Cid silently stared at the draft he had typed in the chat window, his finger hovering over the send button.
After thinking for a long time, he deleted the entire draft and made a phone call instead.
"Beep… beep…"
"Good evening, Akeno-senpai.
I just wanted to… thank you for not exposing me earlier today. Thank you, senpai."
"The reason? Um… can I not say it, Akeno-senpai?"
"No, no, I'll tell you, I'll tell you. Please don't tell anyone else."
"I'm just an ordinary person… Senpai, don't laugh. I really am just an ordinary person."
"Ever since I was little, I've been completely unremarkable. No talent, nothing worth praising. Just like a mob character.
Especially compared to my sister, it makes me seem even more like a mob. It's not just me who thinks that. Other people and even my parents see me as nothing more than Claire's little brother.
Honestly, if I hadn't been born into a noble family, I probably wouldn't even be able to survive."
"No, no, senpai, why would you think that? My sister treats me really well. In fact, the only reason I was able to come study here is because of her."
"I'm really grateful to my sister, so in front of her I always try my best to act like a good kid. I don't want to disappoint her."
"Senpai, you'll help me keep this secret and not tell my sister, right?"
"That's great!"
"Senpai, please stop teasing me. I'm just an ordinary person. I can't possibly be as cool as you're saying."
"Oh right, senpai. Let's stop doing that kind of deal in the future. If my sister finds out, she'll be angry."
"No, senpai, you can't go back on your word. Didn't we agree you wouldn't tell my sister?"
"We only agreed not to tell my sister? We didn't say anything about not telling Rias? Senpai, how can you do that?"
"I… I understand. I'll do as you say. I'm hanging up now."
After reciting that emotionally charged dialogue with a completely expressionless face, Cid hung up the phone.
"One down. Next is Koneko."
Opening his contacts, Cid started searching for Koneko Toujou's number.
He could have simply sent a message, but messages could never convey emotion the way a phone call could. To ensure everything went smoothly and make sure everyone agreed to keep the secret, it was better to call them one by one.
Different people required different approaches.
Just like with Akeno Himejima.
Akeno Himejima had a sadistic side, so when speaking with her it was best to appear a little weak and submissive, letting her feel that she held the upper hand.
At the same time, he could not simply obey everything she said.
Sadists enjoyed the process of breaking down resistance. They did not get satisfaction from someone who obeyed every order like a slave.
So during the conversation, he deliberately refused some of Akeno Himejima's requests several times. That allowed her to threaten him with his secret, which further satisfied her sadistic tendencies.
Finally, under his deliberate guidance and with all the groundwork he had laid beforehand, Akeno Himejima said the line he had been waiting for.
"Junior, you wouldn't want your sister to find out about this, would you?"
Akeno Himejima was both a good person and a smart one.
Being a good person meant she would not make excessive demands of him.
Being smart meant she understood that reality was not some absurd fantasy scenario where someone who had their weakness exposed would blindly obey anything they were told.
He had already given her a reason for wanting the secret kept.
He had also given her a price in return for helping him hide it.
From his understanding, Akeno Himejima was the kind of person who could betray her own master Rias in small ways, as long as it did not truly affect Rias.
It was not disloyalty so much as... personality.
Would helping him hide this secret affect Rias in any way?
No.
If it did not affect Rias, then was there anything wrong with Akeno Himejima satisfying a little of her sadistic curiosity?
Not at all.
On the surface, it looked like Akeno Himejima controlled the entire conversation.
But in reality, the one pulling the strings was Cid.
At most, he had simply allowed Akeno Himejima to feel like she was the one in control.
Outwardly he appeared to be the weaker party, yet every one of Akeno Himejima's psychological reactions had been guided by him.
Who was the hunter and who was the prey?
That was a question worth thinking about.
"Senpai?"
The call connected, and Koneko Toujou's indifferent voice came through the phone.
Cid had expected this, so he spoke with a playful tone.
"Hehe, Koneko, thanks for today."
Dealing with Koneko Toujou was nowhere near as troublesome as dealing with Akeno Himejima. All he needed to do was act like they were close and shamelessly ask a few times.
Koneko Toujou was somewhat tsundere, though not in the usual way. Her "tsun" mainly showed through her expressionless face and cold tone of voice. In reality, she was very easy to talk to.
As long as he repeated the same explanation he had given Akeno Himejima earlier, Koneko Toujou would happily keep the secret for him.
"Alright. I will keep the secret for you, Senpai. But if Captain Rias asks me, I will answer her truthfully."
"Hehe, thanks, Koneko-chan."
Perfect.
A smile appeared on Cid's lips.
What Koneko meant was simple. If Rias asked whether he had been one of her work clients, Koneko would say no.
After all, with tsundere types, you just interpret the opposite of what they say.
Cid placed his finger over the end call button, preparing to finish the conversation. Everything that needed to be explained had already been said. Once he finished dealing with Yuuto Kiba, he could go drink the milk Eta gave him and begin his deep training.
"I'm hanging up now... wait."
Something suddenly came to mind, and Cid quickly corrected himself.
"Koneko, how is the thing I asked you about earlier? Finding someone willing to adopt stray cats."
On the day he met Kanon Kanase, after receiving the task of finding homes for the stray cats, he had asked Koneko Toujou that very night to help search. If someone else could help, why do everything alone?
"S-sorry, Senpai. I have been busy training these past few days. I still need some time."
An apologetic and soft voice came from the phone. Cid caught something subtle within it.
A trace of guilt.
Guilt? Koneko Toujou was lying.
His brain immediately analyzed the source of that guilt. Then another question followed.
Why was she lying?
Koneko had said she was busy training and needed more time. So what exactly caused that hint of guilt?
A teasing smile appeared on Cid's face.
Because Koneko had exaggerated.
When she said she had been busy training and needed more time, she had subtly implied that she had been trying to find adopters during these past few days and had already made some progress. She simply lacked enough time because of training.
But the truth was that her progress over the past few days was zero.
She had not found a single person.
It was like when someone calls asking where you are, and even though you just woke up, you say you are already on the way and waiting at a traffic light.
Koneko was a good kid, and she did not have the kind of mind that overthinks these things. She simply said it instinctively to make the lie sound more convincing.
But she herself knew it was a lie, so a bit of guilt slipped into her voice.
Well well, Koneko. You are being naughty.
A large amount of information was processed instantly, yet only a few seconds had passed.
"It's fine, it's fine. I'm not rushing you, Koneko. I'm not in a hurry.
Taking it slow is okay. I actually like those stray cats quite a lot. Thinking about sending them away makes me a little reluctant."
Although he said that, Cid's voice sounded slightly strained, as if he were forcing himself.
"I will finish this request as soon as possible. Don't worry, Senpai."
Though it was subtle, Koneko still sensed the emotion hidden in Cid's voice.
"Koneko, I really am not in a hurry. You don't need to... hey, hey, hey."
"Tsk. Done."
After confirming Koneko had hung up, Cid clicked his tongue and prepared to call Yuuto Kiba.
Making cute Koneko-chan work for me while feeling guilty about it.
Because I am the Eminence in Shadow.
Cid made the joke to himself as the call connected.
Yuuto Kiba was the easiest one to deal with. Because of what happened a few days ago, he already felt indebted to Cid. And since this was not a big matter, it would naturally go smoothly.
While Cid was busy persuading people...
On Rias's side...