"Thanks for the trouble, Erza-san."
Seeing Erza re-equip into silver plate again, Aurel dipped his head politely and handed her a handkerchief.
He'd challenged the Fairy Queen today not only to test the sword skills he'd gained, but also because his system's daily quests had refreshed.
[Quest 1: In This Moment, I Am the Guild's Strongest!]
[Description: Defeat the strongest S-Class mage currently in the guild and cement the title of strongest!]
[Reward: A Knight Does Not Die With Empty Hands (from the Type-Moon world)]
As for the other two quests, one glance had Aurel covering his face.
[Quest 2: Guild Daily!]
[Description: As a guild member, you can't just laze around dating. Go complete any request!]
[Reward: Shinpachi's Glasses (from the Gintama world)]
[Quest 3: Juvia's Secret Crush!]
[Description: Daily jobs get dull. Go find Juvia, start a romance, and give her the kiss she's dreamed of!]
[Reward: Weather Controller (from the Doraemon world)]
Never mind what Shinpachi's glasses even did—the Weather Controller had its uses… but not enough to make him run off to Oak Town again, did it?
It was already afternoon; by the time he arrived, it'd be night. Plus, Phantom Lord's base was smack in the city center.
The two guilds were sworn enemies. He wasn't exactly into courting trouble…
"It's no trouble. We're family if we're in the same guild," Erza said, taking the handkerchief and wiping the dust from her face.
Still… the newcomer really was strong.
Defeating her Heaven's Wheel armor using only swordplay—thinking about it like that, Laxus losing didn't feel impossible at all.
Aurel blinked as the reward landed, then smiled again. "Then, please take care of me from now on as well, Erza-san."
"...Ah—p-please, likewise."
Facing that fine-boned face and gentle smile, Erza's heartbeat sped up for reasons she couldn't name. Her breath hitched a touch.
Even her words stumbled; in the end she turned aside, feigning calm.
"Right—Mira-nee mentioned you like strawberry shortcake and cream puffs. How about I treat you this afternoon?"
Aurel added with a soft laugh, "Consider it thanks for the sword pointers. Eat as much as you like."
Strawberry shortcake—eat to her heart's content?!
"Really?!"
Erza's eyes lit up at once. Hands clenched at her breastplate, the gallant knight suddenly looked a touch girlish.
That contrast was… pretty adorable.
Elsewhere, Kana happily counted thick stacks of bills, already planning how hard she'd drink tonight.
Erza was among the earliest S-Class in the guild; she'd known most people longest, so most of the guild had bet on her.
"Natsu! I won my money back this time!"
"Oh! Nice one, Happy!"
Natsu's eyes sparkled as he pumped his fist at the wad of green notes in Happy's arms.
"Tch…"
Gray, shirtless as ever, folded his arms and clicked his tongue, sour-faced.
Fresh back from a job, who'd have guessed a rookie of three days could beat that terrifying woman so easily?
"Hey, fire-for-brains, you tight with that newbie?"
Curiosity finally winning out, Gray turned to Natsu—who was pondering dinner—and asked.
"Ha—who're you calling fire-for-brains? You wanna go, ice idiot?!"
"Damn it, I've had it with you!!"
"Hey—don't throw your sandals at my head when you fight!"
"Shut it, old man!"
"…"
The back yard devolved into chaos again. Aurel opened his mouth to say something—but Erza, impatient for cake, tugged him straight back into the bar.
All that for strawberry shortcake—was the disciplinary committee chair off-duty today?
At least say a few symbolic words…
"Ahem. They're always like this. Even if you stop them, they'll just start again soon…" Erza noticed his look and offered an embarrassed little cough of explanation.
With the two of them back inside, Mira-nee and Levy—who'd been watching outside—also came in.
"Wonderful showing, Aurel."
Recalling that near-artful swordcraft, Mira-nee couldn't help praising him.
Never mind the spectacle—beating Erza with pure technique alone was astonishing.
"I didn't expect you to be that good with a sword. You never told me…"
Levy slid right into the seat beside him, her voice trailing into a bubbling pout.
"I wasn't hiding it. You just never asked."
Watching her cute face, Aurel couldn't resist poking her cheek with a finger.
"…"
He… kind of had a point.
Thinking that, Levy batted his hand away, rolling her pretty eyes at him in a huff.
All he did was tease her!
Aurel withdrew his hand and spread the gourmet napkin he'd reclaimed from Natsu across the counter.
Under Erza's puzzled gaze, he spoke softly, "Four orders of xiaolongbao, six slices of strawberry shortcake."
In the next instant, steaming buns and cream-crowned cake, fragrant and tempting, appeared upon the cloth.
"No matter how many times I see it, it's still amazing… With a tool like that, who even needs a chef?" Mira-nee said, hands clasped to her chest, voice warm with wonder.
Not just chefs—even ingredient costs vanished.
If they ever slacked off later, they could open an otherworldly restaurant with that tool.
"Incredible… Not just the aroma—the flavor and texture are perfect. Are these really conjured from nothing?" Erza asked, a dab of cream on her lip, eyes wide.
"Isn't making food from nothing exactly what magic's for?"
"That tool is anything but magic…" Levy propped her chin in a white hand and couldn't help retorting.
"If only we had one of those on outside jobs… Oh—Aurel, team up with me? I've got a well-paying S-Class request right now!"
Elegant legs crossed, Erza savored her cake—then pivoted mid-sentence, eyes bright with expectation.
"Nope. Aurel isn't S-Class, so he can't take second-floor requests."
Mira-nee, smiling serenely, answered for him before he could speak.
(End of Chapter)
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