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Shane shouted twice more, but it was still like a stone sinking into the sea.
The relaxed expression on his face gradually froze, and a bad feeling rose in his heart.
Something's wrong... this situation, could she really be angry?
But... why? I didn't provoke her, did I? Just won a spar against her. Erza isn't such a petty person.
He was puzzled, standing at the door, a bit bewildered.
Since it was his own house, breaking in would be heartbreaking.
Unwilling to give up, he went around to the other side of the house and found that the door leading to the backyard was also firmly locked from the inside. Even all the windows were tightly shut, curtains drawn.
The meaning of "No Entry" couldn't be expressed more clearly.
Shane was completely out of ideas. He could only return to the front door resentfully, plopped down on the steps, propped his elbows on his knees, rested his chin in his palms, and stared into the distance in a daze.
Feels... so embarrassing.
If he ran to the guild now, those uncles like Macao and Wakaba would definitely ask: "Eh? Shane, why are you here alone at this time? Where's Erza?"
Should he say he was locked out by Erza and couldn't get in?
Based on his understanding of this group of people.
This classic scene would be enough for them to talk about with gusto for a whole year! Even when newcomers came to the guild in the future, they would pat the newcomer's shoulder, point at him, and introduce this joke.
A person can die, but not social death.
Thinking of such a tragic future, Shane stood up abruptly. Being forced into this desperate situation named "social death" actually made his brain clearer than ever before.
He began to rapidly cycle through all the details of getting along with Erza until now in his brain. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration passed.
He rushed to the door and shouted inside:
"Ah! I remembered! I heard before that 'Caffe SSA' seems to have launched a new dessert. It's that kind of limited special offer, said to taste super amazing! If we don't go now, it will definitely be snatched up!"
Inside the house, it was still quiet.
Shane held his breath, listening intently, a bit nervous.
Although he knew this childish trick was unlikely to work, he still held a trace of expectation.
Time passed second by second. Just when he thought the other party wouldn't come out.
Click!
A clear sound of the lock springing open came from behind the door. Erza stood at the door expressionlessly.
She seemed to have just taken a bath. Her slightly wet scarlet hair tips were casually gathered to one side, emitting a sweet berry scent.
Erza said "Let's go," deliberately avoiding Shane's gaze, taking the lead to step out and walk towards the direction of the central avenue.
This trick actually worked?
Shane's eyes widened instantly. Looking at the girl's side profile, which was still tense but somehow had much softer lines, he felt somewhat incredible.
He hurriedly caught up with a few steps, walking side by side with her, silently noting in his heart:
Sweets put people in a good mood!
"Rare nice weather," he tried to strike up a conversation, his tone relaxed. "Just right to make up for the shop we didn't go to last time."
Erza looked straight ahead, pursing her lips, without responding.
Shane didn't feel awkward either. The fact that she could come out already meant that the stubborn knot had loosened.
People came and went on the street. The sun shone obliquely, stretching the shadows of buildings long. The two walked one after another, separated by a half-step distance, passing through silently.
When they reached the entrance of "Caffe SSA," Shane was surprised to find that the "limited special offer" he casually made up actually existed.
It was a dessert called "Cloud Top Cocoa Ballet Snow Tart." Its shape was exquisite, like a brown snowy peak studded with chocolate chips and nut crisps, with a thin golden sugar flake standing playfully at the top.
There were more people than expected. A long queue formed at the shop entrance. The two queued silently for nearly an hour before it was finally their turn.
After being seated, in addition to a Snow Tart each, Erza added a classic strawberry cake.
Shane wasn't very interested in sweets, only ordering an extra fruit drink. He stirred the ice cubes in the cup boredly, wondering how long the cold war would last.
Just then, an extremely light sigh of satisfaction drifted into his ears.
"Wow... so delicious!"
The voice was so light it seemed like an illusion, disappearing as soon as it appeared. Shane looked up at the opposite side.
The girl sat upright, her back straight, carefully cutting a corner of the Snow Tart with a silver fork and sending it into her mouth.
Her expression management was perfect. No clue could be seen on her exquisite face. The soft, girlish exclamation just now didn't seem like it came from her mouth at all.
Auditory hallucination?
Just as Shane was puzzled, a balloon from the child at the next table flew over. He had quick eyes and hands, extended his arm to scoop it up lightly, caught the string, and handed it back to the mother chasing after it.
After doing this small thing, when he sat back properly and his gaze fell on Erza's plate, he couldn't help being stunned.
In that white porcelain plate, only some crumbs and faint red traces left by berries remained at this moment.
...Empty?
"Where's your dessert?" Shane asked in confusion, subconsciously looking under the table, suspecting if it accidentally fell on the floor.
Erza's hand holding the fork paused slightly, then she turned her head to look out the window, looking as if it had nothing to do with her.
Shane looked at her pretended calm appearance, suddenly understood something in his heart, wanted to laugh a little, but forcibly held it back.
He pushed his untouched portion in front of her.
"Eat mine. Purchase limit is one per person. It's a pity not to eat enough after queuing for so long."
Erza's body stiffened obviously, her gaze involuntarily attracted by the dessert emitting the aroma of cocoa and cream in front of her.
Her face showed extremely obvious wavering. Her lips pursed slightly, seeming to try hard to maintain a cold face, but the temptation in front of her was really hard to resist.
After struggling for more than ten seconds, she finally reached out to take the plate and said quickly in a voice as fine as a mosquito's:
"...Thank you."
This immediately made Shane laugh.
She was angry, but she still had to thank him. "Bought off" by a dessert—this girl was too easy... um, too easy to coax, right?
Taking advantage of this opportunity to break the ice, Shane immediately pushed his luck: "Share a bite with me? Queued for so long, I haven't tasted it yet."
The struggle that had just faded from Erza's face returned, even a few shades stronger.
But thinking that this was originally Shane's, she finally scooped a spoonful with chocolate chips on top that looked the most delicious, as if accepting fate, and handed it to his mouth hesitantly.
Shane ate it readily. After savoring it carefully, he gave the highest praise for dessert in his heart: "Hmm, not bad. Not too sweet, delicious!"
After sharing food, the barrier between the two seemed to melt a little.
Shane's subsequent attempts to talk, whether commenting on the street view or roasting the people in the queue, she also began to respond simply with "Mhm" or "Is that so." Although the atmosphere wasn't warm, it finally returned to its usual state.
Erza forcefully forked the last bite of strawberry cake and stuffed it into her mouth, her cheeks bulging slightly, a bit of white cream accidentally sticking to her lips.
Looking at this girlish appearance completely different from usual, a trace of a smile passed through Shane's eyes, and he handed over a tissue timely.
Erza took the tissue and wiped the corner of her mouth carefully, her movements gradually returning to her usual crispness.
Just then, Shane looked out the window, his tone becoming slightly more formal: "Are you ready?"
Erza paused in her wiping action and looked up at him: "Ready for what?"
"Because of Brain, I plan to go back to that seaside city."
Shane turned back, looking at her calmly. "Now, your strength should be able to help. Want to go together?"
Erza was stunned, then nodded hard: "Yes. Of course I'll go."