Teasing

For some unknown reason, Little White, resurrected by Soul Resurrection, had shed the rough, dull fur of his old age and grown a coat of soft, smooth, glossy fur.

The little white dog had now returned to the look of his younger days.

As an ordinary dog, Little White didn't understand the miraculous change that had happened to him; he only knew that when he opened his eyes, his beloved owner was right there.

His four little legs bounced nonstop, the adorable white puppy circling Cana again and again, letting out endless, clingy whines.

Cana fondly stroked Little White's fur, letting him rub against her and act spoiled.

Cana was only five when her mother passed away from illness. Back then, she was heartbroken, but after crying and fussing for a while, she felt better.

That's how children are—their understanding of death is vague, and they think that one day, the departed family member will come back.

But as she grew older, Cana gradually came to realize the naivety of her childhood; her mother would never return.

That was why she treasured Little White, who had been with her for twelve years, so much. Even after picking up the bad habit of drinking, she tried her best not to drink at home.

"Noah, thank you."

Picking up Little White, Cana offered Noah her most sincere gratitude.

As if sensing his owner's emotions, Little White also let out a soft "woof woof" at Noah.

Ruffling the little white dog's fluffy head, Noah chuckled and looked at Cana. "Don't just say thanks. Give me something real."

"I saved your Little White. Charging you a million isn't too much, is it?"

As if struck by lightning, Cana's whole body went stiff at Noah's words. Back when she and her mom bought Little White at the pet store, it only cost a few hundred. And now you're asking me for a million?!

"Why don't you just rob a bank?!"

"Does robbing make money this fast?"

Noah flashed a devilish grin, snatching Little White from Cana's hands. The little dog didn't resist, obediently letting this stranger he'd just met pet him.

"And Cana, don't forget—you should know very well, as a Card Mage, how much the card that resurrected Little White would sell for on the market."

Noah's retort left Cana with no comeback. It was true that Noah had provided the card that brought Little White back.

The "Soul Resurrection" card could only revive "ordinary creatures," but ordinary people who couldn't use magic also fell into that category. Many wealthy and powerful figures were ordinary people too.

If it were put up for auction at a sales house, countless big spenders would be vying to bid. A mere million probably wouldn't even cover the starting price.

Sighing, Cana knew she could work her whole life and never save up that much money. Since that was the case, she might as well change her approach...

Cana put on a fawning smile. "Noah, you know I'm dead broke. How about this... I'll take a loss and be your girlfriend."

She deliberately shrugged, letting the strap of her top slip down her smooth shoulder.

Cana figured she was pretty charming herself. The other party was just an innocent eighteen-year-old boy. If she buttered him up a little and coaxed him, she could easily get this whole thing swept under the rug, right?

The girl struck what she thought was a seductive pose, but Noah remained as steady as a veteran driver. Back when he was holed up in the palace, he'd already read plenty of novels with this kind of plot.

Child's play. Too naive.

Noah flashed a devilish grin, suddenly closing in on Cana and blowing a breath by her ear. "Your teasing moves are way too stiff, Cana."

The overwhelmingly aggressive masculine aura made Cana's face flush red all the way to her ears in an instant. She wanted to flee, but she was already in the corner of the bedroom, with the wall at her back—there was nowhere to retreat.

What do I do... This is nothing like I imagined!

I'm not really going to end up giving myself away, am I...

Realizing she had underestimated Noah—this guy was definitely no innocent boy—a panicked Cana could only throw a pleading look at Mira.

Save me! Mira-chan!

But Mira just sat off to the side, on the only chair in the bedroom, legs crossed, cracking sunflower seeds, completely ignoring Cana's desperate, pleading gaze. She was fully in spectator mode.

Damn it, how could I forget that Mira is a devil who loves chaos and can't wait to see me make a fool of myself.

As expected, in the end, you can only rely on yourself!

Cana crossed her arms over her chest, forcing an awkward but polite smile. "Um... Noah, actually, I was just joking earlier..."

"Oh~ A joke worth a million?"

Noah stared at Cana with a half-smile, his body continuing to press forward. With nowhere to run, Cana could only close her eyes and press herself tightly against the wall.

"Woof woof?"

Instead of the embarrassing thing she had imagined, Cana opened her eyes to see Little White tilting his head in confusion.

Shoving Little White back into Cana's arms, Noah had only been teasing her in return for her earlier flirtation.

He hadn't expected that Cana, who usually seemed so bold, would, when faced with this situation, act just like a female lead in a romance novel, passively waiting for things to happen.

How amusing.

Holding Little White, Cana watched the wall and slowly slid down to sit on the floor, her face still bright red.

Finally, Mira spoke up. "Noah, you're really too much. You could tell from the start that Cana's all bark and no bite, but you still deliberately bullied her."

"And you didn't stop me either."

Noah glanced speechlessly at the pile of sunflower seed shells at Mira's feet.

Mira chuckled. "Cana's always bragging in the guild about her love life, but she's barely even held a man's hand. The only time she's had physical contact with a guy is when the guild gets into a brawl."

Listening to Mira expose her earlier bragging, Cana felt today couldn't get any more embarrassing. She gave up on saving face entirely, got up, and flopped onto the bed.

Since it was already like this, what else could she do but slack off?

Noah shook his head. Want to slack off? Did you ask me?

But Noah didn't actually intend to make Cana pay. He just wanted to use the "tear down the house to open a window" effect, nudging Cana to naturally choose his real goal.

"Cana, I'm not asking for any repayment. Answer me one question, and this matter ends here. What do you think?"

Cana rolled over and looked at Noah. "What question?"

"Yesterday, in the library, I saw the name 'Ivan Dreyar' in a book. What's his relationship with the Guild Master and that Laxus?"

The mention of Ivan's book was Noah's fabrication. If pressed later, he could just brush it off by saying he forgot which book it was.

"Ivan Dreyar? He shares the same surname as the Guild Master and Laxus, but I've never heard of him." Mira looked puzzled.

Cana, however, spoke matter-of-factly: "Of course you haven't heard of him. He was expelled from the guild by the Master himself before I even joined."