In the Fairy Tail Guild Master's office, Riyao was currently receiving a scolding.
The office door was tightly shut, and the curtains were drawn, with only the desk lamp casting a dim, yellowish glow.
Makarov stood on the desk, his small body trembling slightly with anger. His mustache bristled like two brushes, and he poked his finger at Riyao's nose as he roared.
"You brat! Do you have any idea what you're doing?! You could very well be cursed by Ankhselam!"
His voice echoed in the enclosed office, causing the documents on the desk to rustle and the water in the teacup to splash out.
Riyao kept his head down, hands behind his back like a misbehaving elementary student, obediently listening to the lecture. However, he couldn't help but mutter a retort in a muffled voice.
"I already asked Lord Ankhselam about it."
Fuming, Makarov jumped directly onto the table, his short body possessing incredible jumping power. He grabbed Riyao's ear and yelled at the top of his lungs, spraying spittle all over Riyao's face.
"'Lord'?! Do you even know the consequences of being cursed by him!?"
Riyao tilted his head to go along with Makarov's ear-tugging, but his expression wasn't panicked at all; he even looked somewhat nonchalant.
"Well, strictly speaking, I just created a puppet to link the life force within the crystal ball. It's not like I'm pulling the dead back from the Underworld. At most, it's... life form conversion?"
Makarov's mustache quivered with rage. Just as he was about to continue his reprimand, Riyao suddenly reached out, scooped up Makarov's small body, and pulled him into a hug, a charmingly wicked smile playing on his lips.
"How about I hold you for a bit and see if it triggers Death Predation?"
Makarov's body instantly froze. His cloudy old eyes widened into circles, and the anger on his face turned into sheer terror.
He struggled desperately, his short, thick arms flailing in Riyao's embrace, his mustache practically exploding outward.
"Let go of me! Quick, quick, quick... Riyao, you're a good boy, let go of me!"
Riyao held on tight and even intentionally squeezed his arms, pulling Makarov closer. One second, two seconds, three seconds...
Makarov's heart leaped into his throat, and every hair on his body stood on end.
Five seconds, ten seconds, fifteen seconds...
Nothing happened.
Riyao let go, and Makarov slumped onto the desk, panting heavily as fine beads of cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He looked up and glared at Riyao, wanting to curse but unable to find the words, finally letting out a heavy huff.
"He definitely doesn't love this old man."
Outside the door, several people were pressed against it trying to eavesdrop, their ears glued to the wood and their eyes wide with curiosity.
Unfortunately, Makarov had activated a Soundproof Magic Circle, so not a single sound leaked through the cracks, though the door would occasionally vibrate slightly.
Gray was in the hallway crying his eyes out, weeping so hard it was like it was hailing. Tears fell like broken strings of pearls, pitter-pattering down. His nose was running, and he was crying like a two-hundred-pound child.
Ur laughed heartily, her wooden body making creaking sounds as she reached out to pat Gray's head. She didn't control her strength well, causing Gray's head to wobble back and forth with each pat.
"Hahahaha! Gray is still such a crybaby! Just like when he was little!"
Gray wiped his face, vigorously brushing away the tears and snot, and retorted with red-rimmed eyes in a hoarse, muffled voice.
"I'm not crying! Some hail just got in my eyes!"
On the ground nearby, Natsu was rolling around laughing, clutching his stomach as he tumbled across the floor, his heels drumming against the wood.
"Gray's crying is so over the top! Hahahaha... Hail! He said hail got in his eyes! Hahahaha!"
The others were more restrained in their laughter, but their shoulders were still shaking. Some covered their mouths to snicker, some turned away with trembling shoulders, and some simply buried their faces in their mugs.
Gray just wanted to find a hole to crawl into. He covered his face with both hands, the skin visible between his fingers turning burning red, even to the tips of his ears.
Riyao was tossed out of the office by Makarov, and the door slammed shut with a bang, nearly catching his heels.
Mirajane immediately came over to check on him, her long silver hair shimmering in the hallway light, her eyes full of concern.
"Is there a problem?"
Riyao shifted his body, avoiding getting too close to Mirajane, and took a step to the side.
Mirajane frowned. Usually, at a time like this, Riyao would have already rushed over to hug and kiss her. Why was he avoiding her today?
"No problem, it's just that the old man has a short fuse."
She took a step closer; he took a step away.
She moved closer again; he moved away again.
The two of them began circling each other in the hallway like two chasing butterflies, except one was pursuing and the other was fleeing.
Erza, who was caught in the middle, crossed her arms. Veins appeared in her reddish-brown eyes, and the blood vessels at her temples throbbed. Getting dizzy from them circling her, she finally yelled, unable to take it anymore.
"Are you two treating me as a part of your play?!"
