Chapter 5: Another Boy Meets Another Girl
"Good luck! Actually, you won't even need luck, will you, Cid?!
"You'll do great! We know you will!"
Ever since he picked up a sword, at least as far as his parents were aware, M̶̰͎͌i̴͔͇̙̿́͗͜͠n̶̠̦͒̀̍̓o̷̭̓̓̅̌r̴̥̤̥̅̀̋̕ͅű̶̦͓̩ Cid purposefully made sure to be outwardly unremarkable with his abilities. Unlike their prodigy of a daughter, he seemed to be worse than her in every aspect. Strength, speed, dexterity, magic, and even determination. It was all done to keep Cid irrelevant, keep him with low expectations and attention. Even when he 'improved', all that meant was him just going from painfully mediocre to average.
"WE LOVE YOU!"
…
That's why when it was time for Cid to leave for the academy, he was surprised that his parents were just as self-assured with his abilities as with Claire. At least, that's how it felt like considering their enthusiasm.
I'm ashamed to admit that I may have failed in my attempt to portray myself as an utterly incompetent mob… Well, maybe I got some things right…
Cid frowns, starting to get up from his seat in the train cart, but pauses midway.
Wait, suddenly getting up from your seat to clear your head after trying to self reflect? That's definitely major protagonist energy right there!
Sighing to himself, the boy sits back down, looking at his window. Despite the great view of the land, that's not his main focus. After scooching closer to it, he is able to see his reflection.
…But…
…I can't just stay like this…
The boy lets out a big yawn, much to his dismay. He knew he was going to sleep at some point on the train, especially with how quiet this cart has been for awhile. He was still a ways off from reaching the capital, and he already felt the exhaustion starting to set in now that he wasn't busy. H̸̛͍͙͜e̵̜̫̺͗͌ ̶̯͍̌͂̈́c̶̻͈̾á̷̬̭͜ń̴̪'̶̜͑t̵̻̦̲͝ ̴̰̭̊̇͂a̴̯̘̺͛̚l̶͔̞̍̈́l̸̜̘͋̕͠o̸̰̻̗̊ẅ̸̳̻̏͠ ̷̜̺̩͆̊ḫ̷̈́͌i̵̧̲͊m̴͈̹͚̿́š̶̩͗͒ë̶͉͕́l̶͉̎f̵̝̼̫̀͝ ̷͉̱̩̎t̴͔̮̝̂͗ơ̴͍ ̴̦͒s̵̯̠͈̓l̵̨̠͂̀̄e̶̼̹̜͒̋͂ȩ̷̦̉̌p̸͈̰͗ ̴̩͖̪̈ṅ̵̫̮͑ô̴͜w̵̨̗̓̂͛.̶̨̑̈́͜͝
Cid remains seated, going back and forth with himself over whether or not he should stay or just get up, even if walking to one end of the cart and back repeatedly looked stupid at best or like something a main character would do at worst.
He was so wrapped up in his own head that he didn't notice that the train had been continuously slowing down for a while until it fully stopped in its tracks.
…Wait…
Stopping himself from what he was doing, he looked outside his window. Cid is filled with confusion as outside of the train was nothing but the vast plains they were just riding through.
We're still in the middle of nowhere. Why did the conductor stop?
Due to the irregularity of the situation, he finally relents to getting up, looking around at any of the other passengers to see how they were reacting. What he saw only left him even more bewildered.
Is… Is everyone asleep?
He goes over to the closest person, nudging their shoulder. He's able to confirm from the faint sounds of breathing that they were actually unconscious.
…
Cid moves from one end of his cart to the other, trying to wake them up with increasing fervor as he continues.
What's going on? What happened to the train?
The conductor said nothing about a sudden stoppage. If they did, I definitely would have heard it, right?
Going to the front of the cart to open the door to the next one and find out more, he suddenly pauses, hearing voices from the cart ahead of him.
"This cart is clear! Moving on to the next one!"
"Alright! Don't take too long this time! We don't know how much longer this will last!"
"Then we'll just kill 'em if they wake up!"
He takes a few steps back when he hears footsteps approaching from the other cart. A few seconds later, the door is opened, revealing one of the culprits. The man spots him immediately, taking a step back, and drawing a sword with no hesitation.
"What the? Hey! Why are you still awake?!"
Cid looks at him with a neutral expression, still trying to determine what was happening. He was able to piece some things together, but not come up with an answer yet.
"Hey, I heard you yelling! What's going on-!"
Another pair of footsteps is heard behind the first man.
"One of the passengers got up!"
A second man makes it to his side, also holding his own blade.
"Makes no sense. Gas was supposed to knock out all of 'em."
They're both wearing scarves and bandannas, covering their mouth and nose…
"Tsk, don't matter. You. Hand over all your valuables and leave. Don't listen to us, and you aren't leaving this train alive."
Threatening me with death if I don't hand over all of my money…
…Is this…
…Is… this…
"Did you hear what I just said?! Why are you smiling?!"
A TRAIN ROBBERY?!
"HEY! Are you even paying attention-"
Bandit number two approaches. But before he could even raise his own sword at the boy-
SLASH
"FUCK!"
The first bandit moves back in horror after a tendril of slime launches itself from the boy towards his ally, cleanly cutting his head off. His body falls forward, plopping down on the ground unceremoniously, the head landing on the lap of one of the passengers.
So cool! And the use of some sort of scentless gas to knock everyone but them out! Incredible! If Eta didn't try drugging me so many times, they would have gotten me for sure!
