"This…"
Miss Yumemizuki Mizuki fell silent for a moment. She wasn't unaware of Lady Yae's attitude toward her.
It was simply that knowing even a little more about Lady Yae was better than doing nothing at all.
Mr. Cid could also see Miss Mizuki's embarrassment, so he spoke first to reassure her.
"There's no need to worry too much. If we look past the surface to the essence, I can still discern some things about Lady Yae's situation."
For a moment, Miss Mizuki's eyes lit up as she looked at Mr. Cid.
Mr. Cid didn't keep her in suspense either. He directly began analyzing the situation for this heartbroken Baku girl, whose heart was aching from being distanced by her good friend.
"First, we can confirm one thing: the relationship between you and Lady Yae isn't actually that bad, right?
Lady Yae doesn't refuse to meet with you. It's just that she unilaterally maintains a very calm demeanor toward you, which makes you feel as though she's giving you the cold shoulder?"
Hearing the term "cold shoulder," Miss Mizuki hurriedly refuted it.
"Cold shoulder… it doesn't quite count as that… It's just that the same calm attitude she has toward me feels like there's now a barrier compared to how she is with others…"
Facing Miss Yumemizuki Mizuki, who was defending her friend, Mr. Cid wasn't annoyed at all. He simply followed along with her words.
"Mhm, so in truth, Lady Yae definitely still has feelings of affection toward you, doesn't she?"
Miss Mizuki's tone carried some uncertainty, but after thinking back to the happy times they shared five hundred years ago—remembering what the young Lady Yae was like back then—she still nodded.
"This… I think there still is. I don't believe… Lady Yae would become someone heartless toward me."
Mr. Cid nodded.
"I think so too. Guuji Yae Miko is someone who has both feelings and principles. It's impossible for her to be indifferent toward you, Miss Mizuki."
At that moment, Miss Mizuki felt as though a piece of her heart had finally settled down, yet she still eagerly asked Mr. Cid,
"Mr. Cid, why are you so certain?"
Mr. Cid spoke in a relaxed tone.
"It's very simple. Yae Miko established Yae Publishing House, and Yae Publishing House is responsible for writing light novels. Yet Lady Yae chooses to personally review the novels collected by Yae Publishing House.
Why do you think that is? If it were only to relieve people's inner stress, there would be no need for her to personally check them, right? She could just leave it to human editors."
Miss Yumemizuki Mizuki, whose thoughts had been completely drawn in by Mr. Cid, pondered for a moment before arriving at the answer.
"Because Lady Yae likes light novels? If I remember correctly, five hundred years ago she already enjoyed listening to the great youkai tell stories…"
The older gentleman affirmed Miss Yumemizuki Mizuki's answer and provided the conclusion.
"That's right! So a fox like that could never be cold-blooded toward a friend! Unless something has gone wrong!"
The older gentleman's gaze was bright and piercing as he looked at Miss Yumemizuki Mizuki, but Mizuki instead lowered her head dejectedly first.
"Then it's because of that tragedy five hundred years ago… The problem seems to be locked again…"
The older gentleman, somewhat dissatisfied, tapped the table with his knuckles, producing a crisp "knock knock" sound that drew Miss Mizuki's attention back to him.
"This should count as one reason, but it isn't the main one.
Simply keeping distance from you because she once faced tragedy is not a choice that a compassionate Lady Yae would make.
If I recall correctly, Lady Yae even fell out with the current Electro Archon, the Raiden Shogun, for the sake of Ei's master.
So the real reason should lie with you, Miss Yumemizuki."
Miss Yumemizuki Mizuki's expression turned somewhat bewildered.
"My… problem?"
Miss Mizuki clenched her right hand into a fist and pressed it against her chest.
For some reason, feeling Mr. Cid's serious gaze, knowing the truth of the matter actually made her heart feel much more at ease.