"Eek!"
Ryu had been about to step forward and say hello, but the moment she saw what was happening, she froze—then instinctively ducked back into hiding.
"Uh…"
Her head swam. She didn't even know why she was hiding.
After agonizing over it all day, she had decided to stick with her original plan.
She believed that plan was the best one. But because her gift wasn't something tangible, she couldn't help feeling conflicted. What if Cid thought she was brushing him off? That would be awful.
In the end, after turning it over again and again, she still felt this was the right choice.
So she came to the Dungeon.
She wanted to give him the gift privately. Doing it in front of the others would be… embarrassing.
And yet, the moment she arrived, she saw Cid being dragged away by Iska.
From a distance, Ryu followed, intending to catch up and greet him once she was close enough, but then—
"…Why…?"
Ryu clapped a hand over her mouth, a strangled whimper leaking out in a voice only she could hear.
That morning, she'd seen Alise come out of Cid's room.
Even without seeing anything directly, she'd panicked.
But after Alise explained—and after Kaguya scolded her—Ryu had forced herself to accept Alise's story.
But now?
Now she'd seen it with her own eyes.
For an elf whose composure was mostly a fragile shell over a quietly turbulent heart, it was far too much stimulation.
"Could Alise have been lying too? Does everyone… feel that way about Cid?"
Ryu found herself doubting everything.
Twice in one day… it couldn't just be a coincidence, could it?
If she'd already seen this much in public—then what might have happened in private?
She didn't even dare imagine it.
Maybe this was the kind of relationship Cid had always had with the others.
Had she simply never noticed because she'd never looked?
Ryu tried to comb through her memories with that suspicion in mind.
But it was like putting on tinted lenses—once you did, everything you saw turned the same color.
And besides, living together meant there would naturally be some physical contact. That much was unavoidable.
The more she replayed the past, the more wrong it felt.
"No… it can't be. Is it… really true?"
For the first time, Ryu desperately wanted the fantasies in her head to be false.
...
"We're comrades. Did you really have to mess with me like that?"
After he got up, Cid shot a glance in Ryu's direction.
For a split second, he'd been tempted—then the feeling vanished.
He knew Iska. He was convinced she was only joking.
After so many years together, he could tell whether Iska liked him that way or not.
"This time, maybe I'm serious."
Iska tried to sound stern, but Cid saw through her immediately.
Whenever she spoke like that, it usually meant she wasn't serious at all.
Seeing his skepticism written all over his face, Iska didn't bother explaining. Instead, she leaned in close to his ear.
"Even after you leave the Familia, keep working hard. When you reach Level 3, I'll give you a reward."
After getting the sentence out, Iska felt a surge of relief.
Her voice hadn't even shaken.
Even though her heartbeat was pounding so loudly it felt like thunder.
With Cid this close, Iska felt like she might break.
Cid had been right: at first, she really had meant it as a joke.
And as motivation.
Without Alise pushing him, it was hard to say whether Cid would keep the drive he'd had before.
Cid wasn't naturally gifted. If he didn't work hard, he truly would fall behind them.
When that happened, she would still want him as a comrade—of course she would.
But would he still feel comfortable staying close to them, with pride in the way?
That was the part she couldn't predict.
So Iska had offered a prank kiss—just encouragement, nothing more.
She'd already planned the ending.
Cid would definitely realize she was joking. But maybe, just maybe, he would still feel a little hopeful.
After all, he was that age.
And with Cid's personality, even after he confirmed it was only a joke, he wouldn't get angry at her.
They'd lived together so long. Iska believed Cid understood her—and she believed she understood him.
Iska had a wish: she wanted to change how others saw her people.
In Orario—or rather, in this world—Amazons carried a certain stigma.
When people heard "Amazon," their first image was always a promiscuous female warrior.
The Ishtar Familia, made up of Amazon women and infamous for its "battle courtesans," had only deepened that stereotype.
Iska hated it.
Not every Amazon was like that.
At the very least, she herself longed for justice far more than she cared about men—or even about battle.
That was why she had joined the Astraea Familia under a goddess of purity. Her resolve was real.
If people saw an Amazon serving beneath the banner of the Goddess of Justice, they'd be curious.
And then, maybe, their view of Amazons would change.
Cid should understand her ideals and her character. He should know she wasn't the kind of woman who gave herself away lightly.
And even when Cid truly reached Level 3, the "reward" she intended to give would still be the same: a prank kiss.
The reward itself wasn't the point.
What mattered was that the encouragement reached him.
Iska believed Cid wouldn't be angry.
After all, no matter how much Alise had messed with him over the years, he'd never gotten angry.
But now…
Damn it—since when did Cid's body get this solid?
Damn it all—why did the Amazon race have to be born with such an overwhelming nature?
And this cursed heartbeat—why was it racing so fast?
Somewhere along the way, he'd grown up.
And he'd become… this handsome.
Iska didn't want to give herself away. If she could keep acting stern and let Cid think she was joking, that would be best.
"I got it. I'll work hard," Cid replied weakly. "But don't expect too much."
Work hard to level up? What a joke.
If he reached Level 3, how would he keep playing the perfect background character?
Still, pretending to work hard wasn't difficult.
And by common sense, reaching Level 3 wasn't easy in the first place.
With the "above-average but not extraordinary" talent he displayed, he'd probably only hit Level 3 in middle age.
Then even if he never reached it, no one could blame him.
Perfect.
"As long as you understand, that's fine. I'm leaving."
Iska knew she shouldn't feel disappointed.
Cid had understood her real intention exactly as she'd expected.
But couldn't he at least look a little moved?
She was moved, damn it.
Had he not cared at all about the "reward" she mentioned?
Iska pressed a hand to her chest, trying to calm her heartbeat—but even from this far away, it refused to slow down.
And with that came a flare of mortified irritation.
Was she really that lacking in charm?
Iska decided: if Cid actually managed to reach Level 3 quickly, then whether he wanted it or not, he was getting that reward.
She was an Amazon.
Being a little forceful was only natural, right?
She couldn't help looking forward to the expression he'd make then.
"Cid… don't blame me."
"If you have to blame someone, blame the fact that I'm an Amazon."
-------
My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
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