The Eminence In Shadow In Multiverse

Nagisa Akatsuki sat at the table, her face darkened and her gaze sharp as she bore down on her brother, Kojou.

Across from them, Cid Kagenou took another bite of the omelet rice and let the flavor melt in his mouth.

"Delicious."

He couldn't deny it—Nagisa's cooking was exceptional.

If he weren't so broke and hell-bent on keeping his cover, he might've hired her as his personal chef.

Meanwhile, Kojou silently shot Cid a desperate look.

The message was clear.

"Help me. Save me."

Cid's lips twitched.

Help?

Was this what a natural-born Eminence in Shadow looked like?

The moment things got tough, he folded like a cheap tent.

Pathetic.

Cid smirked internally.

This was proof.

That through hard work and effort, he—an artificial Eminence in Shadow—could surpass even the naturally gifted.

Victory for nurture.

Feeling generous in his moment of triumph, Cid decided to throw Kojou a lifeline.

"Nagisa, I'm starving."

He let his voice trail off with a whiny undertone, adding a touch of helplessness.

"Can we eat now?"

It worked.

Nagisa's focus shifted—if only for a moment.

Kojou's eyes sparkled with gratitude.

Nagisa stood up, muttering something under her breath, and disappeared into the kitchen.

She returned with two plates—one for Cid and one for **Kojou—**and practically tossed Kojou's plate at him before sitting back down.

**"Kojou, I trust you. I really do.

But if you dare bring shame to the Akatsuki family…"**

The threat hung in the air like a storm cloud.

Cid took another bite and decided to stay out of it.

He'd already helped.

Whatever came next?

Not his problem.

"**Nagisa, what the hell are you even talking about?!

Why would my preferences be an issue?!**"

Kojou's voice cracked slightly, but he tried to play dumb.

Cid shook his head.

Rookie mistake.

Playing dumb was a universal skill for mob characters.

But—

Not when your opponent's already pissed.

"Bang!"

Nagisa's palm slammed against the table.

**"Don't play dumb with me!

Either admit you've got a thing for guys—or explain why you keep staring at girls like some kind of perv!"

Kojou froze.

Cid's grin widened.

Classic.

The guy was completely cornered.

"I-I…"

Kojou stammered, clearly grasping for straws.

But Cid's mind was already elsewhere.

Could it be…?

Was Nagisa actually right?

No, no. That'd be too ridiculous.

This was Kojou Akatsuki—a fellow Eminence in Shadow.

No way he'd have such an obvious weakness.

It was probably just one of those moments—

Like when a protagonist in a story accidentally rules out the right answer and makes a fool of themselves.

That had to be it.

Kojou Akatsuki's secrets couldn't be that easy to expose.

"I just want you to find a girlfriend already!"

Nagisa's voice snapped Cid out of his thoughts.

"Prove your preferences are fine, Kojou!"

Kojou looked offended.

**"Why the hell do I have to prove anything?!

Yeah, I look at girls sometimes—what guy doesn't?!

But why does that mean I need a girlfriend to prove I'm normal?!"**

Nagisa's glare hardened.

**"Exactly.

You don't understand.

And I'd prefer if you stayed that way."**

Watching the siblings argue, Cid shoveled the last few bites of omelet rice into his mouth.

The sheer volume of information packed into their exchange left him reeling.

**Kojou Akatsuki's preferences are questionable?!

He stares at girls like a creep?!**

Wait.

Cid blinked.

He'd gone shopping with Kojou before.

And if his memory was right—

Kojou spent most of his time staring at his neck.

Not in a friendly way.

In a predatory way.

Like a beast eyeing its prey.

"Wait… does that mean—?!"

Was Kojou just testing him?

Was this his way of measuring strength?

A true Eminence in Shadow suppressing his bloodlust to analyze his potential threats?

Cid's thoughts raced.

No—

It had to be.

Only someone as naturally talented as Kojou Akatsuki could go so far as to restrain his urges to test him.

Truly terrifying.

Still…

Cid's curiosity burned.

If Kojou really did have preferences, then who had caught his eye?

Was it…

Yukina Himeragi?

Or maybe…

Asagi Aiba?

Or…

Could it be…

Yuuma?

Wait—no.

It had to be Motoki Yaze.

That guy never left Kojou's side.

As Cid's thoughts spiraled, he suddenly noticed—

His plate was empty.

"Uh… Nagisa, I'm done."

A simple request.

But judging from the way Nagisa's eyes snapped toward him, it might've just made things worse.

Hearing Cid's response, Nagisa Akatsuki immediately abandoned her argument with Kojou and turned to him with an eager expression.

"You finished already?!"

She practically leaned forward, her eyes sparkling.

"How was it, Cid-kun? Did you like it? Was it to your taste? Do you want seconds? Maybe—"

"It was delicious," Cid interrupted smoothly, cutting her off before she could spiral into another barrage of questions.

"Honestly, Nagisa, anything you make is bound to taste great. But I'm good for now. Got some things to take care of."

Experience.

That was the key.

Cid had long since learned the dangers of getting caught in Nagisa's tempo.

If he didn't cut her off early, he'd be trapped in her conversation loops for hours.

"Oh… okay then."

Her expression deflated slightly, but she quickly perked back up.

"Hey, Cid-kun! What about tomorrow? There's a new water park that just opened near the beach. Wanna check it out? Or if you're not into that, I also heard—"

"Tomorrow? Yeah, I'm free."

Cid nodded without hesitation, expertly keeping the conversation short.

"Send me the location later. See you then."

"O-okay! Tomorrow then! See you, Cid-kun!"

He slipped out the door before Nagisa could restart the loop.

Nagisa closed the door behind him, her smile fading the moment Cid's footsteps disappeared down the hallway.

Her face darkened.

"KOJOU!!!"

Leaving the apartment complex, Cid made his way toward the convenience store.

"Anything else, sir?"

The cashier's voice broke him from his thoughts.

"Hmm… Yeah. Bag the cat food for me. And grab a bottle of watermelon juice too."

After paying for his items, Cid turned toward the mountain path.

That's right—

A mountain.

On a man-made island.

Strange, wasn't it?

The artificial island of Itogami had been built just a few decades ago, yet this mountain had been here for so long that the locals had forgotten it wasn't natural.

Cid climbed the trail with practiced ease, soon arriving at an abandoned monastery near the peak.

"Meow. Meow. Meow!"