"Listen, ordinarily since I'm trying to be in mob-mode here, I would just comply, beg for my life, maybe even break down into sobs for a bit. But you guys sort of caught me off guard."
The man turns away from his friend's corpse, looking back at Cid. What he finds is a boy staring at him in complete amazement, disturbing him to his core.
"W-W-W-"
"I have to admit, a plan like this is amazing. One minute everyone is alright, and in the next they're all asleep. If I wasn't here, you would have been able to run everyone's pockets without them ever knowing it was you."
The boy starts walking towards the bandit. He isn't even able to call out for his friends to come over and assist. What could they do? This boy is immune to their gas and somehow decapitated one of their own without even moving his body.
"I really appreciate you guys making this trip entertaining. I was sort of having a hard time here, so this distraction is perfect."
"…"
A dark blade materializes in the boy's hand as he continues. By the time he reached the still frozen bandit, the man already accepted his fate.
"However, I really want to get out of this train as soon as possible, and this delay is only making things worse. Regardless of that…"
The boy raises his sword, still keeping eye contact. Ĥ̶̰̺̖̾͘e̸̦̫͐́ ̶̘̰͒̏d̷̠̳̿̚͘ê̵̝̺̙s̴̩̚e̴͚̔́r̸̨̽v̵̝̳̝̓͠ĕ̸̺̺͚s̴̩̦͓͊̽ ̶̡̳̊t̵̗̋h̶̘̞̳̐i̴̧͍̘͌͆s̷͔͙̣̄͠.̴̫̗̍̕
"… Thank you."
"…"
SLASH
This is a fun world.
CLANG
CLANG
Claire stays on the offensive with her opponent, trying to look for an opening. She succeeds in her goal when she sees him stagger momentarily from her latest attack.
"I got you now!"
The girl lunges, aiming to land a blow on the man's chest.
I got him!
SMACK
The trainee isn't able to celebrate her presumed victory as she feels something hard suddenly driving into her forehead. Her body falls to the ground, only saved from further damage by the grass that the two were sparring on.
"Ow! How did you even do that?! I had you!"
She sits up, rubbing where she was hit profusely. Claire didn't expect him to suddenly strike her with the pommel of his blade like that. She's still on the ground when the man approaches her, sheathing his sword and picking hers up.
"You got too greedy with your attacks again. Don't get me wrong, your performance was still very impressive, but you still have to remember some things."
He reaches his other hand out for Claire to take.
"Not everyone will be overwhelmed by your power and speed. If they're able to figure out how you fight, they'll be able to counter you quickly, just like I did."
"… Yeah… You're right…"
She stops rubbing her forehead after a few more seconds. Taking his hand, she picks herself up, giving him a small smile.
"Thank you, Zenon…"
For most of Claire's life, she has almost always been a winner in regards to combat. She surpassed her father within only a few years of training. She always won against the children of the other nobles she sparred with before leaving for the academy. And her younger brother was… well… very familiar with the ground thanks to her.
It won't be for long anyways…
It would be a lie to say that she didn't have a bit of an ego when she first arrived at the academy. She expected things to remain the same as they were back home. And while it was true for the majority of students she fought with, the moment she tried sparring with Zenon during her first year, that pride was shattered along with her previous sword.
"Are you okay, Claire?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah."
She's still not exactly sure how she was able to convince Zenon Griffey of all instructors to help her even further hone her swordsmanship when the two had free time, but it's been a very beneficial arrangement for her.
"Good. It's probably best that we wrap things up for now. He's coming later today, isn't he?"
The mention of him makes Claire involuntarily smile. Nodding at Zenon, she takes her sword back.
"Yes. He's starting his first year soon. I'm just gonna take him around, show him some of my new favorite places, and test him on the progress he has made since I left. You know, catch up together."
"That's nice. I hope you won't give him too hard of a time. If you're right about what you say, then he might end up becoming one of my students this year."
Claire's eyes widen in surprise as she sheathes her sword. She somehow overlooked the possibility that Cid would end up in his class. When she first got here, it only took just under a month before she was put under Zenon's instruction due to being already very skilled among her peers.
Can… Can he do the same too?
Claire shakes her head at Zenon.
"I'm sure he's more than capable of getting into your class. Just… he may not be as quick to get there as I was. Like I said, give him some time to adjust to things here. When the time comes, I know that he'll impress you, probably more than I have."
The man raises an eyebrow at the girl's words.
"That's saying a lot, Claire. I've seen your progress over these two years. I'd be surprised if he ends up being close to your level, let alone above it in one year.
Before Claire is able to rebut his statement, he pats her shoulder.
"But you've shown yourself to be worthy of trust. I look forward to meeting him, whether or not he becomes one of my own."
Her eyes widened again upon hearing his words. She looks away from the instructor, trying but failing to hide her red face.
"T-Thank you, Mr. Grif-"
"Hey, what did I say? It's okay to call me Zenon when we're alone."
"R-Right… Zenon."
The two wave each other goodbye before parting. As Claire makes it back to her dorm, a single thought persists in her mind.
I hope you'll enjoy this place as much as I have, Cid…
Almost there! Finally!
Cid is barely able to contain his excitement when they get past the city walls, with it only getting greater the closer he gets to the station. Thankfully, the delay that the bandits caused wasn't too long. By the time Cid had tossed the last body in a ditch, everyone was starting to wake up.
This trip has been incredibly dull, well, other than what the bandits did. The passengers' reactions when they saw the bodies in the cart was also entertaining.
He smiles at the recollection. He already got to cross off a train hijacking on his list before he even arrived in the capital. If this wasn't good foreshadowing for what's to come in the future, he wouldn't know what is.
