The Fairy Tail Guild hall was a complete mess: broken training staves were scattered everywhere, shards of ice shimmered coldly in the sunlight, overturned storage crates spilled Magic Items across the floor, and a faint scent of alcohol lingered in the air.
Makarov's giant hand pressed firmly into the center of the hall, the hard stone floor cracking into a web of fine lines. His eyes were wide with rage, and his iconic (ﾒ ﾟdishﾟ)ﾒ expression made the surrounding air tighten as he roared:
"You little brats! Do you think the guild is just some place to run wild? There's a limit to your fooling around! Don't go throwing the guild's rules completely out the window!"
No one expected that Riyao, who had been right in the middle of the fray just moments ago, had somehow slipped over to Makarov's side. Crossing his arms, he glanced at the others rubbing their sore limbs with a look of disdain and chimed in, "Exactly, Master. These guys were fighting like headless flies just now. Luckily, I was fast enough to dodge to the side, or I would've been dragged into it too. I'm honestly embarrassed to be associated with this lot."
As he spoke, he sneakily winked at Gray. That "I've already seen through you all" look couldn't hide his mischievous nature.
"Stop pretending!" Gray clenched his fists, tiny ice crystals forming at his fingertips as ice-blue magic swirled around him. "Riyao, you bastard! That string of ice spikes you threw earlier almost poked a hole in my coat! When you were chasing Wakaba, you were more excited than anyone. How do you have the nerve to act like a bystander?"
Macao rubbed his lower back, his face a bit pale. He grimaced as he added, "Exactly! That flying kick of yours landed right on my kidney. I can't even bend over to tie my belt now! You hit harder than anyone, and now you're acting like the good guy!"
Wakaba patted his rear, hissing in pain. "Don't even get me started! In the chaos, I was shoved headfirst into the iron training rack. My backside still hurts like crazy! Don't you guys know how to show some mercy?"
Cana leaned against a pillar with her arms crossed, her lip curled in annoyance and her hands on her hips. "And then there's you, you scheming Riyao! While I was trading blows with Gray, you whacked me on the back of the head with the handle of an ice spike. It still hurts! You just can't stand to see anyone else doing well!" She looked ready to lunge forward and grab his collar.
Levy, clutching a thick volume of Mage lore, huddled by the bookshelf in the corner. She peeked out and whispered a retort, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz: "Riyao-ge clearly threw quite a few punches himself, and he even swiped Macao's jerky... To turn around and criticize everyone else, he really is getting more and more mischievous." She giggled behind her hand, quickly burying her face back in the book for fear of being caught laughing.
"So noisy. I was trying to get some sleep here." Laxus Dreyar leaned against the wall, sparks of lightning dancing on his fingertips. He rolled his eyes impatiently. "Your racket scattered the lightning elements I just finished condensing. And Riyao, that ice spike you threw just now grazed my ear. If you're looking for a fight, just say so. Don't pull this nonsense in the guild."
Warren Rocko, who had just run in from the backyard, was still holding a copper watering can. His pant legs were stained with fresh soil, clearly having been tending to the flowerbeds. "When you were all chasing each other, you stepped on the three sunflowers I just planted! Those were seeds I brought from my hometown; they barely survived the winter to sprout! You have to help me dig up the flowerbed again and plant ten more to make it up to me!"
A heavy blow suddenly landed on the back of Riyao's head—it was Makarov. Having retracted his giant hand from the floor, his bony hand now delivered a solid rap to Riyao's crown. His white mustache bristled with anger like a little flag. "You brat! You can't even stay quiet for two minutes before you start acting up? Talking back and taking advantage of your juniors right in front of them—you never do anything productive, just show off!"
Just then, Erza walked out of the reception room and went straight to Riyao, bowing slightly in thanks. "Senior Riyao, thank you."
Riyao rubbed his forehead and teased, "Don't worry about it. We're family, no need for thanks. Just call me 'Brother.' I wouldn't mind if you called me 'Dad' either."
Makarov gave him another sharp rap on the head and grumbled, "Always trying to take advantage of your juniors."
Riyao yelped and jumped up, retorting, "And you're always trying to get us to call you 'Grandpa Master'!"
Amidst their bickering, Erza's cheeks flushed slightly. With a hint of awkward bashfulness, she called out softly, "Ri... Riyao-ge..."
Riyao perked up instantly. He looked at her with a mischievous grin, covering his mouth as he let out a strange "O-ho-ho" laugh.
Erza finally snapped from embarrassment and punched him hard in the stomach. Riyao clutched his gut in pain, shouting dramatically, "Whoa, isn't this 'thank you' gift a bit too heavy?"
The entire guild erupted into a burst of laughter.
Gray mocked him from the side, enjoying the misfortune. "The scheming bastard finally got what was coming to him, hahahaha!"
Riyao immediately fired back, "Hey, idiot Gray, where are your clothes?" Gray froze, then frantically started looking all over the floor for his clothes.
Cana laughed along. "This unscrupulous senior Riyao totally deserves it!"
Riyao countered again, "Little Cana isn't cute at all anymore. You used to obediently call me 'Big Brother Riyao.' It's truly heartbreaking."
Cana's face turned bright red as she snapped back, "That was when I was a kid! You bastard Riyao, just wait until my old man gets back, I'll have him beat you up!"
Riyao picked his nose nonchalantly. "Tch, whether that old man can even catch me is another story. Little Levy is still the cutest; she still calls me 'Riyao-ge' properly."
Levy, clutching her book, cried out innocently, "I didn't even do anything, you dummy Riyao... ge."
Erza kept a straight face, her tone serious. "Senior Riyao, please don't... pick your nose. It damages the guild's reputation."
Riyao helplessly stopped and pulled out a mirror, holding it up to Erza. He said cheerfully, "So, do you like the emerald green eye? One brown and one emerald green—looks good, right? It's the same emerald green as mine."
Erza looked at herself in the mirror. She hadn't looked at a mirror since she woke up, so she didn't know her eye had turned emerald green. The others were standing too far away to notice, and even if they had, they probably would have assumed it was always like that.
Erza's mouth hung open slightly as she stared for a moment, but eventually, she accepted the reality with a smile.
"This is fine. It looks... quite nice."
"Hey, hey, I can hear the reluctance in your voice. Isn't having the same eye color as me something to be proud of?"