Interview

Lisanna and Elfman left after finishing their ice cream.

Before leaving, Lisanna gave Riyao a thumbs-up.

Riyao rolled his eyes.

After the two left, the surroundings became much quieter.

Riyao and Mirajane strolled around the mall.

The Heartfilia shopping mall has six floors. The atrium extends from the first floor to the top floor through a glass dome. Sunlight streams through the glass, casting bright patches of light on the marble floor.

Behind the glass railings of the corridors on each floor, the shop signs are colorful, selling women's clothing, cosmetics, jewelry, shoes and bags, one after another.

The air was filled with the distinctive fragrance of the shopping mall, mixed with the aroma of baking wafting from a restaurant.

He leaned lazily against Mirajane's back, his chin resting on the top of her head, completely sprawled out.

Mirajane held his phone, swiping his fingers across the screen, seemingly fiddling with something.

Riyao blew a breath onto a small tuft of hair that was sticking up on her forehead.

The tuft of hair was blown about for a moment, then bounced back to its original position.

What are you doing?

He blew on it again.

Where are we going now?

"There's a very popular female celebrity lately."

Mirajane didn't even look up, continuing to scroll through his phone.

"Lucy, the teacher asked me to interview her as a final assignment."

"Interview?"

Riyao tilted his head to the side.

"Isn't that a reporter's job?"

"Interviews and similar activities are considered practical training content for presenters."

"Whoa whoa."

Riyao poked his head out and peered at her phone screen.

The screen displayed an event schedule, densely packed with text.

He glanced around, then his gaze was suddenly drawn to something.

"Isn't she right there?"

Riyao raised his hand and pointed upstairs.

Mirajane looked up.

A huge LED screen hangs in the atrium of the shopping mall, almost covering the entire wall and extending from the third floor to the fifth floor.

On the screen, Lucy is smiling at the camera, holding a bouquet of flowers, with a luxurious villa behind her.

The sound effects of the advertisement came from the surround sound system and echoed throughout the atrium.

The bottom of the screen displays the words: Heartfilia Real Estate, making your home a castle.

There's also a line of smaller text in the bottom right corner.

Spokesperson: Lucy Heartfilia.

Mirajane stomped on Riyao's instep in annoyance.

Riyao winced in pain, glanced down at his shoes, and then fixed his gaze on the screen.

"Etc."

He squinted.

"Lucy Heartfilia?"

"Um?"

"Isn't this shopping mall called Heartfilia Shopping Mall?"

Mirajane paused for a moment, then looked up at the large screen.

On the big screen, Lucy is making a heart shape with her hands towards the camera, and the swimming pool of the villa in the background is bigger than her living room.

They both pursed their lips simultaneously.

Silence.

Heartfilia Real Estate, Heartfilia Mall, spokesperson Lucy Heartfilia.

"Incredibly extravagant."

Riyao spoke first.

"Agree."

Mirajane nodded.

Mirajane's phone rang.

♬Fairy Tail Main Them♫

The rousing prelude to a symphony erupted in the mall, drawing the attention of passersby.

"It's on fire!"

Riyao grinned and raised his fist.

Mirajane rolled her eyes at Riyao, but a slight smile still appeared on her lips.

She answered the phone, walked to the side, and muttered a few words to herself.

Hang up.

"What? Lucy Heartfilia is going back to school?"

She grabbed Riyao's wrist and pulled him outside.

"Okay, I'll go back now."

Riyao was pulled along by her, and he stumbled a couple of times before catching up.

"Return? She's from our school too?"

"I think so."

"The host of this interview is unprofessional."

Mirajane turned around and glared at him.

"Snort."

The two hailed a taxi and drove all the way back to school.

Upon reaching the entrance of the multimedia teaching building, Mirajane released Riyao's hand and straightened his clothes.

This building is quite old; some of the white tiles on the exterior walls are cracked, and the windows in the stairwell are old-fashioned sliding windows with a lot of the green paint peeling off the window frames.

The corridor was long, with terrazzo flooring that echoed with every step.

The walls were covered with posters for various club activities, the edges of which were curled up, and a few were torn in half, with the remaining corners of paper trembling in the air conditioning breeze.

The multimedia classroom has a heavy, soundproof door, with a small window letting in warm yellow light from inside.

"I'll go and get ready first. You wait for me outside."

She patted Riyao's head.

"Good."

"Do you treat me like a child?!"

Riyao shrugged and watched Mirajane push open the door to the multimedia classroom and walk in.

He leaned against the wall in the corridor, the back of his head against the cold surface, took out his phone, and started scrolling aimlessly.

I scrolled for two minutes, but there wasn't much to see.

He put his phone back in his pocket and stretched.

Then I saw at the end of the corridor, a little old man was tiptoeing, peeking into the classroom.

He was too short to reach the window, so he had to hop around.

Riyao walked over, grabbed the old man from behind under his armpits, lifted him up, and carried him to the window.

"You are welcome."

"Oh, thank you."

Makarov replied instinctively, his gaze still fixed on the classroom.

Then it suddenly dawned on him.

Wrong.

I was lifted up?

Is that correct?

He turned around abruptly.

Riyao looked at him with a grin.

"Hey, isn't this Instructor Ma from Instant Milk?"

"Riyao!"

Makarov kicked his legs in the air.

"Put me down right now!"

"I'm not afraid you can't see clearly."

Riyao put him back on the ground.

As soon as Makarov landed, he kicked Riyao's shin, leaving a gray stain on his trouser leg.

Riyao didn't care at all, squatted down and put his arm around Makarov's shoulder. The two of them squatted in the corridor, each more lewd than the other.

"Instructor Ma, what brings you here?"

"Cough cough."

Makarov cleared his throat and glanced toward the classroom.

"I heard there were celebrities around, so I came to see."

"Oh."

The sound of "Riyao" was drawn out.

"Oh my god."

Makarov looked at Riyao with suspicion.

What are you doing here?

Riyao pointed his thumb toward the classroom.

My daughter Mira is the host inside, so I came along to watch the fun.

"Oh! I see."

Makarov's eyes lit up.

"Can we go in and take a look?"

"This is putting me in a difficult position."

Riyao crossed his arms, a troubled expression on his face.

You little brat!

"You'll have to pay more."

Riyao extends one finger.

Give me a blank sick slip.

Makarov's face twitched.

"You..."

"Fine, don't do it then."

Riyao made a move as if to leave.

"Okay, okay!"

Makarov gritted his teeth.

"A blank sick leave slip, is that alright?"

Riyao nodded in satisfaction and took out his phone to send a message to Mirajane.

"Honey, when does it start? I want to be a spectator too."

After a while.

I want to have hot pot tonight.

Riyao's lips twitched.

"Okay, eat up, have a large portion."

He paused, then typed another line.

"Can I bring an old man along?"

"No problem."

Riyao put away his phone and gave Makarov an OK sign.

Makarov rubbed his hands together, a hopeful smile spreading across his face.

Riyao glanced at him sideways, his eyes full of contempt.