Looking out the window again, he sees some places that he vaguely remembers passing by during his previous visits with-
Claire…
His smile drops at the reminder. He had almost completely forgotten about her.
Damnit. Having her around will make my plans harder…
Back before t̸̻̺̠̀̓̉h̴͉͚̘͎͆̆ò̸̡̩̣̘̃s̸̛̼͈̱̍͐ē̵̝̱̂̔͝ ̷̨͆͛̒s̶̡̩̗͊̊ĕ̷̢̝͒̓̊v̴̖͉̏͠e̸̡͎̗̔̂̓n̷̯͕͕̼̎͌̾ ̶̢̾̾l̵͈͖͔̓͑ȩ̴̢̳̺̋͒͒͘ả̵̫̗̤ŗ̷̀́n̸̢̅͠e̴̮͋d̸̫͍̞͂̉͌͠ ̶̪̥͈͑͜t̷͉͝h̴̰̓̉e̶͈̗͙̚ ̸̰̃͋ṯ̴̛̩̹̱͗͛r̷̬̬͙̋̅͋͝u̶̞̟̣̦̇̑̈́͊t̴̺̬̫̿̋h̷̡̊̈́̕ she left for the academy, for her last year she had set up a whole routine for him to follow. Waking up at this time, brushing his teeth, eating, training, reading about swordplay, training, eating, training, training, and if he was sometimes lucky, 'sleeping'. Did he forget to mention training?
She should be nowhere near as overbearing as she was back then. I've gotten 'better'…
Cid sighs to himself as he feels the train beginning to slow down, having reached the station. Hopefully Claire will be too busy with schoolwork and whatever other duties she has to bother him like she used to.
Coming to a full stop, the passengers start getting up. Cid doesn't want to wait any longer, getting out as quickly as a mob can.
Regardless of her, this should be a good fresh start. I can't see this going wrong. Not at all.
Making it out of the station and into the streets, all he has to do now is make it to his new dorm and he finally gets to properly relax.
"Cid?!"
The boy's ear twitches when he hears his name being called from behind, deadpanning at the voice.
…Not… at… all…
And… done.
Putting his comb down, the boy looks at himself in the mirror, checking his work.
Hmm… too neat…
Bringing a hand to his hair, he ruffles it a bit, trying to correct himself.
…Wait, now it looks too messy.
Comb comb comb
Too neat.
Ruffle ruffle ruffle
Too messy.
Comb comb comb
Too neat.
Ruffle ruffle ruffle.
Too messy.
Comb comb comb
Ruffle ruffle ruffle
Comb comb comb
Ruffle ruffle ruffle
Comb ruffle comb ruffle comb ruffle comb ruffle comb ruff-
Okay, it should be good enough.
Putting his comb down one final time, Cid gives himself one last inspection. His uniform wasn't completely pristine or sloppy. His hair wasn't on point or looked like he just rolled out of bed. His face s̶͓̓̌t̸̻̃̀͜i̵̳̙͛l̷̛̻̥̂l̶͔̹̍̀ ̸̣̔̒͜h̵̢̓͜ạ̶̒̈d̷̹́ ̸͉͕̆̕ė̷̩y̴̪͊ĕ̴̤͝b̴̘͝a̴͙͌g̶̲͝s̶̗̀ seemed about the same as yesterday.
…Wait, aren't I already late?
He pries his eyes off the mirror, checking the clock next to his bed. Sure enough, he was already 10 minutes past when he was "supposed" to be walking out of his room.
Cid doesn't bother stalling his day any longer. Giving himself one last look over in the mirror, he grabs his bag and heads towards the door.
It isn't even fully open when he suddenly feels it being pushed from the other side. Already knowing what's gonna happen, Cid moves back for them.
"Cid, finally!"
"Come on, we have to go!"
The two boys stumble into the room, locking their eyes with him once they see that he's there.
"What's taking you so long, Cid?! The train is about to leave!"
"Yeah. We don't want to leave you!"
…
"R-Right! Of course! No more time to waste! Let's go!"
Cid nervously smiles as he runs past them, sharing their sense of urgency. They close the door behind him, closely following.
It was a close call, barely making it to the station. They were able to squeeze into a crowded cart right before the doors had fully shut. Fortunately, one of the poles to hold on to still had enough room for the three of them to stay together. The boys let out a collective sigh of relief. Another brush with lateness that has ended in their favor once again.
"Cid, you really have to start waking up earlier. We can't keep doing this."
The tallest of the boys looks down at Cid with a concerned expression.
"Is something wrong?"
Cid shakes his head, looking down in embarrassment.
"N-No Skel. Not at all."
"Then why does this keep happening? Are you that heavy of a sleeper?"
…
"Not at all, Po."
"… Okay."
The two feel a slight shift in tone coming from their friend, but it isn't enough for them to comment on. They decide on dropping the conversation and leaving it for later. Cid brings his head back up, looking at them as they start speaking to each other about something else.
It's been a few months since I've begun attending the academy. Things have been going relatively smoothly. I have been able to blend in nicely as just another ordinary student, making two equally irrelevant friends, Skel Etal, and Po Tato, two perfectly normal names.
Fortunately for me, my sister is too busy with her own schedule to focus on me like she used to. Other than the occasional day off where she likes to drag me around the capital or test me, we mostly never see each other throughout the day, and if we do, it's never long enough for her to do anything with me.
…
…This is paradise…
"Hey, Cid, you're spacing out again. Hello?"
Cid hears Skel snapping his fingers at him, interrupting his thoughts.
