The band

Elfman ate the last bite of shrimp paste with tears in his eyes.

The shrimp paste was overcooked, and I don't know if it's just my imagination, but it tasted a bit bitter when I chewed it.

Then he took out his phone, opened the payment app, scanned the QR code on the counter, and paid the bill.

The notification sound of successful payment was particularly loud in the empty hot pot restaurant.

Elfman walked out of the hot pot restaurant, looking dejected.

His shoulders slumped, his arms hung at his sides, he walked slowly, his steps were unsteady, and he didn't feel the ground beneath his feet.

He stood at the entrance of the hot pot restaurant, watching the people coming and going in the mall, unsure of which way to go.

Suddenly, a knocking sound came from the glass.

Knock knock knock.

Elfman turned his head to look.

In the dessert shop next to the hot pot restaurant, Riyao was sitting by the window, holding a cold drink, watching him with a grin.

Mirajane was sitting next to him, Lisanna was sitting opposite him, and Erza, Lucy, and Levy were sitting next to him.

Six people sat neatly in the dessert shop, the table piled high with cold drinks and cakes, each holding a beverage and waving at him.

Riyao was the happiest, and even raised his iced drink cup to clink against him from a distance.

Elfman was completely dumbfounded.

He stared wide-eyed, mouth agape, then at the hot pot restaurant, then at the dessert shop, then back at the hot pot restaurant.

No? They really are next door?

What exactly is real? What exactly is fake?

Elfman's expression completely collapsed; his eyes were vacant, and a faint, bitter smile hung at the corner of his mouth.

She leaned against the glass wall, slowly slid down, and finally squatted on the ground, holding her head in her hands.

Mirajane pinched the soft flesh on Riyao's waist under the table, his two fingers precisely pinching a small piece of flesh and rotating it ninety degrees.

"Look what you've done!"

Riyao was in so much pain that he twisted into a ball, shrinking to the side, and his smile instantly turned into a grimace.

"Ouch, that hurts..."

Elfman squatted on the ground, looking at Riyao with a resentful expression through the glass.

His gaze pierced through the glass, fixed directly on Riyao's face. His eyes were unblinking, his lips were tightly pursed, and the corners of his mouth were turned down.

Riyao felt uncomfortable under their gaze, put down his cold drink, and rubbed his arms.

Okay, I'll transfer the money to you later.

Elfman remained silent, his eyes fixed on the Riyao.

The squatting posture remained unchanged, the expression remained unchanged, and the gaze remained unchanged.

Riyao scratched his head, ran his fingers through his hair a couple of times, and then tentatively began to speak.

"Shall I buy you a can of protein powder?"

Elfman finally made a move.

He raised his right hand, showing three fingers, the movement slow but firm.

Riyao sighed, the sound coming out through his nose.

"Okay, okay."

Elfman stood up, the resentment on his face vanishing instantly, replaced by a satisfied expression.

With a smile, bright eyes, and a completely refreshed appearance, she looked radiant.

He patted non-existent dust off his pants, pushed open the door of the dessert shop, strode inside, and squeezed into a seat next to Lisanna.

Three cans of protein powder.

It was worth it.

Mirajane looked at his idiot brother, shook his head, and his lips twitched.

The group, carrying their drinks, got up and left the dessert shop.

After a full meal, I'll take a walk to digest.

Outside the mall, in the open-air plaza, a cool evening breeze blew by, dispelling the lingering smell of hot pot.

The sky was filled with countless stars; it was quite lucky to see so many stars amidst the city's light pollution.

Lucy tilted her head back, took a deep breath, Levy took her arm, and the two walked side by side.

Erza walked at the front, carrying a strawberry cake in her hand.

Lisanna and Elfman were walking at the very back. Lisanna was poking Elfman's arm with her finger, asking him what it was like to eat hot pot alone.

Elfman blushed slightly and mumbled something unintelligible.

Suddenly, a burst of rousing music was heard.

The sound of an electric guitar came from the other end of the square, piercing through the evening breeze and the noise of the crowd. The melody was familiar, carrying a kind of energy that burned to the bone.

The group walked in the direction of the music.

In a corner of the square, a band was playing energetically on the street.

Several onlookers stood nearby, some nodding along to the rhythm, others filming with their phones.

♬Fairy Tail Main Them♫

The boy with long black hair was intently playing the electric guitar, his fingers flying across the strings. The guitar was an oddly shaped instrument with sharp edges, and its body was covered with stickers of various bands.

He closed his eyes, his body swaying slightly to the rhythm, a layer of sweat beading on his forehead.

The boy with short blond hair was also playing an electric guitar. His guitar even had an electric arc effect on it. Every time he played a high note, a golden current would flash across the guitar, crackling and popping, making it particularly eye-catching in the night.

A boy with long green hair stood at the back, playing Beth. The Beth lines were deep and steady. He pushed up his glasses and looked serious.

The boy with the most outrageous hairstyle sat behind the drum set, gripping the drumsticks with both hands and pounding the drums wildly, his head shaking rapidly, spittle flying everywhere, the drumbeats so dense they made it hard to breathe.

A brown-haired girl next to them was recording them with her phone. She slid her finger across the screen, adjusting the shooting angle, sometimes crouching down, sometimes standing up.

Riyao smirked, his grip on the cold drink cup making a cracking sound.

"Isn't this Instructor Ma's eldest grandson?"

Lucy turned to look at Riyao, pointing in the direction of the band.

"Do you know them?"

"Mmm."

Riyao nodded and began pointing to them one by one.

"The one with black hair is Gajeel, the one with blond hair is Laxus, the one with green hair is Freed, the burly guy drumming so enthusiastically is Bickslow, and the auntie recording the video is Evergreen..."

He hadn't finished speaking.

Evergreen's finger stopped on the phone screen; the record button was still lit up red, but her head had slowly turned around, her gaze piercing through the lights in the square and locking onto Riyao.

She was wearing a purple dress and two large earrings. The smile on her lips gradually faded, and her lips pressed into a thin line.

"I call this the mature woman style!"

She took a deep breath, her voice squeezed out from her throat, a trembling sound of gritted teeth.

"Damn you, Riyao!"

Riyao flashed and hid behind Mirajane, placing his hands on Mirajane's shoulders, peeking out only half his head, a smug smile still on his lips.

It's almost burnt.

Evergreen's hand trembled, and the phone almost slipped from her grasp.

She gripped her phone tightly, her knuckles turning white, and looked at Riyao's face hiding behind Mirajane, a surge of urge to smash the phone welled up in her chest.

She glanced at her phone screen, then at Riyao, took a deep breath, looked at her phone again, and finally gripped it tightly in her hand.

Laxus's guitar played a wrong note, emitting a piercing scream.

"How could it be you, you bastard?"

Gajeel stopped playing his guitar, opened one eye, and glanced in their direction.

"Tui..."

Freed's Beth was still playing, but he frowned.

"Well."

Bickslow was still beating his drum, but he poked his head out, looked at Evergreen, then at Riyao, and then grinned.

Haha, you guys are here too.