Virgo

In the gilded and carved mahogany study, the afternoon sun shines through the stained glass onto the sandalwood desk covered with a dark-patterned velvet cloth.

Riyao leaned back in his leather chair, twirling a gold coin between his fingers as he haggled over the price with the merchant opposite him.

He received a message from the black market saying that someone was selling the Virgo Zodiac Key, so he came over to check it out and also to help Mirajane and the others with their commissions.

It wasn't that he couldn't afford the money; he simply wanted to have some fun.

Mirajane, Lisanna, and Elfman stood behind him, each with their own distinct appearance.

Mirajane was idly playing with the demonic claws at her fingertips, occasionally glancing at the magical items on the bookshelf.

Lisanna tiptoed closer to the glass case, poking at the crystal ball inside.

Elfman scratched the back of his head, lost in thought.

"Hey boss, could you make it a little cheaper?"

Riyao leaned forward, resting his elbow on the table, and swung his free hand.

"Even a 100J discount is fine, let me experience the fun of bargaining, okay?"

The businessman pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, rubbed his greasy hands, and wore a shrewd smile.

"Your Riyao, the Twelve Gates of the Zodiac Keys are rare treasures in the Celestial Spirit World; there are only twelve on the entire continent. This price is already a friendly offer."

He had been tense, waiting for Riyao to cut the price down to 10%, and had even prepared his explanation, but then he froze for half a second, the abacus beads hanging in mid-air. So all that sweaty palms from nervousness, just for that one hundred yuan?

Coming to his senses, he rolled his eyes, waved his hand dismissively, and said, "Hahaha, I give up! I'll give you a discount of 10,000 J, just to be friends!"

"The boss is such a good person!"

Riyao's eyes lit up instantly. He flicked out a magical gold card that shimmered with golden light from his fingertip, slapped it on the table with a thud, and, with a cheerful tone like a child who had stolen candy, pushed the gold card over with a delighted expression.

The businessman took the gold card, turned around, took a velvet box from the safe, and handed it to Riyao.

Mirajane, standing behind Riyao, rubbed her forehead, the muscles at the corner of her eye twitching uncontrollably. Lisanna grabbed her arm, trying to suppress her laughter, her shoulders shaking like a leaf. Elfman clutched his stomach, barely managing to hold back his laughter as his shoulders twitched.

Riyao stuffed the velvet box into his arms, then turned and led the three of them out.

"Brother Riyao, you're spending so much money just on a key?"

Lisanna tilted her head back, looking puzzled, and tugged at his sleeve.

"The most prestigious Twelve Gates of the Zodiac in the Celestial Spirit Keys."

Riyao stopped in his tracks, his fingertips tracing the velvet box in his arms, his tone filled with undisguised smugness.

There are only twelve in the entire world. Finding one on the black market is incredibly lucky; it's far beyond what ordinary treasures can compare to.

"Wouldn't it be incredibly powerful to summon it?"

Elfman leaned closer, scratching the back of his head, and asked.

"That depends on the user."

Riyao shrugged.

"If the user is extremely weak, the summoned Celestial Spirit can only fight weak monsters."

"Quickly, summon it and let us see!" Lisanna shook his arm, her eyes sparkling.

"We still need to go back and sign the contract," Riyao said with a smile, ruffling her hair.

Let's find a hotel to stay in first.

Inside the hotel, a warm fire crackled in the fireplace, making the wooden floor cozy.

Riyao leaned back in the soft chair by the window, raised his left hand, and light blue stardust shone from his fingertips as he gestured "wait a moment" to the three of them.

Mirajane, Lisanna, and Elfman huddled on the bench by the window, all staring intently at his hand, not daring to utter a sound.

"I... the path connecting me to the Celestial Spirit World calls to you... the gate that leads to it. Open the Gate of Virgo, Virgo!"

The moment the spell was cast, pale blue stardust exploded into a small, carved door. A faint scent of lavender wafted out from behind the door, and Virgo, dressed in a black maid outfit with white trim, emerged, pushing a feather duster. Her skirt fluttered as she walked out, her blonde hair neatly styled in a bun with an exquisite bow at the neckline. She bowed respectfully.

"Are you my Master?"

"Yes, come and sign the contract." Riyao waved his hand, and a speck of stardust lit up from his fingertips.

Virgo took a rolled-up parchment from her pocket and handed it to Riyao, her fingertips carrying a faint scent of lavender.

The two discussed the terms of the contract for a few minutes and soon reached an agreement.

"It feels weird to call you that,"

Riyao leaned back in his chair, swinging his legs, and raised an eyebrow with a roguish air.

"How about you call me Boss from now on?"

After thinking for Virgo thought for a moment and then deliberately called out, "Okay, Lao Da."

"Hey boss, don't call me that in such a weird tone." Riyao reached out and patted her shoulder, unable to help but laugh out loud.

Just as Riyao was about to raise his hand to close the star gate, he suddenly stopped as if remembering something and turned to look at Virgo.

"By the way, is the flow of time different in your Celestial Spirit World and the Human Realm? I heard that one day in the Celestial Spirit World is equivalent to three months in the Human Realm?"

"Boss, it's the same."

Virgo tilted her head, the feather duster still draped in her arm.

"Time is synchronized between the Celestial Spirit World and the Human Realm; otherwise, the Celestial Spirit wouldn't have time to rest."

Virgo looked at Riyao expectantly, while Riyao scratched his head, puzzled, and asked, "Is there anything else?"

"Boss, I called you by the wrong title just now, I haven't been punished yet."

(ー_ー)!!

Is this something she was born with?! So it wasn't that perverted duke who did it?!

