The request to subjugate the Beast King had just been finalized, and the guild entrance was already in an uproar. Natsu, clutching half a glistening grilled fish, his tail-like hair sticking straight up, shouted: "I want to go too! I can help Elfman beat up the Beast King!"
Mirajane turned around, a rare gentle smile on her face, her eyes lightly sweeping over the grilled fish in his hand.
Natsu deflated like a punctured balloon, instantly losing his energy. The fish in his hand drooped, and even Happy shrunk back on his shoulder, not daring to make a sound.
Lisanna covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking with laughter. Riyao simply clutched his stomach and crouched on the ground, laughing until tears almost came out: "Natsu, you idiot, did you forget being hung from a tree and whipped three times by her last time?"
Natsu's face turned red, but he didn't dare to argue. He could only watch as the four of them, carrying their backpacks, walked out of the guild gates. He remained there, stomping his feet until the gates closed.
Gray pointed at Natsu, doubling over with laughter: "Hahaha, the fire-breathing idiot got shut down."
Natsu lunged forward and got into a scuffle with Gray.
The train clattered along. Mirajane leaned naturally against Riyao's shoulder, her fingertip hooking the zipper of his backpack and gently swaying it: "Did you bring enough beef jerky and dried fruit this time? Last time we went on a mission, we almost starved. You kept saying 'I brought enough, I brought enough,' but in the end, there was only half a bag of rock-hard rations left."
Riyao quickly pulled a bulging paper package from his backpack and handed it to her, smiling pleasingly: "I brought half a backpack's worth this time. It's all your favorite dried mangoes and apricots. I even packed a separate bag of dried strawberries for Lisanna."
Mirajane unwrapped the package and happily popped a piece of dried mango into her mouth. Lisanna immediately knelt on the seat, supporting herself with one leg and pressing her knee against Mirajane's leg. She reached into the package with such force that she squeezed Riyao over toward Elfman.
Riyao's shoulder went numb from the impact. Seeing himself pushed into the corner, he wailed: "Hey, hey, hey, that's my seat!"
Lisanna, her mouth stuffed with dried strawberries, shouted unclearly through puffed cheeks: "A brother-in-law should give way to his sister-in-law!" With that, she grabbed another handful of dried strawberries and stuffed them into her pocket.
Mirajane chewed on the dried fruit and poked Lisanna's cheek with her fingertip: "How about trying dried vegetables next time? If you eat sweets every day, watch out for cavities."
"No, no, I only want dried strawberries!" Lisanna lunged forward and threw her arms around Mirajane's neck. "Brother-in-law, get more dried strawberries next time. Big Sister Erza always goes to the manor to pick strawberries; she even stepped on and broke the vines last time!"
Riyao spread his hands, looking helpless: "I'd like to, but that Erza... she said she wanted to make a strawberry cake, but her cooking is atrocious. In the end, she just took the strawberries to a dessert shop to have them processed and came back claiming, 'I made this myself.' Her skin is thicker than Gray's ice shield."
Mirajane snorted disdainfully: "With her cooking skills, she's just wasting strawberries. Last time she made a strawberry pie, Natsu took one bite and spat it out, saying it tasted worse than Gray's ice shards."
The two of them went back and forth roasting Erza's cooking, while Elfman sat bolt upright beside them, his fingers tightly gripping his backpack straps, his palms sweating. He was going to take over the Soul of the Beast King this time, and he was deathly nervous, with no appetite for dried fruit.
Riyao noticed his tension and reached out to pat his broad shoulder: "Don't worry, brother-in-law, I've got your back. When the time comes, I'll activate Life Link - Hundred Battles for you. That little bit of ferocity from the Beast King will be suppressed in minutes."
Elfman scratched his head sheepishly, the tips of his ears turning a bit red: "I also want to become a real man like you, Brother-in-law, so I can protect my sisters."
Riyao tried to put his arm around his shoulder, but Elfman's shoulders were so broad he could only manage to reach halfway. He patted Elfman on the back and laughed: "Don't worry, you can definitely do it. A real man has to be daring!"
Watching the two of them, Mirajane's lips curled into a secret smile. She remembered the last time Riyao secretly tried on her puffy skirt, twirling in front of the mirror and asking her if he looked better in women's clothes than Erza. That image was the complete opposite of a 'real man.' She couldn't help but reach out her foot and lightly kick Riyao's calf.
Riyao turned his head in confusion, his eyes sparkling. He intentionally spread his arms, his face clearly saying, "Do you want a hug, darling?"
Lisanna giggled and was about to start teasing when Mirajane reached out and pinched her face, gently rubbing it: "My dear sister, if you so much as pass gas, I know exactly what kind of crap you're about to pull."
Lisanna's face was squeezed out of shape, and she cried out muffledly: "Sister, what are you doing? I haven't even done anything yet!" She muttered under her breath, "It's all Brother-in-law's fault for corrupting Sister. She never used to talk like this."
Riyao, who was still patting Elfman's back, his ears twitched. He immediately turned his head and glared at her in mock anger: "I heard that! Next time you want to gossip about me, remember to do it in your head, or no more dried strawberries for you."
Mirajane popped the last piece of dried mango into her mouth and casually wiped the crumbs from her fingers onto Lisanna's little face, smiling: "That's what you get for talking nonsense."
Lisanna immediately wailed, her face puffed out and covered in crumbs. With teary eyes, she lunged into Mirajane's arms: "You're all bullying me! Waaaaah!"
Riyao wailed along with her, reaching out to pull Lisanna away: "Get out, get out! You can't handle this position. Let me!"
Lisanna clung tightly to Mirajane's waist, her legs even wrapping around hers. She intentionally gave Riyao a mischievous smile: "I'm not coming out! This is what you get for bullying me!"
Caught in the middle, Mirajane smiled helplessly and ruffled Lisanna's hair: "Alright, alright, Riyao's about to cry."
Riyao immediately played along, touching a water bottle and dabbing some water on the corners of his eyes, pretending to wipe away tears: "Boohoo, Mira doesn't love me anymore. I'm so heartbroken."
But Lisanna wasn't buying it at all; instead, she held on even tighter.
Like a helpless husband, Riyao sighed in resignation. He turned and leaned against Elfman's broad shoulder, saying listlessly: "Elfman, you don't mind if I lean on you and cry for a bit, do you?"
Elfman patted his back earnestly: "A real man can cry too. You'll feel better once you let it out."
Watching the three of them, Mirajane laughed until her stomach hurt, letting Lisanna act spoiled in her arms: "Lisanna is still such a baby, just like when she was little."
Riyao suddenly cleared his throat and intentionally spoke in an exaggeratedly deep, raspy voice: "Oh baby you can come and act spoiled in my arms too~"
Hearing that greasy voice, Mirajane rolled her eyes so hard they were almost all white: "Get lost, don't gross me out."
The train clattered along the tracks. The laughter in the carriage mingled with the sound of the wheels, drifting out the window and into the early summer breeze.