"O-Oh. What is it?"
"Did you not hear us? We were talking about the bet. Are you still… you know… gonna go through with it?"
"… I d-don't have much choice, do I?"
"You still do. If it really comes down to it, we'll do damage control for you."
"N-No, please. I don't want you guys getting any unnecessary attention for m-my sake."
Po frowns at Cid's response to Skel.
"Do you think we care about that? No, we don't. It's not completely your fault that you got the lowest score on the practical."
"Po, he fell asleep standing while being evaluated. We're lucky he even got a C."
"That could happen to anyone."
"…"
Cid deadpans at the two as they start going back and forth with each other again with energy that shouldn't be expected in the morning.
Maybe I really should lay off on making myself appear so timid with them. They don't even think I can handle this bet.
The bet in question was made among his classmates for fun at first, but somewhere down the line, the occasional joke turned into a legitimate risk. The conditions were rather simple. Whoever scored the lowest among the group of students on mana evaluation would have the pleasure of being forced to 'confess their love' to Princess Alexia Midgar. It just so happened that the one who ended up earning that position on the chopping block was-
"Cid, we're here."
"Come on, let's go."
Cid refocuses on his surroundings when he hears his friends, seeing them walking out of the now open train along with everyone else.
"Oh, right!"
The three boys walk together into the campus with everyone else.
Good mobs. All we have to do is make it through class, and at the end of the day, I can finally put all this practice to good work.
Losing the bet was surprisngly not a bad thing in Cid's mind.
Confessing to a main heroine and suffering from her brutal rejection… At last, I can finally scratch that off the list!
Despite the huge emphasis on maintaining his status as a mob character, the boy still has certain scenarios he wishes to go through, this being one of the most anticipated for him. So for this situation to just fall onto his lap the way it did…
"… Cid, I just realized something."
Both Skel and Po stop walking. Cid continues for a few more steps before he notices, turning his head back.
"O-Oh? What is it, Po?"
"… You don't have your sword with you…"
…
"W-What?! Again?!"
The boy's face turns red as he looks down to his side, 'noticing' their observation. Honestly, he is surprised that it took them this long to realize it. Especially after it happened a couple of times already.
There are benefits to displaying this incompetence…
Cid hears loud sighs coming from behind, turning back to face his friends. The two were probably going to start lecturing him again. But-
"… Oh…"
"Hm? Is something wrong, guys?"
He sees how Skel and Po start to frown slightly, looking ahead of Cid.
"Cid, you're really not gonna confess to Princess Alexia, right?"
"Y-Yeah. Cid, are you sure you want to go through with that?"
"Is something wrong? W-Why are you asking again?"
The boy turns his head quizzically at the two. Skel points a finger over Cid's shoulder.
"If you want to see why we still have a problem with this, take a look over there."
Turning back around, Cid sees what the two were referring to. In the distance, it looks like another guy is already living out his fantasy, as he knelt in front of Princess Alexia, with a semi-large crowd gathered around them.
Doing it at this time of day? Does he have no patience? Everyone knows this is an end of the day sort of event.
Cid blankly watches as the princess seems to be smiling at the other boy speaking. When he seems to be done, he extends his hands out to her, holding a bouquet.
Damn! I should have brought flowers with me too! That would make my confession even more NPC-like!
That sudden thought completely derails Cid's attention as he starts thinking about how he just ruined his own plan by overlooking something so simple. The boy slumps his shoulders in defeat, continuing to walk. He doesn't even bother watching the guy getting politely rejected yet still running away in tears.
"Cid, we can't guarantee that there won't be a crowd. Don't get me wrong, we'll try to make sure there isn't one. But still…"
"I… I'm sorry, Cid. But I really don't think you should do this. Put honor aside, this won't do you well. You're just gonna embarrass yourself."
"D-Don't w-worry. I can do this. I-I can definitely do this…"
Cid puts on a determined face, nodding to them.
"I already k-know where and when to do it. I… I would appreciate it if y-you could help me."
Po still looks slightly displeased, but Skel seems to stop frowning in exchange for a small smile at his friend's response.
"… I've never seen you this adamant on doing something that you're normally so uncomfortable with…"
Cid's face turns slightly red from Skel's words.
"W-Well, what are you trying to say with that?"
"Hm? Nothing. It's just…"
Skel's smile grows wider, looking more sincere than even Cid could expect from the situation.
"… I'm so glad that you're trying to work on your confidence and social skills. Even if this particular method isn't the best."
…
"O-Oh…"
The three continue to walk in silence, with Cid still walking ahead of them. He watches as the crowd ahead begins to disperse, leaving Princess Alexia to walk off by herself.
Regardless of what I'm missing, I'll still make this work. This is something I can't afford to fail again. Last time around I-
…
…
What did I-
Thinking about Skel's words, the determination that was present on his face goes away and he returns to his trademark deadpan stare.
Skel is still taking my side when it inconveniences him, and even though Po is still a little upset, I doubt he wouldn't help too…
Cid turns his head to look at the two 'mobs' behind him. They were also irrelevant background characters. So why were they so unconditionally helpful to him?
…It's not like it'll last long anyways…
The boy sighs, turning his head back forward. He's doing this to get closer to becoming an Eminence in Shadows, nothing more.
Besides, it's only a matter of time before he ends up all alone again.
"This was a mistake. We have to get him out of there."
"Now you want him to back out? The moment he's already in front of her? It's too late to save him now."
Skel and Po speak in hushed voices, making sure not to move around too much in the shrub they are hiding in.
"What are we supposed to do? Watch him kill himself in embarrassment?"
