Feeling the gazes from the two people across from him, the fake drunkenness instantly vanished. Cid blinked and spoke to Rizevim without even turning his head.
"Um, Uncle Rizevim, something came up on my side, so I guess we'll have to continue this chat another time."
After saying that, he forced a smile and looked straight at Rossweisse and Natsuki Minamiya, who were both staring at him in shock. Even though there was some distance between them, it felt as if their eyes were locked together.
"Cid, looks like you've run into a bit of trouble. Need Uncle to help you take care of it?"
Rizevim, standing beside him, seemed completely unaware of the atmosphere. With a grin, he casually draped an arm over Cid's shoulder and pointed at the two women.
"No need, Uncle."
Natsuki Minamiya had already reacted. She snapped her folding fan shut and gestured toward Cid, signaling him to come over.
Understanding what Natsuki Minamiya meant, Cid could only brace himself and slowly walk over. Just as he took his first step, he seemed to remember something and took an item from his pocket, placing it on the table.
"Uncle, this round's on me."
Rizevim picked up what Cid had left behind and discovered it was a free drink coupon that expired today.
He blinked.
If he had not seen wrong just now, when Cid took out that coupon there seemed to be several more inside his pocket.
He glanced at Cid again. It was obvious the kid would not be coming back to continue drinking and chatting. After Cid's passionate speech earlier, the heat in his chest had already cleared his mind completely. There was no trace of drunkenness left. Besides, he now wanted to hurry back and revise his plans.
So Rizevim simply stood up and left.
Cid, meanwhile, felt a bit troubled.
A student drinking alcohol might fit the background character role perfectly, but it was still not something that could be done openly. Why was Natsuki-sensei here of all places?
And afterward there was a chance his family would be contacted. His Nee-san was currently on this island, and there was a high probability she would use this as an excuse to make a huge fuss.
He was not afraid of that, but it sounded extremely troublesome.
After thinking it over, Cid finally made up his mind just as he was about to reach Natsuki Minamiya.
Growing impatient with Cid's slow pace, the fan in Natsuki Minamiya's hand stopped moving.
The stream of liquor being poured by a nearby customer froze in midair.
The droplets hung motionless.
A child running down the corridor froze in a pose that completely defied the laws of physics.
Time had stopped.
In the very next second after time froze, a stream of water appeared out of thin air. It passed through Cid's clothes without touching his body at all. The moisture soaked into his clothes was tightly gathered together.
Another second passed.
Thin white mist rose as the moisture evaporated.
Once the series of actions was completed, time resumed.
"Not bad, Cid. You've grown bold. Drinking at your age in a place like this..."
Natsuki Minamiya suddenly stopped mid sentence. She frowned and carefully examined Cid with suspicion.
"You... didn't drink?"
"Of course not, Natsuki-sensei."
Cid narrowed his eyes slightly, maintaining a calm smile as he answered firmly.
After pressing Rossweisse, who was so drunk she could barely sit upright, back into the chair, Natsuki Minamiya jumped down from her seat. Her feet, which had previously dangled in the air due to her height, landed on the ground.
She walked over to Cid and began circling him.
After one full lap, she still could not smell any alcohol on him. The suspicion in her eyes did not fade. Instead, it grew even stronger.
Natsuki Minamiya was confused.
She had seen it clearly just now. Cid had definitely been drinking. There had even been a spot on his clothes where the spilled alcohol made the fabric darker than the surrounding area.
But now, standing in front of her, not only did Cid have no smell of alcohol, that darker patch of clothing had also become completely dry.
Did she... see it wrong?
That possibility crossed her mind, but it did not make sense.
She had not been drinking, and at this distance, with her mind completely clear, the chances of her seeing wrong were practically zero.
So what exactly is Natsuki-sensei trying to do?
Watching Natsuki Minamiya circle around him, Cid complained silently in his heart.
In Cid's mind, Natsuki Minamiya had always felt like a puppet made from condensed magic. Even the clothes on her body seemed to be formed from magical power. Her behavior followed simple, almost mechanical logic.
Although there was emotion in her eyes, that faint trace of emotion felt like a video call through a screen.
Artificial.
Last time, it must have been a conflict between the school's orders and her underlying logic that caused Natsuki-chan's mind to short-circuit, leaving her standing there in a daze while watching him practice swordsmanship for half an hour.
That was why he chose this approach and decided to gamble on slipping through unnoticed. Based on his judgment, without clear evidence, Natsuki-chan would not immediately report him to his Nee-san the way others might. At most, she would scold him for a while and then let him go.
"Cid, what are you doing here? If I remember correctly, minors aren't allowed in places like this. How did you get in?"
Seeing no sign that Cid had been drinking, Natsuki Minamiya did not bother overthinking it and asked directly.
"How did I get here?
Uncle Rizevim brought me in. He drank too much by himself, and I was worried about leaving him alone."
I won the bet.
Cid clasped his hands behind his back and put on an embarrassed expression while thinking that to himself.
