The Wonders of Telepathy Magic

"Pop~"

At mealtime the next day, the equally adorable Aibo suddenly appeared inside the Fairy Tail guild hall.

"Yo, Aibo, your teleportation magic is getting more and more proficient."

Aibo raised a hand to block the buzz-cut man who wanted to open his mouth wide and take a bite out of him, saying speechlessly,

"Big Brother Mest, could you please break that bad habit of yours? Don't eat children whenever you feel like it."

"Hahaha, I eat adults too!"

"Big Sister Airo, one steak set... Whoa!? Gray, what happened to you?"

The moment Aibo sat down, he spotted a black-haired pig-faced creature sitting beside him and jumped in fright.

"Hahahaha, Aibo, let me tell you, let me tell you! This morning, Gray went to bully that new girl from yesterday, then she beat him up badly! I'm dying!"

Cana rushed over at once to mock him, vividly recounting the morning's farce to Aibo as she clutched her stomach and laughed uncontrollably.

"You're talking nonsense! Look at my face! Who exactly was bullying whom!?"

"You were! You ran over and kicked her stool!"

"Who told her to ignore people! Damn it! Just wait, I'll get my revenge!"

Aibo looked around the guild and finally found Erza, sitting alone in a corner.

The girl had changed into a clean, pretty outfit, but she still wore yesterday's armor over it, making her look somewhat mismatched.

"...That girl built herself a castle and locked herself inside it... We tried talking to her, but she ignored us all."

Cana ruffled Aibo's hair, leaned close, and lowered her voice.

"How about you go cheer her up, little Aibo?"

"Me?"

"Your magic lets you communicate with her directly through your thoughts. She ignores us whenever we try to talk to her, so we're counting on you~"

"...All right... I'll give it a try."

Aibo scratched his head, feeling that this was a little troublesome, but he was still quite willing to help a pretty girl.

Well, the important part was that she was pretty.

Even with one eye covered, Erza was clearly a beauty in the making. Once she grew up, she would definitely become a great beauty.

Though he was young now, he had plenty of nerve. Raising someone was one of life's greatest pleasures.

Besides, the guild master had assigned him this task...

Let me help her fit into the guild.

[Hello, Big Sister Erza~]

[It's you. I remember your name. Aibo?]

[That's right, that's right. Why are you sitting alone in the corner, Big Sister? Do you dislike everyone in the guild?]

[No! The guild is very nice. I don't dislike it here...]

[Then come sit with us, Big Sister!]

[...No need. I prefer being alone. Being around other people only makes me uneasy.]

(The Tower... Grandpa Rob... Sho... Simon... Jellal...)

A person's "thoughts" could roughly be divided into three layers: surface thoughts, or "consciousness"; deeper thoughts, or "preconsciousness"; and the core at the bottom, the "subconscious."

Conversations through Telepathy Magic took place in the shallowest layer of consciousness, but Aibo's magic was at a very high level, allowing him to hear the "voices" of all three layers.

Under normal circumstances, the three layers of thought were unified. Only those in turmoil would be different on the inside and outside.

Erza was currently in that state. Her preconsciousness was thinking frantically, a tangled mess, but in the deepest part of her subconscious...

She was crying. And calling for help.

[That's a lie~ But I respect your decision, Big Sister. How about we chat like this instead? Since we're both members of the guild, we're comrades. Can I be your good friend, Big Sister?]

[No... I... Okay... Yes, we're... friends.]

[Big Sister Erza is a little nervous. I'm just a child, you know? You're nervous even around me? Big Sister is really timid. Let's leave it at that for now, then. We'll talk again later~]

[I'm not! I'm not!]

Erza abruptly stood up and turned to stare directly at Aibo.

Aibo looked back at her, blinked mischievously, then lowered his head and continued eating.

Erza's face reddened. Seeing that Aibo had started eating and was ignoring her, she puffed out her cheeks and sat back down.

[I'm not a coward!]

[And I wasn't lying either!]

[Are you still there?!]

[...]

Aibo listened happily without replying, focused on his meal.

[Looks like he's really gone... How strange. The outside world really does have all kinds of magic.]

[That child is kind... and very pretty... but not cute at all! Talking directly to other people's hearts is way too unfair...]

[Grandpa Rob was right. Everyone in this guild is very gentle. The guild master is kind, just like Grandpa Rob. The adults care about my feelings and leave me space, and even the children know to take the initiative to show me kindness...]