"I mean… That's all we can do now."
"..."
Skel doesn't bother to respond, letting out a sigh in defeat. Po has a point, but still…
"Look, he's starting."
The time has finally come for Cid to put his mob confession skills to the test. Despite the dread and shakiness the boy was exhibiting from his body as he stood only a meter away from Princess Alexia in the courtyard, his soul burned with determination to do this right. This is it. This will be his new magnum opus of mob acting.
"P-P-P-P-Princess A-A-Alexis!"
Call the girl by the wrong name in the introduction to show just how utterly nervous you are. Make sure to incorporate stuttering during the whole process.
"Y-Yes?"
The princess looks at the boy in a mixture of confusion and concern.
"I-I-I-I-!"
Feign breathlessness and strain in your voice as if this was a moment you've been rehearsing, but now are completely failing to execute.
"I-I L-L-LOVE Y-Y-Y-YOU! I-I-I T-T-THINK!"
Don't tell the girl you never interacted with before until now that you like her. Use the word love to catch her even more off guard. Tack on an "I think" to show how you are having a hard time finding the words to say.
"…"
Turning her head, the princess looks even more concerned with now added surprise. She tries meeting his eyes, yet they remain wandering, looking everywhere but her.
Don't look at her for more than a moment to showcase how utterly terrified you are of her guaranteed rejection.
"P-P-PLEASE! M-M-M…"
Cut off the first attempt as you start shaking harder. Bow your body until it is at a full ninety degree angle. I cannot stress this enough. Extend your left arm outward, as she is likely right handed. This will force her to have to likely use her non-dominant hand, adding an extra layer of inconvenience if she were to even think of saying yes.
"M-M-MARRY ME!?"
Look dead at the target's eyes, now maintaining as much eye contact as possible. This sudden proposal coupled with you now facing her will make her more uncomfortable than before. Breathlessly exclaim the last word as if you have just finished a monumental task, but still accent it like it is a question.
"…"
At last, it is complete…
Skel and Po look on at the two, mouths agape and eyes wide open, looking even more mortified than they ever thought possible from what was just supposed to be a confession. How could such levels of second-hand embarrassment even exist? Thank the heavens that there are no other witnesses.
Cid continues to sweat a waterfall while looking on at Princess Alexia, not daring to look away for a moment. He remains bowed, arm reaching out for her, seemingly begging for her to take. On the inside however, the boy wanted to explode in triumph, reveling at her expression.
PERFECT! ABSOLUTELY PERFECT! I NAILED IT! TEN OUT OF TEN! THIS IS MOB ACTING! NO, EVEN DEEPER THAN THAT! THIS IS WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A MOB! I THINK I'M GONNA CRY! HOW WONDERFUL! WAIT, I CANNOT CELEBRATE JUST YET! THERE IS STILL THE REJECTION! NOW I MUST GET READY FOR-
"…Of course."
…
Cid feels his hand being taken by the princess, holding it gently.
"I accept."
…
The boy is in too much of a shock to deny the sudden hug she wraps him in, resting her head on his shoulder. He can't for the love of him get the look of utter confusion out of his face. Standing helpless as she continues to wrap him in affection, he tries looking over at where Skel and Po were hiding. Yet when he sees them, he is only met with two pale white mobs looking at him as if they witnessed a murder. It seems he isn't the only one who is mostly paralyzed in bewilderment.
Wha-… Wha-… What?
"I'm so glad that you came to me first. Honestly, I was worried that I would have to be the one to approach you."
…
…No…
…No… This can't be real…
…This is just a n̴̫͂i̸̦͋g̸͇͑h̶͇̉t̵̟̑m̶͇͂à̶̗r̵̠̓ê̴̝ dream. A really really REALLY bad dream…
…But how… Why…
Ẅ̷̢͙̤́̃h̵̥̊̌̈́y̶̘̍ ̵̙̽c̶̢͑a̸̟͌̃ň̵̤͘͠'̶̠̘̈́͘t̴̛̤̍̂ ̴͇͎̑̐C̴̙̱͙̎̆͠ĩ̶̧̲d̸̡̀̄͠ ̴̱̬̟̉d̷̩̦̑̏͝o̶̠͆̂ ̴̙̍a̷̜͝n̴̳̋̾̆y̸̜̥͈̐͠t̵̙̊͠h̷͚͙̃̎i̷̼͇͛̽n̵̨̫̂͐g̷̮̱̚ ̶̨̖̃̓͜ŕ̸ͅi̷̙̾͒g̶̤͇͈͑ḧ̶͉̯́̚t̵̲͖̪̊̾ ̶̘͒̿WHEN WAS CID CAPABLE OF BEING A ROM COM PROTAGONIST?!
"It's gotten that bad, huh?"
"Y-Yes. They keep staring at me. It feels as if no matter where I am here, there's always just someone… watching me…"
"You don't have to continue. We understand."
"I'm sorry for letting you do this, Cid."
Skel moves his head around, observing their surroundings. Nobody seems to be watching them as they sit in the middle of the cafeteria, but it doesn't hurt to check. Especially considering the subject they are going to talk about. They still have no clue how the news was able to spread. They thought they kept the confession contained.
"N-No, please. Don't blame yourselves. N-No one could have expected it. I d-didn't expect it at all."
Resting his head on his arms, Cid slumps his body as he watches the two eating from across the table. If he didn't look so bummed out, they would have commented on how it felt like there was a literal rain cloud over his head.
"Yeah, but still… And the fact that those same ones who expected a brutal rejection to be the ones most upset about it. Honestly, it pisses me off."
