Cid walked down the street as people who had only just survived the apocalypse hurried past him. Some were rushing to let their families know they were safe, others were trying to recover what they had lost in the disaster, while still others were organizing rescue efforts for those trapped or injured in the secondary disasters. None of that had anything to do with Cid anymore.
Beneath the vast night sky, Cid carried an unconscious girl in each hand. It looked like a bizarre kidnapping carried out amid the chaos, yet everyone on the street acted as though they saw nothing. Whenever they reached him, they even went out of their way to run around him.
"If they could see me, someone would've reported me by now. Then Natsuki-chan would track me down, and I'd end up in prison. Ah... I'm taking such a huge risk for your sake, Kanon and... Yuuma? Anyway, just remember that..."
Cid calmly remarked on how suspicious the situation looked, but hesitated at the end. As far as he knew, Yuuma Tokoyogi was one of Epsilon's people. Considering his relationship with Epsilon, he probably should not act too distant toward her.
The problem was that he genuinely did not know Yuuma Tokoyogi very well. Including this occasion, they had only met three times. He had pulled her out of the Seated Angel simply because the opportunity presented itself, so he had done it.
"Forget it. I can't be bothered to think about it. They're both unconscious, so they can't hear a word I'm saying anyway. I must really be bored if I'm worrying about something like this."
He silently mocked his habit of talking to corpses. Strictly speaking, Kanon Kanase and Yuuma Tokoyogi were not dead, but it made little difference. They were both unconscious and would not hear any of his complaints.
As his thoughts wandered, Cid came to a stop. He had reached his destination, the Island Guard headquarters, where he intended to leave Kanon Kanase.
After all, Kanon Kanase probably had no relatives left on the island. As for dumping her somewhere secluded and waiting for a kindhearted stranger to help her... Cid would not be able to sleep peacefully at night if he did that.
At a time like this, he naturally had to ask his best teacher, Natsuki-chan, who still worked for the Island Guard, for help. He was sure Natsuki-chan would take good care of Kanon Kanase and find a way to wake her.
Nodding firmly, Cid carried the two girls into the Island Guard headquarters and began searching for someone who looked dependable, and actually was dependable, so that he could safely entrust Kanon Kanase to them.
Unfortunately, with the island in chaos, every Island Guard member with even the slightest sense of responsibility had already gone out to rescue residents and maintain order. After looking around, Cid found only a few members who had apparently stayed behind because they were too tired and wanted to slack off while guarding the entrance. None of them looked remotely trustworthy.
He would have to be out of his mind to leave Kanon Kanase with them. This was the immediate aftermath of a major disaster. At a time like this, no one would notice if a beautiful, unconscious girl with no family simply vanished from the world.
There was nothing he could do about it. He and Kanon Kanase could at least be called acquaintances. For the sake of that tiny shred of friendship between them, he could not simply abandon her.
"Do I really have to wait here until Natsuki-chan and the others come back?"
The thought made the corner of Cid's mouth twitch. God only knew how long it would take Natsuki-chan to escape from that woman named Aya Tokoyogi. He could destroy the world three times in the time it might take her to return.
As for simply waking Kanon Kanase and sending her home... unfortunately, he could not do that.
Kanon Kanase and Yuuma Tokoyogi had served as the two vessels through which that eerie angel and terrifying Devil descended into the human world via the Natural Program. Their souls had already begun undergoing changes that even Cid could not understand. No one knew what consequences those changes might bring.
Perhaps acting as interfaces for the Devil and angel would bring them some benefit, allowing them to shed their mortal bodies and evolve to a higher level of existence. Or perhaps a malignant bug would emerge, causing their entire bodily systems to collapse and leaving them asleep forever. It was also possible that nothing would happen at all. They might simply sleep and wake as normal, only to summon the Seated Angel again after receiving some tremendous shock one day and trigger another Day of Destruction.
Of course, those were problems for the future. For now, Cid believed Natsuki-chan was perfectly capable of looking after Kanon Kanase and might even be able to wake her.
