The Eminence in Shadow: The Dark Swordsman

Chapter 17: The Mundane Masquerade

The old woman, now thoroughly exasperated, muttered, "You two are the epitome of stupidity. Unbelievable!"

As the old woman's frustration grew, Kirito and Cid exchanged a glance that could rival the world's most oblivious poker faces.

Meanwhile, the thief, lurking nearby, wondered if he had stumbled upon the world's most clueless duo. Little did he know, he was about to become a pawn in their mundane masterpiece.

With a twinkle in his eye, Kirito smoothly swiped the purse from the thief's clutches, all while maintaining an animated discussion about the mundane life without Cid noticing a thing.

Simultaneously, Cid summoned his dark slime, discreetly dealing with the thief without Kirito catching on. The thief's demise became an unexpected footnote in the saga of their mundane escapade.

Unfazed by the unfolding drama, Kirito nonchalantly tossed the recovered purse to the old lady, who stared at them in disbelief.

"Here you go, ma'am, just another mundane day-saving mission accomplished," Kirito said with a grin, as if returning a misplaced pen.

A week had passed since Kirito and Cid's fateful encounter, and their friendship blossomed like a flower that couldn't be bothered to bloom properly.

In a peculiar twist of fate, Kirito found solace in Cid's apparent lack of curiosity and his commitment to the mundane. "I needed someone clueless." Kirito thought, grateful for a friend who wouldn't dig into his mysterious background.

On the flip side, Cid considered Kirito the ideal companion in his quest for background character excellence. To Cid, Kirito's state of cluelessness (Kirito's acting) and his questionable financial status made him the perfect candidate for the role of a broke, background buddy. (He thinks Kirito is broke.)

Their friendship was more like an unspoken pact, sealed with a shared disinterest in anything remotely exciting or dramatic in order to hide their other personas. They navigated the waters of companionship with comedic ease, like two characters in a sitcom who accidentally became friends because the script said so.

As Kirito and Cid strolled near the academy walls, Cid nudged Kirito with an utterly mundane suggestion, "Hey, Kirito, why don't we try climbing these walls?"

Kirito, feigning reluctance, agreed, "Sure, why not?"

With Cid providing a subtle boost, Kirito began his ascent, managing the climb with the enthusiasm of a sloth in slow motion.

Just as Kirito reached an impressively dull height, Christina happened upon the scene. She blinked in confusion and asked, "Um, excuse me, Kirito-kun, what on earth are you doing up there?"

Caught in the act, Kirito blushed, his usually composed demeanour replaced by awkward embarrassment. "Oh, uh, just practising the art of... wall observation. It's a highly underrated skill, you know?" he stammered, desperately searching for a plausible excuse.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the wall, Cid couldn't resist a smirk. To himself, he mused, "Another rule of being the ultimate background character: occasionally be a mild annoyance to others."

As Kirito teetered on the edge, Cid "apologized" with an overly dramatic display of regret as ge pushed him. "Oh no, Kirito, my sincerest apologies for my clumsiness," Cid said, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

As Kirito was losing his balance on the wall, Christina's eyes widened in concern. "Kirito-kun, what are you doing? Be careful!" she exclaimed, rushing over to lend a helping hand.

Just as Christina reached out, Kirito gracefully descended from the wall, landing on his feet like a cat with a smug expression. "Oh, don't worry, Christina." He said casually.