"Same here. We've even gotten some comments from others for being associated with you. The things people do when they're jealous…"
The cloud rains harder.
"N-No, Cid! Don't worry, we don't blame you for this. As you said, no one could have expected this outcome."
"I know…"
Cid lets out a long y̶̨͂̿ą̵̪͐̇ẃ̸̭̜n̷̯͂͊ sigh, getting his head off the table. Unlike all the times before where he was just faking his disappointment, there is no need to pretend anymore.
"W-Well… how have things been with her, Cid? I saw that she tries to spend time with you when you two are free."
"S-She just asks me to w-walk around with her. And… while we're out, she… she has us hold hands."
Under normal circumstances, hearing someone speak so nervously and worried about something like that would lead to being laughed out of the room. However, for the two, they know just how anxious Cid really is.
"I see… We'll have to get digging. Or at least try to. Find the real reason she's doing this. No offense, Cid. But…"
Skel's face softens up, looking at Cid with sympathy.
"… You're not exactly the type of guy I think any princess would be after."
"None taken."
Po stops eating, chiming in.
"I don't know. Her response seemed really genuine to me, Skel. And from what Cid has said, she hasn't been doing anything suspicious either. Maybe she just has a type, and Cid happens to fit it."
"…"
Skel takes another look at Cid, before looking back at Po
"Are you sure?"
"Of course. Don't assume that all royals have the same taste. If there's anything good I can take away from this, there's hope for my own chances of one day hitting on a girl and it actually working"
Po raises his voice, seeming more confident than usual.
Sometimes I forget how they speak like I'm not here.
"… Anyways, back to what's important."
Skel looks back at Cid.
"Cid, you really don't plan on staying with her, right? That entire confession was fake. Whether or not she has some sort of ulterior motive with accepting it, I don't think she would appreciate it if she learned how you were put up to this.
"I-I know. B-But I d-don't think I can t-tell her that I c-changed my mind."
He looks down at the table again, unable to maintain eye contact with either of the two.
"Why not? Is it because she's been nice? Or are you still having a hard time saying 'no' to people?"
Cid audibly gulps, his face turning slightly red.
"… I'll take that as meaning the latter…"
Skel sighs, before continuing.
"Cid, I get that you're between a rock and a hard place now. But in a situation like this, only you'll be able to get yourself out of it. Trust me, I would love to help you with this, but right now I have no idea how we could do this with you."
Cid starts to slowly nod.
"O-Okay. I-It's just… How can I?"
Don't they understand how mobs can't fix an issue like this ordinarily?! They never find themselves in this situation!
"…You'll have to learn to start saying 'no'. That's all that really comes to mind. And start doing it quickly. Before you end up doing other things you don't want to do with her."
"Y-Yeah, g-got it…"
Oh, wait. I can do something else with what Skel said.
"W-Wait, what 'o-other things' are you t-talking about?"
Po raises an eyebrow at Cid's response.
"…Seriously?"
"H-Huh?"
"Cid, do you really have no idea what that means?"
"… I-I'm not sure, n-now that you put it like that."
"…"
The two boys deadpan at their friend.
"W-What? I-Is something wrong?"
"… I… I don't even know how to… Let's just say that plenty of other guys would consider themselves to be very lucky in your shoes, Cid."
"Lucky about what?"
The three boys are so focused on themselves, that they don't notice she is standing next to them until her voice suddenly chimes in.
…
"P-P-Princess Alexia?"
Po responds first, trying and failing to hide his shock. Skel isn't faring any better, but Cid seems to be unfazed by her, remaining neutral.
"I'm sorry. Was I interrupting something important?"
She looks at the three innocently, seemingly ashamed that she bothered them.
"N-No! No you didn't! We're fine!"
The sudden commotion coming from the table alongside Alexia's presence alerts most of the nearby students about what was happening. It didn't take long for their heads to be pointed at the four.
"O-Okay then. Are you alright, Ciddy?"
No! Don't say that name in public!
"Yeah, I'm fine."
Alexia moves to sit down next to Cid, getting so close can feel her hair pressing against his side.
"C-Cid, did she just call you-"
"Yes. Ciddy. Isn't that such a cute nickname for him?"
Skel and Po's blood run cold from Alexia's words. She speaks so kindly and affectionately. But…
Cid turns to face Alexia, not reciprocating her bubbliness.
"Why did you come here?"
"Oh. I just wanted to eat with you. Is that okay with you, Ciddy?"
Every time she says that 'name', Cid feels the death stares all around him growing stronger. Skel and Po becoming increasingly uncomfortable doesn't help the situation either.
"Stuck between a rock and hard place", my ass! They're both hard places!
"… Yes, it is…"
The princess's smile widens, bringing her arm around his neck, nuzzling his cheek.
"Thank you so much~"
I think someone is actually going to try and kill me.
Cid doesn't resist any of her gestures, remaining still. He continues to stare at his two fellow mobs, who look just as stressed as he was on the inside.
I need to do something…
After what feels like minutes of uncomfortable silence, a servant arrives at the table, pushing a cart of food that is way too good for any of their statuses, not counting Alexia.
"Ah, now it's here."
