"I started getting anxious when you went no-contact on us, but here you are." Cid turned around, bag hanging off one shoulder, as he found Alpha leaning against one of the trees in the final tree line of the local forest.

"Yup, not much I could do with my sister dragging me all over the place." He replied matter-of-factly.

"So shameful." Alpha chuckled "Not sure if I'd like seeing you being manhandled like that."

"It's simply normal for the weaker child to be at the mercy of the stronger one." Cid shrugged, resuming his walk as Alpha got in line to his right "It's the same with the Shades, no? They all listen to you after all."

"You thinking of them like a family like that warms my heart. Although you fit awkwardly in that picture." Alpha replied, almost toying with the idea "Well, I suppose we are all these girls have. So in a way, our little group is like a family indeed."

"Mhm." Cid didn't really know what to say, so he dropped the topic "Say, what brings you here?"

"Can't I come to see you because I want to?" The blonde elf asked back "Is that bad even if I'm discreet?"

"Not at all, you can of course do as you please." It was, after all, what Cid always did. And he wished for nothing less for the Shades that had kept him company for this long.

"I know you're strong, so worrying about your well-being is probably pointless. But I feel like you'll just get out of our reach if…" Alpha stopped. Both her voice and legs came to a halt as she looked at the ground, looking for her words.

"Hmm?" Cid stopped a few steps ahead, turning back to the odd mood his first playmate got herself into.

"I—." Alpha leaned in a bit, right hand over her chest balled into a fist.

"Hey, Cid!" A new voice interrupted.

"Oh, hey Issei." Cid greeted the newcomer, a boy rushing on his bike and hitting the brake just in time to not run over the background character.

Cid turned his eyes to the corner of his vision. Alpha was gone.

"Huh? Wasn't there someone with you?"

"You must've imagined it." Cid replied.

"Huh? Maybe I haven't recovered from the beating your sister gave me yesterday…" Issei replied, cradling his head as he made an expression of pain.

That was the reason Cid hadn't been able to sneak back to Shadow Garden: The people from the real world had snuck into the portal and made contact with the Academy. Long story short, some of the students from Kuoh Academy had been transferred over to the other world, and the spellswords from the Academy were transferred to Kuoh Town. Among which Claire had been chosen, who then dragged Cid to the other world as she refused to let go of him.

It was a pain in the ass, honestly. But at least he got to meet Issei.

"Please stop harassing the girls that can beat your ass." Cid sharpened his sight, the magic behind the world's workings unravelling for him as he studied the moron in front of him.

Issei had something similar yet different from the girls of Shadow Garden. Clogged with power to the brim, the boy's potential was unparalleled by anything he had seen in the other world. He was a beast in the making, and Cid had never seen something like that before. Issei wasn't strong, not yet. In fact, the power in his body seemed to bind and restrain his full capability. Something Cid understood immediately: Issei found himself in a similar situation to the Possessed. Although Cid wasn't sure Issei would survive the power breaking through the seals.

Not yet.

"Anyways, let's go." Cid did his best to speak normally, biting his tongue with so much force he drew blood. Yet he swallowed it as the two of them kept on walking. With Issei having gotten off his bike.

Finally, at long last. After sharpening his role and getting the girls to play along with him. After finding magic and being transported into a different world. Sure, it took him getting back to accomplish this. But the euphoria Cid was feeling was akin to having puked the last piece of bad food in his stomach. Like he had finally popped his back after staying in a single position for days on end.

Finally, he was here: The main character.

"Oh, hey. Is that sis?"

"Err… I just remembered I gotta see Buchou before classes! I'll go first, bye Cid!" Issei jumped onto his bike and sped off before Cid could even motion to pretend he had looked back.

Convenient.

"You can come out." Cid commented, feeling Alpha re-appear behind him a second later "Our time is nigh, Alpha."

"...How come?" The elf asked, seeing the brown haired guy ride without any hint of self-preservation through traffic and people.

"Keep an eye on him." Cid made his voice lower, letting 0.00001% of his happiness show in a cheeky grin.

"...Is he special? I can see he has potential but…" Her words were interrupted when Cid snapped his head in her direction. The human neck shouldn't have been able to get that range of motion, and they both heard the snapping of his bones as he moved.

"Potential…?" He wanted to admonish her. But he'd take the opportunity to hype the main character up every time "I see. Just wait and witness."

