Clumsy Natsu

"No thanks!" The choking perfume flooded Ifrit's nostrils, and he hurriedly backed away.

"So fast!" Lucy could not help being shocked by his speed.

"That's Bob, the Guild Master of Blue Pegasus," Erza explained. "He's the type Ifrit isn't good at dealing with."

"Really, you don't need one? Little Ifrit is so popular in our guild. If you need one, lots of girls would be willing to be your girlfriend." Bob continued approaching.

"I really don't! Ah—after fighting all day, I'm tired. I'm going to rest. Goodbye, Mr. Bob." Ifrit quickly cast his magic, and his figure vanished.

Bob squeezed his legs together, struck an eye-searing pose, and said with a smile, "My, my, what a shy child."

"Brr..." Lucy shuddered.

"Lucy, are you cold?" Natsu asked as he carried her on his back.

"No." Lucy buried her face in Natsu's scarf again.

"Let's go, Natsu," Gray said.

"Okay."

After walking a few steps.

Natsu said, "Lucy, you're really heavy."

"I'm not! What are you talking about?!" Lucy's face instantly turned red, and she slammed her fist hard onto the top of Natsu's head.

"It's true. You're way heavier than Lisanna."

Natsu's voice was utterly innocent, but Lucy's body stiffened when she heard that.

"Don't waste my good intentions, you bastard!" Ifrit suddenly appeared, a camera in his left hand as he punched Natsu squarely in the face with his right.

"You bastard, what was that for?!" Natsu said angrily.

"Natsu, you deserved it!" Gray said.

"Indeed." Erza nodded.

"Well, that's just how our Natsu is." Happy looked like an exasperated mother.

"Whatever!" Remembering that he was carrying Lucy, Natsu could not beat anyone up. He could only puff out his cheeks angrily and turn his head away.

After a while.

Lucy's voice came from within Natsu's scarf.

"Who is Lisanna?"

Ifrit said, "Gray's childhood friend."

"Gray's childhood friend? Why has Natsu carried her?" Lucy asked.

Gray looked at Ifrit with amusement, wanting to see how he would talk his way out of this.

"Because they're companions. It's perfectly normal for companions to carry each other, like this." As Ifrit spoke, he climbed onto Erza's back.

Erza sighed helplessly and naturally carried Ifrit.

This guy was pretty heavy.

It had been several years since Erza had carried anyone. Back then, the person she had carried most often was Natsu.

Carrying Natsu had been much easier than carrying Ifrit, because she usually carried Natsu when he was exhausted and asleep. But right now, Ifrit kept shifting his position on her back.

Of course he did. Whether it was his stomach or thighs, Ifrit was being painfully pressed by Erza's armor. Erza was very strong, but he was not as thick-skinned as Natsu.

Watching Ifrit wriggle around on Erza's back, Erza did not get angry. Lucy knew that Erza regarded Ifrit, Natsu, Gray, and the others as little brothers.

But Lucy keenly sensed that Lisanna might not have been merely that sort of person to Natsu.

Still, Lucy did not ask any more questions. Though her intuition told her the matter was not simple, she felt she would not get any answers now. Besides, it seemed to have nothing to do with her. She had no standing to pry into Natsu's past.

"I'll head on ahead."

After Erza took a few steps, Ifrit vanished from her back.

Ifrit truly could not stand it anymore. He was not Natsu, someone whose head could keep banging against the armor on Erza's chest without a problem.

After walking a few more steps, Lucy still unwillingly started to speak. "Something is definitely strange here, Natsu, you—"

Erza and Gray quickly lowered their heads.

Suddenly, Natsu felt his ankle kick something. He immediately tripped on flat ground, and his hand instinctively lifted upward, pressing against something softer and springier than a thigh.

The sudden accident interrupted Lucy, and Erza and Gray both breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hm? What is this?" Slow-witted and inexperienced, Natsu did not understand the flesh in his hand. He pinched it twice in confusion.

"Ah! You bastard! You bastard! You bastard!"

Lucy's face turned scarlet. Raising her palm, she repeatedly slapped Natsu across the head!

Click! Click! A series of camera shutters sounded all around them.

"What a sick bastard," Gray muttered.

Wariness rose in his heart. From now on, he absolutely had to be careful not to learn from that idiot Natsu!

They rested at an inn for the night.

Because the station and railway had been damaged.

Erza and the others decided to walk back with the Guild Master.

And Ifrit said.

Huh?

Walk?

Are you kidding me?!

Everyone knew him well enough. He was always talking about how weak he was, how poor his stamina was, and so on.

Compared to Natsu's fear of transportation, Ifrit definitely had Vehicle Dependency!

There was no need to hurry back anyway.

The next Alex's Machine Exhibition would be held in Ahanita Town.

He had heard that Ahanita Town's shopping street was pretty good, so he might as well take a detour and check it out. He could scout the place in advance, so he would not be flustered and clueless when the time came. That was not his style.

Ahanita Town.

When Ifrit arrived at the entrance, he was stopped.

"Sorry, sir, please pay an entrance fee of 1,000J," the soldier said.

"Why?"

1,000J was not much, but Ifrit was not someone who wasted money. He did not mind spending a lot, but he needed a reason to spend it—a reasonable reason.

The soldier explained, "This is your first time in Ahanita Town, isn't it? Our town used to be extremely poor. It only prospered after the Ahanita Family came here to govern it, but there are still some people unwilling to improve and change."

"So all the prosperous areas are in the west. If you do not wish to pay, then you will have to enter town from the east. That poor area is not very safe. There are plenty of thieves and bandits."

Due to its geography, Ahanita Town lay in a canyon and had only eastern and western entrances.

"Oh." Ifrit nodded and took out the money.

"Please enter, sir. We hope you enjoy your stay in our town."

"Thanks."

Ifrit adjusted his glasses.

Ahanita Town truly was prosperous.

Perhaps it was because the resources of the entire town had been concentrated in this half, or perhaps it was because the Ahanita Family was a renowned merchant family.

Setting aside some of the filthy things happening behind the scenes.

Ifrit had a great time here.

There were many fun things: all sorts of amusement facilities, toys, delicious snacks, and even a food street gathering local specialties from every region.

A tourist destination, huh.

By evening, the Ahanita Family had taken advantage of the unique terrain, embedding many exquisite artificial crystals into the cliffs on both sides. Under the sunset, they refracted brilliant multicolored light that fell over the buildings below, the people, and the streets. Everywhere looked dreamlike and breathtaking, as if a fairy-tale world had descended.

Ifrit walked while taking pictures.

Suddenly, a very tall figure passed through his viewfinder.

A beautiful woman!

He instinctively looked over.