Chapter 57: I'll Keep an Eye on Her!
"She's Mirajane. A new member of the guild,"
Moen replied with a gentle smile, answering Erza's question.
"She's really strong too—uses Take Over Magic. She can harness the power of demons! A real magical prodigy,"
Macao chimed in from nearby, looking genuinely impressed.
Though Macao was just in his early thirties and had only recently become a father, he was starting to feel like a fossil among the wave of young talents crashing into the guild.
Fairy Tail's new generation was a collection of freakishly gifted kids—each more brilliant than the last. The sheer talent made veterans like him feel plain and forgettable.
"She's that strong?"
Erza's gaze sharpened slightly. That strange sense of déjà vu was getting stronger.
A powerful mage, sitting alone and silent in the corner…
"Of course! She's already absorbed a demon!"
Wakaba added, puffing on his ever-present cigarette, not wanting to be left out of the conversation.
The two of them—always drinking and smoking by the corner like NPCs—spoke with loud, cheerful admiration, clearly meaning no harm.
Moen sighed inwardly.
Macao and Wakaba were just being themselves. In truth, they were praising Mirajane. There was even a trace of envy in their words.
To be so young and already able to handle demonic powers… Mirajane was undoubtedly S-Class material.
From their perspective, openly admiring someone's talent wasn't something to be subtle about.
Why whisper compliments behind someone's back?
But for Mirajane—who hated that demonic power from the depths of her soul—their words sounded completely different.
What they admired, she resented.
What they envied, she feared.
Silently, she stood and walked past them. Her cloak swished around her as she kept her head low.
No one could see her face—only her tightly pressed lips, as if they alone were holding back everything she felt.
She'd been here for nearly two weeks now, and no one in the guild had ever seen her smile.
Heck, most weren't even sure if she could talk.
If she hadn't spoken to Master Makarov on her first day, some might've honestly assumed she was mute.
"Hey there! I'm—"
Seeing her approach, Erza stepped forward with a smile, trying to introduce herself and be friendly.
That initial flash of irritation she'd felt when she saw Mirajane had been shoved aside.
She wanted to get along—she genuinely did.
But what happened next left Erza surprised… and a little hurt.
Mirajane kept her head down and tightened her grip on her cloak, walking straight past Erza without so much as a glance—like she hadn't even heard her.
Her pace even picked up, as if she was running away.
The complete lack of response—the sheer rudeness of it—made Erza's brow furrow in frustration.
"Hey!"
Her voice rose, laced with annoyance now. That suppressed irritation bubbled up again.
At the same time, she reached out, intending to stop Mirajane by the arm.
Smack.
Moen caught her wrist before she could make contact.
Erza stopped in her tracks, the sudden restraint breaking her rising anger.
She blinked, then looked at Moen, visibly confused—and just a tiny bit… hurt.
"She… what's her deal?"
Her voice lowered, her tone softer now, colored by a tinge of vulnerability.
She had been trying to be kind. Why was she treated like she didn't even exist?
"Don't worry about it, Erza,"
Moen replied calmly.
"She's always like that. Ever since she arrived, she barely speaks, never smiles, always has that distant look like the world's out to get her.
If you're looking to make a friend, you'll have better luck with her brother and sister."
Moen hadn't even said a word yet, but Macao and Wakaba were already muttering again—this time, actually whispering for real.
"…Tch."
Moen shot the two uncles a glance, filled with undisguised annoyance.
"You two just can't shut up, huh?"
His blunt jab made both Macao and Wakaba burst out laughing.
"Well, it's just 'cause things have been quiet lately! Once we start taking missions again, you won't even hear our voices echo in this place!"
They didn't mind Moen's sarcasm at all. With a clink of their bottles, they resumed their drinking session—those two never missed a chance to raise a glass.
Honestly, there were barely any members of Fairy Tail not fond of alcohol.
Makarov, Gildarts, Macao, Wakaba… they were all drinkers.
Moen sometimes worried the guild was on its way to raising an entire generation of little drunkards.
So, he made it a point to keep the kids away from alcohol.
In Fiore, the legal drinking age was fifteen, which Moen still thought was too early. Better to wait until they were proper adults—alcohol at a young age only messed with their development, both physically and emotionally.
"Mirajane, huh…"
Thanks to Macao and Wakaba's chatter, Erza's expression finally relaxed a bit. At least now she understood it wasn't her that Mirajane was ignoring—the girl was like that with everyone.
"…Moen, are you helping her?"
Erza's big eyes stared intently at Moen as she asked the question, surprisingly serious.
"Uh…"
Moen froze for a second, caught off guard.
"Do you want my help?"
Erza followed up quickly, blinking those big eyes with a pure, genuine look on her face.
Her emotions came and went like the wind.
Mirajane's withdrawn, gloomy aura reminded Erza strongly of her own arrival at Fairy Tail. That made her want to help.
Just like Moen had once helped her, now she wanted to pass that kindness forward.
Of course, she had no clue how to help… but she was sure Moen did—and likely already was helping.
"Not at the moment."
Moen smiled and shook his head, a little amused by Erza's intensity.
For a second there, he'd actually thought she was going to complain or pick a fight.
"…Oh."
Hearing that her help wasn't needed, Erza nodded slightly—though there was a hint of disappointment in her voice.
Seeing her like that, Moen thought for a moment, then added:
"If you really want to help, then keep an eye on Mirajane for me.
Make sure she doesn't sneak out of the guild.
If she runs away now, all my planning will go down the drain."
He wasn't lying—he genuinely needed help with that.
And besides, it gave Erza a little sense of participation.
Mirajane was a girl, after all, and it didn't feel right for him to constantly keep watch over her.
"You got it! Leave it to me! I won't let her get away!"
Erza's eyes sparkled at receiving a mission. She puffed her chest out with pride, the metal of her armor clanking loudly as she thumped it.
Before Moen could say anything else, she turned on her heel and dashed out of the guild—Mirajane had just left a moment ago.
"…Yikes."
Moen winced a little.
Judging by Erza's momentum, it almost looked like she was chasing after a dangerous criminal.
And… yeah. Something about the aura between Erza and Mirajane didn't sit quite right.
It felt like their wavelengths were fundamentally out of sync.