Tug-of-War

The guild door was suddenly pushed open, the metal door slamming against the wall with a clang, causing the decorations on the wall to shake and a layer of fine dust to rise.

The noisy guild hall paused for a moment, then resumed its clamor.

Erza, covered in dust, her armor stained with bits of grass from the quest site, her cloak draped over her shoulders, slammed the quest completion certificate onto the counter.

Her sharp gaze swept across the hall, finally settling on the bar stool by the bar.

Mirajane was sitting on a high stool with her legs crossed, twirling a wine glass between her fingers, the ends of her white hair sweeping across the bar counter with the flick of her wrist.

Her short top revealed her waist, and her leather boots were covered in mud, creating a stark contrast with Erza's neat armor.

Their eyes met in mid-air, and the air seemed to freeze for a moment.

Erza frowned, her armor clanging crisply with each step, as she strode through the crowd.

She stopped in front of Mirajane, her hand on the hilt of the sword at her waist, her fingertips tracing the grooves of the hilt.

Mirajane.

Erza's voice wasn't loud, but it easily drowned out the surrounding noise.

"This outfit doesn't conform to guild rules and will negatively impact Fairy Tail's image."

Mirajane slowly slammed her glass down on the table, stood up, and was almost nose-to-nose with Erza.

Her eyes crinkled with amusement, and her tone was unmistakably provocative.

"Standardized? Erza, it's your rigid, overly formal manner that's infuriating."

On the table next to him, Natsu was reaching for the roast meat on Gray's plate with a fork, a matchstick dangling from his mouth.

"Hey! You fire-breathing bastard, that's mine!"

Gray grabbed Natsu's wrist, and ice crystals seeped out from between his fingers.

"What's wrong with eating one piece? You stingy, ice-cold-faced jerk!"

Natsu reached for the steak with his other hand, and sparks from his fingertips splattered onto Gray's hand.

The two men instantly started fighting, knocking over a wooden chair that rolled to the side of the beer barrel, spilling half a glass of ale.

Sparks clung to the tips of Natsu's hair, and ice shards clung to Gray's brow bone. As they rolled to the ground, they knocked over a jug of mead, filling the hall with a sweet, mingled aroma of mead.

On the second floor, Riyao leaned against a pillar by the railing, swinging his legs and twirling a half-empty glass of juice in his hand, calling down.

"Mira! Erza! What's the point of just glaring? Think about it, wouldn't it feel much better to just punch them now?"

Mirajane and Erza looked up at the same time, glaring fiercely at Riyao. Their eyes were filled with obvious impatience as they shouted in unison.

"Shut up, Riyao!"

But the fighting nearby had escalated. Natsu and Gray rolled to the center of the hall, one with smoke rising from his hair, the other with a thick layer of ice on his arm, and punched each other in the face.

Erza's temple throbbed, and she abruptly turned around. She walked a few steps to the two wrestling figures, clenching her fists in both hands simultaneously.

Bang! Bang! Two muffled thuds struck the two men on the head.

Natsu jumped up and then fell back to the ground, seeing stars. Gray's ice shards fell all over the ground. He squatted on the ground, clutching his head and groaning.

Erza shook her hand and looked at Mirajane. The latter was looking at her with one eyebrow raised, a playful smile on his lips.

Fighting is prohibited within the guild.

Erza's tone was stiff, and the shoulder armor of her armor swayed slightly as she spoke.

Mirajane chuckled, sat back down on the high stool, waved her hand with her back to Erza, and completely ignored her words.

Riyao jumped down from the second floor, landing with a slight twist of his ankle without making a sound, and patted Erza's shoulder cheerfully.

Erza's armor wobbled from the impact, and she instinctively dodged slightly, frowning as she looked at Riyao.

"The old man's pension is safe!"

Riyao pointed to the wine cellar behind the counter, looking smug.

"Riyao, can't you stand up for the guild? You're supposed to be S-Class Mage of the guild!"

Erza's voice carried a hint of helplessness as her fingertips pressed against the hilt of her sword.

"Oh dear, kids are just very active."

Riyao scratched his head, his gaze drifting to Lisanna who was picking up a chair, silently calculating his age in his mind.

Even combined, he's not older Natsu. Considering Natsu's age, the time of his death, and the time he traveled through time, he's definitely the oldest person in Fairy Tail.

You're not that old, are you?

Erza saw through his excuse, her tone slightly mocking.

"So! He's still a child, can't we just discipline him...?"

Before Riyao could finish speaking, someone behind him grabbed him by the neck.

Mirajane's arms encircled his neck, her fingertips applying a gentle pressure. Her breath carried the scent of lavender, and her gentle voice whispered in his ear, yet carried a hint of threat.

"Are you planning to Erza's faction?!"

Riyao's face flushed red instantly, he struggled, kicking his feet against the ground and grabbing Mirajane's arm.

"Big Sister Mira, let go, I'm going to die!"

Erza frowned, stepped forward, grabbed Riyao's leg, and started a tug-of-war with Mirajane.

The two stood on opposite sides and pulled back with all their might. Riyao's feet were two inches off the ground, and his buttocks were rubbing against the ground, like a tightly pulled rope.

"Release Senior Riyao."

Natsu and Gray had just gotten up when they rushed over to help Erza pull her legs, as if it were a big deal. Natsu grabbed the corner of Erza's armor, while Gray gripped her wrist.

