Monster Hunter! Activate!

Erza had been in a very good mood lately.

It was not just because Aibo had named his cat Ailu.

The day Aibo brought another clothed cat to the guild and announced that her name was Ailu, the guild had been incredibly lively.

Although Natsu and the others often made fun of the name, Erza did not mind.

On the contrary, she liked Ailu very much. Not because Ailu was cute, but because she felt that giving the cat a name so similar to her own was Aibo's way of showing closeness to her. Her relationship with Aibo's family had grown a little closer again.

Of course, that alone was not enough to make Erza this happy. What truly pleased her was—Aibo had actually stopped burying himself in magic research and started training in martial arts with her!

Just that alone was enough to keep Erza happy for an entire month!

There were very few wizards in the guild who used cold weapons, and Erza had never had anyone to spar with in the past. Aibo being willing to train with her truly made her very happy.

What surprised Erza even more was that Aibo was not merely trying it out for fun. He was genuinely very talented in martial arts as well!

At first, Aibo had wanted to learn the longsword from her. But for some reason, he suddenly became extremely excited while learning, then asked her about spear techniques. In just a few days, he could already wield a long spear with decent form.

By now, he could even exchange a few moves with her.

"Hah!"

"Bang!"

The long spear and sword collided. Aibo, who was holding the spear, was knocked several meters back due to his small stature, but there was no disappointment or discouragement on his face—only excitement and... delight.

If anyone asked him why—

[Spear Technique LV1: 50.8%]

When someone was truly happy, they could not keep the corners of their mouth down. Aibo had not been able to stop smiling these past few days.

Honestly, he somewhat regretted not getting into cold weapons sooner.

He clearly knew he had awakened an absurd cheat ability, yet he had not done everything he could to explore more of its possibilities. Aibo felt deeply ashamed of that.

He had actually been stuck in the misconception that his cheat could only record magical skills. He had already tried recording skills like [Painting] and [Writing], so why had he not boldly assumed earlier that martial techniques could become skills too?

Oh, Aibo had always thought of himself as a mage. Never mind, then.

That was probably what it meant to overlook what was right in front of you.

If it had not been for Ailu, and his sudden urge to cosplay as a Monster Hunter, he might never have considered practicing the longsword in his entire life.

If he had not practiced those few longsword moves, he would not have discovered that his cheat could record [Blade Technique LV0], nor would he have realized what a huge opportunity he had missed.

As for why he was playing with a spear instead of a longsword now...

Of course it was because lancers were cooler! (Thumbs up)

As the saying went, the spear emerged like a dragon, its roar shattering the heavens! As a Dragon Slayer wizard, how could he not practice with a long spear? Right?

It was absolutely not because he was too short to hit anyone with a longsword! Absolutely not!

Ahem... All right, jokes aside.

Whether it was cool or not was merely a joke. The reason Aibo chose the spear was simply because martial techniques also depended on talent.

When he practiced with the longsword, his experience rose very slowly. Only after trying several weapons did he discover that spear experience increased the fastest, so he began practicing the spear.

Of course, it was also possible that he was too young and physically underdeveloped to handle other weapons properly.

So Aibo planned to try out a greatsword once his body-strengthening magic showed results, then give the longsword another try once he grew taller...

"Aibo, you've already grasped the basics of spear techniques. I can find someone to forge you a magical spear. A good weapon can greatly improve your combat power..."

Erza looked at Aibo, unable to suppress her smile as well.

"How about you train in Knight Magic with me too, Aibo? We can form a team in the future. We'll definitely be unbeatable!"

Cana, who had been watching from the side, waved her fist in dissatisfaction.

"Get lost! Erza, Aibo is on the same team as Levy and me. Don't even think about poaching him!"

"When did you form a team? How did I not know?"

"Hmph, we're the Book-Loving Squad! We even took on a request together, so how are we not a team?"

"You clearly never completed that request..."

As the two bickered, a little pink-and-white cat flew over unsteadily, holding up a towel.

"Boss! Here! Wipe your sweat, meow!"

"Ailu is such a good girl!"

Aibo ruffled the little cat's fur. He was very satisfied with his obedient little cat and believed that, under his careful guidance, she would soon become an Ailu capable of standing on her own.

Ailu's breed of magical cat was unknown. Not only was she exceptionally intelligent, but she was also born with the innate gift of [Wing Magic], and her growth rate was astonishing.

She had only been born for a week, yet she could already speak like a three- or four-year-old child. Aibo felt that his Ailu was smarter than Natsu's Happy.

"So nice... I want to raise a cat too..."

Cana rested her face in her hands and watched the intimate interaction between the boy and cat enviously. It was hard to tell which of them she envied.

"Aibo, are you really planning to take Ailu hunting magical beasts? I'm worried we won't be able to protect her."

Aibo and Cana had agreed to collect magical beast cards together once the egg hatched, and he had no intention of breaking his word. He had already been ready to leave a few days ago, but when Cana heard that Aibo intended to bring the newly born Ailu along, she began having second thoughts.

"Don't worry, Sister Cana. I'll protect you both. I might not be that strong in a fight, but when it comes to escaping, I should rank in the top three of the guild, right?"

Cana:?

"You little brat, who's supposed to be the older sister here? You've got some nerve!"

Cana charged over aggressively to pinch him, but Aibo dodged with a flash.

"I'm not joking. With my current mastery of teleportation magic, I can teleport back and forth three times within one second at the limit. And we won't need to stay in the wilderness at night. Unless we run into an enemy that can kill us instantly, I can't think of anywhere dangerous."

"Wait, what did you just say?"

"Hm? I said my space magic is very strong."

"No! You just said you weren't planning to stay outside at night?"

"Yeah. What else would we do? I don't want to camp outside. We'll definitely return to town at night."

Cana froze completely.

Right, right... Aibo's magic allowed him to return to Magnolia whenever he wanted. They did not need to camp in the wilderness at all.

Then what exactly were those sweet sibling moments she had fantasized about and looked forward to for so long—lying in a grassy field with Aibo, watching fireflies and the Milky Way shine together?

(It meant you had quite the imagination.)

Aibo silently complained. He was not going to sleep rough outside for no reason. Why make himself suffer? He learned magic to make himself happy! If he still had to sleep in the wild like a primitive, then had he not learned magic for nothing?

"Then we leave tomorrow!"

Cana said this through gritted teeth, annoyed with herself.

Aibo immediately responded enthusiastically.

"No problem! Ailu!"

"Ailu reporting in! Meow!"

"Starting tomorrow, we'll be Monster Hunter partners!"

"Yes, Boss, meow!"

"May the Sapphire Star that guides the way shine upon you!"

"Aye, meow!"

"..."

Cana watched Aibo happily high-five his cat and fell into deep thought.

Why did it seem... like Aibo was excited to adventure with his cat? Could it be... that she was the one being brought along as an extra?