The Neglected Woman

Riyao rested his elbows on the bar, his chin on his fist, and his fingers dabbed the beer foam from the rim of his glass in circles on the wooden countertop.

After finishing the ninth crooked sun, he finally couldn't help but let out a wail.

Mirajane's teasing remark before leaving with Elfman and Lisanna still echoes in his ears.

"This is just a small request, not worth the trouble of S-Class Mage."

The smile in his voice was almost overflowing.

He slumped on the bar, looking like a big dog abandoned at home, so resentful it seemed like mushrooms were about to sprout.

Gray, who was making himself an ice pop with Ice Magic, rolled his eyes dramatically upon hearing this and crunched the popsicle in his mouth.

"You're getting a good deal and still acting innocent. If you don't want to be an S-Class, I don't mind trading with you."

Cana took a sip of her beer, her lips twitching slightly.

"Exactly, I've never seen anyone so worried about not being able to go out with their partner to do a commission, acting like they've lost money."

No sooner had the two finished speaking than Erza, clutching the hem of her knight's uniform, slowly walked over.

Her ears were red-tipped, her fingers were twisting the fabric, and she was stammering as she spoke.

"Riyao... you and Mirajane... how far have things progressed?"

Upon hearing this, Riyao's eyes darted around, and he immediately feigned a shy expression, covering his face and twisting his body.

"Oh dear, Erza, why are you asking such an embarrassing question?"

He chuckled to himself: Mira specifically told me not to talk nonsense, so I can't be blamed for this.

Erza's face instantly turned so red it was practically steaming, and even the tips of her ears were so hot they could fry an egg on them.

There wasn't a romantic atmosphere between Erza and Riyao; it was simply that Erza was seeing someone her age dating for the first time, and she put herself in their shoes, which made her blush.

She opened her mouth, but couldn't say a word for a long time. Finally, she simply squatted down by the bar, buried her head in her knees, looking like a little girl whose secret had been exposed.

Riyao and Mirajane used to tease her with their romantic daily life, which always made the guild's discipline committee member freeze up. This trick always worked.

Just then, Natsu ran over, gnawing on a greasy pig's trotter, his mouth stuffed full, and shouted indistinctly.

"Riyao! I heard you can transform into Celestial Spirit! Come and fight me!"

He waved his oily hand, splattering oil from the pig's trotters far away.

Before Riyao could speak, Gray retorted.

"You fire-breathing idiot? You can't even beat me, and you want to challenge Riyao?"

Cana's eyes lit up, and she made the suggestion, not wanting to miss out on the fun.

"Why don't you two come at me together? Maybe you can hold out for another three minutes."

"No!"

Erza suddenly sprang up from the bar, her face still flushed, but she immediately adopted the posture of a discipline committee member.

Fighting is prohibited within the guild!

Riyao shrugged and grinned at Natsu.

"Look, the discipline committee member has spoken; forget about fighting!"

The words had barely left his mouth when the guild door was flung open with a bang, and Mirajane's laughter rang out first. "What are you all up to now?"

Riyao looked up and his eyes lit up instantly.

Mirajane was wearing a black leather jacket, her long hair was a little messy from the wind, and she was carrying a cloth bag. Elfman and Lisanna followed behind her.

She walked straight to the bar, sat down next to Riyao, glanced at Erza hadn't fully recovered, and a sly smile appeared on her lips.

She reached out and hugged Riyao's arm, gently nuzzling her head against his shoulder, her voice so soft it could melt your heart, deliberately raising her voice.

"Honey, I'm so tired, can you give me a leg massage?"

Before Riyao could even respond, a "thud" was heard from the side— Erza rolled her eyes and slumped onto the bar, completely out of commission.

Natsu scratched his head, looking thoughtfully at Erza, probably contemplating how to get Happy to stage a Happy performance to defeat Erza.

Happy flapped his wings and flew to the bar, poked Erza's head with his little paws, and clicked his tongue mischievously.

"Aye! Erza is such a loser!"

Riyao smiled as he cast Healing Magic, warm light spreading from his palm to Mirajane's shoulder.

"Alright, stop teasing Erza. She'll probably develop antibodies in a few days."

He gently kneaded her shoulder with his fingertips to relieve her fatigue.

Mirajane leaned all her weight on Riyao, completely relaxed, and her voice was a little lazy.

"We finally got a chance to crush her, so of course we have to make the most of it."

Lisanna covered her mouth and chuckled, then skipped over to the two of them.

"My sister has been talking about Riyao the whole time she's been away, wondering if he's been eating on time."

