Setting Out! Tenrou Island!
Hargeon Port.
The sea breeze, carrying a salty smell, swept over us, and the sunlight shone on the sea, making it sparkle.
A large ship was docked at the pier, its hull painted with the Fairy Tail logo, and its flag fluttered in the sea breeze.
When Natsu saw that huge ship, he was completely horrified.
His face turned deathly pale.
"Do we really have to take a boat? I can have Happy fly me there!"
Happy struggled desperately in his arms.
"I can't, I can't, I can't!"
"You're so good! You're so good! You're so good!"
Natsu grabbed Happy, his eyes filled with Despair, as if to say, "I don't want to get on the ship."
Happy resisted violently, kicking his limbs and shouting "Ami-lo Ami-lo".
The others boarded the ship one after another, chatting and laughing, but Natsu remained standing on the dock, his heels rooted to the spot.
Erza leaned out from the ship's side, glanced at Natsu below, and sighed.
She flipped off the boat, walked behind Natsu, and struck him with her palm.
Snap!
Natsu's eyes rolled back, and he fell straight down.
Erza grabbed him by the back of his collar with one hand, swung her arm, and strode onto the ship, tossing Natsu onto the deck.
"Alright, let's go."
Those around them were used to this scene.
Riyao found the best spot on the deck, set up two deck chairs, and put up a parasol.
He took out two glasses of chilled watermelon juice, with water droplets still clinging to the sides of the glasses, looking refreshing.
Mirajane lay down on the recliner next to him, took the watermelon juice, took a sip, and squinted her eyes in bliss.
Riyao pulled out another bag of sunflower seeds and started cracking them open with a loud crunching sound.
"Comfortable!"
A sea breeze blows, and the shadows of the parasols sway gently on the deck.
It will take another two days to reach Tenrou Island.
Freed paced furtively around the ship, a spell pen in his hand, meticulously drawing spells on the deck.
"It's all for Laxus, don't blame me."
His gaze was frighteningly focused, his mouth was muttering to himself, and his pen paused for a moment before continuing to draw.
Bickslow leaned against him, forming a human wall to block the view of others.
"Is it really necessary to do this? And we don't necessarily have to depart from a ship."
"Since we have some free time now, it's always good to be prepared."
Freed didn't even look up, his hands continuing their work.
Bickslow shrugged and continued to cover for him; the two worked together seamlessly, one keeping watch and the other doing the work.
On the other side of the deck, Evergreen held a fan and occasionally poked Elfman's muscles.
Poke it, and the muscle bounces.
Tap it again, then pop it again.
Elfman's face grew increasingly red, his ears practically burning.
"Woman, stay away from me. A man's muscles are not for you to touch."
He took a step back, his voice harsh.
"Huh? Say that again?"
Evergreen snapped her fan shut and raised an eyebrow at him.
"A real man should focus on training! Don't bother me!"
Elfman crossed his arms, looked up at the sky, and pretended to be seriously thinking about the training plan.
Lisanna, who was on the second deck, saw this scene and couldn't help but shake her head and sigh.
"Brother Elfman is such a blockhead, he can't understand girls' feelings at all."
"It's better than my bastard father."
Cana leaned on the railing, her tone filled with disdain.
"He's always out flirting with women; I never know when I'll have a younger sibling."
As she spoke, she glanced sideways at Gildarts.
Gildarts was standing on the ship's railing looking at the sea when he felt that gaze. He shrank back, turned his head to concentrate on the sea, and pretended not to have heard anything.
Levy and Lucy also joined the chat.
"I heard from Riyao that Gildarts spends most of his time playing when he goes out on quests, and only comes back to complete the quests when he's tired of playing. Is that true?"
Levy blinked, her face full of curiosity.
Gildarts' ears twitched, and he turned his head sharply, his gaze like a knife, shooting straight towards the direction of the Riyao.
If eyes could shoot lasers, Riyao would already have a hundred or so holes in it.
You brat, you've been telling everyone about my embarrassing moments.
Riyao lay on the recliner, feeling that gaze, raised the watermelon juice and waved it in Gildarts's direction, grinning broadly.
"Gildarts such a carefree life, I want to live like that too."
Lucy rested her chin on her hands, her voice filled with longing.
Cana didn't hold back and poured cold water on her enthusiasm.
"If you also want to go days without showering, smelling awful, with clothes reeking of alcohol and hair all tangled up."
Lucy imagined the scene, shuddered, and shook her head frantically, her two ponytails swaying like rattles.
"Forget it, I think I'd better just be a clean person."
The four girls chattered away, their laughter carried on the sea breeze.
Gray found an open space on the deck, flipped his hand, and frost magic surged forth.
He froze two ice deck chairs, crystal clear, which shimmered in the sunlight.
He lay down comfortably and waved to Leo.
"Come on, don't be shy."
Leo stared at the icy recliner radiating a chilling aura, and his lips twitched.
"Is this just polite talk? I don't want my butt to freeze. I'm Leo, not a penguin; I haven't evolved that kind of cold resistance."
Leo rolled his eyes, thought for a moment, and instead of lying down, he crawled under the recliner and lay in the shadow cast by the ice chair.
"It's cool, just right."
Gray's eye twitched. He was about to change the ice pack to something more normal so that he would look more normal lying down.
Suddenly, a blue figure darted over.
Juvia plopped down on the ice chair, the ice surface creaking loudly.
"Lord Gray, Juvia isn't afraid of the cold! Juvia loves the cold!"
Leo peeked out from under the ice lounge chair, looked at Juvia, then at Gray, and felt a little superfluous.
He silently got up, dusted himself off, and walked to the ship's side.
Looking up, he saw Gajeel standing there, just as idle as he was, his iron rod planted on the ground, staring blankly at the sea.
The two exchanged a glance and sighed simultaneously.
Well.
Ur walked over from the side, coughed lightly, glanced between Gray and Juvia, and then fixed his gaze on Gray.
Gray, with a pained expression, flipped his hand again and created another ice recliner.
"Master, please have a seat."
He thought to himself, "Destroy it all, I'm tired."
Riyao lay on the recliner, squinting, his mind preoccupied with the matter of Tenrou Island.
He specifically brought Ur's car, since it hadn't been maintained for seven years and might be in serious trouble.
As for the guild, all he remembered was that they were in such dire straits because of money, so he had set aside some money for the guild beforehand.
He's prepared to sleep for seven years.
Then, holding the sweet and soft Mirajane, I can sleep for seven years straight. It sounds pretty good.
Thinking of this, Riyao's lips involuntarily curled up, his eyes narrowed into slits, and his expression gradually became distorted.
Mirajane reached out, pinched Riyao's cheeks, and pulled them apart.
"What are you thinking about? That's a creepy laugh."
Riyao snapped out of his daze and made no attempt to hide it.
"I want to hold Mirajane, all sweet and soft, forever."
Mirajane's face flushed red, and she tightened her grip.
"Abnormal."
"What's so perverted about it?"
Riyao sprang up from the recliner, pounced on Mirajane, and hugged her, tickling her waist with his fingers.
Mirajane was tickled so badly she kept giggling, twisting and turning in pain, tears welling up in her eyes from laughing.
"Haha, let go, let go, I was wrong, haha..."
Their laughter echoed on the deck, oblivious to everyone else.
Erza, who was about to come over to discuss the assessment, stopped in her tracks.
She stood five steps away, watching the two rolling around in a heap, her expression changing from serious to speechless.
Then she turned around nimbly, the clanging of her armor making a crisp sound, and walked step by step toward Lucy.
Never mind, I'll talk about it later.