Natsu grumbled. "Ah... I haven't had enough fighting."
"You've had more than enough, haven't you?" Gray retorted.
Natsu ignored Gray and yelled at Chen Fan, "Chen Fan, I want to duel with you! Here I come, ahh...!" Natsu ran toward Chen Fan with fire blazing in his hands.
"Wham."
"Ugh..." Chen Fan casually swatted his hand away, and Natsu flew away, yelling, and got embedded in the dirt wall on the side of the road with a "Boom!" sound.
Happy flew in from nowhere, holding a sign that read "KO!".
"How many times is this?" Gray asked Lucy.
"Let me see," Lucy replied, taking out a notebook from who knows where. "This is the 99th crushing defeat. One more time, and it'll be a hundred."
Suddenly, Chen Fan saw Loke not far away. "Hey, Loke, you're here too!" He walked closer.
"Oh, it's you, Chen Fan. What a coincidence!" Loke greeted him. Lucy also walked over to him. "Thank you for helping me find my keys the other day."
But as soon as he saw Lucy, Loke was startled. He quickly said, "Excuse me, I have some business, so I'll be leaving now," and ran away in a hurry.
Lucy was left speechless. "What's wrong with him?"
"Lucy, what did you do?" Natsu said. This guy had gotten out of the wall since who knows when, and his voice startled Gray and Erza. "I didn't do anything."
"Really?"
Chen Fan ignored them, staring at the fleeing Loke. 'Is the time near?' He turned to Lucy, and seeing Chen Fan's meaningful gaze, for some reason Lucy yelled loudly. "I have no relationship with him! Don't get the wrong idea!"
"Uh, I actually wasn't thinking anything."
"Oh, by the way, since the mission is finished early, how about we go to the hot springs to relax?" Lucy suddenly suggested.
"Lucy..." Erza said in a low tone, making Natsu and Gray scared, and Lucy's heart pound.
"That's a good idea," Erza said with a smile. Natsu, Gray, and Lucy let out a sigh of relief.
When Lucy suggested the hot springs, Chen Fan's ears perked up. When Erza agreed, Chen Fan was so happy he clenched his fists and tears flowed down his face.
'This world really doesn't have the internet, just like the rumors say...' Chen Fan tried hard to suppress his feelings, not saying anything, and followed behind with a serious expression.
Balsam Village, the most popular hot spring street in Magnolia, was designed like ancient Chinese houses. It became a famous tourist destination thanks to its hot springs and unique architecture. Of course, Chen Fan had a hand in it.
"Boss, everything is taken care of." A waiter gave him a thumbs up.
"Good. Go to the general manager to get your bonus," Chen Fan whispered to the waiter, returning the thumbs up.
After that, he tiptoed toward a room. Natsu and Gray didn't know what Chen Fan was doing, so they quietly followed him.
Chen Fan stopped at the second-floor balcony, his hands trembling slightly. He took out a pair of binoculars from under his robe and looked down. He smirked. 'Why is Erza still wearing her armor? And Lucy is submerged up to her neck...'
Inside the hot springs, Lucy complained, "What's wrong with that Loke? And what was with Chen Fan's look?"
"The moon is beautiful, and this hot spring is very comfortable," Erza said, drawing Lucy's attention. Lucy saw Erza was still wearing her armor and said, "You're still wearing your armor?"
"It helps to calm my mind."
"But... but isn't it uncomfortable?"
"To be honest, it is a bit uncomfortable. Since we're at the hot springs, we should relax, right?"
"That's... you're too rigid." As soon as Lucy finished speaking, Erza was enveloped in a golden light and stood naked in the hot springs.
Lucy stared in awe. "Wow... Erza is so spectacular even without clothes."
On the balcony, Chen Fan held the binoculars, his nose bleeding. "Oh... spectacular is not enough. 'Impressive' might be a more accurate description, right?" He wiped the blood away.
"Slap!" Natsu slapped Chen Fan's shoulder. "Chen Fan, what are you doing?!" Chen Fan was startled. Gray snatched the binoculars from his hand, put them to his eyes, and looked down. "Wow... what is this? So far away and so clear!"
Hearing that, Natsu yelled, "I want to see too!" He snatched the binoculars from Gray. Chen Fan suddenly realized, 'This is bad,' and quickly ran away.
Not long after, Natsu and Gray fought over the binoculars, destroying the attic, and fell from the second floor, which also startled Erza and Lucy. The binoculars somehow fell at Erza's feet.
Chen Fan hid in a crack in the wall, covering his ears. Sure enough, not long after, screams were heard. Chen Fan's heart was pounding. He put his hands together, whispering, "I hope my friends die, not this unfortunate me. Go in peace, my brothers. I will fulfill your wishes."
Suddenly, Erza's roar echoed. "Chen Fan, where are you?! Come out!" How could Chen Fan dare to come out? He pretended not to hear and decided to wait until Erza's anger subsided tomorrow.
"Ah..." Chen Fan stretched his arms in front of the Fairy Tail guild. Behind him, Natsu and Gray had bruised faces. Everything was as Chen Fan had expected; the next day, Erza had indeed forgotten about the peeping incident. But Chen Fan didn't get away scot-free either; half of his hot spring inn was destroyed.
All the way there, Chen Fan had threatened Natsu and Gray with his eyes. Every time they were about to snitch, he would give them a free 'airplane ticket', making them even more injured and not daring to speak.
Lucy, on the other hand, was very quiet. Chen Fan thought she must have met Loke. Lucy sat at the counter, followed by Happy.
After returning to the guild, Erza immediately left. Chen Fan no longer stopped Natsu and Gray.
"Chen Fan, you can't be trusted! You were the one who peeped, but you ran away and left us to face Erza's wrath!" Natsu said, and Gray nodded.
"Huh?" Chen Fan's eyebrow darkened. "You dare to speak? Didn't you guys run away first on Galuna Island? Still have the guts to talk? Ah! You didn't last a minute before betraying me, huh!" Chen Fan stared at Natsu and Gray with a scary look, a dark aura emanating from his body.
"Sorry!" Natsu and Gray instantly wilted and ran out, not daring to be in front of Chen Fan anymore. If Chen Fan continued to speak, who knows what old issues he would bring up.
Suddenly, Lucy ran out, followed by several other women. Lucy hid behind Chen Fan. "Chen Fan, save me!"
Chen Fan immediately understood and yelled, "I just saw Loke! He was near the bathhouse, and there was a beautiful girl with him!"
"What?!"
"How dare he flirt with my Loke-Loke!" the girls yelled, then rushed toward the bathhouse.
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