After Riyao was dragged away by a blushing Mirajane, the guild's clamor seemed to hit a pause button. Everyone who had been busy moments ago stopped their actions, leaving only a few empty beer mugs gently swaying on the tables, emitting a lingering "ding-a-ling" sound. The air suddenly became eerily quiet.
Natsu, on the floor, sniffed, slowly opened his eyes, let out a earth-shattering yawn, rubbed his eyes, and sat up. His messy cherry-pink hair stood up like a rooster's comb.
He scratched the back of his head, looked around at the overly quiet crowd, and asked with a bewildered expression: "Huh? Why is everyone so quiet today? This isn't like Fairy Tail..."
"It's all your fault!" Gray rolled his eyes, instinctively shifting blame faster than he could find his clothes. As soon as he finished speaking, he pounced.
"What? What's it got to do with me?!" Natsu exploded too, and the two instantly started brawling. "Ice Face, are you looking for a fight?!"
"Fire-breathing idiot, stop spouting nonsense! If I don't beat you back to your original form today, I'll take your name!"
"Enough!" Erza walked over with a frown, her cold aura heavier than Gray's Ice Magic. She raised her hands and delivered two swift blows, one to each, so fast that they were a blur. With two muffled thuds, "Bang! Bang!" Natsu and Gray fell straight to the ground like two stunned flies.
Natsu didn't even have time to whimper, his mouth twisted, and he started snoring, drooling at the corner of his mouth, bubbles coming from his nose. His speed of falling asleep could definitely beat 99.99% of the people in the Fiore Kingdom.
On the other side, Riyao was being pulled out by Mirajane's arm, his collar askew. Yet, he wasn't annoyed at all, secretly delighting in his own thoughts: "She specifically dragged me away, isn't it because she cares about me? Otherwise, why wouldn't she bother with the others?"
As he thought about it, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but widen, and he walked with a slight bounce, just like a child who had stolen candy.
Mirajane looked back and saw his silly expression, frowned, and abruptly let go of his hand.
"Ouch!" Riyao was caught off guard and landed on his backside, wincing in pain: "Sister Mira! At least say something before you let go! My butt's going to split into eight pieces!"
"Who told you to smile so pervertedly?" Mirajane put her hands on her hips, her cheeks a little red, but her tone was firm.
"That was a smile of happiness!" Riyao got up, moved closer to her, and reached out to hold her hand. "Or you can keep carrying me, I won't resist!"
"Huh? Carry you? When did I ever carry you?!" Mirajane recoiled as if burned, her ear tips instantly turning bright red. She turned and walked forward, stirring up a gust of wind.
Riyao did a carp jump to catch up, still muttering: "Hey, hey, Sister Mira, even with long legs, you can't walk so fast..." Before he finished, his gaze was suddenly drawn to a girl by the roadside, and he subconsciously glanced at her twice.
"Hiss!" A piercing pain shot through his arm, and Riyao instantly gasped. He turned to see Mirajane smiling sweetly at him, but her fingers were pinching his arm tighter and tighter, turning it from red to purple, then to black. The pain made him subconsciously activate his life energy, and the red marks on his arm faded at a visible speed.
"Does it look good?" Mirajane's voice was as gentle as a spring breeze, but it sent a chill down Riyao's spine.
Riyao's brain worked rapidly, his eyes darting around. He immediately raised his hands to appease her: "Good-looking? No way! I was looking at the unique style of her socks! I was thinking of asking her where she bought them so I could get you a pair too! You'd look a million times better in them than her!"
Mirajane's fingers finally loosened. She turned her face away and hummed softly, no longer angry: "Consider yourself lucky you're sensible."
Seeing this, Riyao quickly changed the subject, patting his chest and saying: "Oh right! Are you excited for your first S-Class quest? I'm telling you, that Stone Titan is supposedly huge!"
Mirajane paused, her brows furrowing again, her fingers unconsciously clutching the corner of her clothes, her voice tinged with unease: "Speaking of which... an S-Class quest has such a high danger level, can I really go? After all, I haven't been in the guild for long..."
"What's the big deal!" Riyao patted her shoulder, his tone as light as if he were talking about buying bread: "I've already reported it to the old man! He had no objections, so don't worry! And with my strength, if we can't beat it, I can still carry you and run!"
Mirajane eyed him suspiciously: "It's really hard to associate you with an S-Class Mage, you know? What kind of S-Class Mage would constantly come to my house for free meals and then roll around fighting with Natsu and the others in the guild hall?"
"Your family's cooking is really good!" Riyao rubbed his stomach, looking completely justified. "What's wrong with free meals? Good food should be eaten more! And brawling is for strengthening guild bonds!"
Mirajane sighed, rubbing her forehead, but couldn't help but wonder. She often heard people in the guild say that Gildarts was the strongest Mage, with destructive power so great that Magnolia even created a "Gildarts Mode." Yet, Riyao could fight Gildarts to a standstill for a short period. Could a Healing Mage's combat power really be so outrageous?
Lost in thought, she lightly kicked Riyao's butt. Riyao stumbled forward, caught off guard, and turned to look at her, his face full of confusion.
( •́ _ •̀)?
However, he didn't dwell on it for too long, quickly reminding her: "Oh, Sister Mira! This quest location is in the wilderness, far from any towns, so we need to bring enough supplies!"
"And it's not a forest environment, so my endurance will be relatively reduced. Without the terrain advantage, we'll have to rely on you, Sister Mira."
Mirajane immediately put her hands on her hips, lifted her chin, and showed a proud expression: "Hehe! Don't worry! Just watch my Satan Soul then, I guarantee I'll smash that rock lump to pieces! I'll protect you!"
The two returned to their residence to pack their luggage.
The two had already reached the entrance of the manor as they spoke.
Mirajane carried a small canvas bag, containing only a few changes of clothes and some miscellaneous items; Riyao, on the other hand, carried a bulging large backpack, filled with various potions and outdoor camping gear.
Riyao looked at her small bag, then at his own large bag, his eyes wide: "Sister Mira! You're only bringing this much?"
"Uh... it should be enough, right?" Mirajane scratched her head, somewhat guiltily poking her bag. "If not... can I have some of your snacks?"
The two bickered as they walked to the station and boarded the train to the town near the quest location. The train clattered and bumped. Riyao handed over an apple pie from his bag. Mirajane hesitated for a moment, then took it and took a bite, the corner of her mouth subtly curving upwards.
The scenery outside the window rapidly receded, and the air gradually filled with the scent of adventure, mixed with a hint of sourness.