As soon as she spoke, Riyao was caught by Mirajane. She lunged and grabbed his arm, hanging off him. Her long silver hair tickled his neck as she tilted her face up to his ear, her voice both sweet and dangerous.
"Riyao are you hiding something from me?"
Riyao's eyes began to dart around, glancing at the ceiling, then the floor, then a nearby potted plant, trying to bluff his way through.
"I guess I've been found out." He sighed with a look of deep sorrow. "Fine, I admit it. I hid some private money."
Mirajane gave him a warning look, one hand on her hip and the other pointing at the tip of Riyao's nose, her silver eyes flashing with a dangerous light. She then dragged Riyao toward the second floor. Riyao stumbled along as he was pulled, shouting, "Mira! Mira, let me explain! That money is for a legitimate purpose!"
Mirajane whispered in Riyao's ear, "Guess if I believe you."
The good news was that he wasn't cursed.
The bad news was that he'd have to sleep by the door again tonight.
The crowd on the first floor trembled as they heard the sounds of a domestic dispute coming from the second floor. The crashing noises, Riyao's screams, and Mirajane's bell-like laughter intertwined, sounding exceptionally eerie.
Macao and Wakaba glanced at each other, seeing a mutual understanding of shared suffering in each other's eyes. They silently raised their mugs toward the second floor and drained them in one go, as if seeing off a fallen comrade.
Riyao walked downstairs sporting a panda eye—one eye was bruised in a circle—his hair was a mess, and his collar was crooked.
However, Mirajane was happily hugging his arm, her silver hair brushing against his shoulder, her face glowing with a Happy smile that showed no trace of the domestic violence that had just occurred.
●_●
After laughing at Gray, the guild members started laughing at Riyao.
Riyao expressionlessly pulled out a Black Leather Notebook, flipped open the cover, took out a pen, and scanned the hall to see who was laughing.
The moment it came out, everyone stopped grinning.
The members who were just laughing had their smiles instantly freeze on their faces, as if someone had pressed a pause button. Some swallowed their laughter, some feigned a cough to cover it up, and some simply turned and walked away.
Anyone who ended up in that notebook would be in for a world of hurt the next time they got injured. Although Riyao's healing magic was incredibly effective, the process... he would thoughtfully let you experience what it meant to feel "pain and pleasure."
Haven't been injured in a long time? Riyao would thoughtfully ensure the person got injured, then thoughtfully provide treatment.
Mirajane went to the kitchen to help Lisanna. Riyao found a random spot to sit, leaning back with his hands behind him as he stared at the ceiling, his panda eye particularly prominent under the lights.
Macao and Wakaba sat down, one on each side, and patted his shoulders with a heavy, sympathetic force.
The three of them sighed simultaneously, their voices sounding uniform and weary: "When will the men of Fairy Tail finally stand up for themselves?"
Makarov walked out of his office and saw the three of them sitting in a row, sighing. He scratched his bald head, quite puzzled. He walked over, chatted for a bit, and after understanding the situation, he sat down as well.
The four of them sighed in unison, their voices even more weary than before.
Happy fluttered his wings and flew over, tilting his head as he looked at the four sighing men, commenting with confusion: "Is this how mature men communicate?"
Riyao beckoned to Alzack over at the bar, his gaze carrying a hint of sympathetic summons. This guy would eventually follow in their footsteps sooner or later; it's better to share the 'joy' than to have it alone.
Alzack hesitated for a moment, looked at Bisca beside him, then at Riyao and his "Grievance Alliance," and silently walked over to sit down.
The five of them sighed in unison.
Jet and Droy noticed what the five had in common, and their eyes lit up as they tried to join, rushing over excitedly. The group looked at them in unison with looks of disdain, their eyes clearly saying: You guys think you're worthy?
Lucy commented from the side, hands on her hips: "Is there even a threshold for joining this?!"
Jet and Droy were so rejected they were teary-eyed. They ran away crying, wailing as they went: "We have dignity too!"
Mirajane poked her head out from the kitchen, a bit of flour on her silver hair, and called out with a smile: "Riyao, come in and help me for a bit."
Riyao instantly switched to a fawning expression. Even his panda eye couldn't hide the brilliant smile on his face, and his voice was syrupy sweet: "Coming~"
He bounced up from his chair and walked toward the kitchen with light steps, his back straight and his tailbone acting as if it had a spring in it.
Macao, Wakaba, and Makarov spat on the ground in perfect unison.
"Ashamed to be associated with you."
With his head held high, Riyao proudly walked into the kitchen, his pace as light as if he were treading on clouds, completely ignoring the sounds of disdain behind him.
Behind him came the even more weary sighs of the others.
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150 POWER STONE = BONUS CHAPTER
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