Makarov's state of mind when he went home was something Shane had no way of knowing.
But at this moment, standing in front of the familiar wooden door to his own house, his own feelings were unbelievably complicated.
A warm yellow light spilled out through the crack in the door.
"..."
After a full day and night alone, Erza's abnormal mood should have cooled down by now, no matter how you looked at it… right?
Shane took a deep breath and pressed down on the doorknob as if he were heading to the execution grounds.
In principle, feelings weren't something that should be measured by who loved more or less.
But he had to admit that if all the years of companionship, dependence, and understanding between people could really be turned into numbers, then the bond between him and Erza was undoubtedly the heaviest of them all.
It was a flower that had bloomed from the despair of the Tower of Paradise, and fruit that had grown from countless days and nights spent side by side.
He thought of what Ultear had said that day.
That so-called "I don't mind" was perhaps because that clever woman had understood this truth before he did, and had chosen to accept it and step back.
"If I thank her for being 'understanding' later, what would she say?"
"Don't flatter yourself. I know exactly what I want?"
Shane pictured Ultear's proud, tsundere expression with that trace of cold elegance, and couldn't help shaking his head.
He really couldn't read her anymore.
Before this, he had once naively believed he understood her very well.
"Forget it. Whatever!"
Shane shook his head, and his gaze gradually turned firm.
He had already prepared himself to be completely honest with Erza.
No matter what happened, at least from now on he wouldn't keep getting toyed with by that awful woman!
Click.
Shane stepped into the house.
The warm yellow light in the living room filled the entire space.
The red-haired girl he had pictured in his mind countless times was now quietly leaning against the sofa.
She wore a loose white nightgown. Her crimson hair cascaded over her shoulders and chest like a waterfall, hiding part of her face.
Her eyes were closed, her long lashes casting a small shadow over her eyelids. Her breathing was light and even.
At this hour, it was already far past Erza's rock-solid body clock. By all rights, she should have been fast asleep.
Shane instinctively lightened his steps, not wanting to wake her.
But the moment he drew near the sofa—
As if she sensed something, the girl's lashes trembled, and she opened her eyes.
Her gaze was crystal clear, without the slightest trace of sleepiness. If anything, it was so bright it was almost startling.
"You're not asleep?"
Shane was startled, clearly surprised.
"No. Because there's something very important I want to tell you."
Erza nodded, then sat up straight with brisk, efficient movements, placing both hands neatly on her knees.
The awkward, flustered way she had acted the night before seemed to have vanished completely. In its place was her usual, meticulous seriousness.
"Something important?"
Shane froze for a moment, then let out a helpless laugh.
"What a coincidence. I also have something very important I want to tell you."
Now that he had mentally prepared himself, he realized he could look directly into Erza's eyes again, just like before.
"..."
Hearing that, Erza's body stiffened slightly.
She was trying her best to maintain her usual calm, composed expression, but those eyes that were always so unwavering were trembling violently now.
Her hands clutched the hem of her dress tightly on her knees, as if she were forcing herself not to look away.
"Let me say it first."
Erza spoke up quickly, as if afraid that if she delayed even a second longer, her courage would disappear.
"Alright."
Shane didn't argue. He simply sat down beside her and took on the posture of someone listening with full attention.
The sofa dipped slightly.
Feeling the warmth from his body beside her, Erza took a deep breath.
She seemed to feel that even this distance wasn't close enough, so she awkwardly shifted her body.
Only when their shoulders were nearly touching did the heart pounding wildly in her chest calm down a little.
Silence.
A long, drawn-out silence.
So long that Shane almost wondered whether she had fallen asleep again.
"Cana told me…"
At last, Erza spoke. Her voice was soft, but every word was clear.
"That I love you."
"Huh?"
Shane froze.
He genuinely froze.
Even though he had prepared himself, he had never imagined that this usually wooden girl—who probably didn't even know how to write the word "love"—would actually say something like this.
"Cana?"
In an instant, a lot of things clicked into place, and he finally understood why Erza had been so shaken and abnormal when she came back yesterday.
"That damn Cana!"
Shane ground his teeth inwardly.
That drunk woman! I knew she wasn't holding in anything good for me! Wasn't this just pure instigation?!
But obviously, this wasn't the time to mentally curse the culprit.
Erza's sudden, straight-line confession completely blew away every word he had prepared in advance.
Shane parted his lips, unable to figure out how to respond for a moment.
Erza, however, didn't seem to care about his reaction.
Slowly, she reached out both hands and lifted Shane's right hand from where it rested on his knee.
Her fingertips were slightly cool, but her palms were burning hot.
Tilting her head a little, she pressed her cheek against the back of his hand, gently rubbing the Fairy Tail emblem there.
"You told me I had to find my surname."
"You led everyone and helped me free the Tower of Paradise. You gave us freedom."
"You trained with me. You taught me how to become stronger."
