The Eminence In Shadow In Multiverse

So he devised a solution.

A brilliant plan that aligned perfectly with his mob persona.

Step 1: Sign contracts with multiple demons.

Step 2: Summon them on alternating days.

Step 3: Never let them talk to each other.

If each demon thought they were his only partner, then in their eyes, he'd be summoning them every few days.

No one would suspect a thing.

Flawless.

As expected of me.

"Dinner's ready. Come eat before it gets cold. I'll handle the cleanup."

Tsubaki's voice called out, snapping him back to reality.

"Oh, sure. Thanks."

And just like that, Cid Kagenou's scheme continued—

A shadowy network of contracts and deals fueling his rise to power.

The reason Tsubaki Shinra often mentioned Cid's half-dead appearance had nothing to do with the desires she took from him.

No—

The real culprit was his training.

Specifically, the 24-hour magic refinement regimen he maintained every single day.

Sure, today he'd ended up doing actual sword practice for an hour and a half because of Natsuki.

But his daily regimen?

Never skipped.

The method was brilliantly simple.

Compressing magic within his body—refining it while simultaneously forcing it to integrate with his muscles.

The result?

It subjected his body to the kind of pressure you'd only experience in the deep sea.

Perfectly reasonable training. (Totally.)

And the cost?

• Constant fatigue and mental lethargy.

• The sensation of being torn apart and rebuilt over and over again.

• A non-zero chance of accidentally turning himself into meat paste.

But for Cid, this was a flawless trade.

A routine that perfectly fit his mob character persona while secretly pushing him toward Eminence in Shadow.

And best of all?

It had let him scam a year's worth of free meals without raising any suspicions.

"Hahaha… Ha! Hahahaha!"

Cid burst into laughter, reveling in his genius.

And then—

His Mob Radar flared.

The sudden alarm yanked him back to reality, wiping the dumb grin off his face.

"Huh? Weird."

After a quick scan of the room, Cid's Mob Radar fell silent.

The only person nearby was Tsubaki, bent over as she swept the floor.

Her glasses caught the light as she leaned forward, her slender waistline perfectly highlighted by her posture.

Cid shook his head.

"Must've been my imagination."

"Whatever. Time to eat."

….

Meanwhile, Tsubaki Shinra froze.

Her face reddened, her usual composed aura replaced by nervous tension.

For the first time since meeting him, she couldn't hold back the thought—

"Cid… likes me?"

It wasn't baseless.

Not after a year of observing him.

To Tsubaki, Cid was someone who worked hard.

She had seen it herself.

As the vice president of the student council, she could access the school's surveillance footage.

And from that footage, she'd learned the truth.

Even in his exhausted state, after training as a Magic Knight, Cid would push himself further.

Late at night.

Alone.

Always practicing.

And yet, he willingly sacrificed his spiritual desires to summon her.

Sure, desires regenerate, but the mental strain didn't just disappear.

Even knowing that, he kept calling her.

And sometimes…

He'd look at her with that goofy smile.

The kind that made her heart flutter no matter how hard she tried to ignore it.

It was…

Cute.

She didn't dislike it.

If anything, she liked it too much.

Tsubaki Shinra was no stranger to romantic interest.

As a Queen Piece—the second-highest rank among demon chess pieces—she knew her value.

Her future lover was destined to be claimed by her King, Sona Sitri, and turned into a retainer.

And with Sona's potential, even a normal human transformed into her servant would have the baseline strength of an A- rank demon.

Power. Prestige. Wealth.

Anyone who became her partner would gain it all.

And yet—

Tsubaki Shinra couldn't stop her thoughts from wandering back to the ordinary boy in front of her.

The one with the messy hair, tired eyes, and dumb smile.

The one who kept calling her back.

And despite knowing better…

She couldn't help but feel—

Drawn to him.

Tsubaki Shinra wasn't one to brag, but she was fully aware of her appearance.

Her figure was among the best in the school, and her features didn't fall short either.

Naturally, this meant she was often subjected to unpleasant stares from male students.

She knew exactly what those stares meant—hungry, lustful, disgusting.

Even if the culprits quickly looked away the moment she noticed, the intent was always clear.

But Cid?

His gaze was different.

There was no greed, no desire.

Just a pure, genuine happiness—the kind of contentment that made him smile without even realizing it.

At first, Tsubaki had been confused.

Why did Cid always look so happy when they were alone?

Why did he sometimes grin like an idiot just from sitting in the same room as her?

Over time, the answer became obvious.

"Cid likes me."

Suddenly, everything made sense.

His constant summoning.

His goofy smiles.

Even his willingness to sacrifice his spiritual energy despite knowing it would leave him drained.

Cid liked her.

Liked her so much that just being near her was enough to make him smile.

And yet, now that she'd realized it, Tsubaki had no idea how to respond.

Normally, when someone confessed, she would just reject them outright.

But Cid?

He hadn't even said anything.

Bringing it up herself would feel like overreacting.

Or worse—like she was being self-absorbed.

What's more—

She had tried imagining the scene in her head.

Cid, standing there with his usual awkward sincerity, asking her to go out with him.

And she—

Couldn't decide.

Would she reject him?

Would she accept him?

She honestly didn't know.

So for now…

Avoidance.

As long as Cid didn't confess, she could just pretend she hadn't noticed.

It wasn't like he was the type to suddenly declare his feelings, anyway.

And if he did?

Well—

She'd deal with it then.

If only he were stronger.

If Cid had been at least B+ rank—no, A- rank—she wouldn't have to hesitate.

She could've just accepted his feelings without worrying about the consequences.

But she was a Queen Piece.