A Chance Encounter with Erza

The morning sun shone on the cobblestone streets of Gazania, and the air still carried a hint of the coolness of last night's dew.

After having breakfast, Riyao and his friends strolled around Gazania.

I slept well at the hotel last night, and this morning Riyao tried every means to get rid of Lucy and her gang of third wheels.

He generously pulled out a handful of gold coins and stuffed them into Lucy, telling them to take Wendy to Gazania's largest shopping street for desserts and clothes, while he himself pulled Mirajane away.

However, before they had gone two blocks, Riyao noticed that something was wrong behind them.

Sting and his group followed them furtively.

At the base of the wall around the corner, a striking head of short, golden hair would occasionally peek out, followed by a red cat's head wearing sunglasses and a kitten's paw dressed as a frog.

The group of men crouched low, trying to move stealthily along the wall, but their footsteps made a loud thumping sound.

Two veins bulged on Riyao's forehead, and he stopped in his tracks.

"Are you guys usually this free? Why are you following us?"

Caught red-handed, Sting froze, quickly pulling his head back halfway. When he realized he couldn't hide any longer, he grinned and shuffled out from behind the corner.

"Hahaha, isn't this to ensure your safety?"

Sting emerged from the alleyway, his eyes darting around, chuckling to himself.

Rogue, draped in a black cloak, leaned against the wall, his hands tucked into his sleeves, silently holding Frosch.

Lector, the red cat standing at Sting's feet, wasn't shy at all; Lector raised his hand.

"Hey, Riyao, bro!"

Riyao rolled his eyes at them.

After finally managing to get Lucy and the others to go play somewhere else, Mira and I could enjoy some time alone.

Riyao pulled Mirajane behind him, glaring at the group of clueless guys in front of him with his hands in his pockets, his tone icy.

"You guys aren't going to take a ride, so don't disturb Mira and me enjoying our time together. If you keep following us, I'll have to resort to physical anesthesia."

As he spoke, Riyao cracked his knuckles, making a series of crisp sounds.

Sting stood there, blinking his big eyes, still wondering what physical anesthesia was, when Rogue dragged him away.

Rogue moved with lightning speed, grabbing Sting by the back of his vest and dragging him deeper into the alley.

"Forget it, Mr. Riyao wants to beat us up."

"Huh?"

Sting looked up at Rogue, completely bewildered.

Lector wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and followed Lector, clutching his head.

"Isn't physical anesthesia just knocking us out?"

"Frosch thinks so too."

Frosch wobbled along, raising his little arms and taking tiny steps close behind Rogue's heels.

The two people and two cats slunk away.

After those guys disappeared around the street corner, the alley finally became completely quiet.

Riyao let out a long sigh of relief, turned around, and took Mirajane's fair and delicate hand.

"Great, finally we can have some alone time. If anyone bothers us again, I'll just punch them."

He grumbled angrily, gripping Mirajane's hand tightly like a little animal guarding its food.

Mirajane laughed heartily at Riyao's angry expression.

She smiled, her eyes crinkling, and gently pinched Riyao's cheek before leaning softly against his shoulder.

Riyao wrapped his arm around Mirajane's slender waist, the two of them cuddling together intimately, as if glued together.

They strolled slowly along the bustling main road.

The morning light fell on Mirajane's long, silvery hair, giving it a soft sheen. The two whispered secrets to each other as they browsed the street stalls.

Passersby couldn't help but turn their heads, all marveling at how good-looking they were and how well-matched they were.

However, this blissful time for the two of them lasted less than five minutes.

A tall, slender shadow suddenly fell in the very center of the bluestone street ahead.

A woman with long, crimson hair stood in front of them.

The person stood at the intersection with their arms crossed, their long, crimson hair fluttering slightly in the morning breeze.

What are you doing here?

The familiar voice was clear and powerful, carrying an undeniable air of authority.

Riyao's face instantly darkened, and he glared at the uninvited guest with gritted teeth.

He waved his hands frantically in the air, feeling as if his romantic time with his partner today was cursed.

"What are you doing here? We only had a few minutes of alone time, and you had to come and ruin it."

