"Huh?" Natsu blinked, caught off guard, and instinctively tugged at the white checkered scarf around his neck.
"Something special? Uh… probably this, I guess? Igneel gave me this scarf way back, and I've always worn it."
"That's it!!!" Cana practically leaped out of her skin, her voice jumping an octave as her trembling finger pointed at the scarf.
"That's no ordinary scarf! It's gotta be a super powerful magic item! One that protects you when your life's in danger!"
"It's a treasure—er, I mean, a precious gift from the legendary Fire Dragon King!"
She nearly slipped up but quickly corrected herself, her eyes gleaming brighter. "I bet it's got hidden powers, like boosting your magic growth! It has to!"
"What?!" Natsu's jaw dropped. He stared at his plain-looking scarf, running his fingers over it. "I… I don't feel anything that special. It's just… comfy. And warm."
"Exactly!!" Cana planted her hands on her hips, nodding like a bobblehead, her face radiating absolute certainty.
"That's proof of its power! This scarf definitely has calming, focus-enhancing effects—probably keeps you from going berserk with your magic!"
"Wow! No wonder it's a family heirloom from the Fire Dragon King! So awesome!" Her imagination was running wild, conjuring up all sorts of fantastical abilities.
Kagura, watching from the side, felt her eyelid twitch. A giant sweatdrop slid down her forehead.
"=_=|… Cana, you've definitely read too many comics and novels! It's just a normal scarf! There's no way it has all those crazy powers!" She tried to drag Cana back to reality.
"Tch, tch, tch," Cana wagged her finger at Kagura with a smug, "you're too young to get it" look.
"Kagura, that's where your lack of experience shows! Think about it—when legendary figures like that give something as simple as a rock, it's bound to be a gem packed with ultimate power!"
"And this? A scarf specially given to his 'son' to wear close to him?" Her imagination was a runaway horse, galloping further by the second.
"I bet Igneel even cast some ultimate protection spell on Natsu! If he's ever in mortal danger…"
Cana spread her arms wide, mimicking a dragon's roar with dramatic flair.
"BOOM! Igneel's massive shadow appears in the sky! Then he lets out a deafening roar: 'Who dares harm my child?!'"
"And then, WHOOSH! A world-destroying dragon's breath blasts down, burning the enemy to ashes!!"
She acted it out with vivid enthusiasm, clapping her hands for emphasis. "Yup! That's how it goes in the comics! Classic trope! Can't go wrong!!"
Kagura sighed deeply, rubbing her forehead. "Cana… you're beyond help…"
She gave up on convincing Cana and turned to Natsu, hoping to warn him not to take it seriously.
But when she looked at Natsu, she froze.
His eyes were wide as saucers, sparkling with stars. His cheeks were flushed with excitement, his mouth hanging open in utter awe.
A few seconds later, he let out an earth-shaking shout:
"WHOA!! My scarf is that awesome?!!"
Kagura's mouth twitched uncontrollably. Watching Natsu's completely convinced, hyped-up expression, one thought looped in her mind:
This guy… is way too gullible!!
Fueled by Cana's wild analysis and his fresh contract with Roger, Natsu felt invincible. The memory of his earlier thrashing was tossed to the wind, his confidence swelling to new heights.
He spun around, pointing straight at Gray, who was lounging lazily in a chair. Chin high, he bellowed, "Hey, droopy-eyes! You just wait! It won't be long before I wipe the floor with you!"
He smirked, tossing his head. "If you beg for mercy now, I might go easy on you!"
A bulging vein popped on Gray's forehead (=_=#). His lips curled into a forced smile, his eyes icy. "Oh? Wipe the floor with me?"
Before he finished, his fingers twitched subtly on the table.
Whoosh!
A nearly invisible wisp of cold air shot out, striking Natsu's outstretched finger with pinpoint accuracy.
Crackle!
White frost spread like wildfire, encasing Natsu's entire fist, including the offending finger, in a solid block of ice!
"Hey, you droopy-eyed jerk!!" Natsu yelped, frantically summoning what little magic he had left to melt the ice.
A tiny flicker of flame sputtered to life on his fist, only to fizzle out with a pathetic pfft, like it'd been doused with water.
Natsu stared at his motionless fist, eyes wide with disbelief. "My… my magic's gone?!"
Gray stood slowly, arms crossed, looking down at Natsu with smug superiority. Mimicking Natsu's earlier tone, he drawled, "Oh, dear. If you beg for mercy now… maybe it's not too late?"
"Damn it!!" Natsu's cheeks puffed out in frustration, but he was helpless against the ice.
Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in his head. Cana's scarf theory! His face lit up with a cocky grin as he carefully pressed his frozen fist to the scarf, shouting triumphantly, "Hmph! Don't get cocky! I've still got Igneel's super powerful magic item protecting me!"
"This ice? Pfft, it'll melt in no time!"
He waited smugly for the scarf to work its magic.
Thirty seconds passed…
A minute passed…
The ice… didn't budge. If anything, the scarf felt a bit colder.
Natsu gaped at the unmelted ice and his scarf, stunned. "W-What?! Why isn't it melting?! Is my scarf broken?!"
Cana, unfazed, pulled a pair of glowing glasses from behind her back. She slid them on, lowered her head, and pushed the lenses up, the glass glinting dramatically.
"The truth is singular!"
"Top-tier life-saving magic items like that have strict activation conditions! They only kick in when you're facing true, life-threatening danger!"
"A little frostbite like this? Psh, nowhere near 'lethal' enough to trigger it. Of course the scarf didn't react!"