Once, Shiomi had described Artoria's body as soft as a pool of warm water. Even though he was a little taller than her, when they held each other, it felt like his own body was sinking into hers.
Now, that impression was even stronger. He felt like he had ascended into a soft, fluffy paradise.
He lifted his head slightly, gazing past the steep peaks at Artoria's flushed face as she breathed softly.
In the end, they had done it.
Finding it both funny and embarrassing, Shiomi lay back down, burying his face in Artoria's chest. He breathed in the faint, milky scent of her skin.
Then he felt her hand gently stroking his hair.
"So it seems that even with a smaller body, some functions don't get lost after all." Aesc sat on the edge of the bed, holding a glass of water, and playfully patted Shiomi's small rear. "I was thinking of using magecraft to help my husband, but it seems that wasn't necessary."
"Even though his body shrank, this particular function still works. Looks like my beloved disciple really is better suited to be a god of love and intimacy." Scáthach lay on her side, twirling a strand of her hair and tickling Shiomi's ear with it.
"Stop that..." Shiomi propped himself up, his hands on Artoria's firm stomach. "I'm exhausted. If you two want another round, you'll have to do the work yourselves this time."
Artoria slowly sat up, propping a pillow behind her back. "Well, Tenkei did work very hard, after all."
"You call that working hard?" Shiomi couldn't help but shake his head.
It had started as just a bath, but somewhere along the way, things had taken a turn.
First, his body started reacting in ways that didn't seem right for his current form, and then it all spiraled into chaos.
Even now, Olga Marie was still spaced out, looking completely drained.
Seeing her like that made Shiomi feel a twinge of worry.
"Let's get to the point," Touko said, casually tidying Olga Marie's hair. "Tenkei took a fair amount of magical energy from us. The Director fainted because she lost too much of hers."
"I knew it..." Shiomi covered his face.
His lower back felt weak, and even just sitting up was tiring. Yet, the flow of magical energy through his circuits was stronger than before he'd entered the room.
"Don't worry about it. Usually, we're the ones taking energy from my husband. Now that it's our turn to give back, we shouldn't be stingy." Aesc hugged him from behind as he sat on Artoria's lap. "In your current incomplete state, your body unconsciously seeks out the missing magical energy."
"No, I'm more worried about what comes next," Shiomi said. "If this condition gets worse, something like what happened today might..."
"Will it really get worse?" Aesc's fingers traced idle patterns on Shiomi's small chest. "From what I can see, as long as my husband is careful, it won't cause us any harm."
Shiomi closed his eyes and examined his own condition.
It was clear Aesc wasn't just trying to comfort him. In this room, no one could match a fairy's insight.
"Whether there's a problem or not, let's put that aside for now." Shiomi set aside his worries and leaned his head back against Aesc's chest. "You all seem more excited than usual today. Does me turning into a kid really make you that happy?"
Aesc rubbed her chin against Shiomi's hair, half-burying her face in the strands to breathe in his scent. "What else? My husband, in a form no one's ever seen, at a stage of life he never even experienced before, appears before us now. It's a blessing in disguise."
"A blessing in disguise, huh..." Shiomi gave a helpless smile. "If they'd made me grow up from infancy, they might have placed me with some magus family or an ordinary household."
Before he could finish, Touko pointed at herself suggestively.
"No chance. Unless Mooncell's calculations decided that growing up in Misaki City would be better." Morgan noticed Touko's reaction and casually teased her.
Shiomi laughed dryly. "I know all about Touko's childhood exploits. Like that time she ignored the law of equivalent exchange just to eat some pizza she saw on TV and used up a ton of chickens, ducks, and cows to make it. Only your sister could put up with that. Most kids would have run away screaming."
"No, I meant, if I'd been studying magecraft from childhood and had Tenkei by my side..." Touko adjusted her glasses. "Maybe I wouldn't have lost my chance to inherit magic so easily."
"So the result wouldn't be 'maybe I wouldn't have cared so much about losing it'?" Shiomi was almost speechless. "Or were you hoping I'd secretly help you take out your little sister?"
"I didn't say that."
Touko's expression was perfectly calm, as if Shiomi's speculation had nothing to do with her.
"Well, if that happened, you wouldn't have come to the Land of Shadows," Scáthach said. "Thinking about it makes me feel lonely."
"Ugh, this is too much trouble. Might as well take my master's old suggestion and have Touko apprentice with me too."
Shiomi couldn't stand these hypotheticals.
If the premise wasn't set properly, he might lose his chance to meet any of them.
For Shiomi, that was unacceptable.
"I don't have a destiny as wild as yours." Sensing his thoughts, Touko broke into a smile at his words.
She reached for the cigarette case on the nightstand, ready to light one, but hesitated when she saw Shiomi's current state.
"Go ahead and smoke. You always want one after we're done," Shiomi waved her off.
"I was just thinking, maybe it's bad for you," Touko said. "After all, you're a little kid now."
Shiomi's eye twitched. "So why didn't you treat me like a little kid earlier?"
"Good point..." Touko looked thoughtful. "Even though you're a kid, you're so full of manliness. I have to say, it's really captivating."
"It really does feel different from usual," Skadi added. "Watching Tenkei try so hard to make us happy and actually succeeding... it gives me a strange feeling. Almost like a motherly feeling."
"Oh? The Mother of the Scandinavian Lostbelt thinks that way?" Scáthach said. "My beloved disciple always says you're gentler than me. I wish you'd share some of that motherly instinct with me."
"No, no, no, Master is better off just the way she is," Shiomi quickly interjected. "Just the thought of Master being all motherly terrifies me."
This bold declaration drew laughter from everyone except Scáthach, who stared at Shiomi like he was prey.
"My beloved disciple has quite the nerve."
"M-Master?" Shiomi felt a chill run down his spine.
Then he was pulled away from Morgan's embrace. Seeing the look on his master's face, like she was about to enjoy a feast, Shiomi knew a new battle was about to begin.
And once his master made a move, the others wouldn't be far behind.
Of course, the result was still enjoyable.
He had to admit that much.