The Afro

Lucy sat at the bar, lost in thought. Her best friend was gone, and now there was no one to chat with about novels with her that night.

She lay sprawled on the cold wooden bar counter, her arms under her chin, staring blankly at the half-empty glass in front of her.

It's been several days since Levy followed that iron lump Gajeel to the Magic Council.

These past few nights, she's been left alone in the house counting sheep in front of the ceiling every night. She can't even find anyone to stay up all night wrapped in a blanket discussing novel drafts and complaining about which character is too greasy.

"I'm so bored."

She shook her head, and her pigtails swayed along with it.

Two strands of golden hair swept across the table with each movement of her head.

The tavern was deserted, thanks to its irregular opening hours.

Since Riyao led his team back from wandering around for two months, this tavern has completely entered a "wait and see" mode of abandoning its business.

When I'm in a good mood, I open the window to let in some fresh air; when I want to sleep in, the old wooden plank by the door can hang there for a whole week.

Magnolia's regular drinkers were all driven to their wits' end by the constant commotion.

Riyao and his friends were relaxing in the tavern.

On the long sofa with thick cushions inside the bar, Riyao lay sprawled, his long legs dangling over the armrests.

He dozed off, his head resting on Mirajane's lap, while she styled Riyao's hair into all sorts of bizarre and outlandish ways.

Mirajane was wearing a light blue floral dress today, holding a small mahogany comb in her hand, and a small box next to her was full of rubber bands.

With nothing else to do, she happily ran her fair fingers through Riyao's golden hair.

Double ponytails, high ponytails, braids, Nezha -style little topknots...

Finally Mirajane gave Riyao an afro.

She picked up a comb and backshaved her hair from the roots, causing her once smooth blonde hair to swell up like a pile of weeds struck by lightning.

Riyao noticed the weight above his head, slowly opened his eyes, and looked up to see a few curly golden hairs.

He reached up and touched his head, feeling a fluffy, rough texture.

Riyao looked up at the smiling face above him.

"Is this hairstyle right? How was it done?"

"It's really fun! Oh, just for today!" Mirajane said, clinging to Riyao's head and acting spoiled.

Her small face was very close, her eyes curved into crescents, her warm breath brushed against Riyao's nose, and her body swayed gently from side to side.

Riyao sighed.

What else can we do? Spoil them, of course.

I chose this wife myself, so besides spoiling her, I can't exactly throw this frizzy mess of hair in her face right there.

Seeing that Riyao didn't speak, Mirajane knew he had agreed, so he cupped his face and kissed him.

A crisp, satisfying "smack" rang out clearly in the quiet hall.

She reached out and touched the shiny, golden afro.

Mirajane placed his hands on either side of the large golden sphere, gently pressed down, and then released his hands.

duang~

Her fluffy blonde hair bounced up and down twice in mid-air with great elasticity.

"How about staying a few more days?"

"Unless you also get an afro and keep it for a few days."

"Never mind, it's bad for your hair."

Mirajane shook her head decisively, answering crisply and clearly.

Riyao reached out and pinched the soft flesh on Mirajane's cheek, gently pulling it into a small arc.

Seeing the couple showing affection, Lucy felt like she'd been force-fed a huge mouthful of dog food (a Chinese slang term for witnessing public displays of affection), and she leaned against Lisanna.

She slid down the bar like a giant rag doll whose air had been sucked out, collapsing headfirst onto Lisanna's shoulder, her voice filled with utter despair.

"Lisanna, aren't you tired of eating dog food every day? Or have you already become immune to it?"

Lisanna cupped her face in her hands, looking at her sister and brother-in-law with sparkling eyes.

She leaned against the edge of the table, a satisfied smile on her lips, completely immersed in a pink bubble.

"Don't you think it's so sweet and romantic?"

Lucy was so startled that her mouth opened slightly.

His two big, round eyes were wide open, but he couldn't squeeze out a single word.

Okay, Lisanna is broken.

She looked at Wendy, Wendy was also holding her face in her hands, watching the interaction between Riyao.