The courses are brought in front of the princess. Once everything is laid out, C̷̖̽i̸̗͝ḏ̵̫͝ ̴̧̐̀c̵̲̼͂̅a̶̢̜̅͐n̶͔͑̅͜'̶̛̺͠ͅt̷͎̑ ̵̰͇̈́͗h̵͖̔e̶͕͓͑͝l̶͈̑͘p̷̖͔͝ ̴̨͚̌b̶̼̏u̶̯̣̕t̵̥̼̊͊ ̴̯̕͠ĺ̵͈̃ő̴̧̠͆o̷͚̦͋k̸͙̋͜ ̸̜̑̚à̶̡̜̀ẃ̸͇̌a̴͚̜̿y̵͓͑́ everyone with the exception of Cid and Alexia look stunned at the large variety of high quality dishes that filled the table. Even Skel and Po have to move their own meals further to the edge to accommodate.
"I can never finish these sorts of meals by myself. That's why I like sharing them with others. Please, feel free to take some, Ciddy. Even your friends can have some."
"R-Really? T-Thank you, Princess Alexia."
Skel doesn't hesitate to accept the offer, taking as much as his shame would allow. Po is hesitant at first, but follows shortly after.
I didn't know food was all it took to break the ice for you guys…
"Look at them. Lucky bastards…"
"It's not fair. What does that pathetic kid have that we don't?"
"That guy needs to return to the womb…"
"Did I leave my sword back in my room again?"
Cid glances around at the other students watching him, hearing their hushed voices. He knows he's not in any real danger, but for his character right now, he must feel like someone on the verge of death as the vultures circle overhead, waiting for him to give in.
"Are you okay, Ciddy? Don't worry about anything. Just eat up."
Alexia holds out a piece of chicken with her fork for him to bite.
…I have an idea…
"T-Thank you for the food, Alexandria."
Cid hears his two friends along with a couple of people watching start choking on their food the moment the name leaves his mouth. He also notices the princess's once impenetrable smile wavering ever so slightly.
"Haha, Cid, good joke. You know my name is Alexia."
Good, it's working.
He doesn't stop there. Grabbing Alexia's fork, he forces it into his mouth himself. Í̷͉t̸̻͝ ̶̜̠̒t̴̹̚a̶̛͉̬̓s̵͈̍t̷̖͒̚e̸͊̽͜s̸̮͒̈́ ̴̺̼̑́s̶̰̋t̸͈̚å̵̟̕l̷̪͝e̴͓͒̇ The spectators only grow more unnerved by the display, some opting to just turn away and forget about the four sitting together.
Their reactions don't matter. What do you think, princess…
Watching her face intently, he sees her demeanor once again showing cracks.
Come on, say something about this. Say that you want to leave…
"R-Right. Sorry, Alexis."
"…"
Did I embarrass you yet?
"… If I'm remembering correctly, you chose the Royal Bushin Style as your practical elective in the afternoon, right?"
How is she still so unbothered?!
"Yes, I did."
"Wonderful. I did the same."
Alexia sets her fork down, clasping her hands together.
"We'll be able to train together."
"No we can't. I'm still at beginner level."
With that response, the princess pauses, giving him room to think.
She won't let up. Why can't she leave Cid alone?
"Hmm… I can send in a recommendation for the expert class where I'm at. I know the instructor well, so I know he'll be more than happy to let you in."
…No…
"Also, if you don't believe you're ready for it. From what I heard from him, your sister got in that class during her first year too. I'm sure you'll do fine."
…
…Just… Say… No…
"…Okay…"
Cid can only meekly nod at his 'girlfriend's' words, resigning himself to her decision.
"Wonderful. Just give me a day or two. I'll let you know when you're in."
Skel and Po look on as their friend sits helplessly, feeling more powerless than they ever felt before. Cid's eyes look glazed, like he was deep in thought. A common occurrence to the boys. But this time, something seemed off.
…I… need… to… fix… this…
"You know, this reminds me of something."
Cid deadpans at the á̴͙ć̴̹̌t̷̤̉r̸̨̥͒ê̶͈̜s̸̨̥̉s̷̯̕ princess, no longer seeming bothered by the audience.
"Huh? What do you mean? Remind you of what?"
Alexia turns her head in curiosity, waiting for him to continue. The boy just sighs in response.
"I… I don't want to walk home with you… Not anymore…"
What did he just say?
"W-What? Cid, what are you talking about?"
The boy yawns, wiping his eyes. He j̸͖̀̎u̴̻̬͑̀s̴͔̙̓͌t̸̨̄͠ ̷̙͑ẇ̷̼ả̷͚͈ñ̷ͅt̷͇̽s̶̟̘̈̓ ̶̳͒̈́t̷̯͝ō̶̻͝ ̶̯́̈g̵̯̿o̸̠̼͠ ̶̪͠ẗ̵͎͈́̂o̷͓̐ ̴̪͍̍̕b̶̧̌͝ḛ̸͔͌̓d̵͕̱͘ has to end this conversation quickly.
"Just… let me focus, please. Today has been weirder than I thought it would be. It's getting harder to blend in as one of them."
Alexia's smile starts to slowly fade away as she hears him speak more and more. By now, only a few people are watching, unsure of what to think. T̷̾̂͜h̸̼͂e̸͈͠y̷̫̎ ̶̨͈̌̈́w̶͆ͅȉ̷̝̋͜l̶̟̠̀l̸̻̣͛́ ̵̘̂n̴̛̟̻ė̴̜̰v̵͔̌͛ê̷̠͜r̸͉̀ ̵̥̅u̶̞͠n̸͇̞̓d̵̖̗͊̆e̴̘̓̚r̶̖̙͊s̷̰͌̿ẗ̷̺̯̋a̴̗̋͐n̶̨͊d̷̦̝̂
"C-Cid, you're worrying me. Are you okay?"
"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be, Aka-"
…
…
…
"I… I forgot something. I'll be right back."
