The wind and snow outside the door did nothing to disperse the subtle tension hanging in the air.
Ultear stood in the doorway, her gaze drifting lightly over Shane before settling on the red-haired girl behind him.
"Aren't you going to invite me in?"
Her voice was cool, but there was a faint trace of teasing hidden within it.
Based on past experience, this was usually the point where he would start panicking and fumbling because she had appeared in front of Erza.
But to Ultear's surprise, Shane didn't show the nervous guilt she had expected.
On the contrary, he looked calm. There was even a composed little smile at the corner of his mouth.
"Of course. It's cold outside. Come in and talk."
Stepping aside, Shane openly made a "please" gesture.
"..."
Ultear's brow lifted slightly, and a flicker of surprise passed through her eyes.
Since when had this guy become so fearless?
Could it be that Erza, serious and rigid as she looked, really was that generous?
That she truly didn't care about Shane's relationship with her?
Even though she found it strange, Ultear didn't show it. She simply nodded and stepped inside.
Once the door closed, the warmth inside the house drove away the chill from outside.
Without the slightest hesitation, Ultear sat down in the middle of the long sofa. Her long legs, wrapped in black stockings, crossed elegantly, and the curve beneath her thin skirt showed faintly through.
Meanwhile, Shane and Erza took the single seats on either side, forming a delicate triangle.
No one spoke.
The air grew strangely still, with only the crackling of wood in the fireplace filling the silence.
Ultear thought for a moment, her long fingers tapping lightly against her knee.
She had originally planned to test Shane's attitude a little more, but the odd atmosphere made her decide to handle the serious matters first.
"Shane, you already know that Jose of Phantom Lord was stripped of his title as one of the Ten Wizard Saints, right?"
"Of course."
Leaning back in his chair, Shane shrugged.
"When the Council issued the announcement, a ton of annoying people came asking questions."
That whole period had been infuriating—reporters who wanted interviews, challengers who wanted fame, the lot of them.
"Then you've probably also guessed that, among all the discussion, there have been many voices saying you're the one who'll fill the seat Jose left vacant."
"I've heard some rumors."
Shane sounded uninterested, idly playing with his fingers.
"But after all this time, the Council still hasn't made a move, right? They're probably just thinking I'm too young and want to keep me down for now."
"It's not entirely suppression."
Ultear said calmly,
"Although I got the news a little late, from what I know, the Council has already officially placed you on the observation list for the Ten Wizard Saints. As long as you don't make any major mistakes from here on, that title will be yours sooner or later."
"Oh."
Shane answered vaguely.
"That's still only 'observation.' I don't really care about that kind of empty title anyway. It doesn't come with any real benefits."
Ultear wasn't surprised by his reaction at all and continued.
"Besides that… my guild—well, Hades's Grimoire Heart—has had some new developments recently."
"What kind of developments?"
The moment he heard that name, Shane straightened up with interest.
"Do you remember the dark guild uprisings that broke out all over the place not long ago?"
Looking at him, Ultear spoke slowly.
"That wasn't random chaos. Someone was quietly consolidating and swallowing up those scattered forces behind the scenes."
"That's true."
Erza, who had been quietly listening the whole time, nodded and spoke up.
"During our travels, almost every city that experienced unrest had strange shadows moving behind the scenes."
"But they were very cautious. They seemed afraid of something. The moment anything seemed off, they vanished immediately and never left any trace."
That period had made all kinds of requests far more troublesome than usual.
Of course, if not for that chaos under the surface, Fairy Tail's commission board would have been running dry already with how hard everyone had been grinding that whole time.
"Now the unrest looks like it's settled down, and other people think it's because the Council handled the situation well."
Ultear let out a cold laugh.
"But the truth is… those groups were simply divided up and absorbed."
"A newly rising guild called Oración Seis swallowed up most of the forces and rose very quickly."
"And on top of that, they've sent an invitation to Hades, hoping to form an alliance with us—and with another mysterious dark guild of the same level."
"A Balam Alliance…"
Shane narrowed his eyes.
If dark guilds were forming an alliance system like legal guilds did in each region, then the scale of trouble they could cause would probably be far greater than before.
"Not long ago, Hades already accepted the proposal."
Ultear said it flatly.
"No wonder…"
Realization dawned on Shane.
Yesterday, the number of requests on the board had suddenly dropped sharply. He had assumed it was because the New Year was getting close, but apparently the dark guilds had simply found backing and gone dormant for the time being.
"Looks like my information network really is lagging behind. I'm completely relying on you."
