, he figured one face-to-face was all it would take anyway. Besides, he had another reason for going.

Once Ai finished packing, Shichen didn't even ask her to unpack when they got back. He just took her straight out again.

The two of them piled into Saitō's cheap little car and headed out to discuss the job.

"Shichen, why'd you bring me with you?" Ai asked as they sat in the backseat.

If Saitō hadn't been in the car, Shichen probably would've had her sitting on his lap.

"Take a wild guess. If you get it right, there's a prize," Shichen said playfully.

"A prize? Don't tell me… you're trying to get me a job too?" she blinked at him.

"You're sharp." He chuckled and ruffled her hair.

"Wait, seriously?"

"Why else would I bring you? To see the world?"

"But I thought the meeting was just about your job?"

"Yeah, Shichen—what's your real plan here?" Saitō added, curious.

"Well, let's lay it out then," Shichen said. "What do you two think of my looks?"

Saitō fell silent.

Ai didn't hesitate. "You're super hot! Obviously the most handsome guy in the world!"

"...Wait, is that the real reason you dragged me along?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Hehe~ One of the reasons," Ai admitted honestly.

Though what truly drew her in was the incredible strength Shichen had shown her.

"Are you two flirting back there?" Saitō interrupted.

"Boss, don't get the wrong idea. Ai's still a kid."

"I didn't say anything…"

"Ahem. Boss—be honest. What do you think of me?"

"Why do you think I had the confidence to even schedule the meeting?" Saitō shot back.

As a guy, he couldn't bring himself to say out loud just how good-looking Shichen was.

"You really don't like giving compliments, huh? Anyway, since we're talking shop—do you think I can use Ai to sweeten the deal?"

"You mean adding Ai into the pitch? You call that a small ask?"

"It's not like she can't model. She totally looks like a middle schooler."

"Middle school, huh…"

Fashion magazines in Japan cover everything—from babywear to elementary school trends—and their audience is mostly girls.

Even elementary schoolers here care about fashion.

"Ai's so cute, there's no way they'd say no."

"Alright, I'll see if I can negotiate it," Saitō agreed.

"Wait… does that mean I'm getting a job too?" Ai's eyes sparkled.

"You're just realizing that now?" Shichen laughed.

"Well, I thought I'd have to wait forever before I could become an idol."

"Not anymore. You'll start soon. Study by day, idol by night."

"Isn't that too early?"

"It's the trend now—'grow-with-your' idols."

"Isn't that gonna be exhausting?"

"Just ask Tohru for help. Don't be shy."

"Got it!"

"Wait, who's Tohru?" Saitō asked.

"One of the girls working at my café. You should stop by sometime—I'll treat you to coffee."

"Sounds good. I'll definitely visit."

As soon as Shichen and Ai walked into the office with Saitō, every staff member turned to look.

Saitō's connections really paid off—he even knew the magazine's president.

And the moment the president saw Shichen, he was ready to sign him.

Shichen used the opportunity to introduce Ai as well. The president didn't even hesitate—he agreed on the spot.

Both of them had incredible potential. The contract offered solid terms, and the president instantly began planning their shoot—scheduled to start in three days.

He couldn't even imagine how popular Shichen's fashion photos would be—girls would adore him, and guys would try to copy his style.

Even just the magazines alone were going to sell like crazy.

Originally, the president had no expectations. Saitō's bragging sounded like the usual agent hype.

But seeing Shichen in person?

Yeah—he realized he'd been living under a rock.

After signing the contracts, the group left, and the president eagerly jumped into shoot prep.

"That was… way too easy," Ai said, stunned, once they were back in the car.

"That's how the world works," Shichen replied with a smirk.

"For real," Saitō added, practically beaming. His agency was finally picking up momentum.

"Looks are that powerful, huh…" Ai muttered, deep in thought.

"Don't assume it's always a good thing," Shichen said, flicking her forehead.

"Oww… Don't worry, I won't abuse it." Ai giggled.

"Who said I was worried?" Shichen said with a mock-serious face.

"Hehehe~" Ai laughed, slapping her own thigh.

Saitō dropped them off in front of the café, then drove off—he had a ton of work to do.

Still, for him to entrust Ai so easily to Shichen…

Well, it helped that Shichen wasn't a bad guy.

The café was calm that afternoon—only a few customers.

Shichen didn't bother playing the cute mascot today. He spent the time helping Ai organize her room.

If needed, he could expand the space magically.

But Ai moving in also made him realize a major issue: the whole "everyone sleeping in one room" thing.

Sure, cuddling together under a big blanket was sweet, but with Ai now around, nothing else could happen. Even when she wasn't there, he had to be careful.

And if he ever did something with one of the girls, the others would expect the same treatment. That'd get messy fast.

Nope. Everyone needed their own rooms.

That way, Shichen could drop in on whoever he wanted, throw up a soundproof barrier, and—well, you know.

He decided to bring it up later that night.

After finishing Ai's room, he brought her upstairs to play a bit. School was starting soon, and she wouldn't have much free time during the day.

When school let out, Shichen went to pick up Yoshino and the other girls, then let Ai hang out with them.

Sure, there was an age gap, but emotionally they were all on the same wavelength.

Shichen headed downstairs to chat with Tohru and the rest.

They had so much to say since he'd been gone.

If he hadn't been busy babysitting the three little ones, they probably would've talked his ears off all night.

Now was the perfect time to catch up.

Halfway through chatting, Shichen had to leave again—to pick up Kasumigaoka Utaha and the others.

She was still salty he didn't pick them up yesterday. And after giving him the honor of sharing a bath? No way he could skip it again.

Eriri came too, of course.

It was Friday, and she planned to sleep over. Later, Shichen would take her home to get a change of clothes.

She had plenty of clothes—just none that fit her.

Kinda sad. Good thing Shichen liked them both tall and small.

That night, Shichen reintroduced Ai to everyone.

Except for Yami, they already knew her.

Est quickly hit it off with Ai and started chatting like they were old friends.

Once things settled down, Shichen brought up the whole "separate rooms" idea.

He was expecting some pushback—but to his surprise, everyone agreed.

"Wait—Prince Onii-chan, you were sleeping with everyone?" Eriri gasped.

"Shichen, you really are a heartbreaker," Ai teased, clearly amused.

"Aw, are you jealous?" Utaha smirked at Eriri.

"N-no way!"

"Too bad~ You showed up late. The Shichen snuggle slot is full."

"Ugh—"

~~~

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