The Plan

A few days ago.

"Erza, I want to ask you something." In a corner of the guild, Mira secretly sat down next to Erza.

"What? A duel?" Erza put down her cup and laughed.

"No, that's not it." Mira waved her hand in denial, then blushed and whispered shyly in Erza's ear, "It's just... how can I get a boy to confess his feelings to me?"

Erza's body stiffened instantly, and her face flushed bright red. She quickly denied it, "I... I don't know anything!"

"It's not about expecting boys to take the initiative towards you. For example, me!" Mira explained, realizing Erza had misunderstood.

Erza breathed a sigh of relief, then couldn't help but look at the nervous girl beside her, and suddenly realized what was going on.

Mira immediately regretted it; she felt that Erza seemed to already know.

"It's Lisanna and Natsu, isn't it?!" Erza exclaimed confidently, as if she had discovered a new continent.

Mira paused for a moment, then nodded rapidly like a chick pecking at rice.

"I knew it. It seems being the older sister isn't easy for you." Erza patted her shoulder and nodded.

Mira: "..."

I really don't know why you can be so clueless.

"In that case..." Erza coughed twice, looked at Mira with a serious expression, and said, "Then I need to help you!"

"Uh-huh!"

Mira's eyes sparkled, her face full of admiration.

Today, Mira wore a thick brown coat, the zipper of which was undone, revealing a light pink dress underneath. Her snow-white hair was draped behind her head, with a few snowflakes still clinging to it. Around her neck hung a fluffy, pink and white cat-ear-like earmuff, which looked very cute.

Chiba, who had gradually gotten used to Mira's delinquent girl look, was so surprised by Mira's cute style that she was speechless.

"Is... is there a problem?" Mira's pretty face flushed slightly as Chiba stared at her, and she whispered.

"There's some truth to the saying that straight men love cute girls. Dressing cutely, speaking softly, and behaving gently gives you an advantage," Erza said.

Mira thought to herself, "Aside from being a little girl, isn't everything else just like me when I was younger?"

But... but it's so hard to do this! Why can't I change back?

Ugh! Every time I see that guy's stupid face, I really want to punch him against the wall.

Despite thinking this way, Mira still diligently took notes.

Soft, cute, and gentle.

She jotted down a series of keywords in her notebook.

"No, no, no... you... you... suddenly..." Chiba was at a loss for words.

The sudden change in art style was hard for him to adapt to.

"Doesn't it look good?" Mira tidied her hair at her temples and said softly.

The girl in front of me seemed to possess an inexplicable charm; her rosy cheeks were like tempting apples, making one want to take a bite.

"Beautiful..." Chiba blushed for no reason.

What's wrong with this girl today?

Gentle girl style -- Delinquent girl style -- Cute girl style?

What the hell is this?

Based on all the previous signs, Chiba realized that something was not so simple.

Natsu, sitting on the bed. "..." (confused face)

Mira came in carrying a small basket, then gathered her skirt and sat gently on the edge of the bed, placing the basket on the table beside her.

However, her series of movements were clearly stiff, or rather, clumsy, and looked somewhat... comical...

Stay calm, stay calm, believe in yourself!

Although she had rehearsed countless times at home that morning, when she actually did it, she felt her heart pounding, even more nervous than when she was doing some difficult raiding missions.

However, she skillfully opened the small basket, took out a thermos, and opened the lid.

The aroma of meat wafted over, instantly making Chiba feel refreshed and relaxed.

However, her skillful and swift movements suggested she had received specialized training.

But Chiba didn't care about such things anymore; under the combined provocation of Lisanna and Feiyin, he could no longer restrain himself.

"I'll feed you," Mira said with a gentle smile.

Chiba: "..."

Ignoring Chiba's bewildered expression, Mira picked up a spoon, scooped up a small spoonful of soup, gently blew on it, and then held it to Chiba's lips.

She drank it slowly; it wasn't too hot or too cold. Although Mira had become a delinquent, the Mira of the past was still very caring, and now it seemed as if her former qualities had resurfaced.

Beside the bed, a delicate young girl carefully fed the boy on the bed, her pretty face full of seriousness. If you looked closely, you would notice that the girl's sapphire blue eyes would occasionally glance at the boy's face, but she would quickly look away, as if afraid of being discovered peeking.

Chiba took in the girl's cat-like behavior, and a ripple stirred in his heart, as if something within him had been touched.

Natsu: "..." (Confused face)

After finishing her drink, Mira pulled out a tissue from somewhere and gently wiped Chiba's lips.

"Uh... actually I can..." Chiba wanted to wipe it himself.

Mira glared at him, and the instantaneous display of authority made him immediately behave.

Early morning.

"Erza, Erza, last night Chiba—no, Natsu's house blew up, he's in the hospital, what should I... Lisanna, what should I do?!"

"Huh? Natsu's in the hospital? Is he alright?"

"They should be fine. I went to see them this morning... Except for not being able to jump around, everything else is okay..."

"Hmm... this is a good opportunity. You can have Lisanna prepare some things to visit him. However..."

"But what?"

"However, you could have Lisanna ignore him first, and then step in to give him some warmth!"

How so?

"So... Chiba was hospitalized too, right?"

"Yes, both of them together."

"You and Elfman can go visit Chiba first, deliberately ignoring Natsu. Natsu will definitely be very disappointed at that moment. Then, after you leave, Lisanna will appear. That should do it!"

"Wow~ You can do that? Erza, I love you to death!"

Then...

Mira glanced furtively at Chiba on the bed, then suddenly looked down and saw the paper and pen on his blanket.

"What is this?" she asked curiously.

Chiba shuddered, instinctively pulling the notebook under the covers, a sheepish grin on her face. "N-nothing..."

"I want to see," she said, blinking.

"Uh... well... by the way, is my knife ready?" Chiba quickly changed the subject.

Mira's cheeks puffed out as she stared at Chiba, who seemed completely bewildered.

"Give it to me." The tone lacked its usual command; it sounded more like a sulking girl throwing a tantrum.

Chiba couldn't take it anymore and had no choice but to hand her the slow-moving notebook.

Don't tell anyone else.

Mira flipped through the notebook with curiosity, her gaze lingering on the crooked handwriting.

As she looked, Mira suddenly burst out laughing. She looked up at Chiba on the bed and said with a smile, "What does ' Mira still hasn't come to see me' mean?"

Chiba suddenly felt her breathing quicken, unsure how to respond.

Only now did he realize why the girl had come today.

The girl gazed at the boy beside the bed, a faint blush rising on her pretty face.

The atmosphere in the quiet room suddenly became subtle.

Natsu: "..."