White clouds drifted lazily across a spotless blue sky.
The magic train sped along the winding rails, its wheels striking the tracks in a steady, rhythmic clack-clack.
Inside the carriage, however, the mood was completely at odds with the bright day outside. It felt… strange.
Stare—
Resting her chin on one hand, Mira sat there with obvious displeasure in her catlike eyes, her signature silver ponytail bobbing with every jolt of the train as her gaze moved back and forth between the two people across from her.
The black-haired boy was leaning lazily against the window. His eyes were on the scenery rushing past outside, but they were unfocused. Clearly, his mind had drifted somewhere far away.
The red-haired girl beside him, on the other hand, was sitting as upright as ever, hands neatly placed on her knees, her expression serious and proper.
But the corner of her eye kept slipping, almost against her will, toward the boy every few seconds before quickly pulling back.
This bizarre silence had lasted for half an hour ever since they boarded.
"Hey! Are you two planning to stay mute the whole time?!"
Mira finally snapped and slammed a hand on the table.
For someone as lively and restless as her, this mime-show atmosphere was pure torture.
"Shane is probably thinking about something else, or using the time to train through meditation."
The boy spacing out didn't react, but Erza spoke up first to explain on his behalf.
They spent so much time together that she was already used to Shane occasionally entering this "soul drifting away" state.
"Tch, I don't buy it."
Mira curled her lip, completely unconvinced.
It wasn't like she'd never gone out training with Shane before. Back then, sure, he'd trained her so hard she nearly died, but they still talked and joked normally on the road. The atmosphere had never felt this weird.
She shot a glare at the red-haired girl opposite her, whose serious expression was almost kind of cute, and became even more convinced:
"So it really is because there's one more gloomy lump in the group this time, huh?"
Erza went quiet for a moment, as if seriously considering Mira's complaint, then very properly suggested,
"If you're bored… would you like to chat with me?"
"Hah? Why would I want to talk to you?"
Mira rolled her eyes and leaned back, sprawling bonelessly across the seat.
Then, in a completely casual motion, she kicked off her shoes. One foot in a clean white sock lifted onto the table, stretched forward—
And while muttering to herself, she pushed it right toward Shane's face.
"What are you doing?!"
Erza's eyes widened instantly in shock.
She genuinely could not understand how Mira's brain worked. One second they were speaking normally, and the next she was poking someone in the face with her foot—a place that was obviously dirty.
That was way too rude.
At that moment, Shane really was lost in thought, just as Erza had said.
There were only a few months left until the S-Class Mage exam.
He was currently worrying about how to precisely control Assassin's London Illusion so it would descend at the end of December.
Just as he was thinking, If only I had the authority to directly control the illusion…
A strange breeze suddenly brushed past his cheek.
Then something soft, warm, and slightly springy pressed against his face and rubbed there, like a restless little animal.
"Hm?"
Shane frowned instinctively. Before his brain had even caught up, his body reacted first, raising a hand and grabbing the unknown object.
Smack.
It felt soft in his hand, warm with a girl's body heat.
Even through the thin cotton fabric, he could clearly feel the delicate bones beneath it and the supple curve of the arch under his palm.
Shane came back to his senses and looked.
A small foot wrapped in a white ankle sock was now clenched in his hand, less than two centimeters from his nose.
"…"
"Are you trying to die?"
Shane's face darkened instantly, and he snapped,
"It stinks! Where the hell are you shoving that thing?!"
At this point, his student not only had zero sense of respecting her master, her behavior was getting more and more outrageous.
Today she dared to kick her master in the face in public. He didn't even want to imagine what she'd dare do in the future.
"Tch…"
Mira wasn't flustered at all when her sneak attack failed.
She yanked her leg back sharply.
But Shane had been gripping too tightly, and her movement was too sudden.
Slrrp—
There was a faint rustling sound.
Mira's bare little foot came free—but the white ankle sock stayed behind in Shane's hand.
"I haven't even been sweating, so it doesn't stink!"
Curling her rosy toes, she planted her now-bare foot on the edge of the seat and lifted her chin in protest.
"And besides, you're the one who kept ignoring people, so whose fault is that?"
Watching this girl shamelessly flip the blame back onto him and act like the victim, Shane could feel his blood pressure climbing.
