"Huh?" Elfman blinked, caught off guard by the idea.
Back in the day, even sour, unripe wild fruits were treasured and eaten without complaint, let alone something as precious as meat.
"O-Okay!" He carefully took the skewer of meat, and though he'd been told it was fine even if he didn't do it perfectly, he still wanted to try his best to make the food delicious.
Orange-red flames danced on the "ever-burning charcoal," their warm glow chasing away the evening's slight chill.
Everyone gathered around the campfire, rotating their skewers while sharing cake, sandwiches, and drinks.
"Erza-nee! Your skewer's too close to the fire! The back's burning!!" Lisanna's sharp eyes caught it, and she pointed at Erza's skewer with a gasp.
"What?!" Erza hurriedly lifted the skewer to check. Sure enough, the once-tender meat was now a charred black mess! Her eyes widened in disbelief, her red hair seeming to droop a little. "How did it burn again?! I was so careful this time!" she grumbled in frustration. "When Kana grills, hers always comes out perfectly golden!"
Lisanna grabbed a fresh skewer of raw meat and walked over to demonstrate. "Erza-nee, you can't hold it too close to the flames! The tips are the hottest part, and it'll burn if it touches them! Look, like this—keep it at a bit of a distance."
"I see!" Erza nodded earnestly, as if she'd just unlocked a great secret. She immediately pulled her skewer way back.
"Now it's too far!" Lisanna stifled a laugh, quickly stopping her.
"Okay!" Flustered, Erza tried to adjust the skewer to the "perfect" distance, but in her haste, she thrust her arm forward—
Whoosh!
The entire skewer plunged straight into the roaring flames!
"Ahh—! My meat!!" Erza yanked it out in a panic, but it was too late. The edges were already blackened like charcoal.
"QAQ Why does this keep happening…?"
Lisanna facepalmed, a bead of sweat sliding down her forehead. Resigned, she grabbed another skewer and crouched at just the right spot by the fire. "Erza-nee, just squat here like me and turn it slowly. It'll be done in no time."
"Got it!" Erza, determined to get it right, crouched beside Lisanna like the most diligent apprentice. She stared unblinkingly at her skewer, following Lisanna's instructions to the letter.
Soon, the skewer's surface took on a tempting golden hue.
"I did it!!" Erza clenched her fist in excitement, her eyes practically sparkling with tears of joy. "I finally made good-looking food!!" Eagerly, she grabbed the skewer and took a big bite of the golden part—
A strong, metallic taste of blood flooded her mouth!
Erza's expression froze. She held the skewer up, inspecting it closely. The outside was perfectly golden and crispy, but the inside was still raw, red, and bloody!
"How is this possible?! Why is the outside cooked but the inside raw?!" she wailed in despair.
Mirajane: =_=|| This girl's cooking skills are a disaster.
With practiced ease, Mirajane placed a batch of perfectly grilled skewers—crisp on the outside, juicy and tender inside, sizzling with oil—onto a plate nearby. "I've got a few done. Come grab some if you want," she called.
"Yay! Mira-nee's skewers!!" Lisanna cheered, hopping up first. She rushed over and started passing out the skewers to everyone. "Try them! Mira-nee's cooking is the best!"
Erza, half-doubting, took a bite of Mirajane's skewer. Her eyes widened instantly! The burst of savory juices mixed with just the right amount of charred flavor exploded in her mouth. The outside was crispy, the inside tender and perfectly cooked!
"So… so good!" she mumbled through a mouthful, her eyes shining. "The meat's so tender, but it's fully cooked! Mira, how do you do it?!"
Mirajane, unimpressed, picked up another raw skewer to grill. "Uh… just watch for the golden color on the outside? Honestly, I'm more curious…" She glanced at Erza's half-raw "masterpiece." "How do you manage to get the outside perfect but leave the inside completely raw?"
Erza crossed her arms, closing her eyes in serious thought for a few seconds. Then her eyes snapped open, blazing with conviction as if she'd reached a profound conclusion. "Maybe… it's just my talent!"
Mirajane: "…"
=_=|| Talent… isn't supposed to be used like that, right?
At that moment, a gentle, flowing melody drifted through the air like a night breeze skimming across a lake, reaching everyone's ears:
"Say goodbye, the train on the water is nearing its stop…"
"On the road to the future, no one turns back…"
Everyone instinctively looked toward the sound. Next to Roger was a palm-sized black box, above which hovered a slowly spinning, pale green magic circle.
Countless glowing musical staff lines and tiny note patterns floated out from the circle, twinkling in the night before fading away.
"What's that? It's making such a pretty sound!" Lisanna, instantly captivated, scurried over to the box. She crouched down, tilting her head to study the "singing" object.
"It's called a 'Magic MP3,'" Roger explained. "Put a bit of magic power into it, and it'll randomly play a song. When the magic runs out, the music stops. Add more magic, and it'll play a new tune."
"Music…" Lisanna nodded, half-understanding, but the melody's charm was irresistible. She plopped down beside the box, her head swaying gently to the rhythm, her lips parting as she softly hummed along in a tender, childish voice.
Her innocent humming blended with the flowing melody, adding a touch of playful charm.
The crackling of the campfire, the music from the box, the rustling of leaves by the lakeside in the evening breeze… these sounds wove together into a unique symphony under the starry night.
Everyone relaxed, closing their eyes, soaking in the serene atmosphere. The warm campfire heated their bodies, while the gentle night breeze carried the fresh scent of grass and the coolness of the lake, brushing softly against their cheeks and arms.
When the song ended, the magic hadn't run out, so it started playing again.
Halfway through the melody, a clear, gentle female voice, laced with quiet joy, joined in:
"Say farewell, the beautiful dream won't fade…"
"Your love rests in my arms, your heart forever soft…"
Everyone froze, turning in surprise toward the voice—it was Mirajane!
Her eyes were half-closed, long lashes casting faint shadows in the firelight. A serene smile played on her lips as she hummed along softly.
Her voice was clear and full of emotion, as if pouring all her happiness into the song.
She learned it after just one listen?! Erza's eyes widened in shock. She remembered her own struggle to learn a song, practicing all day only to be teased for being off-key. A wave of despair hit her, and suddenly, the skewer in her hand didn't taste so good anymore.