Chen Fan sat in a lounge chair on the beach, wearing sunglasses and soaking up the sun. He looked as if he were asleep, but behind his dark lenses, his eyes were darting around wildly. Oh, that one is huge. Must be a 36D. Wow! That one is even crazier, definitely an E-cup.
Pfft. A spray of blood shot from Chen Fan's nose. He quickly wiped it away, his body trembling. Could it be... could that be the legendary 'F'? How did I never find this paradise before? My life has been a tragedy until now. Tears of regret welled up behind his glasses.
Nearby, Natsu and the others were playing around. Erza suddenly ran up to Chen Fan. "Come on! Play with us! It's boring just sitting here."
"Not going!" Chen Fan said flatly.
"Hmm?..." Erza's expression darkened instantly.
"I... I'm going..." Chen Fan wilted immediately. Having no choice, he followed her, taking out his frustration on Natsu. They played happily all day, and Chen Fan eventually forgot his actual age, enjoying himself just like everyone else. It made him feel young again, a sense of lightness filling his heart and mind.
Joy is always fleeting. Evening soon arrived, and Chen Fan returned to his room to rest. Perhaps due to his mental age, the day's antics had left him quite exhausted. Erza went back to her room as well, and Lucy went to change. Natsu, Gray, and Happy still had energy to burn, so they headed down to the underground amusement park.
When Chen Fan finally opened his eyes, he had no idea what time it was. He drank some water to clear his head and made his way down to the amusement park. It wasn't hard to spot Natsu; the guy was screaming "17 points!" at a gaming machine while Happy cheered him on.
Looking around, he saw Gray. To his surprise, Gray was with a girl. Had the guy finally learned how to pick up girls? Chen Fan looked closer and realized it was Juvia Lockser from Phantom Lord's Element 4. Chen Fan actually had a decent opinion of her after all, pretty girls always got a bit of extra grace in his book.
Moving further in, Chen Fan saw a crowd gathering. He didn't need to guess to know Erza and Lucy were there.
"A straight! Erza, you're amazing!" Lucy cried out admiringly. "Whoa... so cool."
"Yeah, she really is incredible," the onlookers whispered in awe.
"Hmph... I guess I'm just lucky today," Erza said, striking a "V" pose with her fingers under her chin, looking very proud of herself.
"The dealer is changing," a voice rang out.
"Yes... understood," the man who had been dealing to Erza said dejectedly. In their line of work, losing too much was unacceptable; it could cost them their jobs.
Chen Fan looked up and saw a young man with blonde hair, slightly tanned skin, and an earring. Chen Fan rubbed his chin. This must be Sho, Erza's 'brother.'
Erza, feeling full of herself, said to Lucy, "Right now, I don't feel like I can lose to anyone."
"I guess so."
The sound of cards being shuffled filled the air. "In that case... do you want to play a special game?" Sho said, dealing cards toward Erza.
Erza looked up, startled. The back of the cards featured the word "DEATH" in large letters. Her expression froze.
The voice continued, "Let's play... with our lives on the line, Big Sister Erza." Sho stared at her, his hands spread wide.
Erza looked forward, her voice trembling. "Are you... Sho? Is it really you?"
"It's been a long time, Sister."
"Sister?" Lucy looked at Erza in confusion. Erza's body was shaking slightly.
Erza didn't seem to hear Lucy. She kept her eyes on Sho. "Are you... okay?"
"Okay?..." Sho leaned forward.
Snap! The lights cut out. The entire underground amusement park was plunged into darkness, followed by the sound of gunshots.
Snap! The lights flickered back on, but the crowd had vanished. Only Lucy and Erza remained well, and Chen Fan, who was currently being ignored.
"Gunshots?"
"What happened?" Their eyes struggled to adjust to the sudden light.
"Sho!" Erza called out.
"Over here, Sister." Sho let a stream of cards fall from his hand. Many people were trapped inside them, their tiny voices crying out for help.
"Magic?" Erza said, stunned.
"Surprised? That's right, I can use Magic now, Sister," Sho said, holding up a card where a person was begging for help.
"Meow..." As the sound rang out, a magic circle appeared under Lucy's feet. A rope suddenly lashed out, binding her tight.
"Lucy!" Erza cried.
"Are you doing well, 'Strongest'?"
"Millianna? You can use... Magic too?" Erza turned back to Sho and the others. "Let Lucy go! She's my comrade!"
"Comrade? We were comrades once too, weren't we, Sister? Hmm?..." Sho said, glaring at her.
"Excuse me... sorry to interrupt your family reunion," our protagonist finally spoke up. He really couldn't stand being ignored anymore.
"Chen Fan!"
"Chen Fan, how did you get here? Weren't you sleeping? When did you arrive?" Lucy said, letting out a breath of relief.
"I've been here for a while, you two just kept ignoring me," Chen Fan barked at Lucy and Erza.
"Sorry..."
"Is 'sorry' supposed to fix everything? If it did, why would society need police?..." Chen Fan began to lecture them, his mouth moving like a machine gun. Erza and Lucy hung their heads lower and lower under his scolding.
"Who are you? Why weren't you pulled into a card?" Sho interrupted, getting angry. He saw Chen Fan joking around with them as if he didn't exist.
Only then did Chen Fan turn around. He scratched his hair and thought for a moment. "Well, I'm the owner of this place. You're stuffing my customers into cards as the boss, I can't just stand by and do nothing, right?"
"Stop playing games with me! I'm asking what your relationship is with Erza. Who are you really?"
"Oh, since you put it that way."
Chen Fan straightened his clothes, brushed his bangs aside, and declared, "I am your brother-in-law!"
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