Cid casually set his phone down on the table, then walked out of the room. Looking at Asia, who was holding a cloth and carefully wiping down a chair, he spoke.
"Asia, someone will be coming to the door later to have you sign a contract. Keep an eye out. If everything looks fine, just sign it."
"Oh, okay. Um… Cid-san…"
Asia responded instinctively when she heard him, but then looked at him with a hesitant expression.
"What's wrong, Asia?"
Noticing her uncertainty, Cid asked directly.
"Um, Cid-san… who were you talking to on the phone just now? And why did you sound so… so…"
"Alright, I get what you mean."
Even though she couldn't quite put it into words, Cid understood.
He had probably spoken a bit too loudly while talking to Gamma earlier without realizing it. Asia must have overheard part of it, which made her curious. At the same time, she was worried it might be something private and didn't know whether she should ask.
"Hmm… I guess I can tell you, but let me think about how to explain it."
First of all, I definitely can't tell her they're the people who used to play along with my chuunibyou act. That would completely ruin my image. I need a better explanation…
Got it.
"They'd count as your senpai, I suppose."
"Senpai!?"
"Yeah. Have you heard of Shadow Garden? The ones I was talking to just now are part of it."
Cid's explanation immediately cleared up why he had used that tone earlier, and it also resolved the doubts Asia had been carrying with her the whole time.
Why did Cid-san say that she was the only Shadow Guardian?
That question had been on her mind the entire journey.
During the three months she spent wandering outside, in her search for the person who saved her, she had been paying close attention to any news about Shadow.
She had gone through most of the widely circulated information online. A lot of it sounded unbelievable at first glance, but some of it was detailed and convincing enough that she couldn't tell what was true and what wasn't.
Even though the information was messy and hard to verify, one point was widely agreed upon. Shadow had an organization that followed him completely, and it was made up entirely of powerful young women.
However, after the worlds merged, this organization called Shadow Garden had suddenly disappeared without a trace. That was very different from Shadow, who would occasionally appear somewhere in the world.
When she first heard Cid say that she was the only member of the Shadow Guardians, and considering how he repeatedly emphasized that she didn't need to join and wasn't obligated to, she had assumed something must have happened to her seniors.
At the café, even though Cid hadn't said it outright, she could tell he didn't want her to join. That made her suspect that something terrible had happened to her seniors, that they had all been wiped out, and that it left a deep psychological scar on Cid. That was why he didn't want her to follow in their footsteps.
Because of that, she didn't dare ask him about it during the trip, afraid of bringing up painful memories.
But now, judging from Cid's attitude, it seemed her seniors weren't dead at all. In fact, they were doing just fine.
Then why did Cid-san say she was the only Shadow Guardian besides him?
A small head, filled with a big question.
"If my senpai are still around, then why did Cid-san say I'm the only Shadow Guardian?"
Asking questions when something comes to mind is a good habit.
"Because they've already withdrawn."
On the surface, it might look like I dismissed them, but in truth, they were just giving me an out.
"W-Why?"
"There's no deep reason. They just grew up and became more mature."
"But that's too much, isn't it? Just because they grew up, they left Cid-san all alone… don't they think that's unfair?"
"No, it's not like that. They're still good people. And when you grow up, isn't it normal to leave some things behind that aren't so important anymore?
Strictly speaking, Shadow Garden probably doesn't even count as something important to them.
After all, the identity of being a Shadow Guardian was forced onto them from the start. The only reason they joined Shadow Garden was because of me. What really mattered was our friendship.
Of course, I do feel a bit reluctant, but I'm not some kid who throws a fit just because my friends won't play with me anymore. I'm already happy if they're willing to spend time with me once in a while. Besides, if you keep leaning on emotions too much, that kind of relationship won't last."
That much was true.
Back when Shadow Garden was first formed, Alpha and the others called themselves the Seven Shadows entirely because of his lie about the Cult of Diablos. Once they grew up and realized the Cult of Diablos didn't exist, they stopped staying by his side to play along.
In a way, it was no different from his previous life. Children admire heroes, but once they grow up, they leave those dreams behind and become worldly adults.
Even so, thinking back on it now, even knowing he was the one who lied first and that they simply moved on afterward, he still felt a trace of sadness and reluctance.
Well, that's just human nature.
Better to keep some dignity and not get carried away, thinking about using past feelings to question Alpha and the others on why they couldn't just pretend not to know. Just like he always said, if you keep relying on emotions, those feelings won't last.
Seeing the sadness and reluctance in Cid's eyes as he spoke, Asia felt a faint ache in her chest. Before she realized it, her hand reached out and gently took his.
"I won't…"
"Hm?"
"I won't be like them. I'll stay with you, Cid-san. I'll keep walking with you."
"Heh."
He let out a soft laugh.
"Don't say that so confidently. Maybe one day, once you see my true nature, you'll end up leaving just like they did."
"I won't! I won't! I would never leave Cid-san. I won't let you be alone."
Cid remained unconvinced.
He knew himself well enough. At his core, he was basically just a lunatic.
It was only because he had been reincarnated and gained magic power, letting his fantasies take shape in reality, that things seemed a little better. Otherwise, he'd just be a complete nutcase.
"But… thanks, Asia."