Oh No, Madam Yasulien Has Taken a Fancy to Hughes!

"Just tell me how much it costs!"

The stall owner lowered his head in thought, seemingly struggling to convince himself. At last, he sighed. "I can see you really want it, so I'll sell it to you at cost.

"100,000 J. For just 100,000 J, you can own the only blue-nosed civet in the entire world."

The stall owner's sorrowful performance as he sold it off at a low price filled Hughes with sympathy. People at the bottom really had it hard, selling everything at cost without a care for their losses.

Hughes was so moved that he raised a hand, grabbed the stall owner by the collar, and pulled him close.

"How much?"

"100,000 J!"

Flames sprang up above Hughes's head.

The stall owner paused briefly. "70... 60,000 J."

The stall owner thought he had shown plenty of sincerity. These stupid civets might be as common as stray dogs on the roadside, but catching them was no easy task.

Wisps of magic rose from the stall owner. He was a mage too! If this flame boy dared to cause trouble, he would dare to file a complaint with the Magic Council.

The stall owner glanced at Hughes's arm. He recognized that guild mark: Fairy Tail.

While the stall owner's thoughts ran wild, Hughes had punched himself and collapsed, clutching his stomach as sweat streamed down his forehead.

"Help! A mage is beating people up! Help!"

...Wait, is this how Fairy Tail does things now? What happened to the dignity of a major guild?

Passersby on the street had already begun whispering among themselves.

The stall owner hurriedly shouted, "It's a performance to draw customers! A performance to attract customers! Everyone, please don't misunderstand!"

Afraid Hughes would ruin his business, the stall owner helped him up through gritted teeth. "We're both mages. It's only 70,000 J. There's no need for this!"

"I don't have any money, but I still want it!" Hughes rested a hand on the back of his, his eyes serious.

"Why don't you go eat shit instead?!"

"I can eat that... Wait, no, there's nothing wrong with my head!"

"Get lost, get lost!" Furious, the stall owner shoved the blue-nosed civet, cage and all, into Hughes's arms and pointed ahead, his meaning clear.

Running into this unlucky bastard was just his bad luck!

"Oh, oh! You're generous, boss! May you make a fortune this year!" Hughes, who had thought he would have to throw a tantrum and put on the whole act, accepted it happily, an innocent smile on his face.

Mira sighed beside him and tapped her forehead with a finger. "You can go to the Fairy Tail guild and ask our master for the money. He'll pay you."

She didn't have 100,000 J on her either...

"An idiot... He's an idiot!" A sudden pang of guilt struck the stall owner, and he waved his hand. "No need, no need. It's a gift."

Watching them walk away, the stall owner saw Hughes's childlike, innocent smile floating in his mind. He gave himself a hard slap.

"I'm the worst!"

He turned and pulled a cage out from behind the white cloth. Inside was a red-nosed civet.

"Today, the stall owner is feeling guilty! The only red-nosed civet in the entire world is on sale for just 199,000 J!"

Looking at the tag on the red-nosed civet, then at the stall's name, "The Only One in the Entire World," the owner felt much better.

In front of a somewhat luxurious detached villa, Mira gently pressed the doorbell. This was their client Madam Yasulien's home.

Hughes, meanwhile, looked down and played with the blue-nosed civet in its cage. The little creature was nothing like the tabby cats or leopard cats he remembered.

It was more like a cross between the two. He guessed it was at least half a meter long, though it wasn't heavy. Hughes had weighed it in his hands, and it was ten kilograms at most.

"Mira, do you know what kind of animal this is?"

Mira nodded. "Civets are pretty common. They're very fast, so ordinary people have a hard time catching them."

"What do they eat?"

"They're easy to keep. They eat anything!"

Through their questions and answers, Hughes got a clear picture of the species. Civets weren't magical beasts, nor did they even qualify as wild beasts. They were just ordinary animals.

Hughes decided to stamp it with the guild mark and give it to Lisanna after completing the job. Getting two uses out of one cat would make his earlier shamelessness worthwhile.

As they chatted, the door opened, revealing someone who took both Mira and Hughes slightly by surprise.

"Who are you?" As her soft, sweet voice sounded, a faint fragrance wafted from her to Hughes's nose.

Hughes hadn't expected the tall, shapely young woman, as luscious as a ripe peach, to appear before him again so soon.

Her almond-shaped eyes were red and swollen now, and her haggard face was on the verge of tears. The sight lent her soft, vulnerable air a fragile quality, making people's hearts soften and leaving them wanting to protect her.

Hughes felt his heart beating a little too fast, pounding out a one-two, one-two rhythm.

"We're members of the Fairy Tail guild. We took Madam Yasulien's request..."

"I'm Madam Yasulien!" Mira's words delighted the young woman so much that she interrupted before Mira could finish.

Madam Yasulien was delighted. At least this time, unlike her previous requests, she hadn't gone a long time without a response.

"Come, come inside and sit down. I'll tell you about Little Flower!" Madam Yasulien took Mira and Hughes by the hands and led them inside.

The young woman's softness and warmth were captivating. In particular, the warmth of her palm against the hand she held had Hughes somewhat entranced.

Hughes glanced sideways, just as Madam Yasulien looked at him. Her pearly teeth showed slightly, and the smile at the corner of her mouth outshone countless flowers. Her limpid eyes narrowed slightly, and Hughes's heart began to flutter.

Oh no, Madam Yasulien has taken a fancy to me! Hughes, suddenly struck by one of life's three great illusions, slowed his steps.

In the living room, Madam Yasulien brought them tea, then told them all about her pet Little Flower.

Mira nodded repeatedly. Hughes... Hughes was admiring his future home.

"Not bad. The layout goes together beautifully, and the decorations are worthy of me." As Hughes's imagination ran wild, Mira elbowed him.

In all her life, Mira had never met anyone so shameless.

Because Hughes had said that out loud, and very loudly at that.

"Well then, Madam Yasulien, we'll go catch Little Flower and bring her back for you right away."

"Mm-hmm. Thank you both for your hard work!"

The awkward atmosphere prompted the two to quickly end the conversation!

"So Little Flower, the orange cat with magical beast blood, ran into the eastern forest to find her biological father?" Hughes asked as he and Mira headed toward the eastern forest.

"Mm. Madam Yasulien said Little Flower's mother was a Pupil Kitten. When she was in heat, she mistook a civet for another cat and forced herself on him. She got pregnant in one shot, and an orange cat with magical beast blood was born."

Hughes was curious and continued asking, "What kind of magical beast is a Pupil Kitten?"

"A magical beast with extremely strong eyesight. When it uses magic, it can even see everything within several hundred meters."

Hughes was somewhat puzzled and raised a hand to interrupt. "You're saying a magical beast with vision magic mistook him for another cat and forced herself on him?"

Mira nodded. That was what Madam Yasulien had told her!

Hughes blinked. How was he supposed to comment on that? This story was even more baffling than a blind person forcing themselves on a mute.

"Then why did Little Flower go looking for her biological dad?"

"Oh, Madam Yasulien said that after the Pupil Kitten gave birth to Little Flower, she felt she couldn't face the world..."

"She killed herself?"

"No, don't interrupt me!" Mira glared at Hughes. "The Pupil Kitten ended up running away. After Little Flower grew up, she decided it was all the civet's fault, so she often ran into the eastern forest, trying to bite him to death."

...I don't understand. Wasn't the civet the victim here?