Mirajane's face instantly turned red. He reached out and pinched Lisanna's cheek, gently rubbing it.

"You brat, what nonsense are you spouting!"

Elfman, who was wearing a suit jacket and had been adjusting his collar, secretly looked up when he heard this, nodded vigorously at Riyao, and muttered something under his breath.

"It's true. My sister said last night that if Riyao doesn't have any food, she'll definitely try to steal Natsu's fish."

Riyao's eyes crinkled with laughter as he reached out and grabbed Mirajane 'Lisanna hand, pulling her fingers between his own. He said with a grin, "For my sake, let Lisanna go. She's still just a child."

Lisanna rubbed her reddened cheeks, pouting and muttering.

"My life is so hard, I have a violent older sister and a biased brother-in-law."

She suddenly remembered something and asked with sparkling eyes.

"By the way, Riyao- ge, can the crystal key that my sister has really summon you? I want one too."

Riyao shook his finger and said with a smile, "Of course it can summon, but this is a one-of-a-kind key in the world."

"Riyao Bro is so stingy!" Lisanna puffed out her cheeks.

"That was a token of love I gave to your sister, how could there be a second one?"

As he spoke, Riyao leaned close to Mirajane's ear and deliberately spoke in a voice that only the two of them could hear.

"Speaking of which, it seems you still owe me a token of our love."

Mirajane's face turned even redder, and she buried her head on the bar, revealing only her bright red ears, her voice muffled.

"It's because your key is too precious. I've been thinking about it for days and can't come up with a suitable one. Let me think about it some more."

Riyao smiled and pressed his face against hers, rubbing his cheek against the tip of her ear like a little fox stealing a treat.

"No rush, we have a lifetime ahead of us, don't we?"

The moment those words were spoken, the surroundings fell silent.

Cana's hand, holding the beer glass, froze in mid-air, and she almost choked on her beer.

Gray rolled his eyes, the whites of his eyes almost bigger than his pupils.

Lisanna and Levy bright, sparkling eyes. They whispered in each other's ears, their mouths practically stretched to their ears in a wide grin.

Elfman scratched his head, clenched his fist against his chest, and muttered to himself, "Is this what a real man should be like?"

Cana sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Damn it, can't we just send them away to do some commissions?"

Gray stared with dead fish eyes. "Send one of them to the north for a commission, and the other to the south for a commission!"

Happy flapped his wings and flew up, clicking his tongue cheekily. "Aye! We're hooked up~"

Natsu scratched his head, feeling like he wanted to burn something, otherwise he felt uneasy.

Erza, who had just recovered, blushed like a ripe apple when she heard Riyao say "forever." This time, she simply collapsed onto the bar and completely lost consciousness.

In the distance, Macao and Wakaba leaned against a pillar, took a deep drag on their cigars, and exhaled a round smoke ring.

Macao laughed and said, "It's so great to be young; even dating is so exciting."

Wakaba nodded. "Back in the day, your sister-in-law and I..."

Before he could finish speaking, Macao slapped him on the shoulder. "Come on, you were way naiver than Riyao back in the day."

Mirajane felt her face burning hot, so she simply got up and partially received the Satan Soul.

She beckoned to Erza, who was still offline. "Erza, let's have a match!"

Erza sprang up abruptly, her demon sword instantly drawn, the hem of her knight's uniform fluttering in the wind. "I'll fight to the bitter end!"

The two spells collided with a loud "bang," instantly throwing the guild into chaos.

Hearing the sounds of fighting, Natsu threw down his half-burnt Gray clothes and rushed over. "How can a fight be complete without me!"

Gray wasn't to be outdone, instantly conjuring ice blades with Ice Magic: "Count me in!"

A little raccoon stopped rummaging through the trash can and rushed over to join the brawl. "I'll fight!"

An elderly man adjusted his glasses and pushed up his cane. "You may leave."

The red-haired woman silently made a cup of coffee and tossed it into the crowd.

The pink-haired amnesiac patient pulled out a camera and started snapping pictures.

The Cold-Faced Little Azure Dragon threw his spear at the enemy. "I never let go of my spear."

Tables and chairs were knocked over and scattered everywhere, drinks were spilled all over the floor, and guild members were either busy dodging flying tables and chairs or excitedly shouting encouragement.

Riyao sat at the bar, watching the chaotic scene. He glanced at Mirajane, who Natsu had dragged into the fight, and shook his head helplessly. He picked up his juice, took a sip, and couldn't help but smile. This was more like Fairy Tail.