A Romantic Showdown

The air seemed to freeze at that instant.

The excited smile slowly vanished from Mirajane's face, replaced by a complicated expression of curiosity, scrutiny, and a trace of hostility that even she hadn't noticed.

Erza also noticed the silver-haired girl who had suddenly appeared.

She could feel a powerful, slightly sinister magic coming from the girl, utterly at odds with her frail appearance.

The two girls' gazes met in midair, as though invisible sparks were crackling between them.

Without anyone noticing when it happened, the noise in the guild hall died down.

Everyone had sensed the unusual atmosphere around the bar.

On one side was Titania, Erza Scarlet, who was universally acknowledged in the guild as having "ownership" of Jiang Bai.

On the other was Mirajane Strauss, the mysterious newcomer Jiang Bai had just brought back, who looked frail but possessed the power of a demon.

A silent war seemed about to break out.

Erza was the first to break the eerie calm.

She completely ignored Mirajane's presence, as though the girl were nothing but air.

Her grip on Jiang Bai's arm tightened, and her tone carried an unmistakable command.

"Jiang Bai, let's go. Come eat strawberry cake with me. That shop is about to close."

It was both an action and a declaration.

Everyone in the guild knew that Jiang Bai was the only one who could make Erza set aside her armor and show her girlish side.

And she was used to asserting her unique place at his side in this way.

But before she could drag Jiang Bai a single step,

Another hand reached out from the other side and grabbed his arm.

It was Mirajane.

"Wait!"

A trace of urgency entered Mirajane's voice. She stepped forward, almost pressing against Jiang Bai's side, and tilted her head up to look at him with her big, misty eyes. "Jiang Bai, you haven't seen me use it after fully mastering it yet! Look!"

As she spoke, her right arm, which had only just returned to normal, instantly transformed back into a fearsome demon claw. The next second, it became a fair-skinned girl's arm again amid a glow of magic.

"I learned it in no time at all! The old man said I was really talented! It's all because you brought me here!"

Her words were full of dependence on and gratitude toward Jiang Bai, every one of them seeming to emphasize the special connection between them, one no one else could intrude upon.

At that, Erza's expression turned completely cold.

She turned her head, a dangerous light flashing in her scarlet eyes as she stared straight at Mirajane.

"He's busy right now, newbie. Whatever it is, wait until he has time."

The word "newbie" carried the unquestionable authority of a queen.

Mirajane met her gaze without fear.

Her experience of being shunned by the villagers had taught her to protect herself like a hedgehog. Besides, the girl before her stirred an impulse deep in her heart: she didn't want to lose to her.

"But Jiang Bai was the one who brought me back," Mirajane retorted. "He said he'd help me solve the problem with my arm. It's his responsibility to check what I've learned, too."

One on each side, the two girls faced off. One wore armor and radiated an imposing air;

The other wore plain clothes and refused to back down. Each held one of Jiang Bai's arms, and neither would let go.

Subtle fluctuations of magic radiated from both of them, making the air thick and oppressive.

"Hey... hey... what's going on..."

"Are they going to fight?"

"Two dragons playing with a pearl? No, two phoenixes fighting over a dragon?"

Macao and Wakaba had already huddled beneath the bar, daring only to poke their heads out as they whispered to each other.

Jiang Bai, at the center of the storm, finally couldn't take it anymore.

His eyelids drooped as he sighed weakly, his face showing just how much trouble he thought this was.

"Hey... are you two trying to pull my arms off?"

His voice wasn't loud, but both girls froze in the middle of their confrontation.

Jiang Bai looked from side to side. On one side was Erza, her face saying, You have to come with me. On the other was Mirajane, whose face said, You can't go with her.

"All right, all right, both of you let go."

He shook his arms free of their grips, then announced helplessly:

"We'll go together."

"Huh?" Erza and Mirajane said in unison.

"I said, we'll all go to the dessert shop together." Jiang Bai yawned and spoke lazily. "Mira, didn't you want to show me your magic? You can take your time showing me on the way. Erza, didn't you want cake? We can all go eat it together."

He patted his pocket, looking like a wealthy man.

"My treat."

The solution left both girls stunned.

Go together?

What was that supposed to mean?

Erza wanted to refuse, but she couldn't think of a reason, because her ultimate goal—eating strawberry cake—would be fulfilled.

Mirajane wanted to protest too, but she couldn't think of a reason either, because her goals—showing Jiang Bai what she had learned and staying with him—would also be fulfilled.

In the end, under Jiang Bai's threatening look, which said, If we don't leave now, I'm going back to sleep by myself, the two girls had no choice but to compromise reluctantly.

They snorted almost at the same time and looked away.

And so, a strange sight appeared in the guild.

Jiang Bai walked lazily in the middle, his hands in his pockets.

To his left was Erza, arms crossed and looking displeased.

To his right was Mirajane, her cheeks puffed out and looking just as angry.

The three walked side by side toward the guild doors without a word, but it was as if an invisible battlefield, flashing with lightning and rumbling with thunder, lay between them.

Watching the three of them walk away, Makarov raised his glass and took a long drink. A complicated smile appeared on his face, like that of a father who saw through everything.

"It's good to be young..."