"We lived together. Ate together. Came to Fairy Tail together…"
Erza spoke slowly, her voice unexpectedly soft and low.
She picked up all those little moments from their shared past one by one, as though she were gathering precious treasures.
Every word felt like a memory soaked in honey, pulling the listener in without them even realizing it.
"..."
Of course Shane knew all of this.
He had already prepared himself before coming through the door.
He straightened his back and clasped her hand in return.
Unlike that confused, passive moment with Ultear in the library, his gaze now was clear, and his voice steady and sincere.
"Erza, I also lo—"
But before he could finish, she cut him off.
"I know! Of course you love me too."
Erza lifted her head. The hesitation in her eyes was gone, replaced by an absolute, unshakable confidence.
She looked at Shane as though she were stating a fact that needed no proof at all.
"I know that better than anyone!"
"..."
Shane stood there with his mouth open, his confession swallowed whole by the force of her conviction.
"But!"
Erza suddenly changed tone, her expression turning serious.
"Not yet!"
"Huh?" Shane was starting to lose track of how her mind worked.
"I'm still… too weak right now."
Erza gripped Shane's hand tightly—so tightly that it was starting to hurt.
"When I faced that mysterious person, I couldn't fight back at all…"
"When I faced a strong enemy, all I could do was watch your back…"
"I want to become stronger! Strong enough that I'm not as powerless as I used to be! Strong enough to truly stand beside you!"
Her voice grew firmer with every word, and her eyes burned with the fire of conviction.
She released his hand and stood up.
Under the lamplight, she solemnly extended a hand toward Shane, her gaze blazing.
"When I become really, really strong… strong enough that I won't need your protection anymore, maybe even strong enough to protect you instead…"
"Will you come with me to find my surname?"
It was obvious she had rehearsed this long speech countless times in her heart. She delivered it in one breath, without the slightest pause.
Only after finishing did some of her momentum fade, and she added in a much smaller voice, lacking a bit of confidence:
"This is… the only request I'll ever make."
"C-can you?"
She stole cautious glances at Shane, afraid of seeing even the slightest hint of rejection on his face.
"..."
Looking at the soft, pale hand extended in front of him, Shane couldn't help smiling helplessly.
Was… this a confession?
It felt more like a military pledge to become stronger.
He didn't understand. He truly had no idea how this girl's brain worked.
But that didn't stop him from making his choice.
Smack.
Shane reached out and firmly took her hand.
"Of course I will."
"That's great!"
Erza let out a cheer, and that sweet, slightly childish side of her that only came out when they were alone returned at once.
"You agreed!"
"Of course I agreed, it's just…"
Shane was about to say something else, but Erza cut him off again.
"Hehe…"
She immediately burrowed into Shane's arms and, like a grade-schooler excited for a spring outing, started counting on her fingers while chattering away:
"And let me tell you, I've felt my magic power improving again lately!"
"I've also made new progress with my swordsmanship!"
"If you just give me a little more time, I'll definitely become super strong!"
"I won't keep you waiting long!"
She went on and on, enthusiastically reporting her training progress, completely immersed in her beautiful plans for the future.
"..."
The corner of Shane's eye twitched violently.
Something… feels off.
Did someone hand us the wrong script?
There was definitely something wrong with this mood!
Afraid that Erza still hadn't understood what he meant, he couldn't help emphasizing again:
"I mean… Erza, I love you too."
"I know."
The girl raised her head from his chest and nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world, a bright, slightly silly smile blooming across her face.
"And I'm really happy! So I'll get stronger really, really fast! I won't make you wait long!"
"..."
Looking at how completely she had sunk into her own world, Shane finally gave up.
Sure enough.
In a certain sense—
This girl's way of thinking wasn't all that different from Ultear's.
Neither of them operated on anything close to a normal person's wavelength!
Both were the type to decide on one thing and then charge ahead at full speed without considering how the other person felt.
And to think I'd spent so long feeling guilty, wavering, and getting toyed with by Ultear!
If I'd known Erza would react like this… what the hell was I even agonizing over?
Shane gritted his teeth, feeling like all his previous suffering had been fed to the dogs.
But then another thought occurred to him: since he had already gone through all that mental preparation, there was no way he was going to waste it.
Looking at the girl in his arms, happy like a child just because her feelings had been acknowledged, he hesitated for a moment before testing the waters:
"Um… Erza."
"If… I mean if…"
"While you're working hard to become stronger, some other… well, bad woman sets her sights on me, what then?"
"..."
The air suddenly went still.
The radiant smile at the corners of the girl's lips slowly faded at a visible speed.
And then… disappeared.
She slowly raised her head. Those eyes that had just been sparkling now looked unfathomably deep, and her voice was eerily flat, without the slightest rise or fall:
"If that happens…"
"I think I'll be very unhappy."
She stared straight into Shane's eyes and said each word slowly and clearly:
"Very… unhappy."
~~~
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