"If you say so, then it must be true." Alpha nodded "I'll tell the girls that it is your will."

"Please do so." Cid clapped his hands "Now… Let's go."

"...?" Alpha tilted her head "Wouldn't skipping classes get your sister's attention?"

"Yes, but… There's something we must do. Unfinished business."

Alpha's expression sharpened "You don't mean…?"

Cid nodded, and coolly pointed his thumb at the food district "Burgir."

Epsilon was having a terrible day. Not only had she been yanked out of the HQ before she could run through her daily slime training, but she got wind of some very terrible news.

With Lady Alpha being the closest in sheer talent to Lord Shadow, it was obvious the other Shades would let her do as she pleased. And thus Epsilon didn't have the chance to oppose her and volunteer to look for the Lord's whereabouts.

Lady Alpha didn't take that long at least. And Epsilon could've slept well knowing that the Lady was laser focused on Shadow Garden's mission and not getting in Epsilon's way in her personal endeavours… And yet…

"Security in this town is different, stricter." Lady Alpha had said, showing Epsilon the male uniform of the school "Lord Shadow has personally requested that you play the role of Cid Kagenou in his absence."

"Wha-wha-wha-wha…?!" Epsilon trembled, crossing her arms around her body "Why me?! Our bodies are as different as day and night!"

Alpha smirked, confidence and trust shining through her eyes like a damning compliment "Lord Shadow has noticed your ability with slime modification, and he's confident you'll be able to adapt to his shape. Fortunately, or perhaps by design, he has chosen to build his outer persona as that of a simpleton. So you should have no problems performing and abusing the role for our operations."

He knew?! HOW?! Since when?! Epsilon's exercises had been done with utmost secrecy! Not even the Seven Shades should've known of them! Epsilon was sure and proud of her skills! No one should've been capable of screening and recognizing…!

…No one but Lord Shadow, of course.

"Heh… Hehehehe…" Epsilon collapsed, a single tear running down her right eye.

"Hmmm?" Delta tilted her head, the only Shade other than Alpha that wasn't running her own theories and mockery in her head "Somethin' wrong?"

"It's over… I'm finished…" Epsilon laughed weakly.

"I…" Alpha lowered the uniform, for once mimicking Delta's motion "Epsilon?"

"Should I get one of the Numbers for this?" Beta chimed in, the smug bitch.

"No." Lady Alpha looked troubled, but her voice remained firm "Lord Shadow specifically asked for Epsilon to do this. His will will be done. I shall have it no other way."

Epsilon cowered. The sharpness in Lady Alpha's tone making even Delta stand to attention.

"Now, get off the floor. Epsilon, you have a mission. And you are going to fulfil it."

"...Yes." Epsilon weakly obeyed, taking the uniform and checking its measurements to start spinning her slime.

"What about this Souna Shitori and company?" Beta asked "What shall we do with them?"

"Keep an eye out. Lord Shadow wasn't particularly impressed by them, so they're not really people of interest. But it won't hurt our operations to beware these people." Lady Alpha replied, crossing her arms "Other than that…"

The Shades waited for the blonde to elaborate, but she didn't.

"Lady Alpha…?" Epsilon snapped a bit out of her daze, seeing the expression in the woman. Worry changing her face altogether.

"No. It's nothing." The blonde shook her head "I shall remain close by to Lord Shadow for a while. There's something he has taken personal interest in, but I don't want it getting in the way of his operations."

"Wha…?" Beta reacted first, although Epsilon and Delta were shocked by it as well.

That wasn't fair! Lady Alpha couldn't just take all of Lord Shadow's time!

"I wanna see the boss-man too!" Delta protested.

"No, Delta. Girls." The lady shook her head "This place… It is different. There's strange magic surrounding the town at all times. And I fear the more of us there are, the easier it'll be to cut off Shadow Garden's head at once."

The lady sighed.

"Lord Shadow knows something is wrong. And he needs someone to stay in the radar while he's gone… Do you understand?"

"Is he… Wary of those that are watching?" Beta sounded like she couldn't believe it. So shocked she might as well have heard Lord Shadow had been a lunatic faking his knowledge all along.

"Someone with his level of knowledge and experience is always wary." Lady Alpha replied "But it seems he's found that this mission requires very specific steps. I do not ask you to trust me blindly, but please trust Lord Shadow's methods."

Epsilon gulped, but nodded along the other Shades. How could they not? When had Lord Shadow failed to deliver?