"A job? Really, Cid-san?"
With both hands resting on the table, fingers interlaced as he supported his chin, Cid looked at Asia, who was glowing with excitement at the sudden offer, and smiled lightly.
"I never lie."
That statement itself was a lie.
"B-but I don't know how to do anything."
At first, Asia was thrilled by his answer, but she quickly calmed down.
She understood very well that Cid was probably taking her in out of pity. Saying she would work for him was likely just a way to make it easier for her to accept his help.
She had come to repay the person who saved her life, yet now she was only becoming a burden to him.
Asia… when did you become so shameless?
Thinking about it carefully, the idea of finding her savior in order to repay him had been absurd from the start.
What could she possibly do for him?
She didn't know.
Back then, it had just been a sudden impulse. Once the thought appeared, she immediately acted on it. Over the past three months, she had never seriously considered this question, always telling herself she would figure it out after finding him.
But now that she had found him, she felt completely lost.
Power?
Even as a wandering nun that no faction was willing to take in, she still knew this much. Her savior, Shadow, was a world-class fugitive who had once stormed the first joint conference of the three worlds, fought the Gods and the Three Primogenitors for hours, and was ultimately driven back after being severely injured.
His individual strength might not surpass the combined forces of the world's strongest, but he was still recognized as one of the top five fighters in the world.
Compared to someone like that, the power granted to her by her Sacred Gear was nothing but a joke.
Wisdom?
She knew herself well enough. If she truly had any wisdom, she wouldn't have done something as foolish as using a Sacred Gear to heal a Devil.
After all, a nun carrying a Sacred Gear who had been expelled from the Church was an incredibly valuable target. It was only because she had still been within Church territory and the news hadn't spread that she hadn't already been captured by some faction and turned into a research subject.
Money?
Leaving aside whether trying to use money to move the incarnation of the Lord would send her to Hell, she didn't have much to begin with. The money and antiques given to her by the Fallen Angels would be enough for her to live comfortably for years, but if she tried to use it to get someone to act for her, she would run out almost instantly.
Sacred Gear?
Using something created by the Lord to heal the Lord himself… wasn't that almost laughable?
In the end, the idea of repaying her savior was fundamentally flawed.
She couldn't help him in any way.
If anything, she would only become a burden.
When they met earlier, she had seen the look in Cid's eyes.
It was the look of someone who found her presence troublesome.
So what should she do?
Pretend not to notice his kindness and accept his help without hesitation?
Or lay everything bare and admit that she was completely useless to her savior?
The answer was obvious.
"I… I'm sorry…"
For the first time, Asia clenched her hands tightly beneath the table. She had never realized saying a single sentence could be this difficult.
"Cid-san, I'm truly sorry for causing you trouble."
Her courage surged once, weakened the second time, and now, on the third, it was completely gone.
The first time was when she was cast out by the Church as a child for healing a Devil. Back then, she had managed to gather the courage to search for a way to keep living.
The second time was when she was taken in by a Fallen Angel, only to realize he had only wanted her Sacred Gear. That time, the thought of repaying her savior gave her something to hold onto. Like clinging to an illusion for comfort, it pushed her to keep going.
Now, after finally finding Cid, she had torn away the last layer of self-deception in her heart and shut herself out for the third time.
And yet, this third time had always been fragile to begin with, like something that only looked real but had no substance.
In the end, it was because she had too much time to think.
If she had never found Cid, she would have stayed busy like she had been for the past three months. As time passed, she might have eventually met someone who would accept her.
But there were no "what ifs."
She had already found Cid.
And that gave her just enough space to think.
To think about how she could repay him.
And in the end, she came to a single conclusion.
She was useless to him.
She would only cause trouble.
At that moment, she fit perfectly the phrase "a heart gone cold."
Because she had torn away her own last bit of comfort.
Asia was a kind person.
And precisely because she was kind, once she realized her presence would only burden someone else, she would not shamelessly choose to stay.
She would quietly accept it.
And leave.
Cid: ?
"Wait a second…"
Seeing Asia suddenly stand up, apologize, and prepare to leave, Cid froze. For a moment, he thought he had done something to upset her.
But then her expression and the way she carried herself made him realize something was wrong.
He didn't know much about psychology, but this state felt familiar.
He had seen it before on Alpha, back when he defeated her during the counterfeit currency incident.
Actually, he had seen similar looks on some of the Seven Shadows as well. He just remembered Alpha more clearly because that moment had left such a strong impression on him.
"Cid-san, I've thought it through. I'm really sorry for bothering you today. I know you only offered to take me in because you felt sorry for me, but I understand now. If I stay, I'll only cause you trouble. I won't bother you anymore. You're a good person. I shouldn't put you through this."
…?
What exactly did you imagine to arrive at that conclusion?
Why am I suddenly getting labeled as a "good person"?
Forget that. More importantly, how do I talk her out of this?
Fortunately, he had picked up a few tricks from anime.
"You're being a bit arrogant, Asia."
"Cid-san?"
Faced with her confusion, Cid let out a soft laugh and shook his head.
"Who told you that you have no value, Asia?
In life, overestimating yourself and thinking you're capable of anything is arrogance. But underestimating yourself and thinking you're insignificant is also arrogance.
What right do you have to decide how others see you?
If you don't ask them directly, how would you know how important you are to them?"