Though Crocus wasn't as lively as it had been on the night of the Grand Magic Games preliminaries, it was still an annual festival. Many shops remained open, and the broad streets were still filled with pedestrians and tourists.
Chase and Erza first went to the dessert shop she had been longing for, ordering strawberry cake, then took a stroll through the clothing district.
After all that eating and walking, Erza's tense nerves had visibly relaxed. She was gradually getting used to her role as a girlfriend—at least she no longer turned bright red and stammered at the slightest physical contact.
Their dynamic had roughly returned to what it was before Erza had fully realized her feelings—just with an added layer of intimacy.
However, as they passed through a quiet small plaza, a sudden dark figure interrupted the romantic mood.
"Finally found you! Full of energy~!"
Perched atop a high wall in the plaza, a girl in a black cat-eared robe stood bathed in the moonlight—impossible to miss.
Chase remained calm, having already sensed something amiss when they first entered the plaza.
"That tone... Millianna?"
Erza's pupils contracted. The familiar faces of her childhood comrades flashed instinctively before her eyes.
"Hehe, long time no see, Erza~!"
With that, Future Millianna on the high wall threw off her oversized hood and leaped down excitedly, crashing straight into Erza's arms.
Erza's face lit up with joy. She caught her steadily and spun her around twice in the air.
"Mew! I really missed you!"
"Me too. I never expected to run into you here!"
"You've grown taller, Millianna."
"After all, it's been seven years since then~"
Watching the two fall so naturally into conversation, Chase, left out of the loop, could only think: Good thing Erza wore a white dress tonight instead of her usual armor.
The hardness of that breastplate was not something ordinary mages could withstand—Natsu and Gray certainly couldn't.
"Millianna, did you join a guild?" Erza asked happily, holding Future Millianna's hands.
"Yes, Mermaid Heel," Future Millianna said with a smile.
She had wanted to come see Erza when the Grand Magic Games opened yesterday, but Mermaid Heel had performed poorly on the first day, and the entire team had been dragged into an all-night review session.
"Are Sho and Wally here too?" Erza caught herself just in time, not mentioning Simon.
In this future world, Simon had already died at Jellal's hands trying to save this world's Erza.
"How could they be? Mermaid Heel is an all-female guild!"
After a moment's thought, Future Millianna added with a smile, "They're still traveling. We keep in touch from time to time."
"I see. That's wonderful—I'm so glad to see you doing well," Erza said, a glimmer of tears shining in her eyes.
Even though Millianna wasn't from her world, her longing for her was overwhelming—especially after learning that Future Simon was no longer alive.
"Wahhh... I feel the same way~"
After they had both recovered from the joy of reunion, Chase cleared his throat lightly to remind them of his presence.
"Oh, Erza—what's your relationship with him?"
Future Millianna's expression immediately shifted. Her smile vanished, and she stepped forward to shield Erza, her fur bristling slightly as she eyed Chase warily.
She naturally knew who Chase was—anyone who fought Ten Wizard Saint Jura to that extent was impossible to ignore.
But what had triggered Future Millianna's instinctive guard wasn't Chase's terrifying magic power or oppressive aura.
It was the fact that just a moment ago, she had seen this man's hand holding Erza's!
"He-Chase is my boyfriend," Erza quickly stepped in to explain.
With someone else present, her old habit resurfaced—she was so shy she could barely speak clearly.
"Huh? But didn't that muscle gorilla say today that Demon Mirajane was his girlfriend?!"
Future Millianna looked at the blushing Erza, then at Chase, her eyes widening in shock. "Don't tell me—"
"Nice to meet you, Millianna."
Chase stepped forward to greet her, then smiled and pulled Erza into his arms, answering with action: "Yes, exactly what you're thinking."
Suddenly pulled into an embrace, Erza made a token struggle before giving up entirely. She turned her head and nestled into Chase's chest, unable to meet Future Millianna's gaze.
"Huh? HUH?!!" Future Millianna's brain short-circuited completely.
The knight-like, majestic Erza, actually—
Perhaps needing time to process, or perhaps realizing she had interrupted their date, Future Millianna quickly made up a flimsy excuse about needing to go home and collect laundry, then hurriedly turned and left.
Only after her lonely figure had disappeared down the street did Erza's racing heart finally settle.
"You were right about that one, Chase," she said with a sigh.
Not long ago, when they had gone to Future Ultear to unlock their Second Origins, Chase had said they might soon reunite with Millianna and the others.
"Fate works in mysterious ways sometimes," Chase said.
"I wonder if our Millianna also joined Mermaid Heel... and Simon—he should be with Wally and the others now, right?"
As she spoke, Erza suddenly remembered something important. "Oh! I need to tell the other me the good news!"
"Let's head back then."
Chase looked up at the star-filled night sky. "There's still the competition tomorrow. We should get some rest."
Hearing that, as if a trigger word had been spoken, Erza froze. Her body temperature began to rise rapidly.
She remembered that while preparing for tonight's date at the inn, the self-proclaimed strategist Lucy had come up with a plan.
With a sly grin, Lucy had said: "Even though you're both Chase's girlfriends, the achievement of a first official date has already been claimed by Mira."
"No matter what, Erza, you absolutely have to claim Chase's first kiss—or you'll never get another chance!"
Though Lucy herself was as dense as a block of fireproof wood, when it came to strategizing for her best friend, she was surprisingly brilliant.
As the saying goes, the so-called "love experts" who talk a big game have usually never been in a relationship themselves.
At the time, Erza had refuted her with righteous indignation. But now that the date was about to end, she couldn't help feeling a twinge of temptation and regret.
Her mind kept replaying Lucy's words. The phrases "first kiss" and "beating Mira" sent her heart rate skyrocketing again.
"Strange—is it going to rain?" Chase frowned at the distant thunder-like sound.
"I-It looks like it! W-We should hurry back!"
Spinning in circles, Erza ultimately chickened out. Her movements stiff as a malfunctioning robot, she walked past Chase with a comical same-arm-same-leg gait.
"Erza?" Chase called out.
"Yes!" The nervous Erza snapped to attention instantly.
Chase: "..."
"Before we head back, there's something I want to tell you."
"What is i—mmph, mmph—"
Under the moonlight, the open plaza fell into a sudden silence.
***
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