Now it depended on how intelligent Natsuki-chan was. Would she believe him immediately and let him go, or would she remain suspicious and continue questioning him?
Thinking back to her usual behavior, Cid felt the second option was more likely.
"Uncle? Who is this uncle? Cid, are you close with that person?"
Just as Cid expected, Natsuki Minamiya quickly focused on the "uncle" he mentioned.
"Uncle? Oh! He's a friend I met today. He's actually a really nice person."
At that moment, Cid suddenly acted as if he had just realized something.
"Oh! Natsuki-sensei, are you worried that I drank alcohol?
Don't worry, Natsuki-sensei. When Uncle dragged me here he never said this place was for drinking, and even after we got here he kept trying to persuade me to drink, but I absolutely did not drink a single drop. Uncle can testify to that.
Uncle, come help me…"
Halfway through speaking excitedly, Cid turned and walked back to the table where he had been drinking with Rizevim, clearly intending to call him as a witness.
But his voice abruptly stopped.
Rizevim's seat was empty.
Cid froze with his mouth open in a perfect O.
"Um... Natsuki-sensei, Uncle... he might have gone to the restroom. He should be back soon. I swear, I swear I didn't drink."
The panic trembling in Cid's voice was captured perfectly by Natsuki Minamiya. Combined with the fact that she had just checked him carefully and still could not detect even a hint of alcohol, she had already started to believe she might have been mistaken.
She originally intended to tell Cid to go home, warn him to be more careful next time, and remind him not to come here again.
But when she saw the confused, helpless look on Cid's face, another thought suddenly came to her mind.
"If the 'uncle' you mentioned was the man sitting next to you earlier, then he already left. He went out through the front door."
Her voice carried no emotion as she stared directly at Cid, as if silently telling him that she did not believe he had not been drinking. Without stronger evidence, he could expect consequences tomorrow.
Tsk. Still not enough?
"W-wait... wait a second, Natsuki-sensei. Uncle definitely hasn't gone far yet. I have his phone number. I can call him back."
As if frightened by Natsuki Minamiya's attitude, Cid grabbed his phone from his pocket like someone clutching at a final lifeline.
He tried to turn on the screen to prove his innocence.
But after pressing the screen several times, it still did not light up.
Seeing this, Cid's pupils widened, and he said with a trembling voice.
"I... I think the battery's dead. I'll go ask the shop for a charger. Wait a moment, Natsuki-sensei."
"That's enough."
Cid's attempt to go look for the staff was cut off by Natsuki Minamiya.
As if he had just heard the bell of death ring, Cid slowly turned around. His face turned pale as he lowered his head and spoke in a trembling voice that almost sounded like he was about to cry.
"I'm sorry, Natsuki-sensei. I really did drink here. Everything I said earlier was a lie. I know I was wrong.
Please, Natsuki-sensei, don't tell my Nee-san about this. I don't want to disappoint her. Please."
The despair in the first half of his voice spread like something tangible, while the pleading tone in the latter half could soften anyone's heart.
Natsuki Minamiya suddenly felt a little guilty and quickly spoke.
"No, no, no, Cid. I believe you. You really didn't drink."
"Really?"
Cid lifted his head. His reddened eyes looked straight at Natsuki Minamiya.
"Really."
"You won't tell my sister?"
The pleading tone still lingering in his voice made Natsuki Minamiya feel even more uneasy.
"That's right. I won't tell your sister."
The sudden hope that appeared out of despair made the joy on Cid's face nearly overflow. Driven by that emotion, he suddenly stepped forward and hugged Natsuki Minamiya to express his happiness.
"That's great.
Thank you, Natsuki-sensei. I thought it would end up like before again."
Caught completely off guard by the sudden hug, Natsuki Minamiya was about to push him away. But when she heard those words, her hand froze.
Like before?
This child... was he wrongly accused by a teacher before?
That would explain it. If he had experienced something like that before, then his current reaction made perfect sense.
After reaching that conclusion, the expression in Natsuki Minamiya's eyes softened. The guilt in her heart made her feel extremely uncomfortable.
This time... I really might have gone too far.
Driven by that feeling, Natsuki Minamiya spoke softly beside Cid's ear, her voice hesitant.
"I... I'm sorry."
"Teacher, what did you say?"
As if he had not heard clearly, Cid released her and asked.
"I... I said I'm sorry."
Cid's expression became strange.
Under Cid's gaze, Natsuki Minamiya felt as if her authority as a teacher had completely shattered. In the end, she could only forcefully say,
"Alright. I've confirmed that you didn't drink. I won't tell your sister about this either. You should leave now. Just be more careful next time."
Although her tone sounded firm, the way her eyes kept avoiding his gaze made it impossible to feel any real authority from her. Instead, it only made her seem oddly cute.
Hearing that tone, the look in Cid's eyes became even stranger. Unfortunately, Natsuki Minamiya did not dare meet his gaze at that moment, so she failed to notice.
Why does this feel exactly like a puppy from childhood?
Looking at Natsuki Minamiya in her current state, that was the thought that crossed Cid's mind.