Eminence In Shadow- Nah, I’d Win (DxD / Strike The Blood)

For the first time, Cid Kagenou—master schemer, shadow manipulator, and self-proclaimed mastermind—was caught completely off guard.

….

He stared at her.

Her clear, sincere eyes.

Eyes that didn't waver.

Eyes that believed in her own words.

And for just a moment, Cid felt…

Ashamed.

Ashamed of his own selfishness, his deceptions, and his endless scheming.

"Kanase… Are you sure you're not secretly a saint or something?"

His words were half-joking, but the admiration in his voice was real.

Kanase blinked, confused.

"Did I… say something wrong?"

"No.

If anything, it's me who's wrong.

I can't even begin to think the way you do."

He shook his head, clearing his thoughts.

"Kanase."

Her attention snapped back to him.

"Normal people don't think like that.

When someone rejects their kindness, their first reaction isn't patience or understanding.

It's anger."

"Anger?"

She tilted her head, clearly struggling to follow his logic.

"Yes.

Because instead of thinking about what the cat wants—

They only see what they gave.

They assume their way is better.

That the cat is ungrateful."

Kanase fell silent.

Her hands clenched into fists.

Cid leaned closer, his eyes sharp.

"Kanase, it's not that you can't reject people.

It's that you can't handle the anger that comes from rejecting kindness—

Especially when it's coming from your father."

Her breath caught.

And her eyes fell again.

But this time, Cid didn't let her look away.

He reached out, gently tilting her chin with both hands until their eyes locked.

Kanase's body stiffened.

But she didn't pull away.

She trusted him.

And Cid knew it.

Which was why he refused to let her hide.

"Look at me, Kanase.

If you can't face me—how are you supposed to face your father?"

Her lips trembled.

But she didn't look away.

For the first time since this conversation began—

Cid saw it.

A flicker of defiance.

A spark of courage.

And in that moment, he knew—

He'd done his job.

"Kanase."

Cid Kagenou's voice softened, but his gaze remained sharp.

"You need to understand—this is your life.

What I think doesn't matter.

What matters is—what do you want to do?"

Kanase Kanon bit her lip, her shoulders trembling.

Her voice quivered, barely above a whisper.

"I don't know, Cid-kun…

I really don't know what to do."

Tears began to well up in her eyes, spilling over in silent streams down her cheeks.

Cid's hands, still lightly cupping her face, felt the warmth of her tears.

He let out a deep sigh.

This—

This was exactly what he'd expected.

Asking for help and taking action were two completely different things.

And Kanase Kanon clearly wasn't ready to make that leap on her own.

He wasn't angry.

If anything, he felt a bit… tired.

Honestly, he would've preferred to keep his distance.

Let her figure things out on her own.

But if he wanted to help her—truly help her—he had to force her to make a choice.

Because if she froze at the wrong moment—if she panicked when he confronted her parents—

Then everything would fall apart.

And those eyes—

The ones he'd gone out of his way to protect—

Would be forever stained with regret.

Still, he couldn't help but wonder—

Was there a simpler solution?

Something less dramatic than all this psychoanalysis?

Maybe he should've just promised to fix it himself.

Told her he'd take responsibility.

After all, that's what protagonists were supposed to do, right?

"Leave it to me!"

"I'll handle everything!"

Yeah.

No.

That wasn't his style.

And besides—

He wasn't responsible for her life.

This wasn't some fairy tale.

It was reality.

Kanase Kanon needed to decide for herself.

Cid Kagenou would just give her a nudge in the right direction.

Standing up from his seat, he made his way toward the exit.

Before he could leave, though—

"Excuse me, sir!"

A waitress flagged him down near the counter.

"Our parent company, Mitsugoshi, is currently offering a special VIP promotion.

With today's purcKanon, you're entitled to a free couple's meal—beautifully packaged, of course!"

Cid's eye twitched.

Mitsugoshi.

Of course.

Gamma.

As usual, she'd gone overboard.

The so-called "free meal" sitting on the counter?

Two sandwiches.

Wrapped in matching packaging—clearly a set.

And priced at eight times the cost of a normal sandwich.

Ridiculous.

Cid's jaw tightened.

The Mitsugoshi VIP program wasn't something just anyone could join.

There were fewer than 100,000 members worldwide.

This wasn't about money.

It was about prestige.

Which made the whole "free meal" gimmick even more absurd.

Well, at least for normal VIPs.

Cid Kagenou didn't count as normal.

He glanced back at Kanase, who was still seated at the table, her expression lost in thought.

Grabbing one of the sandwiches, he walked back over and set it down in front of her.

"Kanase."

Her head snapped up.

"You can't expect people to know what you need if you don't say it out loud.

So stop acting like a coward and just tell me—

What do you want me to do?"

Kanase's eyes widened.

"And this is for you."

He gestured toward the sandwich before turning away.

Grabbing the other sandwich, he headed for the door.

He'd save it for later.

Throw it into time-space storage or something and use it for breakfast tomorrow.

Dinner?

He'd just summon a demon and mooch off them like always.

"Thank you, Cid-kun!"

Her voice called out behind him, trembling yet hopeful.

"Bye, Kanase.

And don't forget—

Find someone to take in those cats, okay?"

"I will!

I promise!"

Her response echoed as the café door closed behind him.

….

Cid Kagenou lay sprawled across his bed, staring blankly at his outstretched hand.

The empty milk carton—courtesy of Itta—rested on his bedside table, but he made no effort to clean it up.

Tonight, there was no triple-magic compression training.

No endless hours spent pouring through the knowledge locked within the library crystal.

Just silence.

And thoughts.

"Puberty, huh?"