"Pay me back."
That was the first thing Cid said when he saw her.
Short silver hair. Deep blue eyes like the ocean. A delicate face as refined as a doll's. She must have run all the way here, because her cheeks were slightly flushed and she was breathing heavily.
If he were truly just some background extra, seeing a girl like this, he would have forgotten his original intention entirely. At the very least, he would have stepped forward to ask if she was alright.
Unfortunately, his "mob character" persona was only an act. There was no one else around, and the person he was asking for money didn't even know him. There was no need to keep pretending.
"Huh? Huh?!"
The confusion and surprise on Kanon Kanase's face were obvious.
Cid felt nothing in response. He simply pointed at the kittens eating cat food on the ground and calmly explained all the expenses and trouble he had gone through taking care of them during this time.
"I'm sorry. Please accept this money."
The girl bowed apologetically in front of him, holding her wallet out with both hands.
Cid's heart… no, that wasn't quite right. At most, it stirred slightly.
The moment he noticed that faint reaction, his pupils trembled for an instant. However, his expression remained calm as he reached out and took the wallet.
"This is too much. This amount is enough."
After counting the money, he realized that even after deducting his expenses, there were still several hundred thousand left. Although he was tempted by such a large sum, Cid only took the amount that covered the cost of caring for the kittens during this period.
"No, Cid-nii-san. This money was meant for you in the first place. I want to ask you to help take care of them."
"?"
Kanon Kanase crouched down, her gaze gentle as she looked at the kittens. She picked one up, took a deep breath, and slowly began to speak.
"Cid-nii-san, I'm leaving this island soon. I might never come back.
I'm worried about them, but I can't find anyone willing to adopt them on such short notice. So I want to ask you, Cid-nii-san, to take care of them for me and help them find someone willing to adopt them.
I know you don't really want to take care of them, but if it's about money, I can help. If it's not enough, I can bring more.
So just this once. Just this once is enough. Until we find someone willing to adopt them."
Looking at the uneasy Kanon Kanase in front of him, Cid began calculating in his mind.
Clearly, this situation worked in his favor.
Although not many people on this island kept pets, that was only relative to the island's enormous population. Once you excluded those who lacked the ability to adopt, those living in residential areas where pets were forbidden, and those who had no intention of adopting, there were still plenty of people who could keep animals.
In other words, if he managed to find someone willing to adopt the cats before the money Kanon Kanase gave him ran out, whatever remained would naturally become his.
Even considering the expenses before finding adopters, he was guaranteed at least several hundred thousand.
No. Since Kanon Kanase could bring more money if needed, it could easily exceed a million.
If he were truly shameless, he could even take the money and ignore the cats afterward. No one would ever know. By then, Kanon Kanase would already have left the island.
So…
"…Alright. I'll take care of them for now and try to find someone willing to adopt them."
Of course he agreed. Why would he refuse several hundred thousand falling into his lap?
Naturally, he wouldn't do something like take the money and abandon the cats. Whether it was Mob Cid or Cid the Eminence in Shadow, neither would stoop that low.
Hearing his answer, the tension in Kanon Kanase's brows finally relaxed, and she smiled warmly.
"Thank you, Cid-nii-san."
After thanking him, Kanon Kanase began carefully checking the kittens' condition again. After all, Cid had no experience taking care of kittens, and there was always a chance something had gone wrong during the past few days.
Watching this, Cid simply shrugged and turned back to petting the cats.
These adorable creatures, with their fluffy fur and incredible softness, were truly irresistible. If they didn't take up his training time or cost so much money, he might have considered raising one himself.
Unfortunately, this pleasant arrangement, where he could relieve most of his stress without spending any money, was about to come to an end.
"By the way, why ask me for help? We barely know each other. Kanon, aren't you worried I might just take the money and disappear?"
That was Cid's honest thought. Even though he had seemed familiar with Kanon earlier, they had only known each other for a few months.
