Go, Go, Go! We're Off

The next morning, sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, drawing golden lines on the villa's wooden floor.

Hisui wanted to go to the island with Riyao and the others, so she changed into clothes that were easy to move in early in the morning, and excitedly ran downstairs with a small bag on her back.

As a result, she was caught at the door by Arcadios and carried back like a chick. Hisui kicked her legs twice in the air, but couldn't break free at all.

"Put me down! I want to go too!"

"Your Highness, His Majesty has said that we must return to the palace today."

Arcadios' tone left no room for negotiation; he expressionlessly stuffed the Hisui into the carriage.

Hisui pressed her face against the car window, gazing longingly at Riyao and the others, her expression as pitiful as a little bird trapped in a cage.

Riyao waved at her, his smile utterly irritating.

"Your Highness, go back and be a good princess. Bye-bye."

"Riyao, you just wait! You have to take me next time!"

The wheels of the carriage churned and turned, the sound of Hisui into the distance, until only Arcadios's signature sigh drifted away on the morning breeze.

The group arrived at the dock and rented a boat. The boat was small but sufficient. Several fishing nets were drying on the deck, and the sails on the mast were billowing in the sea breeze. The air was filled with the smell of tung oil and seawater.

"Go go go, let's go!"

Riyao jumped onto the bow of the ship, holding onto the mast with one hand and pointing forward with the other, striking a pose like a captain setting off on a voyage. The sea breeze made his clothes flutter, and he looked full of vigor.

When Natsu heard that he would have to take transportation again, his legs went weak, and he clung to the dock pillar, refusing to let go.

"How about I swim over?"

He leaned against a pillar on the dock, his voice as weak as a stranded fish, his gaze filled with Despair as he looked at the boat gently rocking in the waves, as if it were not a boat but some kind of torture device.

Wendy placed her hands on Natsu, her palms glowing with a pale white light, her tone earnest and expectant.

"I can use Troia to relieve Mr. Natsu's symptoms."

"No need, I've used it many times already, Natsu has developed a resistance to it."

Riyao leaned against the ship's railing, casually waving his hand, his tone carrying a sense of helplessness from someone who had been through it all.

"Huh? Magic can develop resistance?"

Wendy's eyes widened, her little face filled with surprise, and her fingers unconsciously clenched the hem of her clothes, as if she was digesting this mind-blowing information.

"Try it, Wendy, let me try it quickly, just in case."

Natsu, as if grasping at a straw, clasped his hands together in prayer, his eyes even welling up with tears, and his voice trembling.

Wendy pressed her hands down again, the light in her palms shining even brighter as she earnestly released Troia.

As expected, Natsu was lying on the bow of the ship, vomiting rainbows, hanging there like a salted fish washed ashore by the waves, his body trembling with the rocking of the ship, emitting weak groans.

Happy patted Natsu's back, tapping him repeatedly with his little paws, but his expression was one of regret, and his lips were slightly pouting.

"Aye, Natsu threw up his breakfast, what a pity. The cooked Australian lobster is free now."

"Shut up, you stinky cat! Don't say it out loud, it's disgusting."

Lucy pointed at Happy with one trembling hand, her eyes full of disgust.

"Stupid male cat."

Carla crossed her arms, turned her face away, snorted, and flicked her tail irritably.

"A perverted kitten that doesn't wear pants."

Riyao delivered the final blow.

The last sentence made Happy question his existence. He rested his chin on his paws, his brows furrowed into a deep frown, his tail drooped listlessly, and his eyes became empty and confused.

Should kittens wear pants?

Mirajane pinched Riyao's cheek, gently pulling the soft flesh outwards with her fingers, her expression a mixture of helplessness and doting affection, a smile curving her lips.

"You, all you ever do is bully Happy."

"I'm helping him contemplate the meaning of cat life, isn't that a good thing?"

Riyao's speech was muffled as his face was pinched, but his smile didn't diminish at all.

It was Wendy's first time at sea, and she found it all very exciting. She leaned over the gunwale, sticking her little head out to look down.

Waves crashed against the hull, splashing white spray. Sunlight shone through the clear water, revealing schools of silver fish darting across the surface like lightning.

"Carla, there are so many fish in the sea!"

She pointed excitedly at the water, her voice full of amazement, her little hands gesturing in the air the trajectories of the fish swimming, her whole being like a bird just released from its cage.

Carla maintained her aloof demeanor, sitting on the gunwale with her chin slightly raised, but her tail unconsciously swayed gently, clearly indicating that she was not entirely indifferent.

"Don't make a fuss."

Happy took out his little fishing rod and started fishing. He sat on the wooden barrel at the stern of the boat, his short legs not reaching the ground, swaying back and forth, muttering to himself as he baited the hook.

"Dream Pearl Fish, come quick... Aye!"

"Happy!"

A big fish suddenly bit the hook, and the fishing rod instantly bent into an exaggerated arc, the fishing line squeaking taut.

The immense force nearly dragged Happy into the sea. His body lurched forward, leaving the cat suspended in mid-air, with only the fishing rod still firmly gripped in his paws.

Gray quickly grabbed Happy's foot, pulling him back with one hand on his ankle and the other on the gunwale, gritting his teeth as he pulled.

"You silly cat, don't let go!"

