In Magnolia, Mirajane walked hand-in-hand with Statiw along the scenic canal.
Noticing Statiw occasionally turning his head to look around, Mirajane also glanced about, then asked with great confusion, "What's wrong? Is something amiss around us?"
"Nothing," Statiw frowned and said, "It's just that all the familiar shopkeepers and folks I usually greet on my way are nowhere to be seen today."
"Could it be because you left home earlier than usual today?" Mirajane guessed after hearing him.
"Perhaps." Although Statiw felt it wasn't very logical, he didn't intend to get to the bottom of it and shrugged it off.
At this moment, in an alley unseen by the two, Erza was sternly addressing several of Statiw's usual acquaintances.
"Erza, what exactly is going on? Our shop is waiting to open," one of the shopkeepers said with a deeply troubled expression.
Early in the morning, just as he arrived at his shop door, key in hand, Erza had politely but firmly ushered him into this corner. He had no idea what the famous Titania was up to.
In fact, this was also Erza being a bit too single-minded in her mission. She didn't know precisely who might disturb Statiw and Mirajane, and since she couldn't distinguish potential interrupters from regular citizens, the fiercely pragmatic Erza decided the simplest solution was to briefly detain everyone who usually interacted with Statiw on his route. This was why Statiw found the streets unusually quiet.
Elsewhere, Gray and Elfman encountered Macao and his son.
"Yo, Gray, Elfman. What are you two doing?" Macao asked curiously, noting their slightly sneaky posture as they peered around a corner.
"Statiw and my sister are on a date," Elfman explained, scratching his head and smiling sheepishly after turning to see it was Macao. "We're, uh… helping to guard them. You know, to prevent any… disturbances."
"Statiw and Mirajane?" Macao immediately rested his chin in his hand, a thoughtful look on his face. "So, the rumors buzzing around the guild are true after all? Well, that's wonderful news."
While Macao was pondering this, Gray, who was observing the couple's progress, looked at Romeo, who was holding his father's hand, and asked, "Are you heading to the guild? Why are you bringing Romeo along?"
Macao's face immediately turned a shade grimmer upon hearing this. "This…"
"Because Mom is going somewhere far away for a while, so I'll be staying with Dad!" Macao found it difficult to speak, but the ever-cheerful young Romeo happily told Gray and Elfman.
"Going somewhere far away?" Gray was startled, looking up at Macao with a questioning expression.
"This… you'll find out later," Macao said with a somewhat strained smile, his eyes then lighting up as he looked at the two mages. He immediately gently pushed Romeo toward them. "Perfect! Since you two are on 'guard duty' and have some free time, could you possibly watch Romeo for me? I plan to go on a job with Wakaba today to earn a bit of extra cash."
"Is that so? Sure, Gray and I can watch him," Elfman didn't refuse, happily taking Romeo's small hand in his.
Gray then squatted down to be at eye level with the boy. "Romeo, we're actually on a top-secret mission right now. Would you like to help us out?"
"Yes, yes! I want to help too!" Romeo nodded repeatedly, his eyes wide with excitement.
After confirming there were no issues, Macao thanked Gray and Elfman and hurried off towards the guild.
"Oh no!" Just as Gray was about to explain the "mission" to Romeo, Elfman suddenly clapped a hand on Gray's shoulder and pointed. "Look over there, by the docks! Those ruffians… they seem to be heading straight for Statiw and my sister."
"What?" Gray's head snapped around. Sure enough, several thuggish-looking men were swaggering directly towards the unsuspecting couple.
"Damn it!" Seeing this, Gray immediately conjured a bow and arrow made of ice, ready to create a diversion. But before he could loose a shot, a fiery blur shot past.
WHAM! Natsu suddenly appeared, delivering a powerful kick to the lead ruffian. He then ignited fierce flames in both hands, making quick work of the remaining thugs with a few precise punches and kicks. Following that, he coordinated with Lisanna and Happy, who seemed to materialize out of nowhere, and they quickly dragged the groaning men into a nearby alley, out of sight.
At that moment, back on the canal path, Mirajane glanced in the direction of the brief scuffle. She asked Statiw somewhat strangely, "Did you feel Natsu's magic power flaring up just now? Over in that direction?"
"I felt it too," Statiw nodded, utterly unaware of the protection detail. "I suppose Natsu and Happy must have run into some trouble while messing around. Probably just some minor nuisance."
"Perhaps. I also felt Lisanna and Happy's magic power. They must have used magic while playing," Although Mirajane found the timing a bit strange, the explanation was plausible enough, so she didn't think too much about it and simply shrugged.
After a thorough and chaotic effort by Erza and the others to clear the path, they finally watched as Statiw and Mirajane arrived at their destination: a charming toy store.
Of course, the couple didn't stay inside for too long; they had a goal in mind. They soon emerged, but with a few extra packages.
Erza and the others, watching from their various hiding spots, stared with their mouths agape. Even Lisanna and Elfman were no exception.
Mirajane was seen lovingly cradling a teddy bear nearly a meter tall, a look of pure, unadulterated joy on her face. Statiw followed behind her, his arms laden with several bags filled with other adorable plush toys and dolls.
"I never knew Sister Mirajane liked dolls this much," Lisanna couldn't help but whisper, her voice full of wonder. "No wonder she always used to stop and gaze into toy store windows when we were younger."
"Yeah, I never pictured it," Gray admitted, feeling his worldview tilt slightly. He turned to Elfman. "Did you know about this?"
"No," Elfman shook his head, just as surprised. "My sister never told us. And she never really showed any particular fondness for dolls at home."
"What's wrong with you guys?" Natsu asked, looking completely baffled by their shock. He was the only one who seemed to find this perfectly normal. "Isn't it normal for girls to like these things? Mirajane's a girl, so why wouldn't she like them?"
"Natsu is right," Erza said, her voice softer than usual. She glanced at Lisanna and Elfman. "Although Mirajane is called the 'She-Demon,' she is, at her core, still a girl. And girls often like things like this." Having competed with Mirajane for so long, Erza understood her rival perhaps better than anyone. She knew the fierce exterior was a shell, and that the gentle girl Lisanna remembered from their childhood, the one who loved soft and cute things before tragedy hardened her, was still in there somewhere.