With his usual flat, dead-fish eyes, Cid watched the girl in front of him, who had a slightly boyish air about her, take several steps back the instant their gazes met. Confused, he turned to look behind himself. Was he really that scary?
"Um… I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by that. My name is Yuuma Tokoyogi. I'm here for the funeral. I guess you could say I'm an old friend of Kojou Akatsuki's, though we haven't seen each other in a long time. May I ask who you are?"
How did this suddenly turn into introductions? I have absolutely no interest in getting to know you!
The strange, twisted feeling that had been building in his chest ever since the funeral began grew even stronger. Still, with the girl standing there waiting for his answer, Cid gave his name without much concern.
"Cid. Cid Kagenou. I suppose I'm a friend and neighbor of the person this… funeral is for."
Forcing out the word "funeral" only made the absurd feeling worse. It was so bizarre that Cid wanted to run straight to that warped place of time and space and fish Kojou Akatsuki's soul back out.
"…A friend of Kojou's?"
Yuuma Tokoyogi slowly repeated the words, her eyes shifting from Kojou Akatsuki's funeral to Cid, then back again. There was no telling what she was thinking.
"Yeah, that's about it. Since you're here to pay respects to Kojou, I won't bother you. Go ahead."
Cid gave a slight nod, walked around Yuuma Tokoyogi, and headed outside. This funeral really had him feeling wrong all over. Behind him, the girl remained where she was, her expression dark.
"Mother, is he… another contingency you left behind to deal with me?"
She murmured to herself. Behind her, a blue humanoid phantom clad in armor appeared. It seemed on the verge of attacking Cid, but Yuuma Tokoyogi firmly restrained it in place.
"Later, I'll make contact with Cid-san. Perhaps we might even be able to work together."
As she spoke, Yuuma Tokoyogi suppressed her Guardian as a Witch, turned around, picked up a white flower, and walked toward the funeral, staring coldly at Kojou Akatsuki's black-and-white photograph.
"Miss, it seems you've finished seeing that old friend of yours. Shouldn't you go and do what you came here to do?"
After placing the white flower and leaving the funeral, an aged, sinister woman appeared beside Yuuma Tokoyogi and spoke to her in a hoarse voice thick with malice.
"…I met someone."
Yuuma Tokoyogi walked in silence. Only after they had left the cemetery behind did she look at the woman beside her.
"Oh? And who might this person be, for you to bring them up at a time like this, Miss Yuuma?"
"I don't know. But I feel he may be connected to my mother."
Ever since they had met, the old woman had spoken to Yuuma Tokoyogi with a gloating tone, her wrinkled face full of ill intent. For the first time, her expression changed.
"Ah… And what makes you say that, Miss Yuuma?"
"The Guardian my mother gave me, and the bloodline inside me, both reacted to him. He may be carrying one of my mother's contingency plans."
Thinking back to when she first saw Cid, Yuuma Tokoyogi recalled the agitation in the bloodline she had inherited from her mother, restrained by something unseen, as well as the Guardian's strange behavior. She was certain that while the boy might truly be as weak as he looked on the surface, there was definitely something inside him capable of killing her in an instant.
"Hmm… When you put it that way, it does sound possible that he is one of the contingencies your mother left behind. But that hardly makes him worth the trouble, does it, Miss Yuuma?"
"But I think I may be able to cooperate with him. After all…"
Yuuma Tokoyogi was an artificial "Witch." Not only did she possess top-tier Witch blood inherited from a Highest-Ranking Witch, she also had her mother's ultimate contracted Devil, the "Guardian." Since childhood, she had received the finest education from the servants her mother left behind in the castle.
She had come here today to see her old friend Kojou Akatsuki one last time, and while she was at it…
"Kojou Akatsuki is already dead. We can no longer obtain the Fourth Primogenitor's Magical Power."
…to confirm whether the vast Magical Power within the Fourth Primogenitor could be used to rescue Yuuma Tokoyogi's mother, the "Witch of the Notaria."
"Netheril also rejected our request for cooperation. Under these circumstances, I think we should work with the contingency my mother left behind. Otherwise, we won't be able to find a Magical Power source of that scale."
