Eldest Calabash Sister Irene

"Calabash Brothers, Calabash Brothers, seven flowers on one vine~ la la~"

"Accompanied by moving music, the eldest child Irene, was born!"

The large, crimson gourd, as tall as a person, seemed to understand the command; its vine tip snapped off automatically with a crisp crack.

The red gourd quickly swelled up, its skin glowing with a warm red light. With a muffled thud, it landed steadily in front of Erza, causing the tree trunk beneath her feet to tremble.

The barbecue stalls in the tree canopy fell silent instantly.

Everyone, holding plates and wine glasses, turned their heads and looked at Ri Yao, who was directing and acting in silence, speechlessly. As a complainer, Lucy was the first one not to hold back, and stuck out her head to complain loudly.

"What kind of music and narration are you adding here?! It's so distracting! Think about the touching atmosphere of Erza and her mother's reunion!"

Good grief, Erza had been watching this all night, her eyes were practically red with emotion, but this bastard just opened his mouth with something about seven flowers on one vine, completely shattering that tear-jerking sense of tragic fate!

Riyao shrugged, casually tossed the bamboo skewer into the fruit plate, and replied with his hands outstretched.

"That last sentence was unnecessary; you didn't consider that either."

You have a louder voice than me, how dare you say I'm ruining the atmosphere?

Gray rubbed his forehead with one hand, closed his eyes in pain, and sighed. There wasn't a single normal person in the guild.

From the guild master to the S-Class Mages, and even the newcomers, they're all a bunch of clowns who can't grasp the point.

Juvia, standing next to him, didn't even glance at the gourd; his eyes were fixed on Lucy, and a ring of sour bubbles rose around his body.

"So, they're using this method to get Lord Gray's attention? Juvia won't give up!"

Lucy was exasperated and almost broke the skewer in her hand.

Dude, what's your brain made of? How do you manage to get all the connections to Gray?!

Erza, standing in front of the giant gourd, had her eyes twitching wildly, and several bright red tic-tac-toe marks popping out on her forehead. The emotions she had been building up for half a day were now completely ruined by these few clowns.

She had rehearsed in her mind eight hundred times what expression she would use to start the conversation, whether to call him by name or ask a question as her first words. But now, all she could think about was Riyao's catchy "la la la" on an endless loop!

She clenched her itchy fist, now longing to become Riyao, commanding the Parasol Tree to extend a hundred or eighty vines, and hang these people up and whip them for three days and three nights.

"Shut up, you idiots!"

Erza turned around abruptly and glared at her fiercely.

Gray and Natsu felt their hair stand on end, instantly bringing their legs together and their hands to their sides, sitting obediently like two good-natured Happy.

Natsu still had half a piece of roasted meat in his mouth. It was just an unconscious muscle reaction developed from years of being beaten up. He blinked his big eyes, looking left and then right, completely oblivious to anything amiss.

Just as the entire audience fell silent, the red gourd standing in the center underwent a change. Fine cracks began to appear on its smooth surface, like peeling an eggshell, extending from one end to the other.

Riyao couldn't possibly miss such an opportunity to show his support, so he immediately cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted with his own sound effects.

"Ta-da!!"

As the light faded, the gourd shell split open, revealing Little Irene!

"Shut up, you idiot Riyao!"

Erza's forehead veins bulged completely. Without even looking, she grabbed a roasted chicken leg from the plate next to her and hurled it like a projectile, not even bothering with little Irene who had just popped out in front of her.

Riyao tilted his head, opened his mouth, and precisely bit the flying roasted chicken leg, chewing it with relish for a couple of bites.

At the same time, right in the center of the shattered gourd shell, a petite figure swayed as she stood up.

"Oh my?! So that's how you get rid of the Dragon Force within me? By repeatedly washing it away with endless life force, you've forcibly washed it all away."

A childish, soft voice rang out, and little Irene stretched out her small, white hand, looking down at her own body. Her delicate, round face and long, crimson hair made her look just like Erza when she was a child.

She clenched her small fist, feeling the long-lost human heartbeat and warm blood flowing through her body, and felt somewhat dazed.

Erza froze, looking at the tiny figure in front of her who only reached her chest. She raised her hand and took out a large white shirt from her Requip space, draping it over the little girl's shoulders and clumsily adjusting the collar.

She was feeling very conflicted, unsure of what to do with herself, and really didn't know how to face Irene, who looked like a child.

If you're talking about enemies, they never actually tried to kill him from beginning to end.

If she's supposed to be Wendy's mother, how could this little kid, who looks barely older than Wendy, possibly call her that?

When Mirajane saw Irene's adorable appearance, her eyes lit up instantly. She ran over excitedly, scooped little Irene into her arms, and rubbed her face against Eileen's soft little cheek.

"She looks exactly like Erza when she was little, so cute! Come on, call her 'big sister'!"

