The guild was as rowdy as ever, with members fooling around and brawling.
Thump... Thump...
One by one, the guild members collapsed into sleep; it was a godsend for insomniacs.
In the blink of an eye, Riyao was the only one left awake in the guild hall.
He swallowed the bread in his mouth, tiptoed behind Mirajane, caught her as she fell, and carefully adjusted her head so she could lean against him more comfortably while she slept.
The guild's front door pushed open with a creak.
Mystogan walked in wrapped in a thick cloak, his hood obscuring most of his Face, with several staves on his back swaying gently with his steps.
He saw Riyao standing by the chair and paused for a moment, but showed no surprise; it wasn't the first time the two had met like this.
Speaking of their meetings, it wasn't until six months after Mystogan joined the guild that Riyao discovered him, and both had been dumbfounded at the time.
Riyao had been confused—when did Mystogan even join the guild?
And Mystogan was clearly stunned too; seeing someone still awake, his fingers tightened around his staff, his eyes practically screaming'should I increase the intensity of the hypnosis?'
...
Riyao took the initiative to raise his hand, greeting him with a smile: "Mystogan, long time no see."
Mystogan nodded, his voice coming through the cloak with a deliberate, low rasp: "Lord Riyao, long time no see."
He walked straight to the request board, reached up to take down a request slip, and tucked it into his cloak.
Looking at the staves on Mystogan's back, Riyao stroked Mirajane's head and fell into thought.
It seemed the magic item manufacturing techniques in Edolas were better than those in Earth-land? No, more... suited for solo combat.
After all, the Earth-land Council still had Etherion and Face—one blast and everyone would be silenced.
Mystogan walked over and tapped on the bar counter: "Lord Riyao, I happen to want to restock some potions."
"Still five bottles of standard healing potion and five bottles of rapid-acting healing potion, right?" Riyao turned around and took two sets of potions from the cabinet under the bar.
Mystogan took the potions, and just as he was about to put them into his cloak, he heard Riyao ask nonchalantly, "Old Mi, you aren't from Earth-land, are you?"
Mystogan's body suddenly stiffened, his gaze beneath the hood instantly becoming sharp, and his fingers tightened slightly around the potions: "Did Master Makarov tell you?!"
Riyao rested his chin on the top of Mirajane's head and shook it gently, putting on a profound and mysterious Face, just like when he had fooled Cana into thinking he could see through fate years ago: "I didn't need the Master to tell me. I can see the essence of your life; it's different from us Earth-landers, though it's a bit like Granny Porlyusica's."
Mystogan's tense shoulders slowly relaxed. He tucked the potions into an inner pocket of his cloak and said in a lower voice, "Yes, I come from Edolas, a world very similar to this one. I hope you can keep my secret."
"Don't worry, don't worry, I'm famous in the guild for being tight-lipped," Riyao said, nearly making himself laugh.
Mystogan didn't press him on his insincerity; he just nodded and turned to walk out. As his cloak brushed the threshold, he paused, whispered a low "thanks," and his figure quickly vanished outside.
Not long after Mystogan left, the people in the guild began to wake up one after another. Natsu was the first to spring up, touching his Face and shouting, "Where's my grilled fish?!" Gray rubbed his eyes as he sat up, staring blankly at the ice shards on the floor for a long time.
Mirajane stirred in Riyao's arms, opening one eye first. Seeing it was Riyao, she simply closed her eyes again and snuggled into his embrace, intending to doze for a bit longer. Riyao chuckled softly, "Yo, good morning, Sleeping Beauty."
Mirajane reached out and slapped his hand, which was restlessly pinching her waist, her tone carrying a hint of dazed reproach: "Good morning my foot. What's going on? It feels like there have been several times before where I suddenly fell asleep."
"Mystogan came back," Riyao explained casually, his fingers gently combing through her long hair. "That guy uses magic to lull you all to sleep every time he returns. He's very mysterious; I guess he doesn't want anyone to see what he looks like."
Cana leaned over holding a beer mug, her eyes sparkling: "What does he look like? Is he hideous? Is he even uglier than Gray?"
Riyao immediately tilted his head up with a proud Face: "Anyway, he's not as handsome as me."
Cana rolled her eyes massively: "Narcissist."
"How am I narcissistic? Besides, Mira is 'narcissistic' about me," Riyao said, deliberately hugging Mirajane tighter.
Gray, lying on the floor, rolled over and moved further away from the two, muttering, "Cana, why do you bother him? Don't you know he has 'love brain' right now?"
The guild soon returned to its usual rowdiness. Natsu and Gray had already started fighting over 'who fell asleep first,' Erza was standing with hands on hips scolding them, Levy was recording in her notebook nearby, and Happy was perched on the chandelier shouting, "Aye! Fighting again!"
Holding Mirajane, Riyao looked at the lively crowd, but his gaze darkened slightly. He pondered to himself: This time it didn't trigger the Curse of the God of Fate [Aha Moment]. It seems the trigger conditions are even simpler than I originally thought. However, to be safe, I still need to find a chance to test it again.
The ruins I went to last time—oh no, they should be called debris—unless I kidnap Sister Ultear and bring her there, there are no clues at all, leaving me to just guess blindly. It just so happens that over the next few years, people will be promoted to S-class one after another. According to the original plot, it seems this year is Laxus. Why don't I beat him up and block his promotion to see if it triggers the curse?
I must figure out the pattern of the curse before the year X782. Although the gentle Mira is also great, whenever he thought of the scenes that might appear in the future, his chest tightened; he absolutely did not want to see Mirajane cry.
Mirajane in his arms seemed to sense something and looked up at him: "What are you thinking about? You look so silly with your brow furrowed."
Riyao immediately tucked away his concerns, squeezed her hand, and put on a playful expression again: "I reflect on three things daily: what to eat for breakfast, what to eat for lunch, and what to eat for dinner and late-night snacks."
Mirajane rolled her eyes and poked his stomach: "Your head is only filled with eating."
"My head also has you in it," Riyao said, looking down with a gentle smile curling his lips as he lightly touched his forehead to hers.
Hearing this, Gray on the floor immediately used ice magic to make himself an ice pillow and buried his head in it, determined not to look at them.
Cana and Erza had long since turned away in tacit understanding—one went to rummage through the Master's liquor stash, and the other went to clear the overturned tables.
Natsu's fist suddenly burst into flames; he just felt like something was off.
Happy flapped his wings and flew down, landing on Riyao's shoulder, flicking his tongue mischievously: "Aye! They're having a thing~"
Riyao laughed and reached out to pinch Happy's Face, and Mirajane couldn't help but laugh out loud too. Leaning in his arms and listening to the familiar rowdiness of the guild, she only felt a warm glow in her heart.