Kagura

Natsu revived the moment he landed, and the instant his feet touched the sand, he seemed to be electrified, tilting his head back and breathing fire in celebration.

Orange-red flames spewed from his mouth, drawing a dazzling arc across the azure sky.

"Oh! Resurrected!"

He raised his arms high, his fists waving in the air, his voice booming like a wild beast just released from its cage.

The roar carried far, echoing through the valley and startling the seabirds roosting in the woods, which fluttered away in a flurry.

The commotion attracted people from the island's jungle. The bushes rustled, and several figures emerged from behind the trees.

"You're a liar, meow."

Erza looked at the newcomer with a look of surprise and delight. Her eyes widened suddenly, her mouth opened slightly, and she froze for a moment.

A bright smile immediately spread across her face, and she quickly went to greet him.

"Millianna!"

"Eru-chan!"

Millianna leaped into Erza's arms with the speed of a cannonball, landing on top of Erza.

But the next second he immediately squatted down, covering his forehead, grimacing, his eyes glistening with tears.

"Eru-chan, your armor is so tough, meow."

She rubbed her forehead, her lips pouting.

"I'm so sorry."

Erza quickly changed into casual clothes. With a flash of golden light, her armor disappeared, replaced by a simple white shirt and pleated skirt.

She crouched down, gently placed her hands on Millianna's shoulders, looked at her forehead with concern, and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that she hadn't bumped her head. Then she hugged Millianna tightly, much more gently.

"How have you been lately? Are Simon and the others here too?"

She gently patted Millianna's back.

Millianna lifted her head from Erza's embrace, her expression shifting from happy to somewhat complicated. She pursed her lips slightly and lowered her voice.

"We parted ways not long after I left that day. I recently joined the Mermaid Heel Guild, Simon and the others haven't written to me yet. I don't know how they're doing."

Wally said he was going to wander the world and never find a place to live a stable life, Simon wanted to help those who suffered.

Her voice trailed off towards the end, her fingers unconsciously tugging at the hem of her clothes, but she quickly rallied, patted her cheeks, and smiled again.

"But I'm doing pretty well at Mermaid Heel, meow, I have lots of sisters with me!"

Two more people emerged from behind. One was a plump woman who walked towards them with a smile, while the other followed quietly behind, her steps steady, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword at her waist.

Risley Lowe greeted Riyao and Mirajane warmly, waving her hands above her head with a flourish, looking like a happy little sun.

"Riyao! Ms. Mirajane! Hello!"

Oh my, you've gotten so fat again.

Mirajane tilted her head and glanced at Risley, a slight smile playing on her lips. Her tone held no malice, but rather a warm intimacy reminiscent of a reunion with an old friend, as if to say, "You're still the same as always."

"Haha, this is so funny! Miss Mirajane is as slim as ever."

Risley didn't seem to care at all. She patted her stomach with a carefree attitude, making two muffled thuds, and laughed so hard she almost fell over. Her easygoing nature made everyone laugh along.

Riyao walked over and gestured, placing his palm above Risley's head to indicate the height, then above his own head, his smile growing wider.

"You've gotten even shorter, haha, you're like a ball."

Risley wasn't annoyed; she laughed along, put her hands on her hips, and puffed out her round belly.

"A ball can be cute too! Besides, so what if I'm short? A low center of gravity means I'm less likely to fall!"

"That makes sense, that makes sense." Riyao nodded repeatedly, but the smile on his lips didn't fade at all.

Kagura stared at Erza intently, her expression awkward, her gaze seemingly drawn to her like a magnet, wanting to look but also too afraid to.

Each time she met Erza's gaze, she would quickly look away, her ear tips turning slightly red, her fingers unconsciously tightening around the hilt of her sword, then loosening, then tightening again.

Erza also saw Kagura, and froze, her lips trembling slightly, her eyes gradually reddening, as if she had seen something she couldn't believe.

"Kagura? Is that you?"

Her voice trembled slightly, cautiously, as if afraid that if she raised her voice, the person in front of her would disappear.

Erza rushed over and hugged Kagura tightly, her arms wrapped around her so tightly it felt like she wanted to meld her into her very bones, her eyes red and brimming with tears.

Riyao whispered a cricket chirp in Mirajane's ear, his mouth almost touching her earlobe, the sound so low that only the two of them could hear it.

Erza has so many romantic entanglements.

"Yes, I think so too."

Mirajane tilted her head slightly, a smile playing on her lips, and responded in a low voice; the two of them huddled together and whispered amongst themselves.

Risley looked at the two people chirping softly, speechless for a moment, her lips twitching, thinking to herself that two kinds of people can't sleep in the same bed.

Kagura was so suffocated by Erza that she couldn't speak. Her face was buried in Erza's chest, and she could only make "hmm" sounds. Her hands were hanging in mid-air, not knowing where to put them. Finally, she gently placed them on Erza's back, her fingers slightly curled, and the tips of her ears were as red as if they were about to bleed.

Riyao, not one to shy away from stirring things up, stepped forward to speak, his hands behind his back, head tilted, a look of anticipation on his face, and he spoke in a sly, mischievous tone.

"Kagura, do you want to join our guild? You can see your Erza sister every day!"

