Riyao and Gray performed a spirited combo move with perfect chemistry, kicking the front door at the same time, making the hinges groan in pain.
Behind the bar, Makarov instantly blew his top. The old man slammed his glass onto the counter, his white beard bristling with rage as his roar shook dust from the rafters: "Are you two brats crazy?! This door was just replaced a week ago! If you can't afford the repairs, I'll nail you both to the guild's front door as new decorations! The repair costs will be deducted from your commission rewards! Not a single cent will be left!"
Riyao stuck his hands into his waistband and held his head high, his confidence enough to blow the roof off: "Deduct it then! Don't you know Gray's status? Would he really care about this bit of repair money? Why would he be afraid of a deduction, old man!"
Without thinking, Gray roared along with him, his ice-blue eyes wide: "That's right! We're not—"
Just as he finished shouting, he saw Riyao clapping and laughing, not standing even half a step near him. It was clear Riyao had set him up and slipped away. Gray reacted instantly, his fists clenching with a creak as he turned to glare at the back of Riyao's head and cursed: "Hey, wait a minute, you bastard! How did you make it seem like this has nothing to do with you!"
Hearing this, Riyao turned back and laughed so hard he clutched his stomach, swaying as he walked and completely ignoring the glare. Once he'd had his fill of laughter, he left the fuming Gray behind and strolled straight toward the bar.
His eyes were fixed on the little red-haired girl sitting upright by the bar. He leaned in, tilting his head to study Erza for a moment, then turned to Makarov with a wink and a nudge: "Old man, is this the new girl you mentioned? Whoa, this red hair is as bright as a burning flame, it's really pretty. Maybe I should dye my blonde hair red too? It should look pretty good, right?"
Makarov feigned a strike at the back of his head with his cane, huffing and puffing: "You brat, never serious for a second! Stop your lip and take a look at the girl's eye! If you can treat it, do it quickly!"
Erza said with a serious expression, "My name is Erza Scarlet. Pleased to meet you."
Riyao also said seriously, "My name is Riyao, I don't have a surname. Pleased to meet you."
At those words, Cana, who was drinking juice by the bar, spat it out and clutched her stomach, laughing non-stop: "Pfft... Hahaha... Riyao-ge, do you have to be like this? You were so smooth when you were shifting blame and acting like a jerk just now, so why do you suddenly sound like a freshman called to the principal's office! The contrast is just too much!"
Her laughter triggered the rest of the guild members who were watching the scene, and they all burst into laughter, nearly blowing the roof off. Macao, who had just finished baking honey bread in the kitchen, approached with a hot tray. The vibration made his hands shake, nearly dropping the whole tray. He quickly steadied it, scratched his messy brown hair, and joined in the laughter: "Isn't it! Who would've thought the brat who was just kicking down the door and wrecking the place with Gray would be more stiff during a formal introduction than a freshman just entering the Magic Academy! Hahahaha!"
Gray was still clenching his fists and glaring at Riyao, but hearing this made him even more annoyed: "You're the one who played me first! I even backed you up earlier saying 'as if we're afraid,' but then you turned around and used me as a background prop!"
Makarov chuckled and tapped his cane, silencing the noisy room before nodding toward Riyao: "Alright, alright, that's enough. Riyao, take Erza to the inner room for treatment. Don't delay any longer."
Erza was a bit dazed. Riyao waved his hand in front of her eyes and said cheerfully: "Let's go, we'll head to the reception room. My skills are top-notch; everyone who's tried it says so."
He turned and led the way, with Erza following closely behind. Her small hands gripped the hem of her clothes, her heart full of unease, fearing that her hope would be shattered again. Before Riyao returned, Makarov had already taken Erza to see Granny Porlyusica, who said she could only replace it with an Artificial Eye.
The two entered the reception room. Riyao closed the door behind him, and with a click, he turned the lock. Then, rubbing his hands together with a mischievous grin, he slowly approached Erza step by step. Erza had never seen such a display and panicked instantly. Her palms sweated, and she involuntarily backed away until her back hit the wall, stammering: "Ri-Riyao-senpai! W-what are you doing! The Master and the others are still outside!"
Seeing Erza's reaction, Riyao laughed: "Just teasing you. Go ahead and sit on the sofa."
"There are too many reckless people in the guild, so locking the door is to prevent them from barging in."
"Oh, okay." Erza sat stiffly on the sofa, her hands resting nervously on her knees.
Riyao finally walked over, leaned down slightly to get closer to her, and gently removed the dark eyepatch she wore over her left eye. He frowned and studied it carefully for a while, even waving his hand gently in front of her eye, before finally letting out a soft sigh.
Erza's heart tightened instantly, her voice strained: "Riyao-senpai, is it... still untreatable?"
"Ah, no, it can be treated. Of course it can." Riyao looked up at her and quickly shook his head with a smile, his tone softening: "I was just thinking, with such a severe injury, you've endured it all by yourself until now. You must have suffered so much... It must have hurt terribly back then, didn't it?"
These words seemed to strike a chord with the emotions Erza had been holding back for a long time. Her healthy eye instantly filled with mist, and large tears rolled down her cheeks. Her lips trembled violently, yet she still shook her head and whispered: "It doesn't hurt... it stopped hurting long ago. I was already prepared to get an Artificial Eye. Thank you so much, Riyao-senpai... for being willing to help me."
With a click, Riyao had whipped out a Magic Camera at some point and snapped a photo of Erza's embarrassing moment.jpg.
Erza froze at the sound. Riyao acted as if nothing had happened and said cheerfully: "Alright, stop crying. Tears will affect the treatment. Lie down."
"Um, Riyao-senpai, did you just take a photo?"
(;ﾟдﾟ)
"Oh, that's a diagnostic record for observation during the later stages of treatment. Don't overthink it. I'll never show it to anyone else, really."
(・ω・)
Erza watched as his gaze unconsciously drifted away. A black line appeared on her forehead as she spoke calmly: "Riyao-senpai, your eyes are wandering. You're feeling a bit guilty."
"Hahaha, am I? Alright, alright, just lie down."
Erza couldn't ask any further, so she wiped the tears from her face and lay down on the sofa as instructed. Riyao also instantly stopped joking. He took out sterilized tweezers and a scalpel from his shoulder bag, carefully cleaning the residual blood and necrotic tissue from Erza's eye socket. At the same time, he channeled Healing Magic containing immense life force, gradually awakening the necrotic optic nerves and tissues within the eyeball.
Erza had prepared herself to tremble from the pain, but to her surprise, only a faint sense of coolness spread from her eye socket, without a hint of piercing pain. She couldn't help but speak hesitantly: "Riyao-senpai, I..."
Before she could finish, she was interrupted by Riyao's low voice—he was now fully focused on the wound, his tone turning serious without a trace of a joke: "Don't move. Save your energy. I can't spare a hand to chat with you right now. Just wait patiently."