"The problem is, what am I supposed to do now?"
Cid sat down on the sofa in Natsuki Minamiya's office and casually placed Kanon Kanase and Yuuma Tokoyogi on the sofa opposite him. He brewed himself a cup of tea. Out of respect for their human rights, he also poured a cup for each of them and set the cups on the table in front of them.
Wisps of white steam curled from the scalding tea. Cid took a small sip of green tea while pondering what to do with Kanon Kanase. Did he really have to sit here until Natsuki-chan returned?
It seemed... there was no other choice. Otherwise, was he supposed to bring Kanon Kanase home and support her himself? That was asking far too much of him. He did not think his wallet could afford to support anyone besides himself.
"Sigh..."
Cid sighed. He could not think of a single dependable person he knew on the island. After all, he was just an extra. The unusual academy he attended might have made him a fairly capable extra, but he was still only an extra. There was no way he would know any reliable, influential figures.
"Creak..."
The heavy door swung open with a strained creak. The crisp sound of footsteps announced that someone had entered the office.
Judging by the sound, the short person who had entered could not be Natsuki-chan. Natsuki-chan always moved through spatial teleportation. She would never bother using her legs.
Cid did not even turn to look. As long as no one perceived his true existence, no one in the world could see through his ultimate disguise. He was certain of that.
"An unidentified individual has been detected. State your reason for being here immediately. Otherwise, I am authorized to use force to arrest you for trespassing in Captain Natsuki Minamiya's office..."
A somewhat familiar, emotionless voice reached Cid's ears, surprising him slightly. He had not expected anyone besides himself to break into the Island Guard headquarters at a time like this. Hopefully, the intruder would manage to escape.
Cid clasped his hands and silently prayed for the unknown intruder for a few seconds. Then he picked up his teacup again, intending to continue waiting for Natsuki-chan, only to notice a blurry blue figure reflected in the tea.
Cid frowned as he realized something was wrong. He silently set the teacup down, slowly stood, and turned around.
Astarte stood before him with a wary expression, her body encased in blue crystal armor.
"...Can you see me clearly?"
"Your response is meaningless. State your true identity and purpose immediately. Otherwise, I am authorized to attack you."
What the hell?!
Cid lowered his head slightly so Astarte would not see his eyes widening in shock.
No, seriously. Just how powerful was the person standing before him? She had actually seen through his "Eminence in Shadow" Stroll!
Cid could hardly believe it. He had wandered freely through the heavily guarded core strongholds of major factions, passing through layer after layer of defensive Magic Circles as though the places were completely deserted. From time to time, he would even choose one at random for a casual stroll.
He had openly sat through several hours of a meeting between the Norse gods at the Asgard Shrine. In the end, he had even plucked out Örlög's only remaining eye in front of all the gods, offered it as a sacrifice in exchange for some Runes, studied them for several hours, then returned the eye and put it back in place. Not one of them had noticed his presence.
Yet today, someone on Itogami Island had detected him.
Just how formidable was she?
"State your origins and identity immediately. Otherwise, I will attack you."
I've become... strange.
Although Astarte continued urging the familiar stranger before her to identify himself, she briefly slipped into a daze.
Normally, after the first warning... no, she would not even have issued a first warning. The moment she discovered a stranger inside Natsuki Minamiya's office without authorization, she should have immediately moved to capture the mysterious man.
But... she could not attack him.
It was not that she merely found herself unable to act. She was literally incapable of doing so.
She could not fully perceive his existence. She clearly knew that an unidentified and suspicious individual stood before her, yet her physical senses could not locate a target to attack.
More precisely, she knew he was there, but she could not become conscious of him. Her brain was forcibly ignoring the man before her and everything associated with him.
It was as though the two of them were separated by an enormous distance and could communicate only through messages on a phone. Everything she saw with her eyes was no more than written information. She knew it was there. She could see it. Yet she could not truly register his presence.
And that face... it looked so familiar.
Had she seen him somewhere before?
Struggling to lock onto his existence, Astarte stared intently at Cid's face. She felt certain she had seen it before. Perhaps it had been...