In reality, the total number of words they exchanged in an entire week was probably less than what they had said today. Usually, he would come here on weekends to pet the cats and relax, while Kanon Kanase took care of them nearby. By the end of the day, they would have only exchanged a few sentences.
They knew nothing about each other. Where the other lived, which school they attended, what food they liked. Aside from both liking cats, even the names they told each other could have been fake.
They were strangers who happened to know each other's names. That was the extent of their relationship.
"No, I'm not worried. Because… Cid-nii-san is a very gentle person. And Cid-nii-san likes them too, doesn't he?"
"???"
Kanon Kanase's answer completely stunned Cid.
Right now, he genuinely wanted to ask her if she was blind. How exactly had she managed to associate him with the word "gentle," a word that didn't suit him at all?
Cid thought back on his identity and everything he had done over the past year.
He had taken control of an international terrorist organization. Because he thought it would look cool, he had nearly launched an attack powerful enough to send the entire Eurasian continent into the sky. He had watched a world-ending disaster unfold without lifting a finger. And even now, he was still on wanted lists.
Though to be precise, only wanted.
Ha. Calling him a gentle person was about as ridiculous as the existence of the Cult of Diablos.
Nothing was worse than when the air suddenly fell silent. Especially when a conversation had been going smoothly and then suddenly neither side knew how to continue.
Unfortunately, at this moment, Cid truly didn't know what to say.
"Grrrk…"
Fortunately, the sound of a stomach growling broke the awkward silence.
"U-um… I…"
Kanon Kanase didn't feel fortunate at all. Instead, her face turned red. She instinctively covered her stomach with her hand, stammering from embarrassment.
"Did you rush here without eating?"
When a girl finds herself in a moment this embarrassing, there are generally two ways to respond.
One is to tease her about it. For people who are close, it can even deepen their relationship.
The other is to pretend nothing happened and move on to another topic, rather than drawing attention to it.
Cid was not the kind of person who would joke about a girl's embarrassment. Even though their relationship might have improved slightly after her request just now, he still felt that kind of behavior was a bit mean.
"Mm… yeah. I hadn't come here for a while, so I was worried something might have happened to them."
Seeing that Cid didn't dwell on what had just happened, Kanon Kanase gradually calmed down and explained the reason.
"..."
"Cid-nii-san, there's something I wanted to ask you. If your family…"
"Wait, wait, wait. Kanon. Rather than telling me about your family situation, I think what you need right now is to eat something."
In truth, he simply had no interest in other people's family matters.
He had seen situations like this many times before. Nine times out of ten, something had happened at home. And it was probably related to why Kanon Kanase hadn't shown up for the past few days.
But he had no intention of getting involved.
It wouldn't give him a chance to appear as the Eminence in Shadow, and it would only waste his time. Better to change the subject now and slip away later before Kanon had the chance to bring it up again.
"Here. Watermelon juice. I didn't bring any food, so at least get some sugar in your system."
Luckily, he had bought the watermelon juice earlier. At the time, he thought it would be troublesome to return home and then go back out to the convenience store again.
Otherwise, he might have ended up paying to treat Kanon Kanase to a meal.
As for the watermelon juice he had planned to give the Devil tonight, he could just stop by the convenience store again on the way back.
With that thought, he pulled the bottle from his backpack and tossed it to Kanon Kanase.
"Hmm? What's wrong? Don't you like it?"
Maybe it was just his imagination, but when Kanon Kanase caught the watermelon juice, her already fair and delicate skin seemed to turn even paler.
"No, of course not. I like anything Cid-nii-san gives me."
As if trying to prove it, Kanon Kanase immediately opened the bottle and started drinking.
"Hey! Kanon, you don't have to drink it that fast."
It was less drinking and more pouring it down her throat. Even if she swallowed quickly, some of the juice spilled from the bottle and soaked part of her clothes.
By the time she finished the bottle, her clothes were slightly wet, and her face had turned noticeably pale.
If Cid had only suspected it before, now he was certain.
Kanon Kanase didn't like watermelon juice.
"Cid… ugh…!"
She barely managed to say a single word before suddenly throwing up.