Riyao looked down, leaned on the gunwale, squinted at the large fish thrashing about underwater, and whistled.

"Goodness, such a big fish! Who's going to fish for it?"

Juvia manipulated the water currents to grab the big fish. Enveloped by the water, the fish thrashed about in mid-air, its tail slapping loudly, splashing water all over Gray's face.

Even after the fish was placed on the deck, it was still jumping around, its mouth opening and closing.

"What kind of fish is this? It looks so strange."

"This is a six-eyed flying fish; it is said that it can open up Unlimited Void by crossing its fingers."

Riyao spoke in a very serious tone, his expression as earnest as if he were reading an academic paper, and he even nodded, as if to emphasize his authority.

"What nonsense is this?! It doesn't have six eyes, does it? And what the hell is this Unlimited Void '?"

Seeing Lucy Riyao nonsense, Lucy couldn't help but criticize, putting her hands on her hips and rolling her eyes.

Riyao continued making things up with a straight face, raising a finger and becoming even more serious.

"This fish is cunning."

|•-•)و✧

Lucy was done complaining. She gave a thumbs up, her lips twitched, and her expression screamed, "You win."

When Happy went up to hug the fish and grinned foolishly, the fish slapped him twice across the face with its tail, making two crisp "smack" sounds.

Happy's little face was slapped to one side, then to the other, and fish scales rubbed all over his face.

Happy, still angry, slapped the fish twice back, his little paws slapping it repeatedly. The fish then flicked its tail back at him.

Happy snapped back, and the two of them, man and fish, were locked in a fierce battle on the deck, fish scales and cat hair flying everywhere.

Carla rubbed her forehead, pressed her little paws to her forehead, and gently shook her head, her expression clearly saying, "I don't know this idiot."

"That stupid tomcat even got into a fight with the fish."

Juvia watched enviously as Riyao and Mirajane interacted, cupping her cheeks in her hands and following their every move with her eyes. She also wanted Gray to help her tie her hair.

So she quietly moved closer to Gray, fiddling with the ends of her hair, and then stole a glance at Gray.

But Gray was squatting on the deck, staring wide-eyed at the fish, completely oblivious to her hint.

Riyao skillfully braided Mirajane's hair into two pigtails, his fingers deftly weaving and twisting the braids with fluid, graceful movements.

It's obvious she's practiced countless times; after tying it up, she even gently tugged at the ends to make sure it was the right tightness.

"As expected of Mira, she can pull off any hairstyle."

He stepped back to examine his work, nodded in satisfaction, and a smile almost overflowed from his lips.

"That's... the most beautiful woman in my kingdom!"

Mirajane tossed her hair, her two braids slapping against Riyao's arm with two sharp snaps. She then proudly raised her chin and put her hands on her hips.

"Sit down properly, I'll tie one up for you too."

She pressed down on Riyao's shoulders, making him sit on the stool, her fingers already eagerly running through his hair.

Riyao sat obediently, his head tilted back slightly against Mirajane's stomach, a lazy smile on his lips, his hands resting on his knees, looking completely relaxed.

"Tie it up nicely, or I'll punish you."

"You dare?"

Mirajane gently tugged at his hair, her tone sweet with a hint of threat.

"No, no, my wife ties them up beautifully."

Mirajane grabbed Riyao's hair with her fingers and started fiddling with it.

First, I tried a ponytail, tilted my head to look at it, shook my head and took it off. Then I tried braiding, but after braiding it a couple of times I felt it wasn't right and took it off. I then tried a half-up hairstyle, but I was still not satisfied.

He muttered to himself, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper, as if he were completing a delicate work of art.

After trying several different hairstyles, I wasn't satisfied with any of them. Riyao's hair had been ruffled and tousled, turning into a complete mess.

He wasn't annoyed; he just leaned back lazily, occasionally hissing in pain when the muscles were pulled, then continuing to enjoy the moment with his eyes closed.

Finally, I tied Riyao's hair into a little bun like Nezha's, with two round little buns standing upright on top of his head.

"Hmm, how is it? Did I tie you up nicely?"

Mirajane rested his hands on Riyao's shoulders, tilted his head to examine his masterpiece, a smug smile playing on his lips.

Riyao picked up the mirror, looked at himself, nodded in satisfaction, and turned his head left and right to admire it from various angles.

"My wife will definitely make it look good."

He put down the mirror, looked up at Mirajane and grinned, his self-righteousness making Mirajane unable to resist bending down and kissing him on the forehead.

The two men quickly pressed Wendy down onto the stool as well. Before Wendy could react, Mirajane held her down, waving her little hands in the air a couple of times before giving up.

She sat obediently as Mirajane worked on her, and after she was tied up, she looked at herself in the mirror of the sea, a surprised smile spreading across her little face.

"So beautiful!"

In the end Juvia, Erza, Lucy, Natsu were all taken down, with Mirajane and Riyao acting like two hairstylists, pressing them down one by one.

Juvia blushed with joy, Erza said "I don't need it" but sat down faster than anyone else, Lucy protested while being pressed onto the chair, and Natsu was tied up and unable to lift his head.

Gray put on a helmet to keep himself warm, and he lay on the side of the boat, looking like he'd jump overboard if anyone dared to come any closer.

It's a pity that Happy and Carla's fur is too short.