Memory search complete. No result.
She searched again.
Still no result...
"Interesting. Has a minor anomaly appeared in this otherwise uneventful world?"
Have I gotten rusty?
Cid completely ignored Astarte's demands. After thinking for a moment, he decided to search within himself for the reason he had been discovered.
The problem certainly could not be Astarte. If Astarte were truly that powerful, Natsuki-chan should be working as her assistant instead. Cid became even more certain of that after touching Astarte and examining her.
Therefore, the problem had to be with him.
He had not taken enough strolls through the core strongholds of the major factions lately, so his training had grown lax and his technique had deteriorated. Otherwise, how could Astarte possibly have detected him?
Of course, there was another possibility. Astarte might have seen his true existence before, in which case the ability would naturally fail against her.
After all, it was only a minor technique similar to information obstruction. It created a vacuum on another plane, causing others to disregard him. Anyone who had seen his true appearance would naturally be able to perceive him on that other plane as well.
But how could that possibly have happened?
"State your identity immedi..."
"Stop. I have no intention of becoming your enemy. I came here to entrust someone to you."
Having worked everything out, Cid could not be bothered to erase her memories. He crooked a finger, and Kanon Kanase flew through the air to Astarte.
The moment Cid finished speaking, Astarte's pupils widened sharply. Only after the mysterious man granted her permission did she realize that a silver-haired girl had been lying on the sofa Natsuki Minamiya normally used for resting.
"Who is she? Why are you entrusting her to Captain Minamiya...?"
"You ask too many questions. Unfortunately, no matter how much you ask, I cannot tell you. These are matters the world is not yet meant to know."
He obviously could not reveal that he was merely looking for someone to babysit Kanon Kanase, so Cid brushed her off with a vague answer and pulled an antique clock from his clothes.
"What a shame. It is rare to encounter such an interesting little doll. I would have liked to speak with you a little longer, but I am running out of time."
Cid pretended to inspect the clock, which was divided into forty sections and had its hand pointing at zero. He shook his head regretfully, rose, and prepared to leave at once.
"You... cannot... leave. You must wait for Captain Minamiya..."
"For your own good, little doll, I suggest you refrain from meddling in matters that do not concern you. If I stay, you will be the one who gets scolded."
"No. You must stay and explain everything clearly to Captain Minamiya..."
Cid walked past Astarte. The expressionless loli was resolute, but her body remained utterly confused and could not even turn around. He stopped, leaned close to her shoulder with a faint smile, and whispered.
"Remember to tell the Witch of the Void. She knows."
With that, he finally passed Astarte and continued on his way. Once Cid left, Astarte's blue crystal armor fully expanded, piercing through the roof that had already been torn open during the earlier battle.
Astarte soon withdrew her Beast Vassal. After all, the man was already gone, so what was the point of summoning it now?
...No. Apparently, he had not left yet.
Cid walked past the bewildered Astarte again, retrieved Yuuma Tokoyogi, whom he had nearly forgotten on the sofa, and quickly departed.
"How strange. Maybe I haven't gotten weaker. Did I simply make a mistake back there?!"
Cid dragged the unconscious Yuuma Tokoyogi down the street, puzzled. The people around him were still ignoring him exactly as they had before. After thinking for a moment, he stopped in front of a closed shop at random.
Several men who were obviously small-time thugs had gathered outside the shop and were working together to break down its door. It seemed they intended to take advantage of the chaos and make some easy money.
Cid paid no attention to what they were doing. He simply walked up to the leader and slapped him across the face.
Even after his cheek swelled up, the man showed no reaction. He continued smiling as he worked on the lock.
With a sharp crack, Cid dislocated the man's arm.
There was still no reaction. The man did not even realize that his arm had become unusable and continued enthusiastically trying to pry open the lock with that same hand.
"Nothing seems wrong. Did I really just make a mistake?"
Still puzzled, Cid knocked out the group of thugs, then dragged Yuuma Tokoyogi away toward another destination.