The Moment of Reunion

"You're... the Lava Monster people talk about? You look like a normal person..." Erza dismounted, tilted her head, and asked with considerable curiosity.

Chiba touched his nose and gave an awkward smile.

"My name is Erza Scarlet, you can just call me Erza." Erza extended her hand gracefully and said with a smile.

Chiba also extended his hand and said, "Chiba Uchiha."

The two shook hands, Chiba couldn't help but ask, "You just said... you're a mage from Fairy Tail, and I heard Mira... where is she now?"

Even though you know everything, you still have to pretend.

Erza said, "To avoid a direct confrontation with the Frog in the Pond, Mira launched a sneak attack on their rear camp. She should be on her way now."

Chiba remained silent.

"Is she... doing well?" After a long while, Chiba couldn't help but ask.

Erza paused for a moment, then chuckled, "You'll have to ask her yourself."

Chiba immediately fell silent.

"Let's go, I'll take you to the rendezvous point first, otherwise it'll be troublesome when those people come back." Erza mounted her horse, stretched out her hand, and smiled at Chiba.

Chiba reached out his hand, and Erza grabbed the reins and spurred the horse away at full gallop.

The two left the town and arrived at the wilderness outside it. Chiba, sitting on his horse, could vaguely see a figure standing ahead.

At that moment, the figure rapidly grew larger and arrived in front of him in the blink of an eye.

"Thump!"

Before Chiba could even see the person clearly, he was tackled from his horse and pinned to the ground.

He felt as if an octopus was clinging tightly to his body, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.

"Loosen... loosen a little... I'm... I'm suffocating..."

Chiba's face turned green.

Seemingly upon hearing his words, the "octopus" on his body loosened its grip slightly. A pair of strong little hands pressed his shoulders to the ground, and then, an incredibly familiar, beautiful face came into view.

The girl's eyes were red-rimmed, her beautiful eyes fixed on the boy beneath her, her pearly teeth biting her lower lip, and she didn't utter a single word.

"Mira..."

Chiba trembled, his heart filled with a complex mix of emotions.

Oh no, I've turned into a delinquent girl again...

Looking at the scantily clad, curvaceous girl in front of him, Chiba's face showed signs of weariness.

"You bastard! How come you still remember me! Why didn't you come looking for me if you weren't dead? Do you know... do you know how worried I was about you?" Mira's small hands pounded on Chiba's chest like raindrops, and she blurted out all her words in a tearful voice.

Chiba was so badly punched that he couldn't say a word. She wasn't just giving him a token punch; she was really hitting him with real force.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" The girl found it strange that the boy beneath her remained silent.

Chiba took a deep breath, his lips twitching slightly. "Grandma, you almost beat me to death, how can I speak like this?"

Mira blushed, then glared at him fiercely and said, "Then give me a reason why you didn't come to me?"

Chiba chuckled sheepishly, scratched his head, and said, "Well... I've been constantly being chased..."

"Chase..."

Mira's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Speaking of which, weren't you being hunted down along with a girl from the Dark Guild? Was it because of her that you were being chased by the Frog in the Pond and their gang?" Mira asked accusingly.

"Um... this... this..." Chiba a little guilty, and his voice became weak.

"Well, you've been so worried about your safety, and you're out fooling around with other women," Mira said viciously.

Chiba was on the verge of tears; he was completely speechless, utterly exasperated by the questioning. Was this really the Mira he knew?

And... what's with that tone? It sounds like she's the one who's had a mistress.

"You two..." At this moment, Erza stood in front of the two, leading her horse, a half-smile on her face, "Do you really have to stay in this position while reminiscing?"

Erza's reminder made Mira realize that their position was somewhat "ambiguous," and she immediately jumped up, her pretty face slightly flushed.

Chiba grimaced as he got up. He had been suddenly thrown off his horse and then brutally beaten by Mira. He felt like his whole body was about to fall apart.

"Mira, is he your boyfriend?" Erza asked abruptly.

Mira's eyes flickered with panic for a moment, but she quickly masked it, scoffed, and said, "No!"

Chiba stretched his shoulders and said, "Don't misunderstand, we're just friends."

Mira glanced at him, snorted, and turned her face away.

Erza glanced at Chiba, then at Mira, and smiled, "Alright, Mira is a mage in Fairy Tail now. Do you want to come with us?"

Mira glanced at her sideways at that moment, seemingly anticipating Chiba's answer.

Chiba scratched his head and said, "It seems... I have nowhere to go right now. Although I'm not a mage, can I join a mage guild?"

Mira breathed a slight sigh of relief upon hearing this, seemingly quite satisfied with his answer, even the Kakuzu turned up slightly.

A hint of surprise appeared in Erza's beautiful eyes. She was able to withstand the pursuit of many mage guilds for three months, and later she even killed a group of elites, including the S-Class Mage was also the Shadow Skull, all by herself. In terms of strength, the only ones in the entire guild who were stronger than her were probably the guild leader and Gildarts. Even Laxus was not as strong as her.

However, if she knew that Chiba hadn't used his own power to kill Rina, she probably wouldn't think that way.

Erza laughed and said, "Of course you can. Your power surpasses both mine and Mira's, so you're certainly capable of being a mage."

"Um... actually, I can only barely defeat a newly-entered A-Class mage. The S-Class one... used special methods, and those special methods can't be used for a short time." Chiba felt it necessary to explain, otherwise there would be misunderstandings.

"Really?" Erza was a little suspicious, but she still believed him.

However, in her opinion, even if Chiba could defeat a newly-entered A-Class mage, Chiba strength was still formidable. Moreover, the special technique Chiba mentioned was not that it could not be used later, but rather that it could not be used for a short period of time.

Tell me... which mage guild would refuse a young man with A-Class strength and S-Class explosive power?

As for his character... Erza has absolutely no need to worry. Although there are rumors that Chiba is colluding with the Dark Guilds, her first impression of him wasn't that of a vicious person. Besides... Mira trusts him so much, even if she doesn't believe Chiba, she trusts Mira's judgment.