At times like this, he felt infinite sympathy for the old man back home.
That feeling of wanting better for someone and being furious they refused to improve—he understood it far too well.
"You little…"
Shane started lecturing her, waving a fist angrily.
"I think you've been itching for punishment these past few days! You've got no sense of rules at all! Once we get there, I'm tripling your training! Then you'll learn what it means to respect your master!"
As Shane went on and on, Mira's attitude gradually weakened.
She lowered her head, and a suspicious blush slowly spread across her face.
"Mm…"
Shane thought his scolding had finally gotten through to her, and felt slightly relieved.
"So she does have at least some sense of shame."
Then the next second, Mira looked up, pointed at the hand Shane was still vigorously waving around in the air, and muttered quietly,
"Um… I didn't pack any luggage, so that's my only pair of socks."
"Could you… give it back first? You're squeezing it really tightly…"
"…"
Shane's voice cut off dead.
The air froze for a full three seconds.
Smack!
Like he'd been electrocuted, Shane immediately threw the white cloth back at her.
"Who told you to kick me with your foot in the first place?!"
He snapped darkly, utterly disgusted, then stood up and instinctively reached for Mira's ponytail like he was about to use it to wipe his hand.
"Bleh~"
But Mira had already predicted that move. She ducked nimbly like a cat and slipped out of reach.
"Hehe! See? You're plenty lively now!"
She taunted him smugly while pulling the sock back on.
"You little…"
Shane was done. Completely done.
This girl was hopeless. She really needed to be taught a lesson.
He took a deep breath, turned his head, and sought a little emotional healing from his well-behaved girl.
Only to find—
Erza staring straight at him, blinking.
In those clear eyes was a strange, indulgent tenderness that practically said: Even if you're a pervert, I'll still love you.
"Um… Shane."
She hesitated for a moment, then, as though making up her mind, said seriously,
"Even though I don't understand this kind of… preference…"
"If you really want socks that badly… I brought a lot."
"They're all new, and freshly washed."
"So you don't need to steal Mira's."
Shane: "…"
"Pfft—HAHAHAHA!!"
Across from him, Mira—who had just finished putting her sock back on—completely lost it, slapping her thigh as she laughed until tears almost came out.
"At this point, I, you, wow…"
In that moment, Shane felt like the magic inside his body was about to start flowing backwards.
He didn't even know what words to use to describe the indescribable feeling currently crushing him.
He wasn't wrong. Erza, in her own caring way, wasn't wrong either. That only made it painfully obvious where the problem was.
Expressionless, Shane slowly turned around and very seriously, very thoroughly, wiped his right hand on his clothes.
Then he looked at Erza and said, one word at a time, through gritted teeth:
"Erza."
"During your sparring sessions with Mira from now on, please—absolutely, definitely, under no circumstances—hold back."
"Beat the hell out of her."
Erza tilted her head in confusion. She didn't understand why Shane was reacting so strongly, but if it was what he wanted…
"Understood," she answered seriously with a nod.
They somehow survived the rest of the trip under the strange looks of those two girls, and finally got off the train.
The moment his feet touched the platform, Shane practically leaped down like he was fleeing for his life. He immediately pulled out the request slip and awkwardly changed the subject.
"Ahem. Back to business."
"According to the mission info, this guild called Eisenwald was only officially expelled from the regular guild alliance by the Council this year and classified as a dark guild."
The moment she heard "dark guild," Mira was instantly distracted, forgetting all about teasing Shane. She leaned in curiously.
"Why? What did they do?"
"It seems it's because of their trump card—Erigor."
Shane led the way as he explained.
"That guy only takes assassination jobs. The Council repeatedly forbade regular guilds from taking that kind of dirty work, but Eisenwald decided money mattered more and kept doing it anyway."
"In the end, Eisenwald was expelled from the alliance, their guild master was arrested, and the guild was officially dissolved."
The three of them left the station and stepped out onto the streets of Onibus.
"However…"
Erza picked up the explanation, her gaze sharpening.
"Most dark guilds ignore dissolution orders, go underground, and keep operating together illegally."
"Once they're free of all restraint, guilds like that usually become even more dangerous and reckless than before."
