"Σ(O_O; W-What?! A fatal injury?!" Natsu looked down at his reddened, slightly numb hands—otherwise perfectly fine—and then up at Gray, who was smirking smugly, his expression practically screaming, "Come beg me if you dare!"
Natsu's face scrunched up, torn. He squeezed his eyes shut, steeled his resolve as if making a life-altering decision, and shouted toward Roger, "R-Roger, big bro!! Please help me melt this ice!! Th-Thanks!!!"
The entire guild: "=_=||"
A wave of awkward silence swept through the air.
This guy… caves so fast! And so loudly!
Roger covered his forehead, shoulders shaking as he barely held back a laugh. This kid was so stubbornly flexible, it was almost comical.
He walked over, eyeing the ridiculous ice block encasing Natsu's hands. "I'll melt it, but there's a condition."
"What condition?" Natsu asked warily.
"You'll take over Gray's punishment task for today—clearing out the weeds in the garden that are taller than you." Roger pointed out the window at the overgrown "jungle."
"Why should I do that jerk's work?!" Natsu's temper flared, his voice spiking.
Roger calmly pointed at the ice block. "Because you lost, and you can't deal with this magic yourself."
"Think of it this way: if you and Gray fight again, and you're about to win, would it be fair if I stepped in to help him?"
"Of course not! Why would—" Natsu started to snap back, but his voice trailed off, growing quieter until he fell silent. His brow furrowed, genuinely mulling over Roger's words, his face scrunched in thought.
"Got it?" Roger asked.
"...Yeah," Natsu mumbled, giving a reluctant, barely noticeable nod.
"So, you've got two choices," Roger said, holding up two fingers. "Option one: accept the punishment and go weed the garden."
"Option two: beg Gray to undo his magic. His ice won't melt on its own anytime soon, you know."
Natsu instinctively glanced at Gray.
Gray was grinning wickedly, his smug look practically begging for a punch. When their eyes met, Gray pointed at the ground in front of him with a taunting gesture: Want it melted? Come grovel.
"(ー`′ー) That droopy-eyed jerk!" Natsu gritted his teeth, fuming, but seeing Gray's finger poised for another attack, he quickly turned away, terrified of getting his other hand frozen.
"I… I'll weed the garden!" he practically roared, then curiously added, "Why's he being punished with weeding anyway?"
Cana, nearby, shrugged. "Because he keeps stripping in the middle of the street. Got reported a ton, and the Master finally had enough, so he stuck him with garden duty."
"Pfft!" Natsu pointed at Gray, bursting into laughter. "Haha! Exhibitionist! Serves you right!!"
Gray: "=_=##"
Three seconds later, Natsu held up his frozen hands to Roger. "Please, help me out."
Roger couldn't help but chuckle at this stubborn, hot-headed goofball. He lightly tapped the ice block, and it instantly dissolved into a puff of white mist.
Freed at last, Natsu sprang back to life! He shook out his still-tingly hands and bolted to the job board, eager to pick a cool mission to prove himself.
But as his eyes landed on the wall covered in densely packed job flyers, his excitement froze. The papers were plastered with tiny, incomprehensible text.
What did Roger say I could take again? …Ugh, I know every word, but put together, it's like gibberish!
Feeling several pairs of eyes on him, Natsu's cheeks burned. He was terrified someone would notice he couldn't read.
In a panic, his gaze snagged on a flyer with a lively monkey drawing.
That's the one! He grabbed it like a lifeline, rushed to the bar, and slapped it down. "I'm taking this job!"
Mira picked up the flyer, her gentle smile tinged with apology. "Sorry, Natsu, this is a B-rank beast-slaying mission. You need more experience and rank to take it."
"As a new member, you should start with E-rank tasks, like delivering letters or finding lost pets."
"Oh… oh!" Natsu's body stiffened, his face burning hotter. He shuffled back to the job board, movements awkward and robotic.
Staring at the sea of incomprehensible flyers, his head buzzed, little stars dancing in his vision.
Which one's for finding pets? …Wasn't that monkey one about animals?! Why doesn't it count?!
I can't mess this up again! If I do, that droopy-eyed jerk will never let me hear the end of it!!
Driven by shame and competitiveness, he spun around and shouted to the guild hall, "I just realized! Doing jobs to boost magic power is too slow! Is there a faster way to get strong?!"
Gray, lounging with his chin propped up, smirked and tossed out a sarcastic reply. "Faster? Easy. Fight strong people! The tougher the opponent, the more you improve when you beat them."
Natsu froze, eyes lighting up. He's right! Dad used to make me fight strong beasts (like that boar) to train me. He said it'd make me stronger.
After I took down that beast, I did feel more powerful, and my flames got fiercer! (Probably because I was full and rested.)
So… if I fight stronger people and beat them, I'll get even stronger than them!
Seeing Natsu's eyes gleam with realization, Gray sat up, alarmed. "Hey, wait, I was just messing around! This idiot's not actually taking it seriously, is he?!"
Natsu scanned the room, sizing up his options for "strong opponents."
The Master? No way, I'd get crushed. Roger? Uh… if I tick him off, no one'll melt the ice next time. Pass.
Finally, his gaze locked onto a corner where a girl with beautiful scarlet hair was blissfully eating a huge strawberry cream cake, surrounded by an aura of sweet, pink bubbles.
"E-Erza!" Natsu took a deep breath, summoning his fearless, rookie courage. "Let's fight! If I beat you, I'll be the strongest!!"
Gray slapped his forehead with a loud SMACK. "He's done for… this guy's got a death wish. Hope he doesn't drag me down with him."
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