Chapter Forty Two

Dante let the words pour out unchecked. He didn't care if it got him kicked out; he still didn't feel like he was a part of a family, just playing the part of an outsider looking in.

"See? Self-absorbed," Cincinnati was smiling, and Dante wasn't sure he'd ever seen her smile.

"You didn't need to praise me so hard," Gilgamesh materialised before him, and so did Esme, Crystal, and Darkus.

"What's going on?" Dante turned to Cincinnati, feeling betrayed for the first time.

"You always hold back; you never say the things you wish. I went to The Graveyard and asked Alan for tips to get you to loosen up. He suggested making you think you were all alone with a pretty girl. That worked, surprisingly. Are you a pervert?"

Dante would have taken Gilgamesh seriously if not for the smirk on his face.

Oh, I am the one who pushed them away.

"Darkus doesn't talk to you because he's painfully shy. He speaks only when spoken to, and you've never reached out to him, have you?" Crystal had a