"Wow! Let's get this fired up! We're going to take down Mirajane today!"

Natsu raised his fist and shouted.

"Hmph, that fire-breathing idiot is right!"

Gray chimed in, "The ice crystals haven't completely melted yet."

"Natsu, let go of me right now, or I'm ignoring you!"

Lisanna hugged Mirajane's waist.

"A real man... must help his sister."

Elfman also stepped forward to help.

The other members of the guild ignored Riyao's fate and cheered for both sides.

Cana, holding an empty glass, leaned against the bar and shouted.

"Let's make a bet! Which side will win?"

Macao sat at the table, waving a paper cup so hard it almost slipped from his hand.

"Go for it, Erza! If you win, I'll treat you to strawberry cake!"

Wakaba slammed his fist on the table and shouted.

"We must thoroughly humiliate Erza! Let her know that a guild isn't just about rules!"

Erza and Mirajane forgot what they had argued about in the first place; they only thought about pulling each other closer, secretly straining. Riyao was squeezed so hard that his eyes rolled back, and he felt like he had been pulled a little taller.

Out of the corner of his eye, Riyao caught a glimpse of Makarov sneaking down from behind a pillar at the corner of the second floor. He was clutching a crumpled bag of gold coins and drawing tally marks in a small notebook, clearly placing bets.

He rolled his eyes, too lazy to care anymore. Anyway, Mirajane was holding him and smelled nice, so he just let them do whatever they wanted.

I was thinking about it and it just slipped out.

"Mira smells wonderful."

Mirajane's face flushed instantly, and the arm around his neck tightened even more. Riyao's face also turned bright red, not only from the choking but also from having his thoughts exposed.

"What are you saying, you scoundrel!?"

Mirajane's voice was slightly panicked, but she still didn't let go.

Riyao tried to explain, but was so choked that he couldn't utter a complete sentence.

"No... no... listen to my... excuses..."

These words only made Mirajane angrier, and she tightened her grip even more.

Riyao used his waist to generate power, spinning two and a half times to the side, kicking over a nearby table and knocking over a jug of beer. He then used the momentum of the spin to throw Erza and Mirajane away.

He knelt on one knee, dusted off his pants, struck a superhero landing pose, and was about to stand up when a rough hand pressed down on his shoulder.

Makarov squatted down beside him, speaking earnestly.

"Riyao, as an S-Class Mage, don't be so stingy. It's just a rope."

Riyao rolled her eyes and glared at him.

"Old Deng, listen to what you're saying. Don't think I didn't see you just placed a bet!"

Without batting an eye, Makarov quickly turned around, pretending to look at the others in the guild hall, and coughed twice, acting as if nothing had happened.

Riyao patted Makarov's hand and was about to stand up when Erza and Mirajane grabbed his shoulders from either side.

Erza's hand, cool to the touch from the armor, pressed against his left shoulder, while Mirajane's hand, warm from her body, pressed against his right shoulder. Riyao felt a chill run down his spine, realizing that this was definitely not over yet.

He cleared his throat, put his hands behind his back, raised his head and puffed out his chest, deliberately putting on the dignified appearance of an S-Class Mage.

"Hmph, how dare you offend me? Do you even know how many floors you can carry a bag of rice up?"

Erza withdrew her hand, her eyes filled with a hint of speechlessness. Mirajane, on the other hand, continued to massage his shoulder, even squeezing it harder, a sly smile playing on her lips.

"I don't care how many floors you have to carry that bag of rice up! Prepare to die!"

Just as Riyao was about to shout "Life Link - Modify," he saw Levy and Cana emerge from behind the bar.

Levy pushed up her glasses and held up a specially made magic card, sticking it to Riyao.

Cana shouted, "Go! Beat him up!"

Riyao tried to tug at the card on his forehead, but found he couldn't pull it off at all. He raised an eyebrow. "Huh, only sealing the Life Link? No wonder it's working so well."

He flicked his wrist, and the black and gold bracelet transformed! It turned into a slender, dreamlike stick [Fire Poker].

"However, I will allow you to run ninety-nine meters first."

Lisanna, rubbing her forehead where she had just been bumped, leaned closer and asked in a low voice.

Am I going to get beaten up too?

"Um."

Riyao twirled the staff, its length Fire Poker in his hand, the magic runes on the staff glowing faintly, too lazy to even activate the Hundred Battles Spell Formula.

Mirajane was the first to rush forward, his fist aimed straight at Riyao's face. Riyao dodged to the side and flicked Mirajane's forehead with his fingertip.

"Mira, you actually tried to hit me? That's too much!"

The Fire Poker suddenly extended and struck Erza on the head.

"Since you're already here, Erza, you should lie down too."

Erza covered her head, glared at him, and reached for her sword.

Riyao's Fire Poker retracted, sweeping past Natsu's foot. Natsu almost tripped, and Riyao hit him on the head with the poker again.

"Idiot Natsu, lie down, lie down, lie down... You're pretty tough."

"Perverted Gray, lie down; Little Drunkard Cana, lie down..."

Riyao twirled his stick while tapping each guild member on the head.

A series of muffled thuds rang out, and everyone in the guild except Mirajane crouched down on the ground, clutching the large bumps on their heads. Even a passing dog got a thud.

Only Mirajane stood to the side, without a bump on her head, watching with her arms crossed.

Lisanna, clutching the bump on her head, leaned closer to Riyao and whispered, "They're having an affair~"