Riyao Gets Kissed

The hot wind in the desert whipped sand and gravel against his face, and Virgo grew to be very large, like a tank.

With her arm muscles taut, she held Riyao and Mirajane firmly in her arms and strode quickly.

Behind her, the dust was plowed into two deep furrows by her footsteps. In just two days, the outline of the earthen walls of the town in the distance came into view, and wisps of smoke rose from the rooftops.

The first seven days were like being in hell; the sandstorm made their mouths and noses sting, and the two of them could only eat hard, dry rations.

Seeing the nearby settlement, Mirajane loosened her grip on Virgo's sleeve.

Virgo stopped on a hillside outside the town, lightly tapping the ground with her fingertips to gently set the two down.

She returned to her original form, gave a slight bow, and a Celestial Spirit Magic circle flashed beneath her feet before she vanished from the spot.

As soon as she landed, Mirajane's eyebrows shot up, and she grabbed Riyao's ear and pulled it upwards.

"Oh, you deliberately made me spend seven days rolling around in the desert."

Riyao winced in pain, his ear twisted to one side from being pulled, and could only awkwardly scratch the back of his head and force a smile.

"I just want to spend more time with you."

Mirajane's cheeks were puffed out, but her fingers loosened their grip, though she still held onto his ear.

"We see each other in the guild every day, isn't that enough?"

Riyao leaned closer to her, his voice low.

"That's different. I want to be alone with you."

Mirajane's ears turned bright red, and she quickly let go of his hand, even giving him a push.

Riyao shamelessly moved even closer, his chin almost touching the top of her head.

Mirajane disgustedly covered his face and pushed it to the side, her nose wrinkling tightly.

"Get out of here, get out of here, it stinks!"

Indeed, after nine days in the desert, sweat mixed with dust formed a crust on our bodies, making us smell like we had just rolled out of a sand dune.

Riyao scratched his neck, looked at his dusty clothes, then at Mirajane's sand-covered hair, and chuckled.

The two chased each other as they walked into the town. As soon as they stepped through the city gate, the sweet aroma of freshly baked bread, the sounds of children playing, and the clanging of the blacksmith's shop, all mixed with the lively atmosphere of the town, rushed towards them.

They looked at each other, their faces still covered in sand, but they couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Riyao glanced down at his mud-splattered boots, then at the clean-clothed passersby beside him, and tugged at Mirajane's sleeve.

"We look like Delia, let's find a hotel to take a shower first."

Mirajane nodded quickly, her nose still wrinkled.

"Hurry... hurry up, I feel sticky all over, it's so uncomfortable."

The two rushed into the nearest hotel. Riyao raised his hand and slapped the front desk, then shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Boss, open one!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the side door of the hotel creaked open, and a boxer dressed in red and white stepped out, his fingertips crackling with tiny sparks of electricity.

Mirajane immediately kicked Riyao hard in the calf. Riyao jumped up in pain, instantly abandoning his carefree attitude, straightening his back, and smiling apologetically as he changed his tune.

"Open two rooms!"

They all went back to their rooms. As soon as Riyao entered, he took off his dirty clothes and happily soaked himself in the bathtub filled with hot water.

The moment the hot water reached his shoulders, he sighed comfortably, leaning against the edge of the bathtub and scrubbing the grime off his body; the water instantly turned black.

After scrubbing, I changed the water and planned to soak the baby for a while.

"Awesome! I'll never take this kind of lousy job again. It's too miserable to be out in the open like that. It would be great if I had a small portable space to store my change of clothes and food."

He muttered to himself as he scrubbed himself in the bath.

"The fact that Valkyrie can use earth magic in her Celestial Spirit form this time is because of Virgo's innate Earth Magic. If we could find a creature with innate Space Magic... hehe."

Unfortunately, the Celestial Spirit's state was already fixed, so they couldn't find Gemini to guide the life information seed for mimicry.

Riyao scratched his head and hummed a song out of tune.

"Falling in love with Thor~"

"Bang!"

Mirajane's pounding voice came from the next room, her angry snorts carrying through the walls.

"You sang terribly! Don't sing anymore!"

Riyao pursed his lips and muttered something under his breath.

"Fine, I won't sing then."

His eyes darted around, a sly smile spreading across his face. He pressed his ear against the wall, cleared his throat, and deliberately lowered his voice.

"Speaking of Aha, after breaking Akivili's heart, he was filled with remorse. He stood downstairs with ninety-nine roses, and Akivili..."

When he got to the most alluring part, he suddenly stopped talking and leaned against the edge of the bathtub, humming a little tune.

Riyao cleaned up, changed into the clean clothes provided by the hotel, and opened the door, he saw Mirajane standing in the corridor with a dark face, his cheeks bulging, and his eyes looking like he wanted to devour him alive.

Mirajane reached out and grabbed his ear, pulling it to the side, her expression fierce.

"Did Aha manage to get Akivili back in the end? You're dead if you don't tell me today!"

Riyao grinned and reached out to hug her waist, burying his head in her neck and nuzzling her.

"Okay, okay, let's go eat first, we can talk while we eat, I'm starving."

Mirajane's ears turned slightly red. She let go of his hand and allowed him to hold her. The two walked out of the hotel side by side and headed straight for the busiest food street in town.

For the first two days in the desert, you can eat some short-term dried meat, but afterwards you can only rely on hard dry rations and fruit to fill your stomach.

Seeing the food all over the street, their eyes lit up, and they wished they could try everything on the street.

They were determined to eat their way from the south of the city to the east, then around to the north and west, specifically targeting stalls with lots of meat, while ignoring all fruits and vegetables.

Eat while strolling along the edge, that's refined~

Riyao was the first to rush to the roasted pig's trotters stall and ordered two large, fragrant pig's trotters.