Mirajane said sarcastically, "Oh, I didn't expect you to be this kind of person Riyao."

Riyao retorted loudly, "What kind of person am I?!"

Mirajane grinned and said, "Pervert."

"No, I'm a respectable person."

"A decent person from Magnolia came to poop behind my house."

Mirajane gave me a look that said, "Do you believe me?"

Riyao raised his hand and flicked Virgo's forehead.

"Alright, alright, let's go back. We'll talk again next time."

After bowing respectfully, Virgo transformed into stardust and retreated back into the stargate.

Riyao leaned closer to Mirajane, resting his elbow on the back of her chair, and said with a mischievous grin, "Mira ~ want to go shopping?"

Mirajane turned her head, chin held high, and gave a haughty snort, "Unless you buy me dessert."

"No problem, eat as much as you want." Riyao blinked.

"What about me? What about me?" Lisanna rushed in front of him, shaking his arm, her big eyes sparkling, even the tips of her ears filled with anticipation.

"Everything's here, let's go!" Riyao waved and pushed open the hotel door first. Elfman, carrying his backpack, followed silently at the back, looking helpless yet doting.

As Riyao passed the women's clothing store on the street corner, he suddenly paused, his gaze sweeping over the pink lace tutu hanging in the window, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing his chin.

Lisanna's little mind clicked instantly, her eyes brightening like stars. She tugged at Riyao's sleeve and whispered something in his ear.

At first, Riyao didn't react, but when he heard Lisanna talking about Mirajane's favorite colors and styles, a wicked idea suddenly popped into his head.

He cleared his throat, grabbed Mirajane's wrist, and pulled her into the store. "Mira, come on in."

"What?" Mirajane was pulled so hard she stumbled, turned around and glared at him, her brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a mosquito.

"Lisanna said you like pink dresses, why don't you go in and try them on?" Riyao said with a mischievous smile, pushing her into the store.

"When did I say that?" Lisanna spread her hands innocently, pretending to be puzzled.

"Don't worry about the details, come in and take a look." Riyao ignored her completely and dragged Mirajane to the clothes rack.

"Boring guy... Who wants to wear a pink dress?"

Mirajane crossed her arms and backed away, her cheeks already flushed slightly, looking like a cat with its fur standing on end, even harder to calm down than a pig during the Lunar New Year.

"If you wear it, then I'll wear it too." Riyao raised an eyebrow, a roguish grin on his face that said, "You dare refuse?"

Mirajane's eyes widened instantly, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. She bit her lip and hesitated for a few seconds, but finally nodded firmly. "Okay! You put it on first!"

Taking advantage of the situation, Riyao pushed her into the fitting room and grabbed a matching pink tulle skirt for himself, then compared it to the mirror.

"It's a deal, if I wear it, you have to wear it too. No cheating."

"No problem," Mirajane mumbled in the fitting room.

Riyao picked out a pink tutu with a white bow on the hem and handed it to Mirajane in the fitting room.

She quickly changed her clothes and even used Life Magic to subtly adjust her voice and facial features, making her lines softer.

He adjusted his skirt, twirled around, the skirt billowing with his movement, before pushing open the fitting room door and walking out.

"Lisanna, look how pretty Riyao is!" Riyao tilted her head in front of the mirror, deliberately using a high-pitched voice to imitate a girl's.

Lisanna and Elfman were both stunned: Lisanna's mouth was agape, wide enough to fit an egg, Elfman's backpack fell to the ground with a thud. His eyes were wide open, and he couldn't speak for a long time.

"Brother Riyao... Sister, it looks so good!" Lisanna was the first to react, clapping her hands and cheering.

"Go pick one out and take a look. I'll pay today." Riyao waved his hand, pointing to the dress on the rack.

"Okay!" Lisanna skipped over to the clothes rack and started looking for her favorite styles.

Mirajane hesitated for a while before finally pushing open the fitting room door. Her cheeks were as red as ripe apples, the hem of her skirt just reaching her knees, and her hair was casually tied into two small braids. She didn't even dare to take big steps. Riyao leaned against the counter and whistled lightly, "Wow, it looks pretty good."

"You bastard... You're Riyao?!" Mirajane pointed at him, her fingers trembling, her face turning even redder.

Riyao stepped forward, leaned close to her ear, and breathed softly, "Mmm, yes, that's right."

Taking advantage of Mirajane's momentary distraction, he took her arm and led her to the full-length mirror.

The mirror reflected two figures wearing pink tutu skirts; one was soft and cute, the other had rosy cheeks, and even their hairstyles matched in a strange way.

Mirajane looked at herself in the mirror, then glanced at Riyao beside her, and awkwardly tugged at her skirt.

"The old outfit suits me best."

"I think this outfit looks pretty good." Riyao reached out and poked her cheek, his tone tinged with amusement.

Just then, Lisanna changed her clothes and ran out. She was wearing a light blue floral dress with small lace trim on the hem.

She squeezed between Riyao and Mirajane, linking arms with both of them and laughing non-stop, "If Riyao had white hair, we'd look like three sisters!"

Riyao's eyes lit up, and he raised his hand to activate Transformation Magic. His original blond hair instantly turned silver-white, and his hair shimmered with a faint silver light in the sunlight.

"The three white-haired sisters!" Lisanna clapped her hands and jumped up, excitedly pulling the other two to take a selfie in front of the mirror.

The shop owner behind the counter rubbed his eyes, looking at the three little girls in front of the mirror with a puzzled expression.

Elfman stood in the corner with his arms crossed, looking utterly hopeless, feeling completely superfluous.