Courting Death

The first rays of sunlight streamed into the bedroom, filtering through the curtains and falling on the bed, casting a warm, inviting band of light across the blankets.

When Riyao opened his eyes, he felt dizzy, his temples throbbing as if a small hammer was tapping inside them, his mouth was dry and bitter, and even his tongue felt astringent when he licked his teeth.

We drank too much last night. In the end, neither of us could drink as much as Cana. That woman is like a walking alcohol tank, chugging down bucket after bucket without even turning red in the face.

He and Mirajane together could barely manage a draw against her.

If magic is used, that's another story, but if it's a drinking contest, what kind of drinking contest is it if you win by magic?

Mirajane rested her head on Riyao's chest, hugging him like an octopus Riyao slept soundly, her arms wrapped around his waist and one leg draped over his.

She lay sprawled on top of him, her cheek pressed against his chest, her mouth slightly open, drool soaking through Riyao's clothes, a small patch of fabric completely stained.

Riyao manually helped her close her mouth, gently pushing her chin up to shut her drooling lips, then pinched and rubbed her cheeks.

Mirajane grumbled and turned her head, trying to escape Riyao's clutches. She frowned, rubbed her cheek against his chest, and mumbled some indistinct sleep-talking.

He turned and hugged Mirajane, intending to doze off for a while longer. He rested his chin on the top of her head, closed his eyes, and his breathing gradually calmed down.

Mirajane opened her eyes shortly after Riyao closed them and saw the wet patch on Riyao's chest. Her sleepiness was instantly replaced by panic.

Touching her face, her fingertips brushed against the water stains left at the corner of her mouth, and her cheeks flushed instantly.

Silently, she took a tissue and began wiping away the drool, trying to erase the traces of drooling in her sleep. Her movements were light and quick, as if she were carrying out a top-secret mission.

First, wipe the tissue from the corner of his mouth, then from his chin, and finally from the patch on Riyao's clothes. The moment the tissue touched his chin, Riyao's chest rose and fell slightly.

Riyao squinted at Mirajane as she wiped her drool, and seeing her sneaky yet serious expression, he couldn't help but laugh.

"Hahaha..."

"When did you wake up?! Don't laugh!"

Mirajane's face turned as red as a boiled shrimp. She crumpled the tissue in her hand and glared at Riyao with a look that was both fierce and embarrassed.

"Hahaha..."

Riyao laughed so hard his shoulders shook; he couldn't stop.

Mirajane covered Riyao's mouth, pressing his palm against his lips, his eyes warning, his voice low but carrying an undeniable murderous intent.

"If you laugh again, you'll have to sleep by the door!"

Riyao immediately pursed his lips and remained silent, his shoulders twitching as he suppressed his laughter until his face turned red. He pressed the corners of his mouth down tightly, but the urge to laugh bounced back up like a spring.

Mirajane blushed and shrank back under the covers, not wanting to say anything. She pinched Riyao's waist hard, her nails digging in and twisting it.

Pfft~

Riyao couldn't help but fart.

The air froze instantly.

The warm scent from the blankets had nowhere to escape in the enclosed space, and Mirajane's nose was the first to be affected. She jolted as if she had been electrocuted, her eyes widening in surprise.

That's it, I'm doomed!

But for some reason, I suddenly had a death wish. Before my reason could even apply the brakes, my hand moved first. I reached out and pressed Mirajane down, tucking the blanket tightly over her, suffocating her and her breath inside.

"Riyao!"

Mirajane's voice came from under the covers, muffled, yet carrying a chilling anger.

I wasn't sure if I'd die just now, but now I'm truly on tenterhooks.

It's been so long since they called my name so solemnly, sob sob. The last time I was called like that was before, and this time it's even worse than that.

"Darling, wife, baby, I can make excuses... no, I can explain."

He tried to awaken the love deep within her heart, his expression pitiful.

