In the early summer of X782, the sycamore trees outside the guild were lush with foliage, and sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled gold across the ground.
After years of testing and pestering several future S-Class Mages, Riyao finally figured out the pattern of the fate curse, [Aha Moment].
He had triggered the curse twice in the process. The first time was telling Cana that she would obtain Fairy Glitter in the future to verify if it was correct; later, asking Makarov to call Mest back to help erase the relevant memories triggered the second time.
Riyao rested his head on Mirajane's lap, his hands folded over his stomach, eyes half-closed. His voice still carried a lingering sense of grievance: "Mira, it's too scary outside, sob sob sob."
Mirajane held a pink hair tie between her fingertips, tying his hair into crooked little buns, her tone slightly gloating: "What kind of unclean thing did you get mixed up with? You've been having bad luck every day for the past few days."
Although she wasn't dressed as a delinquent girl anymore, she still had an overall cool and dashing vibe, occasionally wearing skirts, influenced by the cross-dressing master Riyao.
Just as Riyao tried to turn his head toward Mirajane, the back of his head was gently pressed back down by her, his cheek brushing against the hem of her skirt, tickling her.
He whined and turned back, deliberately drawing out his words: "Who knows? Maybe it's some young girl whose love went unrequited, hiding in the shadows and cursing me every day."
His hair had already been tied into seven or eight little buns, making him look both funny and cute.
In the past, he could easily pass as either gender with just a bit of makeup, but over the last two years, he had grown increasingly handsome, his jawline sharp enough to crack walnuts. Now, if he wanted to dress in women's clothing, he had to rely on magic to change his appearance, and every time, Mirajane would laugh at him, saying, "This is fraud."
Mirajane was amused by Riyao's narcissism: "Yes, yes, the dream of thirteen hundred million girls, right."
She twisted another lock of hair around a bun, her tone as casual as if she were talking about the weather: "I checked the request board; there's an S-Class mission to slay a Beast King. I plan to take Elfman and Lisanna. Let him try to take over the Beast King's will again; he's been practicing for over half a year, so he should have made some progress."
Riyao's eyelashes trembled violently, his heart tightening instantly, but he kept a relaxed smile on his face, even reaching out to poke her knee: "Sounds good, I'll go too. I'll cast Life Link - Hundred Battles on Elfman to help him suppress the Beast King's ferocity, so he doesn't come crying back to you again."
He knew the direction of this mission all too well; it was the starting point of Elfman's "sis-con" streak and the turning point for Mirajane to fully become the guild's poster girl.
A sycamore branch swayed down in the wind, and just as it was about to hit Riyao's face, Mirajane didn't even look up; she simply raised her hand and caught it steadily, not even getting a speck of dust on her fingertips, and tossed it into the bushes nearby.
She added another crooked bun to Riyao's hair and said without looking up: "Probably not necessary. Elfman practices his will against the sandbags in the training grounds every day. If he can't do it, I'll punish him by making him scrub the entire guild floor."
Riyao tried to turn his head toward Mirajane, but his forehead was tapped by her knuckles, making him wince in pain. He had no choice but to honestly press his face back onto her lap: "Still, it's better to be safe. Besides, I want to stay with Mira."
Mirajane poked the tip of his nose, her fingertips brushing against his upturned eyelashes: "So clingy? Did you forget when you lured me back to the manor, saying things like, 'The room is empty anyway, why don't you come cook to pay the rent'?"
Riyao pulled her hand over, his fingertips stroking her knuckles.
He smiled and rubbed against her palm: "Don't talk about me; Lisanna already confessed everything! Before coming to the guild, you were at home every day wondering why I hadn't come over to sponge a meal, and after I arrived, you even had Lisanna ask about my preferences."
Mirajane's cheeks flushed quietly. She fished out that crystal key from her pocket and shook it; the key refracted faint blue light in the sun: "Hmph, it was clearly you who made the first move! Fairy - Riyao, don't forget whose Celestial Spirit you are."
Riyao stared into her azure eyes, which held the dappled sunlight, shining so brightly it was dazzling. Both of them knew exactly what was going on, and they smiled at each other.
He deliberately lowered his voice, feigning a respectful tone: "So, my Holder, do you have any orders?"
[Hahahaha] Oh ho! The ban is finally over!
Riyao cheered wildly in his heart, the joy in his chest nearly overflowing.
Logically, the God of Fate's curse should have haunted him for a lifetime, but perhaps due to the Goddess's compensation back then, the curse's effectiveness was greatly reduced.
Over these two years, he had figured out the pattern; there was only one trigger: Heaven's secrets cannot be revealed.
Helping Cana find her father, approaching Mirajane in advance, and exposing Mystogan's identity—he had found perfect excuses for all of these, and no one discovered that he knew the future in advance.
Helping Erza treat her eye, preparing medicine in advance—Makarov had become suspicious; telling Cana she would obtain Fairy Glitter; having Mest erase memories—these three things were things he "could never have known," which was why others discovered he knew the future's trajectory, triggering the curse and causing him to have bad luck for several days.
No wonder that during the Grand Magic Games, future Lucy and Rogue had a death ending.
Riyao suddenly sat up, reached out to touch his face, then jumped up and spun around, shouting in feigned surprise: "Hey! That feeling of bad luck on me is gone!"
Before Mirajane could react, he cupped her face with both hands and smacked her from her forehead to her cheeks, not even sparing the tip of her nose, leaving her face covered in saliva.
Mirajane reached out to push his face away, her palm covered in sticky saliva, both angry and amused: "Idiot! Getting saliva all over my face—do you want to die?"
As soon as she finished speaking, her pupils turned dark red, partially taking over Satan Soul.
She reached out and grabbed Riyao's ear, pressing him to the ground, her fist lightly pounding on his back: "I'll let you go crazy! I'll let you go crazy!"
"Ouch, ouch, ouch! Mira, I was wrong!" Riyao rolled on the ground, clutching his head, but he couldn't stop laughing.
Lisanna and Elfman, who had just returned, saw Mirajane beating Riyao the moment they arrived.
The cake in Lisanna's hand almost fell to the ground, and Elfman quickly reached out to steady it. The two of them simultaneously made the sign of the cross on their chests, muttering: "Amen, brother-in-law, may you be blessed."
Natsu and Happy, who were carrying half a grilled fish and planning to sponge a meal, also just arrived at the door. Hearing Riyao's screams, they both shuddered.
Natsu hid the grilled fish behind his back and whispered: "Let's go eat at the guild instead; Mira when she's angry is too scary."
Happy, with a dried fish in his mouth, nodded frantically: "Aye! Mira's domestic violence is even more terrifying than Natsu's grilled fish!"
Riyao, being pressed to the ground and beaten by Mirajane, caught a glimpse of the four people at the door out of the corner of his eye and cried even louder: "Help! Mira is trying to murder her husband!"
Mirajane reached out to cover his mouth and glared at him, but didn't strike again.
Watching Riyao, she couldn't help but laugh out loud, her fingertips gently brushing the dust off his face: "Idiot, if you talk nonsense again, I won't let you into the room tonight."
Riyao immediately sat up, raising his hands above his head: "I was wrong! Whatever Holder says is correct!"
The wind rustled the leaves, and the sunlight fell on the two of them through the gaps in the foliage, impossibly warm.