Risley immediately exploded, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. Her round body burst with amazing jumping power, and she rushed in front of Riyao, her short hands on her hips.

"Hey! You dare to dig up Kagura right in front of me?!"

Mirajane pulled Risley close, gently pressing one hand on her shoulder.

Risley tried to kick Riyao a couple of times with her short legs, but they were too short and couldn't even reach Riyao's knees. She could only make a few symbolic kicks in the air.

"Riyao was just joking, don't take it to heart."

Mirajane's gaze towards Riyao carried a hint of warning. "You'd better stop now."

Kagura broke free from Erza's embrace, the blush on her face refusing to fade, spreading from the tips of her ears all the way to the base of her neck.

She lowered her head, trying to cover her face with her bangs, but the blush was too noticeable to hide.

"Erza, it's been a long time."

Her voice was very soft.

Erza looked at Kagura with relief, carefully examining her from head to toe. A gentle smile curved her lips, but the tears in her eyes had not completely faded.

"I always thought you were dead. I never imagined you'd grown up so much. You used to call me 'sister'."

Her voice carried a hint of nostalgia and heartache as she gently brushed aside the stray hairs on Kagura's forehead, her movements as tender as if she were touching something fragile.

Riyao tilted his head, and upon hearing Erza's line, he thought, "Good grief, she's copying me."

Under Erza's gaze, Kagura called out shyly, her voice squeezing out from her throat, soft and sweet.

"Erza... sister."

Erza flashed her signature Riyao smile, embracing Kagura. The smile spread from her lips to her eyes, making her appear as gentle as if she were enveloped in sunlight, a stark contrast to her usual imposing Titania.

Are you here to catch Dream Pearl Fish too?

"Yes, the pay is quite generous."

Kagura nodded, her voice regaining some composure, but the blush on her earlobes betrayed her turbulent inner state.

They stayed to catch up, while Riyao led the others to find a place to set up camp, walking several hundred meters along a forest path into the island.

We found a flat clearing surrounded by tall coconut trees and shrubs, which provided shade and was not far from the sea, where we could hear the waves crashing against the rocks.

They found a clearing in the woods and started setting up the tent. Riyao took out a folding tent from his backpack and quickly set one up, while Mirajane helped pull the ropes.

Gray and Natsu started arguing over where to stick a tent pole, while Juvia silently helped Gray hold the pole, her eyes only on Gray.

"Alright, it's about time the Dream Pearl Fish came out to forage. Let's go to the beach and get ready to go fishing."

Riyao patted the dirt off his hands, looked up at the sky, and saw that the sun was beginning to set. The light on the sea had changed from a dazzling white to a soft gold, the perfect time for the Dream Pearl Fish to appear.

"Hey, Riyao, wanna go in the water?"

Wendy blinked, her fingers twisting the hem of her clothes, her tone a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.

"Yeah, the Dream Pearl Fish is quite clever. It's hard to catch with a fishing rod; you have to go into the water and chase it. But don't worry, they're in shallow waters, so you don't have to swim too far."

Riyao snapped his fingers, used Requip Magic to change into a pair of swimming trunks. With a flash of golden light, his clothes instantly transformed into a pair of dark blue swimming trunks. He shook his arms and stretched his shoulders.

Lucy said enviously, "Requip Magic is so convenient."

She looked down at the coat she was wearing that she still had to take off and change herself, sighed, and her tone was full of envy and jealousy.

"You could learn from that; the guild library has them all."

As Riyao stretched, he casually remarked, bending over to press his legs down, his movements as casual as if he were talking about something insignificant.

"Really? I must borrow it when I get back!"

Lucy's eyes lit up instantly, and she clenched her fists as if she had discovered a new continent.

Mirajane also changed into a swimsuit, a matching one with Riyao's. Standing next to Riyao, the two of them looked like they had stepped out of a fashion magazine.

Gray looked down and realized he was only wearing his underwear. He scratched his head, a look of confusion crossing his face, completely unable to remember when he had taken his clothes off.

Juvia handed the clothes she had picked up on the road to Gray, holding the pile of clothes in both hands as if presenting some precious offering, her cheeks slightly flushed.

"Lord Gray, Juvia has kept it for you."

"Ah, thanks."

Gray took the clothes and tossed them casually into the tent.

Natsu changed into his swim trunks, tied a scarf around his head, and ran excitedly towards the beach, leaving deep and shallow footprints in the sand as he ran and shouted.

"Fish! Fish! I'm here!"

Happy flew behind, its little wings flapping, and it called out along with the birds.

"Aye! fish!"

Virgo handed Lucy a swimsuit with a Celestial Spirit World theme. Lucy's eyes widened when she took it, and she touched the delicate fabric with her fingers, exclaiming in amazement.

"This is so beautiful! Virgo, you're so thoughtful!"

Virgo.

"It is my honor to serve Virgo Lucy."

Wendy and Carla both have adorable swimsuits; Wendy's is a light blue one with small floral prints, while Carla's is a mini pink swimsuit.

The two little ones stood on the beach, the sea breeze blowing. Wendy shyly tugged at the hem of her swimsuit, while Carla stood with her hands on her hips.