"Levy… why does that sound so familiar?"
Sharing an umbrella with the girl he'd just met, walking down a broad stone-paved avenue, Aurel wore a thoughtful expression.
"So, Aurel only arrived in this town today?"
Levy tilted her head. Her sky-blue bob shifted with the motion as she peeked at him from the corner of her eyes. The hand holding her book drifted to her flat chest, trying to steady the thudding heartbeat she could still feel.
She didn't even want to look away.
This isn't right—something's really not right!
Looking like this… could this be what the books call love at first sight?
Thinking that, Levy's breathing quickened, a wine-like blush blooming across her cheeks.
"Yeah. I just didn't expect to get scammed the moment I arrived…" Noticing the change in the girl beside him, Aurel chose not to ask.
Better to leave the kind girl a little dignity.
…
It wasn't far from the town park to where Levy lived. They chatted as they walked and soon stood before a large residential building on a hillside.
"FAIRY HILLS"
Seeing the wooden sign hung above the gate, Aurel glanced back at the girl and asked, uncertain, "Is this your home?"
"No, it's the girls' dorm I'm renting in!" Levy shook her head quickly.
Girls' dorm?
Aurel forced a smile and asked, "Don't your dorms forbid men from entering?"
"Of course they do, but—" Levy first checked the entrance with a careful look, then lowered her voice. "As long as Granny Hilda doesn't find out, it's fine. Besides, we can go in from the second floor."
Why does this feel like we're sneaking around for an affair…
Before Aurel could reply, Levy handed him the umbrella. Her slender index finger traced graceful strokes in the air, like writing.
"Solid Script: FLOAT."
With a soft chant, five translucent letters appeared out of thin air in the rain, bobbing lightly like balloons.
Holding the umbrella, Aurel saw the impossible scene and suddenly recalled something.
His eyes flicked to the pale skin at the back of the girl's left shoulder—there it was, a white emblem.
And that emblem meant—Fairy Tail.
Fairy Tail, huh…
No wonder her name sounded so familiar.
Aurel's eyes widened. He hadn't expected to transmigrate into this world.
Calming himself, he exhaled slowly and rummaged through his memory for details about this place. In terms of danger, Fairy Tail was no less intense than the other big shōnen worlds.
Just then, the girl's cheerful voice chimed beside him.
"Okay!"
Finishing her spell, Levy clapped her hands and beamed. "Now just touch the letters and you'll float up~"
"I see."
Dragging his thoughts back, Aurel reached out curiously to touch the glowing white letters—the first magic he'd experienced in this world.
In the next moment, his body rose gently, as if gravity had loosened its hold.
…
Levy's room was in a corner on the second floor.
As soon as Aurel climbed in through the window, he saw rows of deep-blue bookshelves and books scattered all over the floor, leaving almost nowhere to step.
Calling it a "room" would be generous—it was basically a mini library.
"Ah—um, I left in a hurry this morning…"
Having just closed the window, Levy noticed the chaos and scratched her cheek, a bit embarrassed as she tried to salvage her image. "So I didn't have time to tidy up!"
Not that tidying would help much anyway.
"It's fine. Honestly, it gives the place character." Aurel picked a book up from the floor with a gentle smile.
"Deciphering and Interpreting Ancient Script"
He flipped a few pages at random. Thanks to the Translation Konjac, a quick glance was enough to grasp the gist.
Strangely, he could even read the sample ancient characters printed inside.
"That book—are you interested in ancient writing too!?"
Spotting what he held, Levy stepped closer at once, eyes sparkling.
She looked exactly like someone who'd just found a kindred spirit.
"Traveling around means I've learned a little." Aurel explained, noting the spark of excitement in her eyes.
"Amazing!" Levy hopped onto a chair backwards, propping her chin on both hands. "And—going out to travel at your age… that's incredible!"
"Not really. So far I've only been to three or four countries."
Aurel shook his head and glanced at the rainy night outside.
With the sun fully set, the vast magic within him had ebbed away, leaving him little different from an ordinary person.
"Three or four is a lot. I haven't even left the country once." Levy suddenly remembered something and hurriedly asked, "If you've traveled so much, you must've read tons of books, right?"
"I guess…"
"Then could you tell me about them!?"
Seeing the growing light in her eyes, Aurel knew there was no sleeping early tonight. He smiled and agreed.
Telling stories to the cute girl who had taken him in out of kindness—there were worse ways to spend an evening.
…
Morning sunlight slipped through the window, scattering softly over towers of books.
Levy rubbed her eyes, stifled a yawn, and tears glimmered at the corners without her noticing.
When her vision cleared, the first thing she saw was Aurel, asleep face-to-face with her across the table.
Lustrous black hair, features too perfect to fault, and that small tear mole under his left eye lent him a strange, irresistible charm.
As she studied the boy's face, warmth crept into her cheeks again.
So this is what it feels like to like someone?
Feeling her heart pound even harder, she accepted the unbelievable truth.
She—liked the boy she'd only just met.
"...Good morning, Levy-san."
Noticing the heated gaze from the other side of the table, Aurel cracked his eyes open and greeted her gently.
Before Levy could reply, the system interface popped up before Aurel's eyes.
[Today's Quests Refreshed:]
[Quest 1: Welcome, New Guild Member!]
[Description: In a world where mages are the norm, you should find like-minded companions. Locate a suitable guild and join it.]
[Reward: Shadowkhan (from the world of Jackie Chan Adventures)]
(End of Chapter)
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