Lucy felt utterly frustrated, but looking around—Erza, Mirajane, Roger—she couldn't beat any of them! Her fighting skills were barely a step above that dumb cat. How pathetic! QAQ!!
"Your so-called 'artifact' didn't even work!" Lucy tried to argue. "All I saw was them eating snacks!"
"Who says it didn't work?" Roger tilted his chin, gesturing toward Natsu, Gray, and Happy.
In front of them, a small mountain of sunflower seed shells had somehow piled up on the ground!
Happy stared at the shells by his paws, his cat eyes wide. "Huh?! When did I eat this much? I was just listening, and my mouth just… started moving?!"
Natsu smacked his lips, still craving more. "I kinda wanna hear more. I'm curious—what's this 'power' Lucy's got?"
Lucy clenched her fists, half-laughing, half-fuming. "You were there with me when we turned in the evidence! What 'power' could I possibly have?! Use your brain for once and stop believing everything you hear!!"
Mirajane, gracefully nibbling on sunflower seeds, added fuel to the fire with a sweet smile. "But the sound of crunching seeds paired with gossip? It's impossible to stop, don't you think?"
"The strongest rookie who could take down the Gorilla Mercenaries with one finger~?"
Lucy slapped her forehead, her face a mix of exhaustion and despair. I'm done. Just end it all.
With the plan set, the group split up to wander around town. Meanwhile, the two "auntie" phantoms strolled into a sunny park. Once they got the signal from the main group, they zeroed in on a stone bench packed with chatty older ladies and sat down with bright smiles.
The two pulled out bags of sunflower seeds, munching away with a satisfying crunch crunch while casually starting to chat.
Auntie A: "Hey, you hear about that wild story from the Western Continent? A woman was pregnant for three years and six months!"
(Bookmark 101kan.com for the fastest chapter updates!)
Auntie B played along, eyes widening. "No way! That long? Her belly must've been ready to burst! Where'd you hear that tall tale?"
Auntie A smirked proudly. "It's true! You forgot what my husband does? He told me himself!"
Auntie B snapped her fingers. "Oh, right, right! My bad! So… someone really carried a baby that long? What'd she give birth to?"
Auntie A leaned in, her voice dropping mysteriously. "She gave birth to… a meatball! A round, shiny meatball!"
Auntie B gasped dramatically, covering her mouth. "Good heavens! A meatball? That's gotta be some kind of monster!!!"
The explosive "news" acted like a magnet, instantly drawing in all the nearby grannies and grandpas who were sunbathing, exercising, or watching their grandkids. Everyone froze, ears perked, bodies unconsciously leaning closer.
Auntie A kept her voice low, just loud enough for those nearby to hear. "The husband was so freaked out, he grabbed the sword he always carries and slashed at the meatball!"
Auntie B, tense: "And the wife was okay with that? After carrying it for so long?"
Auntie A sighed. "How could she stop him? She'd just given birth, not an ounce of strength left. All she could do was watch!"
Auntie B, urgent: "What happened? Did he ruin it?"
Auntie A's voice rose slightly, tinged with awe. "Get this—the moment the sword hit, the meatball let out a golden glow! And out popped a baby wearing a red bellyband, with two little hair tufts, glowing all over!"
"!" An old man listening intently couldn't help but gasp out loud.
The two chatting aunties suddenly turned to look at him. The old man slapped a hand over his mouth, and the eavesdroppers around him started pretending to be busy—some stared at the sky, others studied ants marching by. One guy nearby crouched down, inspecting his shoes for ages, muttering, "These shoes are filthy. Gotta buy a new pair."
Noticing the crowd wasn't just women but also middle-aged men and seniors, Auntie A and Auntie B exchanged a knowing glance, smirked faintly, and went back to crunching their seeds.
Auntie A lowered her voice again, even more mysterious. "They say that baby was born with insane magical power—already at A-class wizard level!"
Auntie B, eager: "And then? What happened to the kid?"
Auntie A threw up her hands. "That's all my husband knows."
A wave of disappointed sighs came from the crowd, quickly stifled.
Auntie A leaned closer to Auntie B, her voice so low the front row had to strain to hear. "The kid's story is unclear, but I've got something even bigger. Word is… Kunugi Station's been taken over by a dark guild!"
"What?!" Auntie B's voice shot up before she clamped her mouth shut, glancing around nervously. "A dark guild took the station?! What're they planning? What's so special about a train station?"
The crowd, unable to hear clearly, looked antsy, inching closer, craning their necks to catch what had shocked her.
Auntie A raised her voice just enough for the front row. "My husband says they're planning to hijack a train!"
Auntie B, confused: "Hijack a train? It's stuck on tracks—what's the point?"
Auntie A's voice trembled with fear. "They've got some terrifying magic called 'Lullaby'! They say one little blow of it can kill countless people! They're definitely planning to use it to hurt folks!"
Auntie B clutched her chest, shaken. "My goodness! Thank goodness they're at Kunugi! If it was here in Oshibana, we'd be done for!"
Auntie A, worried: "Don't be so sure. Kunugi's the next stop before us, right? Who knows if those lunatics will come here next? My husband told me to get out of town and lay low. You should pack up too!"
Auntie B shot to her feet, panicked. "What?! You're leaving now? No, no, I gotta go too! Your husband's got the best intel—if he says go, there's a reason! I'm outta here!"
Without even grabbing the seed shells from the bench, she bolted off in a frenzy.
Auntie A sighed, dutifully sweeping the shells into a small cloth bag she carried. As she turned, she met the curious and alarmed stares of dozens of onlookers.
A nervous middle-aged man stepped forward, rubbing his hands with a sheepish smile. "Uh… hi. Is what you were saying… true?"
Afraid of being misunderstood, he quickly added, "I wasn't eavesdropping, I swear! I was just… curious about what happened to that kid?"
Auntie A went quiet for a few seconds, her face showing a mix of hesitation and worry. Finally, she let out a heavy sigh. "I can't say much. But if you can, it's best to get out of town for a couple of days."
With that, she lowered her head and hurried out of the park, leaving behind a crowd of stunned onlookers, their eyes wide with curiosity and concern.
read more inpat***
belamy20