"Shichen, the clothes are finished!"
That afternoon, while Shichen was playing gomoku with Est and Beatrice on his lap, Rem burst through the door, excited.
"Clothes?" He looked up at Rem.
She was holding a set of mostly white garments in both hands. He couldn't see the full cut yet, but the material looked excellent, and the visible seams were exquisitely done—the work of a maker who'd poured herself into it.
"Come try them on," Rem urged, thrilled.
"Alright. We'll pause this game here and continue tonight," Shichen told Beatrice.
"Hmph~ tonight it is. Don't you dare pretend this game never happened," Beatrice sniffed.
"How could I? I'm in the lead. Just don't you start cheating."
"Beatrice would never cheat!" she huffed.
"Alright, alright."
He ruffled her hair, set Est gently to the side, got out of bed, and walked over to Rem.
"I'll help you get changed," Rem said, eyes shining with expectation.
"Okay," Shichen nodded.
It had been three days since he dealt with the curse-user, and every morning Rem had come to wake him, help him into his clothes, and then go make breakfast. Thanks to her, he'd stopped sleeping with Beatrice in his arms at night—he knew his habits too well to risk Rem getting the wrong idea that he'd lay hands on a little loli like Beatrice.
Rem took off his jacket and unfolded what she'd made, helping him into it.
The outfit was a bit like a tailcoat—white as the main tone—looking very much like a knight's uniform. As for the fabric, there was no need to ask; his treatment here matched Roswaal's—only the best would do.
Standing behind him, Rem carefully smoothed the creases. Shichen knew she wasn't doing it absentmindedly; she was doing it on purpose—yesterday morning she had leaned against him exactly like this. Two days in and she was already teasing him. If she hadn't been too shy to meet his gaze then, he might've thought it an accident.
Well, there wasn't much to explain about that.
Est and Beatrice watched Shichen, eyes brightening as he gradually took on a knightly air.
"Shichen-nii, so handsome!"
"Shichen, you're too handsome!"
They praised him without reservation.
"Am I?"
There was no mirror in the room, so he couldn't see himself; he could only glance down. The fit was perfect, of course—custom-made. Rem's craftsmanship was superb; the piece was flawless.
He couldn't see, but he was confident enough in himself.
"Yes—Shichen, you look incredible! Perfect! Rem is completely smitten!" Rem said outright, showering him with praise.
"Smitten? Really?" He smiled at her.
"Yes!" Rem nodded vigorously.
"Your workmanship is what shines."
"No, it's your build."
"Then we're a perfect match, aren't we?"
"Perfect match? Mm-hmm!" Rem nodded happily.
"Thank you, Rem. I really like it; I'll take good care of it." He turned to her, reached out, and gently ruffled her hair.
"It's not that big a deal. If you want, I can keep making clothes for you," Rem said, eyes crinkling as she enjoyed the head pats.
"That's a lot of trouble, isn't it?"
"Not at all. I want to make clothes for you. I want to see you wearing all kinds of outfits I made," Rem said, excited.
"So that's your hobby? Fine, have it your way—but no staying up late, alright?"
"Don't worry!" Rem patted her full chest.
"On purpose?" Shichen looked at her helplessly.
"What are you talking about?" Rem blinked, feigning innocence.
"..."
If not for the faint flush on her face, he might have believed her.
"You—don't you realize how charming you are?"
"Do I?" Rem ducked her head, embarrassed.
"Try not to do things like that. Or you'll get burned."
"Get burned…" Rem's big eyes fluttered, as if she were looking forward to it.
"What's gotten into you lately?" he couldn't help but ask.
"I don't know. I just want to keep looking at you, to stay with you," Rem said, pressing a hand to her chest and boldly voicing her heart.
"I see…"
"Is that okay?" Her eyes shone at him.
"Of course it is—as long as it's what you want."
"That's good…"
"Mhm." He ruffled her hair again, hoping she wouldn't veer down any strange paths.
The clothes finished, Emilia also happened to honor their "travel promise" the next day.
In other words—an actual date.
Just the two of them. No Beatrice, no Est, and no Rem.
Shichen had planned to go to the capital with Emilia; he hadn't mapped out the whole city yet. But Emilia only wanted to stroll around the village.
Naturally, he followed her lead.
That morning, after breakfast, they set out. Emilia wore her usual white long dress; Shichen wore the knight's outfit Rem had made. Their outfits, to their surprise, matched nicely.
But Emilia also had a coat on and a hat pulled low—hiding her silver-haired half-elf appearance to avoid rejection. Shichen didn't try to talk her out of it; he didn't mind, but she did—outsiders even more so.
"Shichen, what exactly do you do on a date?" Emilia asked on the road.
Her steps were light; though she didn't know what a date entailed, she was looking forward to it. She'd been cooped up studying in the manor for days.
"A date? A man and a woman go out together, look at the same things, eat the same food, do the same activities—then turn it into a lovely memory."
"…What's the point of that?" Emilia didn't quite get the appeal.
"It's wonderful—because I want to make beautiful memories with you."
"With me… But the memories might not be beautiful," Emilia said sadly.
He guessed she'd had bad experiences going out before, facing rejection and fear for how she looked.
"No. Just being with you makes me happy," Shichen said warmly.
"…Why?" Emilia stared at him, dazed.
"Because you're adorable. Being with a cute girl brings a man joy, body and soul."
"What kind of explanation is that…" Emilia couldn't help but laugh.
"Anyway, you agreed to go on a date with me. You're not going to flake, right? I want to show you off to the village brats later."
"What about me is worth showing off?"
"Everything about you is worth showing off."
"Shichen…"
"Come on—there's a beautiful flower field near the village. I'll take you." He took her hand and picked up the pace.
"Slow down—alright, alright, I won't flake."
At the village, Shichen gathered Petra and the other kids and took them along to the flower field. The otherworldly field was a riot of color, blossoms brimming with life. Emilia's melancholy eased as she took in the scenery.
He'd brought the children along mainly because little ones didn't think much of such things; they wouldn't react to a silver-haired half-elf. He wanted to let Emilia ease back into facing others—and Petra and the kids were the perfect start.
Shichen and Emilia sat together while he told the children stories.
At noon, he and Emilia enjoyed the bento Rem had prepared for them. In the afternoon, Petra and the others rejoined them. Since the two of them didn't have anything special planned, he kept telling stories.
Not only did the kids love it; Emilia did too.
That was exactly what he'd wanted. He hadn't planned anything dramatic for the date—just to help Emilia relax a little. It wasn't good to be holed up studying all the time. And studying alone wasn't enough—she needed to meet the people as well.
As evening neared, Shichen and Emilia said goodbye to Petra and the others and headed back to the manor.
"Shichen, thank you. You brought me out for a date for my sake, didn't you?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Shichen, I'm so glad I met you," Emilia said with a sweet smile.
"It'll only get better from here," Shichen replied, smiling back.
~~~
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