[Except for that perverted little brat who doesn't wear clothes.]

"Pfft! Cough, cough, cough!"

"Aibo! Eat slower! Honestly, here, have some juice."

Erza turned around and saw Cana patting Aibo's back while giving him water.

Suddenly, the hairs on her back stood on end. The more she thought about it, the more something felt wrong.

[He... he heard that!? You heard it all, didn't you?!]

[I didn't hear anything.]

[Whew~ Thank goodness, you scared me...]

"Eek!?"

Erza shot to her feet, nearly falling off her stool, and glared at Aibo in humiliation and anger.

[Y-you're not allowed to eavesdrop on my thoughts!]

[Okay, Big Sister Erza. Then I'm leaving.]

[...You're still here, aren't you! I know you're still here! I won't fall for it again!]

[...]

[Damn it! I'll leave myself!]

Erza ran out of the guild with a red face.

But the moment she stepped outside, a burst of wild laughter erupted behind her.

She froze, then whipped around and pulled open the door. Yet everyone was eating or chatting as usual, as though the laughter she had just heard had been an illusion.

Macao, who happened to be sitting beside the entrance, raised his cup and asked,

"What's wrong, little girl? Forget something?"

"N-no, it's nothing. Sorry for disturbing you."

Erza took a deep breath, shut the door, and left. But after taking only a few steps, she heard another explosion of laughter behind her.

At that moment, the girl's face was redder than any curse could describe.

[Hehe~ You guessed right, Big Sister. Everyone in the guild heard our conversation just now. Sorry, I forgot to mention it—I opened a group chat.]

[Aaaaaah! Aibo, you big idiot!!!]

But Erza had no mind left to settle the score with Aibo. Her brain was completely overloaded, and she ran off at full speed in shame and indignation, disappearing in an instant.

Meanwhile, inside Fairy Tail, everyone was loudly laughing at Gray's pig-like face.

"That perverted little brat who doesn't wear clothes! He's bringing such shame to Fairy Tail! Hahahahaha!"

"Wahahaha! You have no idea how hard it was for me not to laugh just now. That little girl is way too adorable."

"Hahaha, she really is a good girl. Just a little awkward. Sigh, she must have gone through something awful before. It'll probably take her some time to get over it."

"But putting that aside, Aibo's Telepathy Magic is ridiculous. He can actually separate group chats for different conversations? Isn't that something only a master of Telepathy Magic can do?"

"That's talent. We can't envy that. The guild master said Erza's magic awakened naturally too. She's probably another little monster like Aibo."

"Little monsters are fine. Better than little perverts."

"Hahahahahahaha!!"

"That's enough! You've been laughing at me this whole time!! Damn you, Erza! I'll definitely win next time!!!"

[Inspiration Value +233]

Aibo's grin was harder to suppress than a madman's.

Before he started talking to Erza, he had pulled everyone in the guild into a Telepathy Magic group chat.

Then he told them that he would take the initiative to talk with Erza and broadcast their conversation in the group chat. Erza would not be able to hear the voices in the group chat, but the group could hear her. He told everyone to act like they knew nothing and not give themselves away.

Level 4 Telepathy Magic was not simply about having a wide range. With Aibo acting as the link, all information exchanged through the magic was under his control. Who could hear what and who could not hear what were entirely up to him.

So even if Erza "said" secrets that others should not know, Aibo could blur them out immediately and keep anyone else from hearing them.

This was not a function of Telepathy Magic that Aibo had only just discovered, but it was indeed the first time he had used it this way.

Judging from the results, it had worked splendidly.

The icebreaking effect was excellent too.

Now everyone in the guild knew that Erza was a straightforward and adorable girl, so they would surely be more understanding toward her in the future.

And Erza had already "made a fool of herself" once in the guild, greatly reducing her sense of embarrassment. She should find it easier to let down her guard and join the Fairy Tail family after this.

Other than Gray, no one was hurt. Everyone was happy. A cause for celebration.

He just did not know whether Erza would come looking to settle the score with him.

Now then, it was time to show off his real skills.

Erza ran all the way to the river and sat beside a small pond, waiting for her face to cool down. Then, the little demon's voice rang out in her mind once more...

[Hehehe, Big Sister Erza~ It's useless~ No matter where you run, it's useless. I'll always be right by your side~]

"Eeeek!!!"