In a situation like this, as Erza's closest friend and practically family, how could he stand by and let these people slander her?!
"What are you talking about?! Erza is obviously the kindest, most generous, and most approachable person in Fairy Tail!"
"Is that really Erza you're talking about?" someone muttered.
The group whispered among themselves, "That's just because she's always looking out for your business, right?"
"Yeah, exactly!"
Sure, Kira was an S-Class wizard just like Erza, but while everyone was a little scared of her, they weren't afraid of him at all. It probably had to do with the fact that Kira wasn't as strict as Erza and didn't try to keep them in line. If anything, he was usually the one egging on their brawls.
"What did you say?!" Kira snapped. "Are you implying I'm biased toward Erza because she buys my magic gear and keeps my pockets full? Why would I do something like that?"
Why, you ask? You just said it yourself… the group thought in unison, though no one dared say it out loud.
"Erza, you don't think I'm playing favorites, do you?" Kira called out to someone behind the group. Then, a devilishly gentle voice responded.
"Not at all!"
!!!!
"Erza?!?!" the group gasped in unison.
"Why is Erza here?!"
"When did she get back?!"
"Wait, she didn't hear everything we just said, did she?!"
Their faces turned green with panic, stumbling over each other in a frenzy.
"E-E-Erza… w-why are you…" Natsu and the others stammered, barely able to string a sentence together.
Surprisingly, Erza didn't lose her temper. Instead, she looked at them with a gentle smile and said, "Natsu! Do you have a problem with me?"
It was a soft tone, a kind expression, and a sincere question, but…
This is way scarier than usual! the group thought. This isn't like Erza at all! She definitely heard everything! And she probably saw us brawling too! We're done for!
"N-N-No! Nothing at all!" Natsu squeaked.
Erza asked again, "Really? Nothing?"
Natsu, sweating buckets and shaking in his boots, insisted, "Absolutely nothing!"
Seeing Natsu behave so obediently, Erza turned her attention to someone else. "Hmm… if you don't have any issues, then… Gray, do you have a problem with me?"
Gray was in an even worse state, sweat dripping from his face and his body. "No! No way! Erza's the kindest person in the guild!"
"Put your clothes on!"
"Y-Yes, ma'am!" Gray scrambled to find his shirt, ducking into a corner to hide.
"Cana?"
Cana's hand trembled, nearly spilling her drink. "Gray's right! Erza's the strongest and most dependable!"
"Loke?"
Loke curled up, his green coat covering half his face. "Erza's as warm as the sun! She's my goddess!"
"Elfman?"
"Erza's a real man!"
One by one, under Erza's pointed questioning, they all took back their earlier words.
Erza nodded. "So, none of you have any issues with me?"
The group shook their heads in unison. "Absolutely not!!!" they chorused.
"But I could've sworn I heard someone say I'm scary," Erza said, her smile unwavering. "Hmm… if it wasn't any of you, then it must be you, right? The new girl… Lucy, was it?"
Lucy: "Huh?!?!"
Why me?! This guild is exhausting! What is wrong with these people? Did I forget to check my horoscope before leaving the house today? First, she got dragged into a guild brawl, and now she was being targeted by the woman who seemed like the guild's resident demon queen.
One moment, she was happily watching the chaos unfold, and the next, she was the one in trouble. Did I do something wrong today? Why does it feel like the whole guild is out to get me?
Erza fixed Lucy with a calm, unreadable stare, saying nothing but somehow conveying, Say one bad word, and you're done. To Lucy, it felt like pure torture.
Shaking slightly, Lucy, as the guild's newest member, felt the weight of facing Erza, who even the wild Natsu feared. "I… I didn't…" she stammered.
Mira, feeling a bit sorry for Lucy since she hadn't done anything wrong, stepped forward to intervene. "Erza, Miss Lucy was just… huh??"
To her shock, her hand passed right through Erza's body!
"Ahhh! Erza's dead!!" Natsu and Happy, the least perceptive of the bunch, shouted.
"What's going on?" Lucy blinked, confused. Is this why they call her the demon queen?
But Mira, standing close and far more experienced, saw through it instantly. "This isn't Erza. It's a thought projection… no, a magic illusion."
"An illusion… so Erza's not actually here?"
"That illusion was way too realistic!"
"Yeah, I was sweating bullets!"
"Tch, cowards!"
"You were scared too!"
Lucy let out a huge sigh of relief. "So it was just an illusion… but who…?"
A thought projection was an advanced form of magic, not something just anyone could pull off. According to Mira, this illusion was almost as convincing as a real thought projection—a spell that required serious skill. The scariest part? There wasn't even a hint of magic fluctuation. Whoever cast this spell had to be incredibly powerful. Who in the room could pull that off?
Lucy's gaze instinctively shifted to Kira, who was standing there with a blank expression, acting like nothing was wrong.
Unlike Lucy, who quickly pieced it together, Natsu was clueless and fuming. "Ugh! Who's messing with us?!"
Yup… probably only Natsu didn't figure it out, Lucy thought. Even Happy knew it had to be Kira, the guild's resident prankster.
Man, he's dumber than his cat!
"Kira, you jerk! It was you, wasn't it?!" Gray, Cana, and Loke, who'd seen Kira pull off a Deliora illusion just days ago, caught on immediately.
Then Kira mimicked Happy's voice, letting out a cheeky, "Aye!"
"Stop playing dumb, you jerk!!!" they shouted in unison.
"Tch, you caught me?" Kira muttered under his breath.
"Caught you?! You're the only one who'd pull something like this!"
"Ha ha ha… fine, you got me!" Kira grinned, pointing a thumb at himself. "Pretty realistic illusion, huh? Wahahaha!"
"You looking for a fight?!"
"Oh, ho, ho! Feeling bold enough to challenge me now? Alright, come at me—all of you! Let's see if you've gotten any stronger!"