The following day, Rest, Viola, and Primula decided to spend their day off from the Academy on a shopping trip in town—a quintessential holiday date.
As Rest exited the Rosemary estate with a sister on either arm, he was greeted by an unexpected sight in the garden.
"You lot lack spirit! Give me another five hundred push-ups!"
"""Yes, ma'am!"""
Presiding over the courtyard was Eilische Rosemary, the sisters’ mother, along with a large group of young mages serving the household.
Rest immediately recognized the shirtless men struggling through their drills. They were the very same ones who had challenged him to a footrace the previous day, only to suffer a crushing defeat.
"Ah, Rest-san!"
"My Ladies!"
"""Good morning!"""
"O-Oh... Good morning."
Noticing the trio’s arrival, the men paused their workout to scramble to their feet and offer their greetings. At the front of the group stood Nick Bale, a scion of a Yoriko noble family.
"Are you heading out, sir? Please, have a safe trip!"
Despite his blustering the day before about never accepting Rest as the sisters’ fiancé, Nick was remarkably humble today. The sheer magnitude of his loss must have truly gotten to him.
(Or perhaps it’s just the Madam’s brutal discipline breaking them...) Rest thought.
"Enough talk! Back to work!" Eilische barked.
"""Yes, ma'am!"""
The shirtless mages dropped back down instantly and resumed their set. Eilische was a woman of her word; she had mentioned the previous night that she would retrain them, and she had clearly wasted no time in beginning their grueling discipline.
(I feel for them... but they did bring this on themselves. Sorry, guys. Good luck...)
"Well then, Madam. We’re heading out," Rest said.
"Yes, see that you aren’t too late. And you two—don't lean on my dear son-in-law too much."
"I know, Mother! You didn't have to say that in front of everyone!" Viola protested, her face flushing.
"Yes... we're off now," Primula added softly.
The sisters spoke bashfully, each taking one of Rest’s hands. While such an intimate display with two beauties might usually have invited jealousy, surprisingly, none of the men cast an envious glance their way. Nick and the other young mages simply saw them off with refreshing smiles, even as sweat poured down their bare chests.
"I suppose I’ve actually been accepted..."
"The House of Rosemary is a meritocracy, after all," Viola noted. "That applies to everyone, from the top to the bottom."
"Lineage doesn’t matter as much as ability here. Not just Mother, but our grandmother was exactly the same way, you know?"
Apparently, this philosophy had been woven into the family’s identity for generations. Rest offered a wry smile, reflecting once again on the extraordinary nature of the household that had welcomed him, before leading the sisters toward the carriage waiting at the gate. He helped them inside, and the three of them settled into the seat side-by-side.
"By the way... did either of you have something specific in mind to buy today?"
"Oh? Not really," Viola replied.
"Nothing in particular," Primula echoed.
"Wait, nothing?" Rest blinked, taken aback. He had naturally assumed there was a specific purchase driving the trip.
"Honestly... you still have so much to learn about the female heart, Rest. I suppose we’ll have to continue your education as our fiancé."
"That part of him is adorable, though," Primula teased. "If he understood us too well and became too popular, we’d be in trouble. Perhaps this much is just right."
Viola and Primula looked at each other and shared a knowing chuckle. From Rest’s perspective, he was genuinely lost.
"Uh... what do you mean, exactly?"
"We aren't going because we need to buy something, Rest. The goal is the shopping itself—with you."
"That’s right. We invited you because we wanted to enjoy the experience together."
The two of them spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Having had no luck with women in his previous life and having never been wealthy enough to shop for leisure, this was a concept that had never even occurred to him.
(So shopping is the entertainment itself, rather than just a means to acquire things...)
He’d often heard it said that women loved to shop, but only now did the true meaning of that sentiment finally click.
"We’ll pick out clothes together, stop for tea... we’re going to enjoy some proper time as a couple."
"We’ll make sure to teach you thoroughly, Master Blockhead. Consider yourself warned!"
Come to think of it, though more than a year had passed since they met and they were close enough to have even shared a bath, they hadn't really gone on many proper dates. They had been consumed by studies and training for the Academy entrance, and once they enrolled, prioritizing their classes and adjusting to school life had taken precedence.
(Is that why they’re so unusually excited?)
Rest realized he had been quite dense. Despite being their fiancé, he had been far too passive and lacked consideration for their feelings.
(If I don't start inviting them out myself once in a while, they might eventually get fed up with me...)
To ensure he remained worthy of Viola and Primula’s affection, Rest vowed then and there to become a more proactive and attentive partner.