Climbing Through the Window

Bang!

The room door was kicked open, the wooden door bounced against the wall, and then bounced back.

Riyao sat elegantly on the sofa, cracking sunflower seeds, with his legs crossed and his ankles dangling on his knees.

It could be considered elegant.

Makarov took a sip of tea, bringing the cup to his lips, the steam rising and obscuring half his face.

Virgo changed both Lucy into the same outfit.

Seeing that there was nothing wrong inside, Natsu and the others relaxed a little, their tense shoulders easing.

"Lucy, did you summon Virgo and Gemini because there were enemies just now?"

"No."

The two Lucy answered at the same time, their voices overlapping, not a single word different.

Makarov and Riyao suppressed their laughter, their lips pressed down, and the muscles in their cheeks twitching.

Mirajane approached Riyao, twitched his nose, leaned close to his collar, and frowned.

"What are you laughing at? Why do you smell like another girl? Hmm?"

Riyao rubbed his face, then rubbed his face with both hands to wipe away any expression.

He looked at Makarov, his gaze drifting over to him.

"Let's talk to them first."

"Hmm... go ahead and say it."

Makarov thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement, bobbing his chin up and down.

Mirajane rummaged around at Riyao, his fingers searching through Sunrise's collar, cuffs, and shoulders, his gaze growing increasingly hostile as he stared at him with sharp intensity.

Riyao took her hand, cupped her hands around the back of her hands, and smiled.

"Hey, stop touching her! You'll touch Lucy's snot!"

Lucy) blushed deeply, her face turning bright red all the way to her neck, and she didn't know what to do with her hands.

Riyao cleared his throat, coughed twice, and composed himself.

He began to explain the whole story to everyone, from beginning to end, recounting Future Lucy's origins and the dragon.

He gave a final word of advice, his voice low, his gaze sweeping across the faces of everyone present.

"Don't spread this around; just keep it to ourselves. Also, keep an eye out for anyone acting strangely, hiding their identity, or with a crooked mouth."

Natsu yelled, clenching his fists and tensing the muscles in his arms.

"How dare you bully..."

Taking advantage of the situation, Gray retaliated by punching Natsu on the back of the head with a thud.

"Stop yelling! Do you want everyone to know?"

Natsu crouched down, clutching his head, pressing his fingers to the spot where he had been hit, and hissing as he inhaled deeply.

Mirajane pushed Riyao away with disgust, placed her hand on his chest, and pushed him back half a step.

"Don't come near me."

You weren't like that just now.

"That's not because I'm worried you... might get taken advantage of by a strange girl."

"You'd better worry about that; your gaze just now was quite dangerous."

"No way."

Riyao grinned as he approached Mirajane, bringing his face close and rubbing his shoulder against hers.

Mirajane lowered her head guiltily, burying her chin almost in her chest.

"Shall we stay at the palace for the next few days?"

"Hmm? Why?"

"Firstly, to find some peace and quiet; secondly, to check if there's anything unusual in the palace."

"I'll listen to you."

Riyao and Mirajane agreed to go find Princess Hisui. They exchanged a glance and nodded simultaneously.

Makarov nodded, rubbing his chin with his fingers.

"This arrangement is good. I'll discuss it with the First Generation tomorrow. She's currently a spirit, so she can gather intelligence from various sources."

"Even in death, I'll be exploited by you, you heartless old man."

"Hey, you little rascal!"

Makarov jumped up from his chair, raising his fist above his head, but he couldn't reach Riyao's head.

The two were having a great time bickering, exchanging words back and forth at an increasingly rapid pace.

The others surrounded Future Lucy, asking her if she was cold or hungry, chattering away.

Lucy's eyes were hot, tears welling up, but she smiled, the corners of her mouth turning up.

No one noticed the strangeness of the smile, and they were all at a loss as to how to comfort him.

Natsu then uttered a tactful remark, his face serious and his expression sincere.

Lucy smells terrible.

He covered his nose, pinched his nostrils with his fingers, and fanned himself in front of his face with his other hand.

Everyone glared at Natsu, their eyes all shooting towards him.

Gray immediately launched into a tirade, pointing his finger at Natsu's face.

"What nonsense are you spouting, you idiot? Even if Lucy smells a little bad, you shouldn't say that out loud."

Everyone rolled their eyes, their eyelids collectively rising upwards.

You're both equally bad.

Lucy) takes Lucy)'s hand, their fingers interlocking around her wrist.

"Let's go take a bath!"