Riyao accused through gritted teeth, almost going crazy.

Mirajane pursed her lips, wanting to laugh but not daring to, afraid that Riyao would be furious.

She reached out and gently patted Riyao's back to stroke his fur, but the smile in her eyes was impossible to hide.

The woman in front of them was none other than Erza had been missing for a long time.

Erza blinked, looking somewhat dazed and cute.

She tilted her head, looking at the exasperated Riyao with some confusion, completely unaware of how much of a third wheel she had become.

Before Riyao could continue complaining, Mirajane had already let go of Riyao's hand and strode forward.

Mirajane abandoned Riyao and grabbed Erza's arm, which infuriated Riyao.

She affectionately pulled Erza along, looking her up and down at her long-lost companion.

Erza, how are you doing? What have you been up to lately?

Mirajane and Erza exchanged pleasantries.

Erza straightened her expression and snapped her fingers.

A magic circle flashed past beneath her feet.

With a soft glow, her casual clothes transformed into the Magic Council's uniform.

The crisp, dark blue uniform jacket accentuated his slender figure, with gold embellishments on the collar and cuffs. A long sword hung at his waist, making him look dashing and heroic.

"I recently joined the Magic Council and am now a squad leader in the Custody Enforcement Unit. I've been investigating the Dark Magic Cult these past few days. What are you doing here?"

Mirajane couldn't help but laugh after hearing this, then pulled Erza to sit down on a bench by the street.

I told Erza about their experiences, from running the tavern to their trip these past two days, and laughter filled the air.

The two girls sat on the bench, chatting animatedly, their heads close together, discussing everything from cooking skills to the clothes they bought on the way, completely ignoring Riyao sitting next to them.

If Riyao is a demon, the resentment he possesses now is enough to significantly increase his Curse Power.

Riyao stood under the shade of a tree, hands in his pockets, kicking pebbles on the ground with a dark expression, his body seemingly emanating a visible black aura.

The two turned to look at Riyao, Mirajane couldn't help but laugh. She went over and hugged Riyao.

Mirajane stepped forward, wrapped her arms around Riyao's neck, and tiptoed to gently rub her cheek against his.

"Okay, okay."

Riyao grunted twice, his resentment vanishing instantly, and he clung to Mirajane, refusing to let go.

He nestled his head in Mirajane's neck, like a golden retriever whose fur had been stroked.

Erza, sitting on the bench, picked up the teacup beside her, took a sip, Erza shook her head.

The two of them are still the same.

When the guild was still around, they were inseparable; even after the guild disbanded and they went on vacation, they still showed off their affection every day.

Riyao turned around and glanced at Erza Riyao.

Looking at her imposing Magic Council uniform, Riyao raised an eyebrow and a mischievous smile crept across his lips.

"Looks like you're doing pretty well. Have any of those blue-haired guys contacted you? Should we recruit them to boost our performance? That way, as you grow stronger in the Magic Council, it'll be good cover for the guild."

Erza rolled her eyes and looked at the idiot speechlessly.

Riyao stepped forward and reached out to pat her head.

Erza slapped his hand away, smoothed her ruffled crimson bangs, and glared at Riyao.

"Why are you rubbing me? I'm not a child anymore."

"By the way, how about you become the guild leader when we rebuild the guild?" Riyao changed the subject.

Erza paused, her hands still.

"Me, the guild leader? Wouldn't it be better if you were? Or Mira would be fine too, and there's also Laxus."

In her view, whether it's seniority, strength, or prestige, Riyao, Mirajane, or Laxus are all fully qualified to take over the guild.

Riyao shrugged, leaned back in his chair, and waved lazily.

"You know, Mira and I don't want to be... Laxus, we'll talk about that later. It's just that I ran into you first, hehe."

Mirajane laughed and echoed him, clearly indicating that the two had already reached an agreement and only wanted to be carefree, hands-off managers.

"I don't really want to be one either."

Erza sighed, she had helped Makarov with paperwork before, and the thought of all those compensation claims and apology letters gave her a headache.

The town houses Natsu destroyed, the street fountains Gray froze, and the complaints and tickets flying in like snowflakes from the Magic Council...