The Arrow from Two Years Ago

Riyao crouched down and reached out to stroke Riyao's head. The golden retriever's fur had a naturally soft feel, and it was surprisingly pleasant to touch.

The golden retriever, Riyao, comfortably squinted its eyes, its tail wagging like a propeller.

"Wow, I never imagined I'd be a golden retriever in Edolas, and a pretty soft one at that."

The golden Riyao barked a few times and stuck out its tongue to lick Riyao's palm, making Riyao pull his hand away from the ticklish sensation.

Lisanna glanced at Riyao, then at Natsu and the others, her brows furrowing deeper and deeper. She crossed her arms and stared at them with a sharp gaze, as if she were interrogating a criminal.

"So who exactly are you? Where did you come from? This Natsu is definitely not the Natsu we know; he's incredibly audacious."

Riyao then noticed Lisanna, his eyes lit up, and he stood up to look her up and down.

"Hey, isn't this Lisanna? She seems to be doing just fine."

Lisanna felt that this person was very unreliable. Even though it was a very serious occasion, he spoke as if he had bumped into an old friend on the street.

Riyao was surrounded by all the guild members, dozens of eyes staring at him—some curious, some wary, and some confused.

He covered his face with his hands, fidgeting awkwardly.

"Oh dear, why are you all looking at me like that? It's so embarrassing."

"Oh, Mira, so gentle and sweet Mira, let me see her."

Riyao leaned close to Mirajane, bent down, his face almost touching Mirajane, and looked her over from left to right, marveling at her.

"She's definitely a gentler version of Mira. Her smile is so innocent, completely different from our Mira."

Mirajane was taken aback by Riyao's antics. She took two steps back, her cheeks slightly flushed, and her hands unconsciously twisted the straps of her apron.

"Um... you, you're standing too close..."

Lisanna immediately stood in front of Mirajane, glaring at Riyao like a mother hen protecting her chicks.

Hey! What are you trying to do to my sister? Stay away from her!

"I'm just looking, it's not like I'll lose a piece of meat."

Riyao raises both hands to indicate that it is harmless.

"You still haven't said who you are?"

Seeing that things were not going well, Carla tried to grab Happy and run away, already taking two steps towards the door.

Riyao shrugged, his tone as casual as if he were chatting.

"We're members of the Fairy Tail guild. Hey, hold on a minute."

He sensed the wariness of the Edolas members, pulled down his collar, and revealed the guild crest on his chest.

"To be precise, we are Fairy Tail from another world, Earth-land. You should know that your kingdom is plundering the magic of other worlds, right? Our companions were captured and turned into Magic Crystals."

Natsu suddenly rushed forward, grabbed Riyao by the collar, and shouted anxiously.

"What did you say? Everyone else was captured and turned into Magic Crystals? We need to go rescue them right now! Mira, Erza, Gray, they're all inside!"

Riyao pried Natsu's hands off, pressed down on his shoulders, and forced him back down.

"We don't even know where the capital is, so there's no use in being anxious. They can't cut the Magic Crystal anytime soon; that process takes time. We still have some leeway..."

The guild members of Edolas huddled together, whispering in hushed tones, occasionally casting complicated glances at Riyao and his companions.

Riyao continued to pet Riyao's head. The golden retriever was completely captivated, rolling over and letting Riyao scratch its belly, kicking its four paws in the air, and wagging its tail so that its whole butt was wiggling.

Good heavens, even an alter ego of someone who shouldn't exist has appeared.

Strangely enough, Carla and her mother both possessed precognitive abilities, yet they were not punished.

This is terrifying to think about; Edolas isn't a normal parallel universe.

This place is more like a sandbox world, replicating everything from Earth-land and speculating on something—is it to create a world without dragons? Or replace them with weak Exceed?

However, it seems no one is maintaining this sandbox anymore, as the world's energy and magic reserves are almost depleted.

As Riyao was letting his imagination run wild, the members of Fairy Tail in Edolas finished their whispers, Lucy stepped out from the crowd with a serious expression.

"I'm sorry, we can't help you. We're barely able to take care of ourselves. You'll have to solve this yourselves."

"I didn't expect your help. I can take over the entire capital by myself. Just give us directions."

Riyao stood with his hands behind his back, gazing up at the sky at a 45-degree angle, striking a pose of a reclusive sage.

Lucy frowned and looked Riyao up and down.

"You're really boastful. Although you can repel Erza, there are still a large number of the Royal Army and those Exceed in the capital. It's difficult for you to do it alone. Don't underestimate the power of the kingdom."

Riyao's lips curled into a smile, and emerald green magic appeared on his hand.

The members of Edolas's group immediately changed their expressions.

Ah~ That feels so good~ This feeling of showing off is really awesome!

Natsu and the others were confused, not knowing what Riyao was up to this time, but judging from his blissful expression, they knew he was just showing off again.

Lisanna suddenly placed both hands on Riyao's shoulders, so forcefully that Riyao swayed.

She leaned Riyao's face, her gaze fixed intently into his eyes.

Did you save me two years ago?

"Ah?"

Don't play dumb!

Lisanna's voice trembled slightly.

Riyao pretended to be thinking, touched his chin, and tilted his head to think for a moment.

"Two years ago, I shot an arrow at the opening in 'Anima.' I gathered a lot of magic power in it. I just wanted to try shooting something, but I ended up saving someone. It must have been around that time."

Lisanna spoke decisively, her eyes filled with a firm resolve, as if she were making a decision.

"You saved my life, I'll go with you to the capital."

"You stay here with your older sister. I'm just proving I can easily take over the capital (just showing off). I don't need anyone's help."

Lisanna didn't back down; instead, she took a step forward.

"No, I must repay you!"

Riyao waved its hand.

"Oh, what's there to repay? I'm your brother-in-law. What's there to say about saving my own sister-in-law?"

The air suddenly became still.

The group from Edolas stood frozen in place, all turning to look at Mirajane, their eyes filled with shock and gossip.

Mirajane blushed under his gaze, covered her face with her hands, her ear tips turned pink, and waved her hands repeatedly.

"Why is everyone looking at me? It's not me... I... I don't know him!"

Natsu and the others turned around, their backs to Edolas's group, their shoulders shaking.

They couldn't hold it in any longer. Happy covered his mouth, laughing until tears streamed down his face, while Wendy buried her face in Carla's fur, her shoulders shaking like a leaf.

"Do you think Riyao's actions count as harassing another girl? If we tell Mira when we get back, will she punish him?"

"Aye, I think so, then we'll... hehehe..."

Natsu and Happy are plotting to make Riyao suffer a setback.