NOVEL NEXT Chapter 23: Chapter 22: Buttering!
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….
"Wait a second!" Claire interrupted, eyes narrowing as she turned toward Cid. "Did she just say she wakes you up for breakfast?!"
Cid immediately felt the weight of incoming disaster. He'd stepped on yet another landmine.
Cid now found himself observing an uncomfortable scene.
Claire sat stiffly on the sofa, while Nagisa stood nervously in front of her, fidgeting like a child called to the principal's office.
From a purely visual perspective, Nagisa was the one looking down at Claire, but somehow the atmosphere made it feel like Claire was the one towering over her.
Come on, Nagisa, Cid thought, silently rooting for her. Where's that chatterbox energy you always have?
You can usually get along with anyone in seconds—what's with this sudden timid act? Stand your ground!
"U-Um…"
As if hearing his thoughts, Nagisa finally spoke up.
Yes! Keep it going, Nagisa! You've got this! Once you two start talking—or even better, arguing—I can make my escape!
Nagisa took a deep breath, her voice shaking slightly.
"H-Hello… You must be Cid-senpai's sister, right? I'm Akatsuki Nagisa, Cid-senpai's neighbor and…"
…And that was where she froze, like a deer caught in headlights.
What was that!? Nagisa, no! Pull it together!
"Stop."
Claire cut her off and then turned to Cid, her sharp gaze pinning him in place.
"Cid. You explain."
The sudden shift in focus left him no room to dodge.
Without any other choice, he blanked his mind and let his instincts take over, trusting in the survival instincts honed from years of dealing with Claire.
He stepped forward and gestured toward Nagisa with his left hand.
"Sis, this is Nagisa. I met her when I first moved to Itogami Island a year ago. She's been a big help ever since, always looking out for me."
The words kept flowing before he could stop himself.
"She's also my junior and underclassman. I care about her a lot, so please don't bully her, okay?"
…Wait, what did I just say?
Cid froze mid-thought.
This was completely off-script.
He should've been fanning the flames, stirring up chaos to create an opportunity to escape.
Instead, he'd just doused the fire and practically set himself up to take the heat.
Before he could backpedal, his right hand extended toward Claire.
"Nagisa, this is my sister, Claire Kagenou. She graduated from Midgar Academy and is now a member of the Midgar Knights. She just came back from a combat mission, so she might be a little tense. Don't mind her—I'll make it up to you later."
…And now I've poured gasoline on the fire.
"Cid."
Claire's voice dropped a degree.
"Are you saying this was my fault? That I was bullying her?"
"Cid…-senpai!" Nagisa's voice overlapped with Claire's, both staring daggers at him.
His instincts screamed at him to run—but he knew there was no way out.
He was officially doomed.
The pressure that had been weighing down on Nagisa moments ago had now shifted entirely onto Cid's shoulders.
Nagisa was safe—Cid, however, was in serious danger.
Claire's sharp, predatory gaze bore into him, while Nagisa looked up with wide, watery eyes, her cheeks faintly flushed for reasons he couldn't even begin to comprehend.
The tension mounted with every passing second. Cid racked his brain desperately, silently urging it to come up with a solution before things spiraled further out of control.
"Grrr… Grrr…"
A low rumble interrupted his thoughts.
Wait. Was that… his stomach?
"Cid-senpai, are you hungry? Oh, right! You haven't eaten anything since this morning. I'll go make breakfast!"
"No, wait—Nagisa! That's not the issue right now! The problem is how to smooth things over with my sister and—why am I even hungry!?"
Technically speaking, Cid didn't need to eat. As long as he channeled a small portion of his magic to sustain his body, he could forgo food entirely.
Granted, he maintained a daily eating routine to stay in character as an unremarkable background figure—and to limit his training results by avoiding optimization.
But even with that approach, his body could easily endure a month without food before feeling any hunger pangs.
Still, now wasn't the time to dwell on such details.
He needed to stop Nagisa from leaving the room.
He couldn't be the only one shouldering this suffocating tension.
"Wait, Nagisa—"
But then he paused.
The air in the room had shifted. The heavy pressure from earlier had noticeably lightened the moment his stomach growled.
He wasn't sure why, but he decided to roll with it.
"Actually, Nagisa, while you're at it, could you make an extra portion for my sister too?"
"Of course! Don't worry, Cid-senpai—I'll make plenty for your sister as well!" Nagisa's voice rang out cheerfully from the kitchen.
Relieved, Cid turned to Claire, but her expression was still far from pleasant. While the atmosphere wasn't as oppressive as before, she was clearly sulking.
Time for damage control.
"You're in for a treat, sis. Nagisa's cooking is amazing. I've been eating her food for the past year, and look—I've put on weight."
"I'm not eating anything she makes. If you want to eat, go ahead."
"Heh."
Cid smirked inwardly.
So this is how you're playing it? Classic tsundere.
"Mmm… slurp… chew, chew… ahh…"
Claire sat at the table, clearly savoring every bite despite her earlier protests.
"Don't think I'll acknowledge you just because your food tastes good," she said between mouthfuls. "There are plenty of good cooks in this world."
Sis, could you at least stop stuffing your face while saying that?
Cid held back a sigh. He'd been living on this island for nearly a year, and he had yet to find anyone who could match Nagisa's cooking—not even Gamma's chefs, whose meals he occasionally "borrowed."
"Ahaha… Um, Claire-sama?"
No, Nagisa! Don't talk right now! Leave this to me—I know how to handle her!
"Claire-sama, I've heard so much about you from Cid-senpai. I've always wanted to meet you in person. Seeing you today, you're even more amazing than he described!"
Nagisa, stop. Just—stop. You're stepping on a landmine.
"Who are you calling 'Claire-sama'… Wait."
Claire froze mid-bite, then turned toward Cid. Her smile bloomed like a flower in full bloom.
"Did you say Cid talks about me all the time?"
Nagisa blinked, clearly oblivious to the danger she'd just unleashed.
….
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….
If you want to read advance chapters and unpublished fanfics you can check out my patreon or just take a visit.
[P].[A].[T].[R].[E].[O].[N]
http://patreon.com/Kazuma_trash