Cid quietly gets up from the table, now looking unfazed by the stares coming from those watching. Turning from the three, he walks out of the cafeteria, keeping his head low. Skel and Po decide against following, knowing what he meant.
"… Goodbye, Cid…"
Alexia watches him until he's out of sight. Her smile slowly returns. Skel looks over at her, and for a moment, he feels as if her eyes were just a little more strained, and her smile just a little more drawn.
"Why do you all look so tense? Is something wrong?"
The girl looked at the two boys, but judging from how loud she spoke, she was addressing the people around them too. Despite the clear sincerity they felt coming from her, nobody could help but remain on edge as they started to look away from the three, trying to return to what they were doing before.
"No. Not at all…"
Po is the only one who bothers responding to Alexia. Skel returns to eating, looking down at the table.
"Hey, I'm sorry if I'm giving off a bad feeling. Don't be so stressed. I know it was an accident. Ciddy is not particularly the best when it comes to being the center of attention. In fact, I find that really cute."
Her tone remains cheerful, continuing to smile.
"Well, like I said before, I can't finish all of this by myself. Feel free to take some, just make sure to leave some for Cid when he returns, okay?"
With that final attempt to negate some of the dead air in the room, the princess starts to eat with the mobs. Once Alexia had her fill, she looks over to where Cid was sitting before. After a few seconds of mindless watching, she notices something.
Why didn't Cid have any food when she got here?
Hmm… a little bit more on the left… Wait, now it looks too neat. Just gotta mess it up a bit like this and… Damn, I made it too messy again.
Letting out a sigh, Cid brings the comb down, inspecting his work once more in the mirror.
Maybe that is why she said yes. She thought I looked too clean for a background character. Or maybe it was too messy. You never know what some of these characters are into.
He moves his head around, carefully looking over as much of his face as possible ñ̴̙͈ō̸͔̃ ̶̻̉m̶̜̪̍ả̷͚̀t̶̪͘t̶͔̀̕ê̷̢̋͜ŕ̴͇͙͂ ̸̥͕̓h̸͙̍͗ȏ̸̭͆w̷͎͇͒̈́ ̸͍͠m̶̤͉̐̕ŭ̸͍͉c̶̺̽̌h̶̪͓͑̀ ̵̧̪̀̐i̶̳̦̽̌t̵͎̓͆ ̵̬̽̓m̴͎͉̉ḁ̵͚̈́̀d̵̹͕͗e̴̩̐ ̴̣̙̔ḧ̸̡̭́ï̸̯̟̃m̸̢̯͆͠ ̴̨̢͋̈́s̸͇͈̋ḭ̷̈c̶͕̓̏k̷̜̏̋, trying to find something of note. Something that would get a princess's attention, however minor it seems.
I have done the exact opposite of what her archetype would like. If anything, she should have been pissed with me for wasting her time. I'm no more than a piece of shit she wouldn't even step on by accident.
It has only been five days since Princess Alexia accepted his "feelings" and things have already gone south for him. It's not exactly possible to stay in the background of an environment when you have one of if not the most popular girl there clinging on to your arm while trying to go about your day. The affection she would give him in public didn't help either. Hugging him, ruffling his hair, holding his hand as they walked, it was all too much. It's like she somehow knew he wanted as little attention as possible and decided to personally mess up his life.
...
And he hates her for it.
I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND! HOW COULD SHE HAVE ACCEPTED?! I'm… No... No point getting so worked up about it. The solution is simple. I'll just have to break up with her, reputation be damned.
Reputation…
Great, now he has another thing to worry about. Would that move end up giving Cid even more attention? As far as he knows in this world, it's not exactly common to see the personification of a mid guy be the one to dump the literal princess, much less get any attention from one. The backlash that move could cause would likely end up making his remaining time in the academy be far too eventful for his tastes.
…I'm trapped…
He brings the comb up to his hair again, continuing the routine. He'll have to continue playing along as the submissive and socially anxious mess with her. At least until an opportunity presents itself to… correct this.
Taking his eyes off the mirror for a few seconds, he looks at the time.
20 minutes late…
He can't let paradise be further ruined.
"There's no need to worry, Cid."
Cid's heart nearly drops with his comb as a gentle voice whispers lovingly into his ear. His eyes freeze on the clock, not daring to look back.
"You can still fix this."
S̶̺͊̓h̶͚͙̉e̶̛͎̍'̴͕̤̿̄s̴̥̹͛̿ ̷̘̲̾́s̴̢̝̔͋o̷̞̓͝ ̶̻̰̋ṣ̷̚o̸̬͌͠f̶̪̘̂̏ț̴̃̔ Recognizing her voice, Cid slowly starts to relax his body, no longer surprised about the sudden intrusion.
"You will fix this."
"…"
She's… She's right…
There's still hope to make things right. He just has to stay calm and keep his head straight.
Looking over his shoulder in the mirror, he can't help but smile with the girl standing behind him.
…Thank you, Akane…
AN: Yeah yeah, I know that I'm really late with this chapter. Only one real chapter release during most of season 2's cycle? That's horrible time management on my part. In all honesty, it's my own fault for procrastinating when I had the time to write. I can't promise you that this lack of scheduling will get any better, but I can promise that I will continue to be writing. If anything, now that the real stuff can actually start, I'll be more motivated to write. Thank you all for the support, until next time.
NOTE ONLY FOR FFN: Gave up hope on this site returning the function of strikethrough. I will start updating here again using a substitute for it. I already have much more chapters published on AO3 but I understand some of you only use this site, so I'm sorry for the long absence here. The rest will be published later.
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