At some point, the silver-haired Mirajane, dressed in a long skirt, had walked over to the other side of the counter. With her head tilted slightly and both hands resting on its surface, she smiled at him.
"Nothing. I just suddenly got the feeling that the days ahead probably won't be very peaceful."
Blanc came back to his senses and let out a half-joking sigh.
"Heh, as if you're afraid of a little trouble?"
Mira rolled her eyes at him and teased:
"Haven't you spent the last two years having a grand old time stirring things up? Running all over the place every day-you even went and tried that legendary 100-Year Quest."
"You were so quiet when you were little. You'd only reluctantly take a job when you ran out of money, and the moment you'd saved enough, you'd laze around the guild doing nothing. What, did growing up make you develop a taste for challenges and excitement?"
"Hehe, people change."
Blanc picked up his drink and took a sip, smiling without giving her a straight answer.
Mira had misunderstood him. Blanc hadn't developed a taste for challenges; he was simply preparing for the events to come.
After all, only by making it safely through this period of upheaval could he enjoy life in peace.
Just then, Levy's puzzled, dejected voice came from beside the request board on one side of the guild:
"Huh? Did someone take that request at Duke Everlue's Mansion? The one offering 200,000 J just to retrieve a book?"
Mira turned to look and answered softly:
"Oh, that job? Natsu took it. He said he was going to ask Lucy to team up with him."
Levy's shoulders drooped helplessly, her voice filled with disappointment:
"Oh... I spent too long trying to choose between two jobs, and