He was gnawing on a pig's trotter, his mouth dripping with oil, not caring that it was slick down his chin.

Mirajane, disregarding his image, grabbed another pig's trotter and devoured it with gusto, his words muffled and unclear.

"These pig's trotters... they're really sturdy..."

"Mmm... I'm so sleepy..."

As Riyao spoke, he reached out to snatch the pig's trotter from her hand. Mirajane quickly hid the trotter behind her back, and the two began to bicker.

Arriving at the New Orleans roast chicken stand, Riyao waved his hand.

"Boss, one serving of chicken wings, chicken drumsticks, chicken necks, and 'Seven Mile Fragrance' (a type of herb)!"

"Throw away the seven-mile fragrance! If you dare eat it, I'll beat you up!"

Mirajane reached out and tapped him on the head, her eyes filled with warning.

Riyao pouted, looking aggrieved.

"I just wanted to try it..."

Before they had even finished eating, they started grabbing food from each other's hands.

Riyao snatched Mirajane's chicken leg with lightning speed, took a big bite, and ran to the side. Mirajane chased after him and grabbed him by the back of his collar.

As they passed the fruit salad stall, the two didn't stop walking; in fact, they deliberately sped up.

Mirajane frowned.

"I get a headache just looking at fruit lately."

"I'll give all the fruit away when I get back, and I won't touch it again anytime soon."

Riyao chimed in, not forgetting to gnaw the chicken neck clean in his hand.

Just then, Virgo's figure suddenly appeared from the side. Before she could speak, Riyao immediately raised her foot and kicked her back to the Celestial Spirit World.

"We're partners, for goodness' sake. You've gone too far."

Mirajane tugged at Riyao's arm, her eyes filled with a hint of reproach.

"Don't even mention Virgo, even if the old man came, he'd get kicked by me! Coming out at this time, aren't you ruining our date?"

Riyao stood with his hands on his hips, completely self-righteous.

Mirajane's cheeks flushed instantly, and she punched his shoulder. The two of them joked around and ended up at the milk tea stall again.

Riyao pointed to the signboard which read, "This Qiuqiu Tea is so delicious!"

"This looks good, two drinks please!"

The two were holding milk tea, Riyao leaned over and bit Mirajane's straw, taking a big gulp.

Mirajane wasn't annoyed; she simply took his milk tea and took a sip.

At this moment, the owner of the stall next door started shouting.

"Give me a bowl of douzhi! It's the authentic old-fashioned flavor!"

Riyao curiously peered out.

"What's this? Boss, I'd like a bowl to try!"

As a result, the two of them only took one sip before frowning and spitting it out.

"Pfft... What's that smell?!"

For the rest of the time, the two transformed into "Pac-Man," going to every food stall they could see to try a bite.

We ate our way around the town, finally stopping in front of a dessert shop on the main street.

"There's a dessert shop here, perfect for after-dinner sweets. Mira, can you still eat?" Riyao rubbed his slightly bulging belly, his eyes sparkling.

Mirajane patted her stomach. "Don't worry, dessert is in another stomach!"

Riyao took her hand and led her into the store, ordering one of every flavor of cake and pudding on the menu.

The two sat by the window, feeding each other bites of strawberry cake and crème brûlée until their bellies were bulging like little balls.

Riyao leaned back in his chair, rubbing his round belly and sighing.

"I really envy rubber stomachs; they can digest anything they eat in no time."

After a satisfying meal, the two strolled hand in hand through the town streets to digest their food.

The evening breeze carried the fragrance of flowers from the street, Riyao squeezed Mirajane's soft hand.

"Your hands are still so soft. I suddenly remembered when I helped you join the guild."

Mirajane glanced at him sideways, a smile playing on her lips.

"Oh, so you were eyeing me back then, weren't you!"

"How could that be! Am I that kind of person?"

Riyao tilted his head back and stiffened his neck.

Mirajane suddenly leaned closer to him, her warm breath brushing against his ear.

When was that?

Riyao smiled and leaned close to her ear, deliberately speaking loudly.

"Hehe, when I go to poop in the grove behind your house!"

Mirajane's face darkened instantly. She clenched her fists, then helplessly let them open.

"Sure enough, I knew something was off about you from the start. I thought you were going to kidnap my younger siblings, but it turns out you were after me."

"How can you call it kidnapping? I actually gave up the bride price back then!" Riyao said righteously.

"That's far too shabby, it doesn't do justice to your S-Class Mage status," Mirajane teased him deliberately.

The two chatted and laughed, and before they knew it, they had walked back to the hotel.

At the doorway, Riyao suddenly hugged Mirajane's waist and wouldn't let go, nuzzling his head against her shoulder and deliberately drooping his eyes to feign pitifulness.

"Mira ~ I'm afraid of the dark when I sleep alone..."

Mirajane watched him act like a rascal, poked his forehead with her fingertip, her eyes filled with a mixture of helplessness and doting affection.

"Alright, alright, go back to your room and rest."

"Then a kiss wouldn't be too much to ask, would it?" Riyao turned his head slightly.

Mirajane's ears turned bright red instantly. She cupped Riyao's face in her hands, quickly pecked him on the lips, then turned and ran to her room, forgetting to even close the door properly.

"Hey, I just wanted a kiss on the cheek, this is totally worth it!"

Riyao stood there blankly, touching his lips with his fingers, when he suddenly realized what was happening.

"Wait a minute, shouldn't I be the one taking the initiative?! Oh well, whatever, hehehe..."

He floated back to his room, pounced on the bed, and rolled around in his blankets like a maggot.

At the hotel entrance, the red and white boxer leaned against the door frame, the sparks from his fingertips slowly fading. He sighed and muttered to himself.

"Looks like today's 'performance' is ruined."