"That actually sounds kind of fun!"
Instead of being scared, Mira looked even more eager, practically itching for a fight as she cracked her knuckles.
"So where are they now? Any leads?"
That was probably just the standard Fairy Tail mage defect.
Mention a dark guild and, instead of reacting like normal people with fear, they all got excited like they were about to go on a field trip.
"We don't know yet. That's why we came here to investigate."
Shane tucked the request slip back into his pocket and looked around.
He had to admit, Onibus was clearly far more bustling and prosperous than Magnolia.
The broad streets were packed with carriages and people. Alongside rows of stores and crowds moving everywhere, the most eye-catching thing was the huge number of theater advertisements all over the city.
Especially the giant poster in the center of the square: Silsaido Troupe – The Year's Grand New Production.
The elegantly dressed actors on the poster stood against a fantastical castle backdrop, and it actually looked pretty enticing.
"It's so lively…"
Mira's eyes lit up slightly as she stared at the posters.
"Let's find a place to settle in first."
Shane cut off her wandering attention and pointed toward an inn not far away.
"Tracking down a bunch of rats hiding in the sewers is probably going to take some time."
"And while we're waiting, I can also put together your next training plan."
Then he turned back and looked at Mira with a smile so sinister it was practically glowing.
"And didn't you say earlier… that you'd 'gotten stronger'?"
"That had better actually be true. Otherwise…"
"Tch, of course I got stronger!"
Mira didn't care at all about his threat. She lifted her chin full of confidence.
"You're going to be shocked when you see it!"
However—
Looking at the girl's utterly fearless attitude, Shane—who had already seen through everything in advance with the Book of Heroes—was already sharpening the knife in his mind.
"Good," he sneered inwardly.
"If you're really that confident, then get ready for a loving iron fist from your master."
Shane casually picked a four-story hotel on a street corner.
The interior was a bit flashy and overdone, but it was in the city center and had a wide, open view—perfect as a temporary base.
"Three rooms."
He slapped a few ten-thousand-jewel notes down on the counter.
While they were checking in, several subtle gazes from the noisy corner of the lobby slid onto him like hyenas catching the scent of blood.
"So this really is the kind of place dark guilds hide in. What a mess…"
Shane smiled faintly, his back still to the room.
Mira at his side had obviously sensed it too.
A fierce glint flashed in her eyes. The battle-loving instincts of the "Demon" inside her lit up instantly.
"Hmph…"
She gave a cold snort and started to turn, ready to rush over and teach those shady men a lesson on the spot.
"Don't rush."
A hand settled firmly on her shoulder.
Shane turned slightly, making it look as though he was simply adjusting Mira's collar for her. In truth, his fingers flicked.
Tss.
A tiny red spark, so small it was almost impossible to see, shot silently from his fingertip.
Like a speck of dust drifting on the air, it crossed half the lobby with perfect precision and attached itself to the hem of one man's clothing.
The man noticed nothing at all and was still whispering something to his companions.
After doing all that, Shane calmly withdrew his hand, picked up the three keys on the counter, and handed one to each girl.
"Alright. Let's head up and take a look first."
The three of them went upstairs separately.
Since Shane had dragged Mira out by force, she hadn't brought any luggage to sort out.
So in less than five minutes, all three of them were back downstairs in the lobby.
The moment they met up again, Mira started complaining, arms crossed and face full of irritation.
"Those guys were obviously up to no good, and you just let them get away?"
While they'd been upstairs, those men had already left.
"Violence doesn't solve every problem, Miss Mira."
Shane replied in a leisurely tone, imitating Ur's way of speaking.
"Then how is my problem supposed to get solved?"
A faint, gloomy voice suddenly came from beside him.
Shane turned his head.
The red-haired girl, who usually held herself tall and proud, now looked… wilted.
She stared at him with a faintly aggrieved expression, like a knight who had just lost her beloved sword. Her whole body seemed wrapped in a miserable gloom.
"My cabinet!"
Erza pressed her lips together, her voice full of regret.
"I checked the room just now. It's very spacious… If I had brought the cabinet set and portable stove from home, I could have placed them right by the window."
She gestured seriously, utterly sincere.
"Then we could cook for ourselves tonight!"
~~~
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