Fairy Tail

Mirajane cleared away the dishes and left. She soon returned, bringing someone with her.

Someone with a peculiar build.

—His body was fat like a huge ball, yet his limbs were slender, and his face was not fat at all. It looked terribly disproportionate.

Based on his experience watching Conan, Rhode suspected this fat man was a fake.

Mirajane introduced him. "This is Laxus. Lax-us."

After Rhode repeated the name after her, Laxus greeted him as well.

Rhode realized that the four people he had met since waking up all had very distinctive appearances. The beautiful ones were beautiful, the strange ones were strange, and all of them were unforgettable.

Under Rhode's puzzled gaze, Laxus took out a brush and drawing board, then quickly began painting on his round belly.

First, he drew Rhode. Then he drew the elderly man who had just left.

Then... the two figures actually jumped down from Laxus's body and began moving!

"Magic Brush Ma Liang? Super Beast Fake Picture?" Rhode immediately thought of the stories he knew.

Laxus did not understand what Rhode said and simply continued drawing.

A forest emerged, and the two little figures entered it and began their performance.

'Rhode' fell to the ground in the forest. The 'elderly man's' arm stretched out and grew larger, and he scooped Rhode up in both hands and carried him away.

Next, the pink-haired lady appeared and fed 'Rhode' medicine. Then came the familiar scenes of 'Rhode' waking up and 'Mirajane' entering the room.

Rhode stared in astonishment. He understood that Mr. Laxus was using this method to explain the situation to him.

And he really could understand it, but... this method was far too fantastical.

If it was not some advanced projection technology, then it was... magic? Sorcery?

After the little figures finished demonstrating what had happened, they turned into puddles of paint. With a wave of Laxus's brush, they flew onto the drawing board.

Then he took out several sheets of paper and showed them to Rhode.

The first was a map, marked with the forest where Rhode had collapsed and their current location.

The second depicted a wooden building, probably the house they were currently in.

The third was a 'group photo,' with dozens of people in it.

Rhode stared at the third picture the longest. He easily found the small elderly man, Mirajane, and Laxus.

Then... he saw several familiar faces.

Natsu, Erza, Gray!

"Fairy Tail?"

Though it was hard to believe, Rhode finally realized what world he was in.

If that was the case, then that strange beast, Laxus's magic, and the distinctive appearances and colorful hair of the people he had met all made sense!

But why did it have to be Fairy Tail?

If it had been One Piece or Naruto, Rhode would have known more of the plot. Fairy Tail... he really was not familiar with it!

He could recognize those few people only because one of his roommates had put up a few posters in their dorm room.

Other than those people, plus Wendy and Lucy, who were not in the picture, Rhode knew almost nothing about Fairy Tail!

Mirajane noticed Rhode's expression. "What's wrong? Is there someone you know in there?"

Hearing her speak, Rhode looked at her blankly.

"Sorry, I forgot again." Mirajane spoke regretfully. "It would be great if Levy were here. Maybe she could understand what you're saying."

Laxus asked, "Can't we call Wollan over to communicate with him?"

Mirajane said, "Even Wollan's 'Telepathy' magic can only send voices into someone else's mind. If he cannot understand the words, it makes no difference."

"Then... should we just teach him our language?"

Mirajane nodded. "That's all we can do for now. It'll be a little inefficient, but hopefully Levy will have another solution."

"If you need my help, just say the word." Laxus raised his brush, indicating that he could help illustrate the lessons with three-dimensional moving pictures.

"Mm, I'll have to trouble you then, Laxus."

—

Rhode's literacy lessons began soon afterward.

His feelings were complicated. Even if he wanted to return to school, he had no idea how to do it.

And this place was so dangerous. If his luck was not as good the next time he went outside, he might just get eaten by wolves.

For a while, Rhode did not know what he should do, so he simply decided to follow their arrangements for now.

Since they were friends of the protagonists, they probably did not mean him any harm.

Once he realized they wanted to teach him how to read and speak, Rhode began studying enthusiastically.

No matter what he wanted to do next, he first had to solve the communication problem.

Mirajane somehow found a textbook that looked like it was meant to teach kindergarten children how to read, and used its contents to teach Rhode.

The tool she used to assist her lessons was a very magical pen that could write glowing words of different colors in the air.

Seeing Rhode's curious expression, Mirajane simply went out and borrowed a Light Pen, then taught him hand over hand how to use it.

She guessed that Rhode might never have even seen magic before.

Rhode found it fascinating. A Magic Item could actually be used by someone who did not understand magic.

Or rather, as long as he held this pen, could he be considered someone who knew magic too?

Perhaps because he really had nothing else to do, Rhode was extremely focused.

His literacy lessons progressed quickly. Before long, Rhode had mastered the basic syllables.

The next step was to continue learning specific characters and words.

