Oh no, I'm screwed.
"Phew…"
This might really blow up in my face.
"Crack!"
Cao Cao, why aren't you here yet? I'm counting on you to stir up some chaos.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
A sudden, violent tremor from the ground snapped Cid out of his thoughts. He quickly adjusted his footing to steady himself and looked at the wooden post in front of him that had been shattered.
This… did he do that?
Probably.
"Attention all residents of Itogami Island…"
The broadcast coming from outside made it clear that the tremor wasn't limited to the training ground. The entire Itogami Island had been affected.
After a quick mental estimate, the force he had just used on the wooden post was probably equivalent to the impact of a small meteorite.
Hmm… pretty lucky it didn't turn into a medium-sized one. Otherwise, he would have had to put on his Shadow gear, sink to the ocean floor, and hold the island up himself.
As for why the training ground hadn't collapsed, it could only mean the force had passed straight through, all of it directed into the foundation.
He glanced around and confirmed this was a proper training facility with no surveillance set up. Then he reached toward the ruined wooden post, letting threads of fine Magical Power flow through his body and into it.
Done. He had accidentally shattered the post while reinforcing his body with Magical Power. A flawless excuse.
This was a rare mistake for Cid. Normally, he should have been bothered by it, but instead, it helped shake him out of his anxiety.
It couldn't be helped. After hearing from Rias that someone would examine him on the day of the match, how could he not panic? His condition was fake, after all.
The original creator of the Evil Piece, Beelzebub-sama. One of the Four Great Satans. Sirzechs's rival. A top fifteen powerhouse in the world. Just those titles alone spoke volumes about his strength.
Cid couldn't just beat him in a fight, and trying to fool him like he did with Rias would most likely fail.
Originally, Rias had said it might take more than ten days to complete the fusion. That was no longer an option. At most, he could delay it until tomorrow night.
In other words, he only had one chance. Just this single opportunity to return the Evil Piece in a way that made sense.
The only problem was that this opportunity depended on Cao Cao making a move.
And in a situation like this, could he really trust Cao Cao?
No. He had to come up with something else. He couldn't put all his eggs in one basket.
It wasn't that he didn't trust Cao Cao. He understood very well that Cao Cao was the type to act recklessly. The real concern was what if Cao Cao actually backed down this time?
After all, with the Underworld authorities going all out and provoking everyone, more than half of the world's top fifteen had accepted the invitation. Faced with that kind of lineup, it would be completely understandable if Cao Cao chose to play it safe.
Backing down to protect himself would be the rational choice. If that didn't come at the cost of ruining Cid's role as a background character, it wouldn't be a problem. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, so it became a serious issue.
He needed to prepare backup plans. Plan B, Plan C. Cao Cao couldn't be fully relied on.
Or… should he head to the Underworld right now, find Beelzebub-sama, and beat him half to death so he wouldn't be able to attend tomorrow night's match?
No, there wasn't enough time. He might not even find him. Besides, he couldn't be in two places at once. Someone might come looking for him while he was gone.
Then what about making a move now to cause something to happen to Rias, forcing her to miss tomorrow's match?
No, that wouldn't work either. Things had already escalated too much. If Rias disappeared at a time like this, it would immediately draw the Four Great Satans here.
That left only one option.
Cid's eyes sharpened.
If Cao Cao didn't act, then he would step in himself. He would become Shadow and completely wreck the tournament, forcing everything to fall apart.
On the other hand, if Cao Cao did make a move, then he would adapt accordingly. Depending on the situation, he would decide whether to side with the Devils or Cao Cao.
As for the issue of not being able to split himself, that was easy. He could always use a bathroom break as an excuse.
After settling on several backup plans and thinking through how he would make his appearance tomorrow as the Eminence in Shadow, his training session was about over. Looking out the window of the training ground, he saw the sun had already begun to set.
After saying goodbye to his sister and Rias, he had to admit that the feeling of others continuing to work while he got to leave was pretty nice.
On the way back, he took out his phone and brushed things off in his chat with Asagi Aiba. Before he knew it, most of the journey had passed.
Even though news of tomorrow's match had already spread everywhere, he wasn't surrounded like some celebrity on TV.
After all, people only pay attention to the one in first place, not the one in second. And with the news spreading so recently, no one recognized him, someone with the weakest stats on paper.
As for after the tournament… it was hard to say how many people would even remember this so-called grand event. Whether his current popularity could even hold at one-thousandth of what it was now was already questionable, not to mention that by then, he and Rias would have already gone their separate ways.
He had plenty of experience dealing with situations like this. That experience told him clearly that all his current attention was built on Rias. Without that connection, no one would care about a background character like him.
As he reached his front door, Cid suddenly stopped. He glanced toward the house on the left, where the Akatsuki siblings lived, and a mix of confusion and surprise crossed his face.
Kojou Akatsuki and Nagisa Akatsuki went out yesterday and still haven't come back.
To be honest, Cid was a little worried. In over a year of being neighbors, this was the first time he had seen the two of them stay out for so long.
Forget it. If they're still not back tomorrow, I'll try calling them. If they don't pick up, I'll report it to Natsuki-chan and the Island Guard and have them look into it.
"Creak."
The heavy front door opened, and what greeted Cid was Asia, sitting quietly on the sofa with her knees pulled to her chest.
Hearing the door, Asia turned toward the sound, her eyes shimmering with moisture.
After confirming it was really Cid, she got up from the sofa and rushed over, wrapping her arms around him.
"Cid-san… I missed you."
Her voice came out muffled and slightly choked as she buried her face against his chest.
Cid instinctively returned the hug. He glanced around the spotless living room, noticed the meal Asia had prepared on the dining table, and the sofa she had been sitting on earlier, before lowering his gaze to her.
He was just about to speak when a soft "gurgle" came from Asia's stomach.
Realizing how embarrassing it was, her face instantly flushed red.
Cid said nothing. He simply took her by the hand and led her to the table. After the two of them finished eating, he looked at her again. Under his gaze, Asia visibly tensed.
"Asia, you're sick."
"?"
Asia thought she had misheard him, and Cid immediately realized his wording was off and corrected himself.
"Asia, I mean… what did you do today?"
Understanding what he meant, Asia quickly told him about her day.
After listening, Cid was certain.
Asia had a problem. A psychological one.
All day long, she had done nothing but pray, clean, go out to buy groceries, and cook. It wasn't that there was anything wrong with those things, but aside from them, she hadn't done a single thing for herself.
Another case like the young Seven Shadows. I need to find a chance to talk to her properly.
"Asia…"
With a brighter expression, Cid spoke.
"Have you ever thought about going to school?"