Statiw looked at Cana, a little puzzled, after she mentioned him while moving out some chairs and pouring drinks for everyone.
"If you're ready, come with me on a mission," Cana said with a smile, inviting him when she saw him looking her way.
Seeing her invite Statiw on a mission, Natsu, who loved excitement, immediately jumped out and asked, "Can Happy and I come along?"
Cana shot him a glance and decisively shook her head, refusing, "I don't want to be scolded."
"Tch, how stingy," Natsu grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest, his face clearly showing his displeasure after she rejected him. Happy then raised his tiny paw and exposed his flaw, "Aye~, Natsu always causes trouble. More than half of the reward for each mission goes to compensating for the things he breaks."
"I'm already being very careful, Happy. When fighting enemies, I just accidentally destroy those things," Natsu explained to everyone, no longer bothering with his 'displeased' expression, upon hearing his partner expose his flaw.
Natsu uses Fire Dragon Slayer Magic, a highly destructive magic. Even a slight lack of attention can cause immense damage. So, when he first started taking missions, he paid more in damages than he earned. Each time, the Guild Master had to use the guild's funds to clean up his mess. If it weren't for the guild, Natsu would have probably starved to death long ago.
"If it's not too much trouble, then it's fine." After several days of preparation, Statiw was mostly ready. The only things left were the characters he didn't plan to materialize for now, so drawing them later was fine. Therefore, after Natsu finished explaining to everyone, he immediately accepted Cana's invitation.
"Don't worry, it's not troublesome at all, there won't even be any fighting," her smile grew even brighter when she heard him agree. This made Statiw wonder if she was setting a trap for him to fall into. However, considering his relationship with her and her usual character, he relaxed.
"When do we leave?" he then asked.
"Meet at the guild first thing tomorrow morning," Cana replied directly.
The next morning, Statiw arrived at the guild early.
"Yo, why are you here so early today? Are you done with your preparations?" Jet greeted him as soon as he walked in.
Jet was dressed in yellow, wearing a large yellow brimmed hat. He was one year younger than him, the same age as Natsu, Gray, and Elfman. He used 'High-Speed' magic, which made him incredibly fast. He usually played with Droy, and six months ago, he, Droy, and Levy formed the Shadow Gear team to undertake missions together.
"Morning, Jet. Why are you here so early today? I remember you always come to the guild very late. Is your team planning to go on a mission today?" Statiw raised his hand to greet him, then looked at the few scattered people in the guild, not seeing Droy or Levy.
"I wake up early every day, but I always do my morning exercises before coming to the guild. Last night, I accidentally sprained my ankle on the way home, so I couldn't do my morning exercises today. That's why I came to the guild so early," Jet shook his head and immediately explained.
"I see. Does Droy also wake up early every day? I always see you two come to the guild together," Statiw guessed.
No sooner had he finished speaking, and before Jet could answer, Cana's voice rang out behind them: "I didn't expect you to be here so early. I thought I'd have to wake you up after taking the mission."
Statiw rolled his eyes and, without turning his head, retorted, "What are you talking about? I'm always early when there's a mission."
She didn't reply, walking directly past him to the mission board to pick up a mission. Just as he and Jet watched her retreating back, another voice rang out behind them: "Good morning, you two. Jet, Statiw."
Hearing this voice, both of them sharply turned around and saw Levy, who was on the same team as Jet, standing behind them.
"Levy!" Seeing her, Jet's spirits inexplicably lifted. Although Statiw knew that both Jet and Droy liked her, he didn't expect them to start so early.
"Good morning to you too, Levy," he greeted. "When did you arrive? You didn't come with Cana, did you?"
"That's right!" Levy said brightly. "We both live in the dorms, and this morning we happened to leave our rooms together, so we came over together. Erza was supposed to come too, but unfortunately, she went to the forest nearby..."
While she was still talking, Cana had already walked over with a mission request. Seeing the mission request in her hand, Levy clapped her hands, a look of realization on her face. "I knew Statiw was here early today. Turns out he's going on a mission with Cana."
Hearing her words, his mouth twitched slightly, and he began to consider if he should start coming earlier in the future. At this moment, Cana, who had also heard her words, walked over with a smile and said, "Yes, besides missions, when have you ever seen him at the guild before ten o'clock?"
"And every time he comes, he just lazily sprawls on a table and doesn't move until the afternoon," No sooner had she finished speaking than another voice rang out behind them.
Turning their heads, they saw Mirajane, Elfman, and Lisanna, the three siblings, standing there. It was Mirajane who had spoken, and she was now staring at Statiw with a gloomy expression, saying, "If you're going on a mission, don't dilly-dally here. Go quickly."
After speaking, her expression changed, and she began to greet the others.
"Hey, Elfman, what's wrong with Mirajane?" Statiw clearly saw that she was angry at him, but the problem was that he didn't know what he had done to make her angry, so he had to ask his friend for help.
"This, I'm not too sure either." She was fine when they left home, and he didn't know why she got angry as soon as they entered the guild.
"I know why," Lisanna said softly to him, covering her mouth with one hand and giggling. "Because you rejected Mirajane's mission invitation a few days ago, but then agreed to Cana's yesterday. That's why she is angry with you."
"Huh?" Statiw was stunned. "When I go on missions with her, I'm basically just a baggage carrier. It shouldn't matter if I don't go, right? At most, she'd just have to bring her own tent and cooking utensils..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Lisanna immediately gave him a look of disdain and walked away, leaving behind a bewildered Statiw and a confused Elfman...