Several girls gathered around, forming a circle, and discussed going to the public bathhouse for a good soak.

A burst of chatter erupted, they were incredibly excited.

I heard that the bathhouse here has a flower bath!

Bisca clapped her hands together as she realized this discovery, making a loud "smack" sound.

"Really?"

Lucy's eyes are wide open, her eyelids bulging.

"Yes, I saw the promotional posters."

Levy nodded, her hair bobbing slightly.

"Let's go, let's go." Riyao blended in.

"Would you like to go for a bath together?"

Mirajane grabbed Riyao's ear, pinched his earlobe with two fingers, and twisted it outwards.

Riyao grinned, showing his big teeth, and smiled obsequiously, his face tilted to one side, following the direction his ear had been pulled.

"No way, I just went to the men's bathhouse with Grandpa and the others."

Don't drag me into this, I just finished showering.

Makarov quickly hid the swim trunks he had just taken out, pulled his hand behind his back, looked extremely guilty, and his eyes darted around nervously.

Riyao sighed and could only watch them go to take a bath.

He leaned against the window, watching a group of girls walk away, chatting and laughing.

After thinking for a moment, he turned and headed towards the palace, his steps neither fast nor slow, his shadow stretching long in the moonlight.

All the way there, I kept thinking about the other two timelines: how did he lose?

In Rogue's timeline, it's definitely because they couldn't defeat the Black Dragon and suffered a complete wipeout.

There's not much to say; the difference in strength is obvious.

Lucy's reasoning is a bit unclear; she would definitely try to stop the Eclipse Gate from opening.

But why did a giant dragon appear in the end?

I don't understand.

It's not like I'd want to open the door to see a dragon, is it? I'd be a complete idiot for that.

Riyao leaped up, braced his hands on the windowsill, pushed off with his feet, and nimbly flipped himself into the window.

It landed silently.

"Who?!"

Princess Hisui sat up in bed, holding the Celestial Spirit Key, her fingers gripping the handle, her arm taut, ready to open the door and fight.

"It's me!"

"Riyao? What are you doing here so late?"

Princess Hisui saw who it was, lowered the key in her hand, and spoke with a mixture of confusion and wariness.

I'm here to see you.

Riyao casually sat down on the sofa, sank into the cushions, poured himself a glass of water, and with a flick of his wrist, steadily poured the water from the kettle into the glass.

Princess Hisui was almost asleep, her head was still foggy, her hair was loose on her shoulders, and her eyes were half-open.

"How could you do this to Mira?!"

"Puff!"

Riyao choked on his words, spitting out the water he had just drunk. The water splashed in the air and spilled all over the ground.

He covered his mouth and coughed several times, his face turning red.

"What are you talking about? I'm here to talk to you about the dragon incident you mentioned yesterday."

"Oh, I see, haha..."

Princess Hisui smiled sheepishly, patting her cheeks to try and clear her head.

Riyao rolled his eyes at her, then rolled his eyes upwards.

"Please arrange for Mira and me to stay in the palace first."

"Why?"

"I have some more information. The dragon did indeed emerge from the Eclipse Gate, its purpose either to kill the Black Dragon or to exact Black Dragon, completely disregarding the survival of humanity."

Riyao stated the information he knew, his tone calm, but each word was pronounced clearly.

Princess Hisui's pupils constricted sharply, shrinking to two tiny dots. Her fingers, gripping the key, tightened, her knuckles turning white.

Before she could ask any questions, Riyao continued explaining the situation, pressing his palm down to signal her not to rush.

"Mira and I came to stay here for two reasons: first, to find out the identity of that person from the future, and second, to protect you and prevent him from doing anything rash."

Only the breathing of the two people remained in Princess Hisui's bedroom; it was so quiet that the rustling of leaves in the wind could be heard outside the window.

She finally nodded, her chin drooping.

"Okay, I'll have someone arrange your rooms later."

"Are you sure your intelligence is accurate?"

Princess Hisui was still somewhat unwilling to give up, her voice carrying a hint of wishful thinking.

After thinking it over, Riyao realized that he would need Princess Hisui's help to cover up Future Lucy.

He ran his fingers along his chin twice, weighing his options.

Finally, he nodded.

"Really, our intelligence comes from Lucy in the future. She couldn't possibly be lying to us."

Princess Hisui was stunned, her mouth slightly agape, and a look of disbelief flashed in her eyes.

She hadn't expected there to be a second person from the future.

The two discussed their next steps in hushed tones, exchanging ideas back and forth in the dimly lit room.