A new day dawned, and around ten in the morning, Statiw's front door was suddenly opened. Mirajane walked in, followed by Elfman.
"Just as I thought, this guy isn't up yet," Mirajane said, her demeanor having returned to its usual confident self. She strode into Statiw's bedroom without hesitation, her arms crossed.
"Isn't this a bit much, Sis?" Elfman looked troubled as he saw his sister march into Statiw's private room, feeling the need to remind her of boundaries.
"What's so bad about it? This is how I always wake him up," Mirajane said indifferently. She then pointed at the bed. "Go on, wake him up for me."
"Oh." Seeing that Mirajane didn't mind, Elfman didn't argue further. He went straight to the bed and gently shook the sleeping Statiw's shoulder. "Statiw? Statiw. Wake up."
After a moment of this, Mirajane watched Elfman's overly gentle actions, and a vein began to throb on her forehead. Growing impatient, she pulled Elfman aside. She then grabbed the collar of Statiw's pajamas herself, shaking him vigorously and shouting, "Statiw, get up for me right now!"
Statiw, who was already close to waking up naturally, was jolted awake by the violent shaking. His eyes flew open. "Mirajane?"
Coming to his senses, he looked at the woman in front of him with a bewildered expression.
Mirajane, satisfied that he was awake, released his collar. "You have five minutes. Elfman and I will wait for you in the living room." With that, she turned and left the bedroom with her brother, leaving a very confused Statiw sitting on the bed.
In the living room, the five-minute wait came and went. However, Statiw still hadn't emerged from the bedroom.
"Elfman, go check the bedroom. Did that guy fall back asleep?" Mirajane's face showed a hint of familiar exasperation as she pointed towards the bedroom.
"No way? Didn't you just wake him up?" Elfman was stunned, his expression puzzled.
"Sometimes that guy is just like that," Mirajane sighed, explaining to her brother. "Although he looks like he's awake, the moment you leave, he'll just flop back onto the bed and continue sleeping soundly. He often won't even remember it after he properly wakes up."
Just as she finished speaking, the bedroom door opened. Statiw, now dressed neatly, walked out.
"What's up? Is something happening today?" Arriving in the living room and seeing Elfman was also there, Statiw walked to the sofa and sat down, asking Mirajane curiously.
"What else could it be? A mission, of course," Mirajane said grumpily, seeing he was finally ready. She then grabbed his arm and dragged him towards the door, calling over her shoulder to Elfman, "Elfman, remember to lock the door."
After being dragged out of his house, the three of them made their way to a park in Magnolia. Under the giant central tree—so large it would take five or six people to hug its trunk—they found Lisanna playing with Natsu and Happy.
When she saw Mirajane and the others approaching, Lisanna said in surprise, "Sis! Elfman! Statiw! What are you all doing here?"
"Lisanna, it's time for our mission," Mirajane said, her expression softening at the sight of her younger sister. "This time we're going to deal with a rampaging Beast King."
Hearing Mirajane say the mission was to subdue a rampaging Beast King, Statiw's heart immediately jumped. He had been waiting for this mission for a long time—so long, in fact, he had almost forgotten that this was a canonical job Mirajane would take after becoming an S-Class Mage. If she hadn't used the words 'Beast King,' he might not have remembered it at all.
Thankfully, the memory surfaced just in time. "How about we bring Natsu along this time too?" Statiw suggested. "It's good for him to see the world and gain some experience."
Hearing the suggestion, Mirajane nodded and turned to the fire mage. "What do you think, Natsu? Do you want to come with us?"
Before Mirajane had even finished speaking, Elfman opened his mouth to object, a frown on his face. However, since it was his good friend Statiw who made the suggestion, he held his tongue and reluctantly gave his implicit agreement.
Seeing that Elfman didn't try to prevent Natsu from joining as he had in the original timeline, Statiw felt a wave of relief. Everything was developing in a better direction.
After a train ride and a meeting with the client, the group made their way through sparse woods towards the mission location. Natsu and Happy were buzzing with excitement, sprinting ahead at full speed. They would run a long distance, then squat by the roadside, waiting impatiently for the others to catch up.
"You guys are walking too slowly!" Natsu complained loudly after several cycles of running and waiting, his patience wearing thin. "When will we get there at this rate?"
"Aye~! We can't wait anymore, I say!" Happy, who had been running wild with Natsu, was equally restless, raising a small paw in complaint.
Ignoring the complaining Exceed for a moment, Statiw smiled and explained to Natsu, "Natsu, we're heading into the Beast King's territory now. We might encounter dangers at any time, so we need to conserve our stamina. That way, we'll have enough energy to deal with any threats and ensure everyone's safety."
"But I really want to see the Beast King soon!" Natsu whined, though he knew Statiw's logic was sound. His excitement was just too much to contain.
Seeing that Statiw and Natsu were talking and not paying attention to him, Happy suddenly felt greatly distraught. He flew into Lisanna's arms and began to wail dramatically. "Lisanna! Statiw and Natsu are ignoring me! They're bullying me!"
Listening to the Exceed's fake sobs, Lisanna hugged him and gently stroked his head. "There, there, Happy, don't cry. Statiw and Natsu just didn't hear what you said. They weren't ignoring you on purpose."
"Really?" The silly cat Happy, easily swayed by Lisanna's gentle tone, immediately looked up at her face, his tears vanishing.
"Of course it's true," Lisanna said with a warm smile. "If you don't believe me, you can ask Natsu yourself."
Hearing this, Happy slowly flew out of Lisanna's arms and hovered right in front of Natsu's face. "Natsu! Did you hear what I said before?"
"Huh?" Natsu was startled out of his thoughts about the Beast King. "Happy, did you say something? I was thinking about the fight and didn't notice."
As Natsu's words fell, Lisanna immediately interjected, "See, Happy? Natsu just didn't notice. It wasn't personal."
"Oh, so that's how it is," Happy said, mollified. "Although it still feels a little off, I'll let it go this time."
As their conversation continued, the group unknowingly arrived near the Beast King's lair. Finding a flat area on a nearby rise that offered a good vantage point, Statiw set up his easel…