Yuuma Tokoyogi calmly refuted her. Knowing just how wicked the old Witch beside her was, she could not imagine what sort of cruelty the woman might resort to in order to achieve her goal.
"Heh. Rest assured, Miss Yuuma. The Witches of Netheril betrayed your mother, but I will not. I remain your mother's most loyal ally. I have already found another way to rescue your mother, along with a suitable ally."
Like a witch from a fairy tale, the old woman's cracked lips stretched wide, and a playful malice filled her voice.
"What ally?"
Yuuma Tokoyogi looked coldly at the witch beside her. She wanted to know exactly what kind of person would dare cooperate with someone like this.
"From another world. My good friends, the Cult of Diablos. Hee hee hee…"
Yuuma Tokoyogi could tell at a glance that this ally of hers was plotting something nasty, but she did not pay it much mind and simply continued asking.
"What method?"
"The one who tied the bell must untie it. Naturally, we get her out the same way she got in. We follow the proper procedure and rescue your mother fair and square, Miss Yuuma."
"…Can that really be done?"
As if the old Witch's words had made her realize something, a conflicted look appeared on Yuuma Tokoyogi's delicate face.
"It is the only way, Miss Yuuma. Unless you have another plan. Besides, there is no need to worry too much about that part. They will handle it for us."
"Let's hope so."
Seeing the girl agree, the old Witch revealed a satisfied, terrifying smile. Then she quickly seemed to remember something and spoke again.
"Of course, Miss Yuuma, we should still keep an eye on the man you mentioned earlier. I must say, the contingency your mother left behind is quite intriguing."
Perhaps surprised by the old Witch's sudden change of attitude, Yuuma Tokoyogi gave her a strange look before nodding.
"Fine."
...
I think I've been blocked again.
Cid stopped where he was and looked at the man in front of him. He seemed to be somewhere in his twenties or thirties, had already appeared several times in a row, and was sitting on a plastic chair by the roadside while radiating street-thug energy from head to toe. Cid could not help falling into thought.
He had just used a little spiritual energy to locate Kojou Akatsuki's soul, so now, with a single glance, Cid could sense the man's absurdly powerful Magical Power.
Damn it, why? Had his flawless extra disguise somehow gone wrong yet again?
Cid admitted that he might have stood out a tiny bit lately, but he still felt he was a perfectly qualified extra. He just happened to have a few too many scenes.
His thoughts raced, but Cid still obediently pulled out a chair and sat down across from the man. Clearly, the other party had already set his sights on him.
"Cid Kagenou, eighteen years old. Born into a baronial family in the countryside of the Kingdom of Midgar in World No. 3. Before the World Fusion, you attended the Midgar Academy of Magic Swordsmen. After the World Fusion, you were lucky enough to transfer successfully and now attend Saikai Academy on Itogami Island.
Your officially registered strength is C-, but your actual strength is probably D+. Your physical ability is only barely at the C- threshold, and you only passed the assessment because you got lucky, or because someone leaked the questions to you… Why aren't you surprised at all?"
The scruffy middle-aged man set down the form in his hand and looked at the calm-faced Cid with slight surprise, his expression puzzled.
"Ah, well… probably because someone already used this same approach on me before you."
Cid gave an awkward laugh. How should he put it? This familiar scene reminded him of Giada. Back then, she had also opened by trying to intimidate him, so it had left quite an impression.
"I see. So someone actually noticed there was something off about you before I did? Hahaha. That only proves my eye for people is still as sharp as ever. Cid, my boy, pleased to meet you."
I don't want to meet you. I want to get away from you right now.
That was what Cid thought, but he did not immediately run. He simply kept smiling.
"Ah… I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Azazel. I'm the boss of Kokabiel, the one who was discovered, defeated, and captured a few days ago. Nice to meet you, little brother Cid."
"So you're here to settle the score? But this has nothing to do with me. I wasn't the one who took down your subordinate. If you want revenge, shouldn't you be looking for Serafall or Dulio?"