The blue-haired little girl sat on a low round stool, her two thin legs swinging back and forth in mid-air, the curve of her lips exactly like Lisanna's.

Hearing Carla hum, Lucy felt like she had found a teammate.

The humanoid Carla wore a pink dress, her arms crossed over her chest, her cold little face turned away from the window, her expression full of disdain for foolish humans.

Lucy rushed over, grabbed Carla's small hand and held it tightly in her palm, wailing with tears in her eyes.

"Carla, are you the only one who's normal? Wendy and Lisanna are broken."

Lucy grasped Carla's hand, and Carla's eyes twitched.

The white-haired girl's entire arm was being shaken back and forth by Lucy, and several black lines appeared on her cool little face.

Lucy, you've gone mad too! That's an overreaction!

Cana hugged the barrel of wine, slowly sipping it through a straw, a completely different way of drinking from her usual unrestrained manner.

In the past, this brown-haired girl would always lift the bucket lid with one hand, tilt her head back, and gulp it down.

Today, however, he was clinging tightly to the oak barrel with both arms, biting on a thin straw, and slowly sipping the contents into his mouth, one sip at a time.

This is a ten-year vintage of pure brew, made from hundreds of plants collected by Riyao. Drink it sparingly.

Ha~

Cana let out a sweet burp.

Her cheeks were flushed a light pink as she leaned back comfortably in her chair.

Grandine watched the daily lives of the group, then closed his eyes contentedly and lazily sprawled on the table.

The miniature Sky Dragon's body gleamed with a warm white light, its small wings drooping softly at its sides, and half a butter cookie was pressed under its two front paws.

She's Gluttony these past few days, not because she's greedy, but mainly because she hasn't had any food in so long and she's really enjoying it.

Now that it has finally managed to take form through the symbiotic method of the Riyao, the golden-brown roasted pork chops, seafood risotto, and cream desserts in the kitchen have opened the door to a whole new world.

She feels she's gained a little weight these past few days.

The three giant dragons in the tree were extremely hungry.

Igneel yelled at Natsu to come back right away.

Riyao spread his hands, indicating that he didn't know where Natsu had gone.

He truly didn't know; his memories of this place were completely hazy, and he couldn't recall where some of the people had gone.

I can't remember the rest of the story at all, so many years have passed.

I only remember some of the famous scenes.

After all, Riyao has been living in the Fairy Tail world for almost twenty years.

Twenty years of real life have long since completely replaced the thin images on the screen in my previous life with the real daily life before my eyes.

"Mr. Riyao!! We're here!!"

Before even meeting Sting, one could already hear Sting booming voice, which was incredibly penetrating.

A loud bang!

The solid wood door was kicked open from the outside with brute force, the hinges creaking and screeching, and the floor shook violently.

This guy is clearly a long-time Fairy Tail fan; he's copied the door-kicking pose perfectly.

Sting bypassed the tables and chairs, ran straight to the bar, and stared at Riyao with shining eyes.

His golden eyes were filled with fervent adoration, his hands pressed against the edge of the bar, and he leaned forward as if to pounce on it.

However, when his gaze fell upon the enormous, still slightly bouncy, golden afro on the top of Riyao's head, Sting froze on the spot, his smile shattered, and his mouth opened into an exaggerated "O" shape.

Riyao clicked his tongue, his face showing displeasure; he was clearly annoyed at being interrupted.

He sat up straight on the sofa, his comically fluffy blond hair framing his face, his brows furrowed tightly, his eyes slicing through the air like knives.

"You're here, so just go to the manor. They're not senile. Get lost, you're annoying me."

As he spoke, he waved his hand, as if shooing away flies.

His disdain was undisguised; he was practically ready to pull out a broom and sweep this idiot out the door.

Sting chuckled twice, but showed no intention of leaving.

Rogue peeked out from the doorway, with two cat heads beneath him.

Lector, wearing a red vest, and Frosch, dressed in a pink frog costume, cautiously peeked out from the side, sizing up the man with the afro in front of the bar.

"Brother Riyao, your look is kind of cool."

"Frosch thinks so too..."