Mirajane, overwhelmed by maternal instincts and succumbing to her devilish nature, began to concoct in a high-pitched voice.

Irene was still immersed in the Joy of regaining a normal body, her head was still dizzy. After being hugged and coaxed like that, looking at Mirajane's gentle and smiling face, she subconsciously followed up with a shout.

"Elder sister?!"

Click!

Erza, standing nearby, seemed to hear the sound of her own sanity snapping.

"Damn it, Mira!"

My mom calls you "sister," so doesn't that mean I've suddenly become your niece, a generation younger than you?!

Erza, like a furious lion, roared and pounced on Mirajane. The two S-Class female mages rolled around on the canopy floor without any regard for their image, pulling each other's cheeks and making a complete mess.

Irene blinked blankly, and seeing Erza's energetic appearance, the tension that had been taut for hundreds of years suddenly relaxed, and she burst out laughing.

Just then, a dark shadow blocked the starlight overhead, Riyao crouched down, smiling as he approached her.

"Come on, open your mouth!"

Without a word, a sizzling, golden-brown chicken leg was stuffed into Irene's mouth.

"How's it going? Can you taste it now? If not, I'll stuff you back into the gourd and remake you."

Riyao patted the oil off his hands, like a shady manufacturer inspecting product quality.

Irene was suddenly stuffed with a large chicken leg by Riyao, her cheeks bulging. She was a little dazed at first, but the moment her tongue touched the crispy, oily skin of the chicken leg and the savory, piping hot juices burst in her mouth, she felt like she had been struck by lightning.

Large tears streamed down her cheeks without warning. She clutched the chicken leg tightly in both hands, completely disregarding her previous image of Scarlet Despair, and wolfed down the chicken leg.

How many years has it been?

Since his body began to transform into a dragon, his sense of taste has degenerated to the point that it's like chewing candles and rotten mud; no matter what delicacies he eats, they have no taste at all.

Now, she can finally taste food again!

Finally, I no longer have to endure the torment of my mind being corrupted by the dragon's evil thoughts, and the inability to sleep at night!

Finally, I've gotten rid of that half-human, half-dragon monster body that I find repulsive even when I look in the mirror!

The sounds of playful fighting in the treetops gradually subsided. Everyone watched as little Irene squatted on the ground, tears streaming down her face as she stuffed her mouth full of greasy food and drink, a faint smile on their faces.

Even though they had fought to the death on the battlefield, seeing this red-haired girl crying like a three-year-old just for a hot meal, all the lingering resentment in their hearts vanished.

Erza climbed off Mirajane, dusted off her skirt, picked up her most treasured plate, and awkwardly handed her a strawberry cake, her ears turning red.

Try this.

She turned her face away, her eyes darting around, refusing to look Irene in the eye.

Irene stopped chewing, her eyes brimming with tears, and looked up blankly at her daughter feeding her.

After a long while, she swallowed the food in her mouth, wiped her little hands haphazardly with her sleeve, and solemnly held up the cream cake decorated with bright red strawberries with both hands.

"I heard this is your favorite food, I'll enjoy it."

She picked up a small fork and ate the strawberry cake in small bites. The sweet and soft cream melted on her tongue, making her eyes crinkle with delight.

Looking at it now, the two red-haired figures, one big and one small, together create such a harmonious mother-daughter scene.

However, with one tall and long-legged woman wearing armor and the other wrapped in a large shirt with short legs swinging around, it's a bit hard to tell who is the mother and who is the daughter.

"So touching, I'm so moved!"

Lucy hugged Levy tightly, and the two sentimental girls were moved to tears by this belated display of affection, wiping away their tears with handkerchiefs.

Mirajane clasped his hands together beside his face and replied with a smile.

"Yes, no one has ever been able to take the strawberry cake away from Erza before. This is the first time. The child has grown up."

The moment of emotion lasted only three seconds before the air froze.

"Damn it, Mira!"

Erza's face flushed bright red, and in a fit of embarrassment and anger, she lunged at Mirajane again, baring her teeth and claws. Mirajane let out a strange cry and hid behind Riyao. The two of them circled around Riyao like they were playing a game of tag.

Riyao, caught in the middle, not only didn't try to break up the fight, but instead crossed his arms and watched the spectacle with a noisy, head-shaking gaiter.

"Erza still too easily embarrassed. Is she using this method to cover it up?"

"Damn you, Riyao!"

Erza completely lost her guard, and with a backhand, she pulled out two gleaming longswords from the void. She stopped chasing Mirajane and, with red eyes, chased after the two bastards who were singing in unison, hacking wildly all over the place.

Riyao a strange cry, Riyao grabbed Mirajane and tucked her into his arms, then ran off as fast as lightning, his cheerful laughter echoing through the broad Parasol Trees.