Around seven o'clock the next morning, Mirajane arrived at Statiw's doorstep with a magic insulated pot, then took out a key, opened the door, and walked in.
When she entered the bedroom and saw Statiw, as expected, still sound asleep, Mirajane sighed softly and said, "I knew it."
With that, Mirajane did not go forward to wake Statiw. Instead, she turned to the kitchen and placed the magic insulated pot on a board etched with strange patterns.
This board was a magic stove, and the patterns on it formed a simple magic circle, whose purpose was to absorb external energy and convert it into flame. The size of the flame could be adjusted at will.
After Mirajane adjusted the flame to a low heat, she tidied up the messy items in Statiw's house, then threw the clothes Statiw had taken off and piled in the corner into a metal bucket with patterns on the outside.
Like the magic stove, this bucket was also a magic item, equivalent to a washing machine. It not only had the function of washing clothes but also could separate the water from the clothes, so there was no problem even if they were worn immediately after washing. Moreover, this was not the most advanced; the most advanced was the dry-cleaning bucket, which directly separated substances not belonging to the clothes.
After finishing these tasks, Mirajane moved a stool and sat by Statiw's bed, resting her chin on her hand, with a gentle smile, quietly watching the sleeping Statiw.
When it was eight o'clock, the alarm clock on the bedside table suddenly rang.
Still groggy, Statiw reached out to turn off the alarm, but his hand had barely extended halfway when he touched something soft and warm. Opening his eyes, he realized he was caressing Mirajane's face.
"Mirajane? Why are you sitting here watching? Wouldn't it have been better to wake me up earlier?" After seeing Mirajane, Statiw was stunned for a moment before realizing what was happening.
"It's fine, it's still early anyway," Mirajane tilted her head and said with a smile.
"If I were the one saying that, it would be normal," Statiw suddenly sat up and yawned, saying, "Afraid you'd get impatient waiting, I set an alarm yesterday. If I'm not mistaken, it should be eight o'clock now, right?"
"That's right, it is indeed eight o'clock," Mirajane glanced at the magic clock on the bedside table; only one minute had passed.
Although Statiw said these words somewhat carelessly, Mirajane was very happy to hear them. After all, having known Statiw for so long, this was the first time he had set an alarm. In the past, unless someone called him, he would always sleep until after ten in the morning.
Seeing that Statiw had sat up from the bed, Mirajane also got up and went to the kitchen to pour the breakfast, which had been warming on the magic stove, onto the coffee table in the living room.
"What's in there?" Statiw, having changed his clothes, came to the living room and, seeing an insulated pot on the coffee table, asked.
"Don't worry, it's not something you dislike," Mirajane walked out of the kitchen with bowls and spoons, explaining with a helpless expression, emphasizing, "It's meat porridge I made this morning, without animal offal."
"That's good, as long as there's none of that strange stuff," Statiw relaxed upon hearing this.
After breakfast, Mirajane placed the bowls and spoons in the magic cleaning sink for washing. The insulated pot did not need it; as long as the pot was turned upside down, the contents inside would not stick to it.
With everything ready, the two walked out of the house.
"Where are you taking me today?" After locking the door, Mirajane turned and asked Statiw.
"Is there anywhere you want to go?" Statiw was momentarily stunned. Usually, when they went out together, Mirajane made the decisions, so he didn't expect her to ask him today.
"That depends on you. Didn't you say you wanted to take me shopping today?" Mirajane looked at Statiw with a gentle smile, tilting her head.
"Oh, right," Statiw scratched his head, thinking about where he should take Mirajane. After a moment, Statiw turned to Mirajane and said, "Then let's go to Old Tom's toy store first."
"Why?" Mirajane asked, surprised.
"Didn't you say last time that Lisanna really liked that teddy bear there?" Statiw explained with a slight smile.
"Yes… yes, she did," Mirajane's face flushed slightly.
Seeing the change in Mirajane's expression, Statiw became even more certain of his guess. Last time, when Mirajane pulled Statiw to the toy store and saw a teddy bear over a meter tall, her behavior was quite different from usual. However, when Statiw asked, Mirajane said Lisanna liked it. At the time, Statiw felt something was off, and now, after bringing it up again, based on Mirajane's reaction, it was indeed Mirajane herself who liked that teddy bear.
At this moment, Mirajane, feeling her face burning, knew she couldn't hide it from Statiw, so she turned and asked, annoyed and embarrassed, "When did you know?"
"Know what?" Statiw asked, amused.
"Know… know that I like dolls?" Glaring at Statiw angrily, Mirajane's voice, with her face beet red, grew softer and softer.
Seeing her like that, Statiw laughed heartily, pulling Mirajane into a hug and saying, "Liking dolls isn't something to be ashamed of; there's nothing you can't say."
Mirajane, however, didn't think so. She explained, "But, in everyone's impression, I'm the strong type. If people knew I actually liked dolls, wouldn't they find it very strange?"
"I don't think so. After all, isn't it normal for girls to like dolls?" Statiw replied, finding it very hard to understand.
"Is that so? Very normal?" Mirajane was startled. She murmured the words twice, then a smile returned to her face.
"Let's go, we're off to the toy store first," Seeing Mirajane let go of her concerns, Statiw gently patted her back twice.
Meanwhile, at the Fairy Tail Guild, several of their excitable peers, who knew Statiw and Mirajane were going out together today, gathered. Erza spoke first with a serious expression: "Today is the day Statiw and Mirajane go out together; to be precise, it's their first date. Our mission is: we cannot allow anyone or anything to disturb the two of them. Now, Lisanna, report the situation immediately."
"Yes," Lisanna said, equally serious, "Sister left home with the insulated pot at 6:30 this morning, but according to Statiw's habits, he probably hasn't left yet, right?"
"Don't make guesses; we need solid evidence. Someone must keep an eye on them," Erza immediately warned when she heard Lisanna speaking in a speculative tone.
"I've already had Happy keep watch," Natsu explained with a grin, "Once they leave, Happy will come and inform us."
"Very good. Once those two set off, we will intercept everyone who knows them, keeping our distance. If anyone needs help, we will help them. We must not let anyone disturb the two of them," Erza approved Natsu's arrangements and then began assigning tasks: "I'll intercept ahead of them, Natsu, Happy, and Lisanna will intercept on the left, Gray and Elfman will intercept on the right…"
Just as Erza was assigning tasks, a small blue cat suddenly flew in from outside the guild, shouting towards Erza and the others, "They've already set off!"