You Can't Handle This Spot

The moment the commission to hunt down the Beast King was finalized, chaos erupted at the guild's entrance.

Natsu clutched half a glistening, roasted fish, his tail-like hair sticking up high.

"I want to go too! I can help Elfman beat up the Beast King!"

Mirajane turned around, a rare gentle smile on her face, her eyes lightly sweeping over the grilled fish in his hand.

Natsu deflated instantly, like a punctured balloon; the fish in his hand drooped, and even Happy huddled on his shoulder, not daring to utter a sound.

Lisanna covered her mouth, laughing so hard her shoulders shook, while Riyao simply squatted on the ground, clutching his stomach, laughing until tears almost streamed down his face.

"Natsu, you idiot, have you forgotten how she whipped you three times while you were hanging from the tree last time?"

Natsu's face flushed red, but he didn't dare to argue. He could only watch as the four of them carried their backpacks out of the guild gate, and even after the gate closed, he stood there stamping his feet.

Gray pointed at Natsu and laughed so hard he bent over.

"Hahaha, that fire-breathing idiot got what he deserved."

Natsu lunged forward and started wrestling with Gray.

The train rattled forward, and Mirajane leaned naturally on Riyao's shoulder, his fingertips hooking the zipper of his backpack and swaying gently.

"Did you bring enough beef jerky and dried fruit this time? Last time we went out on a mission and we almost went hungry, you said you brought enough, but in the end you only had half a bag of hard, dry rations left."

Riyao quickly pulled a bulging paper package from his backpack and handed it to her with a fawning smile.

"I brought half a backpack this time, full of your favorite dried mangoes and dried apricots, and I also packed a separate bag of Lisanna's dried strawberries."

Mirajane tore open the paper package and happily took a piece of dried mango and put it in her mouth.

Lisanna immediately knelt on the seat, supporting herself on one leg with her knee pressing against Mirajane's leg, and reached into the paper package with such force that she pushed Riyao towards Elfman.

Riyao's shoulder went numb from the impact, and he let out a wail as he looked at himself being squeezed into a corner.

"Hey, hey, hey, this is my location!"

With her mouth stuffed with dried strawberries, Lisanna slurred, "Brother-in-law should give way to his sister-in-law!"

As he spoke, he grabbed a large handful of dried strawberries and stuffed them into his pocket.

Mirajane chewed on some dried fruit and poked Lisanna's cheek with her fingertip.

"How about trying dried vegetables next time? Eating sweets every day will cause cavities."

"No, no, I want dried strawberries!"

Lisanna rushed over and hugged Mirajane's neck.

"Brother-in-law, why don't you get more strawberries next time? Erza always goes to the manor to pick strawberries, and last time she trampled all the strawberry vines down!"

Riyao shrugged, looking helpless.

"I'd love to, but Erza said she was going to make a strawberry cake, but her cooking skills are terrible. In the end, she took the strawberries to a dessert shop to have them made, and then came back saying, 'I made this myself.' Her skin is thicker than Gray's ice shield."

Mirajane scoffed dismissively.

"With her cooking skills, she's a complete waste of strawberries. Last time she made a strawberry pie, Natsu took one bite and spat it out, saying it was even worse Gray's ice cream."

The two of them were taking turns criticizing Erza's cooking skills, while Elfman sat upright, his fingers gripping the backpack strap tightly, his palms sweating.

He was so nervous about receiving the Beast King Soul that he didn't even feel like eating dried fruit.

Riyao noticed his nervousness and reached out to pat his broad shoulder.

"Brother-in-law, don't be afraid, your brother-in-law is here. I'll activate Life Link - Hundred Battles for you, and that Beast King's ferocity will be suppressed in no time."

Elfman scratched his head sheepishly, the tips of his ears turning slightly red.

"I also want to become a man like my brother-in-law, someone who can protect my sister and Lisanna."

Riyao tried to put his arm around Elfman's shoulder, but Elfman's shoulders were too broad, and he could only manage to put his arm around half of Elfman's shoulder. He patted Elfman's back and laughed.

Don't worry, you can definitely do it! A real man should dare to take risks!

Mirajane watched the two of them, a secret smile playing on her lips. She remembered the Riyao secretly tried on her tutu and twirled in front of the mirror.

He even asked her, "Doesn't she look better than Erza in women's clothes?" Her appearance was nothing like that of a "man." She couldn't help but stretch out her foot and gently kick Riyao's shin.

Riyao turned his head in confusion, his eyes sparkling, and deliberately spread his arms wide, his face clearly showing his suspicion.

"Do you want a hug, darling?"

Lisanna chuckled, about to start teasing, when Mirajane reached out and pinched her cheek, gently rubbing it.

"My dear sister, I know exactly what kind of shit you want to take just by farting."

Lisanna's face was pinched out of shape, and she cried out, "Sister, what are you doing! I haven't done anything yet!"

She muttered under her breath, "It's all my brother-in-law's fault for spoiling my sister. She would never have said such things before."

As Riyao patted Elfman's back, her ears twitched, and she immediately turned around, pretending to be angry as she glared at her.

"I heard you. Next time, remember to say 'cricket' in your mind, or I won't give you any dried strawberries."

Mirajane popped the last piece of dried mango into her mouth, casually smeared the crumbs from her fingers on Lisanna's face, and said with a laugh, "Who told you to talk nonsense?"

Lisanna burst into tears, her face smeared with crumbs, and threw herself into Mirajane's arms.

"You're all bullying me! Waaah!"

Riyao also wailed and reached out to pull Lisanna.

"Come out, come out! If you can't handle this position, let me take it!"

Lisanna clung tightly to Mirajane's waist, her legs wrapped around Mirajane's, and deliberately gave Riyao a sly smile.

"I'm not coming out! Who told you to bully me!"

Mirajane, who was being fought over, smiled helplessly and ruffled Lisanna's hair.

"Okay, okay, Riyao is about to cry."

Riyao immediately cooperated by touching the mineral water bottle, wiping some water on the corner of his eye, and pretending to wipe away tears.

"Waaah, Mira doesn't love me anymore, I'm so sad."

Lisanna wasn't having any of it; instead, she hugged him even tighter.

Like a helpless husband, Riyao sighed helplessly, turned around and leaned against Elfman's broad shoulder, saying listlessly, "Elfman, you won't mind if I lean on you and cry for a while, will you?"

Elfman patted him on the back with a gentle smile and said earnestly, "Men can cry too. Crying will make you feel better."

Mirajane laughed until her stomach hurt at the sight of the three of them, letting Lisanna snuggle in her arms and say, "Lisanna is still so affectionate, just like when she was little."

Riyao suddenly cleared his throat and deliberately used a high-pitched, whiny voice to say, "Oh~ baby~ you can come and snuggle in my arms too~"

Mirajane rolled her eyes so wide they were almost bigger than her pupils when she heard that greasy voice. "Get lost, don't disgust me."

The train rattled along the tracks, laughter from inside the carriages mingling with the sound of the wheels, drifting out the windows and into the early summer breeze.