"Hmm? That's weird."
Claire frowned.
"What's wrong?" Alexia, beside her, asked curiously when she saw her partner's strange reaction.
"I don't know why, but I have this feeling Cid just walked past me."
"Must be your imagination. I didn't see Pochi," Alexia said. To her, it was just a gust of wind. Since she hadn't noticed anything, she naturally thought Claire was mistaken.
"Maybe." Claire still looked doubtful. She didn't think her intuition would be wrong, but she also definitely hadn't seen Cid just now. So, she could only give a vague answer.
Meanwhile, Cid, trying to avoid Claire and Alexia, took a side path. There, he saw a pale-faced girl, carrying a guitar case, sitting on a roadside bench, looking like she was about to faint.
Looking at the girl who was about to pass out, Cid hesitated.
Usually, when he ran into situations like this, he'd just pretend he didn't see and not bother. At most, he'd call the Guard later to handle it.
Of course, that was usually. This time might have to be an exception.
It wasn't because he was attracted to her or anything. It might sound a bit conceited, but he felt he'd known plenty of beautiful girls growing up. Thanks to that, he was actually a bit tired of seeing them now.
The reason this time might be an exception was simple: the girl in front of him looked exactly like the photo on the student ID card in the wallet he'd picked up a few days ago.
"Hello, hospital?"
After thinking for a long time, Cid still decided to take out his phone and call the Itogami Island hospital.
She's the one who basically gave me 200,000 Zeni. I should skip the Guard step and send her straight to the hospital.
Growl... Growl...
The sound coming from the girl's stomach made Cid, who was about to speak, fall silent.
"Hello, sir? Where is the patient now? We'll send an ambulance over right away."
The voice from the phone brought Cid back to his senses.
"Never mind. Wrong number."
"Hey, wait... Beep, beep, beep."
Cid hung up before the person on the other end could reply.
Okay, what to do now is simple then. Cid thought, looking at the girl who was still on the verge of fainting.
...
"Awww, this is so delicious!"
It was the same cafe he'd come to with Kanon last time, the same corner. Cid was sitting in the same seat. The only difference was that someone else was sitting where Kanon had been.
Slurp, slurp...
Head down, sipping his drink through a straw, Cid secretly observed the girl in front of him.
Shoulder-length black hair, probably around 15 years old, bright brown eyes, delicate features, and... well, let's just say a chest with 'future potential.'
She kind of looks like Nagisa. Easy to get them mixed up. Not really my type, but I should still be careful... Wait, why am I even thinking about this? Damn it, stupid puberty.
"Phew, I'm alive again!"
After gobbling down two sandwiches and even licking the crumbs off her fingers, the girl in front of him had a look of wanting more.
"Thank you, Senpai! You must be a student at Saikai Academy too, right? Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm a new transfer student in the first year at Saikai Academy. My name is..."
"Himeragi Yukina, right?"
After filling her stomach, the girl immediately thanked Cid. She seemed like a good kid.
"Senpai, you know me?!"
Interrupted, the girl's face showed confusion and caution. Her hand instinctively went to the guitar case beside her, but she quickly realized it was inappropriate and put her hand down.
Right. It's normal for a stranger to appear and buy you a meal when you're about to starve to death. Maybe you really met a nice person. But if they can also call you by your exact name, then you really need to wonder if they're actually a good person.
"How do I put this... it's a bit complicated to explain. So, before I answer that, let me ask you a question first. How many days have you been hungry? Your answer will determine how much my conscience hurts."
Faced with Himeragi Yukina's question, Cid slumped his face onto the table and asked back weakly.
"Th-three... three days."
Cid lay on the table, looking like death, but he still asked one more thing, not wanting to give up hope.
"Why?"
"Lost my wallet."
"How much money did you lose?"
"200,000 Zeni."
When answering this question, Himeragi Yukina turned her head to the side, her face slightly red. After all, being hungry for three days because of this, and then fainting from hunger, was pretty embarrassing.
"I see."
Hearing these answers, Cid completely lost hope. He confirmed that the girl in front of him was indeed the owner of the wallet he'd found a few days ago. He resigned himself to his fate.
Lifting his head from the table, Cid took out two gold coins from his wallet. One gold coin was worth 100,000 Zeni.
"Here."
"Huh? No, it's okay, Senpai! My living expenses will arrive in a few more days. I can hold out for a few more days. You don't need to trouble yourself like this, Senpai!"
The girl... no, Himeragi Yukina, seemed to think Cid was trying to lend her money. She quickly waved her hands, saying it wasn't necessary.
After placing the two gold coins on the table, Cid pressed his right hand to his forehead and looked at Himeragi Yukina.
"You misunderstood. This is your money."
"My money?"
Himeragi Yukina was completely confused by Cid's words. After thinking for a moment, she seemed to realize something.
"Could it be, Senpai, you're..."
"Yes. I'm the one who found your wallet."
"Huh?!"
Saying this, Cid pulled a white wallet out of his backpack. He looked up and saw Himeragi Yukina's unnatural expression.
"You... you didn't just imagine me as someone else, did you?"
"No, no, no!" Himeragi Yukina quickly shook her head, denying it.
"Forget it. It doesn't matter who you thought I was. Let's talk about compensation."
"Compensation?"
"Yes, compensation. How much do you want? As an apology for making you go hungry for three days, I'll pay you whatever you ask. Please, you have to forgive me."
….
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