However, Mirajane seemed very busy. Every so often, someone would come to her with a sheet of paper for registration and a stamp.

Unfortunately, Rhode could not yet read the words on them, so he had no idea what they said.

Some people came and went in a hurry, while others curiously asked about Rhode's situation.

Mirajane patiently explained things to everyone and also introduced Rhode to them by name.

Unfortunately, there were too many people. Since he only knew the pronunciation and not the meaning, trying to remember so many names resulted in him remembering none of them.

And the more people came looking for Mirajane, the more embarrassed Rhode felt.

—It seemed he was delaying Miss Mirajane's work and causing plenty of inconvenience for everyone else as well.

Mirajane did not mind. After all, it was something the Master had asked her to do.

Besides, everyone merely came to her to register missions, and the infirmary was not far from the hall. Once they understood the reason, no one minded.

"You."

"You."

"Me."

"Me."

Mirajane taught him word by word, while Rhode repeated after her like a babbling child, parroting every sound.

Mirajane pointed at her own eyes. "Eyes."

"Eyes."

"Look."

"Look."

Rhode noticed that Mirajane's eyes were beautiful. He had thought her irises were black, but upon closer inspection, he found they were a pale blue.

Her distinct double eyelids made her eyes look large and lively, while her eyelashes were not long but just right.

Her fine brows drooped slightly, making her seem very gentle. Yet paired with the slight downturn at the corners of her eyes, they seemed to carry a hint of sadness.

However, whenever she smiled, her eyes curved into slits, making her seem even more approachable.

"Rhode?"

"Ah, sorry." Rhode realized he had gotten a little distracted.

"It's all right. It seems our lesson has gone on for quite a while." Mirajane checked the time and lightly braced her hands on her knees as she stood. "Wait here a moment, okay? I'll go get something to eat."

Mirajane repeated herself while making gestures.

Rhode seemed to understand one or two words. Combined with her gestures, he could barely guess what she meant.

Only then did he notice that the sky had darkened without him realizing it. Before he knew it, he had spent half the day taking a foreign-language class.

He used to complain that foreign-language classes passed too slowly, but now it was the complete opposite.

Maybe it was because he truly had nothing else to do.

His second meal after arriving in this world was a large bowl of steaming ramen.

The bowl was a large white porcelain one, its outer rim decorated with red patterns of a peculiar shape.

The chopsticks were ordinary brown. Judging by their feel and weight, they were probably just regular wooden chopsticks.

The important part was the noodles glistening with oil, the dark-red char siu, the fried egg that was white with a hint of yellow, several green leaves, and finely chopped scallions...

The beautiful presentation and color combination greatly whetted his appetite.

Rhode picked up his chopsticks and lifted a large mouthful of noodles, but then thought it would look impolite to eat that way. He loosened his grip and left only half behind.

He gently blew on the steaming noodles. Before they even reached his mouth, their fragrance had already filled his nose and made his mouth water.

When the noodles entered his mouth, their springy yet tender, savory flavor made Rhode admire the cook here. He also suddenly wanted a couple cloves of garlic.

It did not matter that there was none. He still had the tender, juicy char siu, with its faint sweetness, to eat alongside the noodles.

The fried egg was cooked just right. Biting into half the yolk offered one flavor, while dipping the remaining half into a little broth offered another.

Then, after a bite of blanched yet still slightly crisp greens to cleanse his palate, he could begin another fierce round of eating.

As Rhode ate, he forgot all about manners and began slurping noisily.

After finishing everything, he did not forget to take several slurps of the clear noodle broth—pure and balanced, rich and mellow. Sure enough, if the noodles were this good, the soup could not possibly be bad.

Rhode let out a long breath. A fine layer of sweat covered his forehead, and the lingering taste in his mouth and warmth in his stomach filled him with immense happiness.

"It was delicious, thank you!"

"I'm glad you liked it." Smiling, Mirajane placed a cup of water on the bedside table and left with the ramen bowl.

When she returned this time, Mirajane carried a small bag, with a big man following beside her.

The big man wore a dark-blue high-collared jacket. Through its open collar, Rhode could see a tattoo on the left side of his neck.

—It was the same symbol as the one on the ramen bowl, only black.

Only then did Rhode remember that it seemed to be Fairy Tail's symbol.

It seemed he had never seen where Mirajane's symbol was.

"This is Elfman, my younger brother," Mirajane introduced him.

There was a scar at the corner of Elfman's right eye. Even without making any particular expression, it made him look somewhat fierce.

Rhode memorized the name Elfman, though he did not understand the phrase 'younger brother.'

But judging from Elfman's demeanor and his white hair, the same color as hers, this was probably her older brother?

A newbie's first time writing a novel (not really)

First time writing Fairy Tail (not entirely either)

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