Cid fired back without mercy. In his extra mode, he sincerely hated dealing with these major figures, because it ruined his perfect extra disguise. His only comfort was that the other party had considerately opened a different space spell, so afterward he only needed to pretend none of this had happened.
"Oh? You know I might be here for revenge, but not only are you not scared, you even have the nerve to mock me? You really aren't afraid I'll kill you right here, in a place no one knows about, are you, little brother Cid…"
"…!!!"
That's right! No one knows about this place. I could kill this old man right in front of me right now!
Thanks to the reminder from across the table, Cid successfully came up with a solution and suddenly raised his head.
The surprise all over Cid's face made Azazel think of a certain possibility. The corner of his mouth twitched, and he looked at Cid calmly.
"Don't tell me… you really hadn't thought of that at all. Ignorance really is fearless. And here I thought you had some kind of backup plan. Looks like I can kill you right now without any trouble…"
Cid sat there calmly, as though he had given up resisting, his black eyes as still as stagnant water as he looked at the middle-aged man in front of him, like he was staring at a dead man.
"Accept your fate. Who told you to get my loyal subordinate Kokabiel captured… Hahaha, forget it. I'm kidding."
Cid was not shaken by Azazel's words. He simply continued to look at Azazel with that resigned gaze, as though he had completely given up.
"Is your mental defense really that fragile? Relax. Before I came to see you, I already had someone notify your superior, Miss Rias Gremory. She knows I came to meet you, so you don't need to worry about your safety. At the very least, I'm not going to provoke the Devils at a time like this."
At those words, Cid finally reacted. He sat up with numb eyes and withdrew the illusory Magical Power that had already locked around Azazel's throat.
You just picked your life back up, Azazel-san.
Thinking that, Cid dispersed his Magical Power and recalled the noble etiquette he had almost completely forgotten before speaking calmly.
"Hello, Azazel-san. I don't know why you came to find me, but even if you have business, please don't come to me. I'm just an ordinary student."
Correction. He had not almost forgotten it. He had completely forgotten it.
"Oh, no need to be so polite. I mainly came to Itogami Island this time to bring back that useless subordinate of mine, apologize and compensate the Devil clan, and meet you while I was at it."
Azazel stared straight at Cid, wearing a disgusting grin as though he were watching something amusing.
"To be honest, even if your strength still needs work, with the connections you have, there's no way you can call yourself an ordinary person, little brother Cid. Can you tell me how you got to know that group of people who all look like they have something wrong with their heads?"
By the second half, Azazel was openly commenting as well. Clearly, he did not believe a single word Cid said.
"I'd like to know why too. I just met them for no reason, helped them with a little thing, and then somehow, we knew each other."
Thinking of that scene, one that could have utterly ruined his career as an extra, gave Cid a headache. He had certainly had fun at the time, and even felt that an Eminence in Shadow ought to act exactly like that, but once he calmed down afterward, he wanted to find a time machine, go back, and slap himself awake.
"Some kind of inexplicable personal charm? Looks like you, little brother Cid, have no idea how many people have you in their sights now…"
"How many?"
Cid raised his head. A cold glint flashed deep in his eyes as he stared straight at Azazel.
"Well… I'm not too sure myself. After all, as you know, your strength is still a little lacking. Most people who saw that report probably shifted their attention to other people."
Good. Looks like my final extra disguise still worked a little after all…
"Phew. In that case, does the famous Fallen Angel Governor General need anything else?"
"Actually, I originally wanted to use you to meet that guy Vali, but with your personality, you don't seem like the type who would have Vali's contact information. So in the end, I just came to observe you and find out how you managed to earn the friendship of so many strong people."
"And what conclusion did you reach?"
"That you have an interesting personality, I suppose. At most, you're pretty good at reading the room. I still can't figure out how you got to know that guy Vali."
"Yeah, I'm confused about that too. Are you leaving?"
Cid said it with a sigh, then casually asked when he saw Azazel stand up.
"Yeah. I've achieved my goal, and I still have things to do. See you next time, little brother Cid."
Watching the middle-aged man leave, Cid turned toward the street as it began to grow lively and stretched.
I hope we never meet again.