Chapter 16: The Past with Ryuu
Watching Iska leave, an inexplicable chill crept up Cid's spine.
What was that just now?
To Cid, that kind of chill felt strangely familiar.
When he was younger, Alysee—curious about him being a boy—had once tried to pull down his pants. Back then, Cid had felt a very similar sense of danger.
Even now, he still clearly remembered what happened.
Because he retained memories of his previous life, Cid couldn't really be considered a true child. Naturally, there was no way he would allow Alysee to do something like that.
But Alysee's curiosity had been overwhelming, and her execution speed terrifying.
She had even wanted to flick that legendary "thing" she herself didn't possess.
At the time, Cid had nearly lost control.
After all, under normal circumstances, girls' bodies develop faster than boys'.
And on top of that, Cid still had to maintain his "mob character" disguise—he absolutely couldn't afford to expose himself over something like this.
In the end, he pulled out a child's ultimate trump card: calling for the parents.
Cid didn't know what method Astraea had used, but after that incident, Alysee never again showed such deranged behavior.
That experience had left a deep impression on him—it was the closest he had ever come to blowing his cover.
But the chill he felt back then was nothing compared to the one he was feeling now.
"Is Iska… thinking about something really dangerous?"
Recalling that memory, Cid shuddered.
It wasn't fear of nearly exposing himself back then—it was fear of Iska.
Even Alysee at her wildest couldn't compare to her.
What on earth is she planning?!
Cid was already terrified of the "reward" Iska had mentioned.
Based on what he'd heard from a peer named Raul Nord, the combat prostitutes of the Ishtar Familia had countless… creative techniques.
The most famous ones included things like Rainbow Fruit Platter, Deep-Sea Bomb, and Spicy Grilled Chicken…
If those methods were written out in detail, the novel probably wouldn't pass censorship.
He had no idea why Raul, at only fourteen, knew so much.
But the chill from earlier had already made Cid associate Iska's "reward" with those techniques.
"Did she… ask those seniors for advice?
No, she's not that kind of person. I'm definitely overthinking it… right?"
Cid made a firm decision.
From now on, he would keep his distance from Iska.
He wanted to believe in his companions' purity and integrity—but the consequences of being wrong were far too horrifying. He simply couldn't bear them.
After making up his mind, Cid walked toward Ryuu.
The taciturn elf was still lost in her own world, wearing a deeply existential expression.
Yes. That expression is much more normal.
As a member of the Justice Goddess's familia, this kind of reaction made sense—at least far more than Iska's.
"Ryuu, hello?"
After calling her name three times, Ryuu finally snapped out of it—though not completely.
"Cid?"
Her gaze subconsciously drifted to Cid's lips.
In her imagination, Cid had already become some divine being whose lips had been tasted by countless people.
"Don't tell me you're imagining something weird again?
I mean, what happened earlier was pretty easy to misunderstand…"
Thinking about what had just happened, even Cid didn't know how to explain it.
Especially since Iska might genuinely be thinking about something dangerous—he wasn't even sure whether he should explain.
Meanwhile, Ryuu, now fully pulled back to reality, instinctively took half a step back.
…Was that half-step really necessary?
Seeing the confusion and speechlessness in Cid's eyes, Ryuu panicked and hurried to explain.
"C-Cid, I'm not rejecting you! I just… just…"
"If you can't think of a reason, you don't have to force one."
Cid wasn't particularly hurt.
He wasn't someone who'd been reincarnated into an idol mother's womb only to lose her, then also lose his past-life lover who became his brother—so he wasn't that fragile.
But Ryuu had come to see him today for a reason, and she definitely didn't want him to think she was rejecting him.
Especially since Cid was about to leave the Astraea Familia—she absolutely couldn't let him misunderstand!
Before giving him the gift she had carefully prepared, there was still one important question she needed to ask.
"Cid… do you have a lot of girlfriends?"
"How is it 'a lot'? I don't have even one!"
Cid suddenly became very curious about how Ryuu had been slandering him in her head.
"T-That's good… So it really was just my imagination."
Ryuu let out a sigh of relief.
When her thoughts had been in chaos earlier, she had doubted Alysee's words.
But after calming down, she believed Alysee wouldn't lie casually.
More likely, Ryuu herself had just overthought things.
The same applied to Cid.
If an important companion said so, then she would believe it.
As for Iska…
Ryuu hadn't yet figured out how to justify her behavior.
"Cid… can you hold out your hand?"
Ryuu regained her usual seriousness, though her cheeks were still faintly red.
Cid, not understanding why, extended his right hand.
Ryuu followed suit, placing both of her hands around his.
"Boys' hands really are big…"
Her cheeks, which had just started cooling down, instantly burned bright red again.
Cid said nothing.
He knew this was Ryuu's gift.
In this world, elves possessed an instinct tied to their race.
If they did not acknowledge someone, elves simply could not tolerate being touched by them.
Even within the Astraea Familia, only Alysee could freely take Ryuu's hand.
If anyone else tried, Ryuu would instinctively fling them away.
But Cid remembered that after joining the familia, he had once accidentally touched Ryuu—and she hadn't reacted at all.
At the time, Cid had merely found it odd.
But Ryuu's reaction afterward had been intense.
Every time she saw him, she'd bristle like a startled cat.
For a while, she'd even hiss at him regularly.
Because of that period, the rest of the familia had thought Ryuu was targeting Cid, and she'd been scolded almost daily.
But Ryuu and Cid had silently maintained a mutual understanding, never letting anyone else find out the truth.
Now, as Cid prepared to leave the familia, she had to face that truth once more.
"Cid, even if you leave the Astraea Familia… we'll still be the best companions."
"Yeah. The best companions."
"…Cid…"
"Didn't I already agree?"
But… QAQ…
Even though Cid hadn't said anything heartless, Ryuu still burst into tears.
It really made one realize—these girls were far too emotionally delicate.
From Cid's perspective, leaving the familia wasn't something that needed to be treated with such gravity.
Based on the values he'd formed in his previous life, this was basically no different from changing jobs.
He hadn't expected it to mean so much to them.
Cid realized that once he changed familias, it would be best not to change again.
Dealing with girls' tears was really troublesome.
Whether as a mob character or as Shadow, this was something he was terrible at.