Mirajane ripped the blanket open, grabbed the cover with both hands and pulled it apart forcefully. The fabric ripped with a scream, and cotton wadding floated out from the tear.

Blanket: What did I do wrong to deserve this?!

Riyao jumped up with a start and ran away as fast as he could. His foot slipped on the floor, and before he could take two steps, Mirajane caught him, grabbing him by the back of the collar with one hand and making a fist with the other.

Wendy, who was watering the flowers, heard Riyao's scream from afar. The shrill sound pierced through the manor walls and echoed in the garden in the early morning, startling several birds in the branches into flight.

"Riyao Bro and Mira Sister look so energetic!"

Wendy, holding the water bottle, tilted her head and looked innocently in the direction from which the sound came.

Carla took a sip of black tea, rolled her eyes, held the teacup in her little paws, and her expression clearly said, "Are you really stupid or just pretending?"

"Wendy, you've been assimilated way too quickly! That was clearly a scream."

Wendy stuck out her tongue, passing the cuteness test, and smiled sweetly.

Last night Riyao and Mirajane got drunk and insisted on calling Wendy their sister. Riyao put his arm around Wendy's shoulder, while Mirajane held Wendy hand. The two of them kept calling her "sister" and "Little Wendy," making Wendy both shy and touched. With tears in her eyes, she called out "brother and sister."

Lisanna was standing to the side, biting her handkerchief and crying. There was a tooth mark on the handkerchief from her bite, and her shoulders were trembling.

"Sister and brother-in-law, so love can disappear, right?"

Mirajane grabbed Riyao's ear and twisted it, pinching the edge of the earlobe with her fingers, precisely controlling the force within the range of "pain but not falling off," twisting it while slightly lifting it upwards, forcing Riyao to tilt his head to cooperate with her actions.

"Will you dare to do it again next time? Hmm?"

"Fu Gan Re, O Cuo Re."

Riyao sniffed, baring his teeth. He was missing a front tooth, so his speech was slurred and unclear, and he didn't even know what he was saying. He hissed as he touched the missing tooth with his finger while inhaling.

Mirajane patted Riyao's head and took Riyao hand to wash up together, her movements as natural as if she were leading a child who had made a mistake. Riyao obediently followed her, covering his mouth with his other hand.

"Good."

Standing in front of the mirror, Riyao raised his hand to heal himself. A green light emanated from his palm and covered his face. His dark circles gradually faded in the light, and his front teeth were restored. The new front teeth were exactly the same as the original ones.

He licked his front teeth to make sure there was no foreign object in them, then grinned at himself in the mirror.

"Baby~ Let me kiss you."

He pouted and leaned closer, placing his hands on the edge of the sink and leaning forward.

"You haven't brushed your teeth yet, disgusting."

Mirajane reached out and pushed his face away, wrinkling her nose in disgust, but her lips were upturned.

The two joked around for a while before washing up. Mirajane braided a long braid for Riyao, her fingers deftly weaving and twisting the braid, and then wrapped it around his neck like a unique scarf.

She stepped back to examine her work, then nodded in satisfaction.

"This looks much better."

"Hehe, everyone will be so envious of me."

Riyao looked at himself in the mirror from left to right, touched the braids around his neck, and smiled smugly.

As the two passed Wendy and Carla, Mirajane pinched Wendy's cheek, gently pulling Wendy face outwards with her fingers, making Wendy's face pout and almost spilling the water bottle.

"Wendy, want to go to the guild together?"

"OK."

Wendy nodded vigorously, her eyes sparkling.

Mirajane took Wendy's little hand in hers, and Wendy's hand was gently held in her palm. The little girl's hand was small and soft, and Mirajane unconsciously slowed down her pace to match Wendy's stride.

Riyao clenched his empty hand, looked down at his bare palm, then glanced at the two people walking hand in hand in front of him. His expression changed from smug to bewildered.

"Hey, what about me?"

Carla laughed gleefully at Riyao's reaction.

"Serves you right."