Shane rubbed his chin and sighed.
"As you should."
Ultear nodded as if that were only natural.
Then a faintly lovely smile appeared on her cold, elegant face.
"In that case, let me tell you one more thing—something you'll definitely be interested in."
Looking straight at Shane, she said each word clearly:
"The guildmaster of Oración Seis is named—Brain."
"Brain?"
The moment that name came out, Shane's pupils contracted sharply.
He had never expected to get news of that long-vanished enemy at a time like this, or in this way.
"So it's him…"
"I was wondering why he'd been so quiet all these years. So this is what he's been doing in the shadows."
"What? Excited?"
Ultear asked, though she obviously already knew the answer. Her fingers lightly twined around a lock of her hair.
"They've already formed an alliance with Hades, you know. And the other guild is also mysterious and powerful on the same level. If you want to make a move against him, it won't be nearly as easy as before."
"So what?"
Shane clenched his fist tightly and turned to look at Ultear, his eyes burning with the excitement of a hunter finally spotting prey.
"The only difficulty in killing Brain is finding the rat while he's hiding in the gutter."
"You hate that guy too, don't you? The one who treated you like an experiment?"
He leaned forward slightly.
"So? Can you get me his current location?"
"Not at the moment."
Ultear shook her head, though the smile at her lips deepened. She was clearly enjoying the way Shane was relying on her.
"But since he's formed an alliance with Hades, it's only a matter of time before information starts getting shared. As long as I'm there, I'll get a chance sooner or later."
Now that the serious business was done—
just like before, she slightly lifted her chin at Shane and signaled for him to come sit beside her.
However—
this time, Shane acted as though he were blind and completely ignored the hint.
He turned his face away and enthusiastically started discussing Brain's information with Erza instead, looking so much like he was keeping things strictly professional that it was almost insulting.
"..."
The smile at the corner of Ultear's mouth slowly faded.
Really… he was the type who wouldn't move an inch unless you hit him with a whip, wasn't he?
She had rushed through the wind and snow to get here the moment she got the information. Before, he'd been practically looking pitiful and begging for her help. And now he was already trying to push back?
"Heh."
The girl decided she wasn't going to spare his dignity anymore.
Ultear's eyes shifted, and she suddenly changed to a soft, sweet voice, pretending to ask casually,
"Speaking of that… Shane."
"Have you told Erza about what happened between you and me?"
Tilting her head innocently, she added,
"After all, Erza is your most important 'friend,' isn't she? I think… she has a right to know about the relationship between us."
She put clear emphasis on the word friend.
Here it comes!!
The moment he heard that deliberately provocative line, Shane's heart jumped.
But he quickly forced himself calm, keeping the same composed expression on his face.
He had predicted this day would come a year ago!
Sure, he had been guilty before, but after that deep talk with Erza—after knowing Erza would stand with him against the bad woman—he was no longer afraid.
Now, all he wanted was to see the look of shock and confusion on this bad woman's face.
"Of course."
Shane straightened up, looking completely坦然.
"I already had a deep talk with Erza. There are no secrets between us."
Having said that, he turned with complete confidence toward the red-haired girl across from him, eagerly waiting for her to react.
Come on, Erza!
Now's the time!
Give her that knowing look, then calmly say I know and smash down her arrogance!
However—
"..."
At that moment, Erza had narrowed eyes and her right hand was gripping the hilt of an invisible sword, radiating a killing intent so intense it almost felt solid.
She was clearly still fully focused on the matter of Brain, with her entire mind occupied by thoughts of chopping that bastard into eighteen pieces.
As for Ultear's loaded little comment just now—
she hadn't heard a single word of it.
A full several seconds passed.
Only then did she finally notice Shane's urgent stare burning at her, and she came back to herself in confusion.
"Eh?"
Erza looked blankly at the two of them, and that murderous expression on her face suddenly gave way to an almost painfully innocent stupidity.
"W-what is it?"
She blinked and hesitantly asked,
"Does… Ultear want tea?"
"..."
Silence.
The smile on Shane's face cracked piece by piece, then crumbled to dust in the firelight of the hearth.
This… this is my teammate?!
He desperately wanted to grab Erza by the shoulders and shake her.
Where's all that crazy energy from before?! Why is it that when the actual enemy is sitting right in front of you, you turn into some blank little lamb?!
A soft laugh broke the awkward silence.
"Heh."
"So that's how it is."
Ultear had sensed the exact moment Shane's emotions collapsed, and the uncertainty in her own heart vanished immediately. Just like that, she returned to her usual composed sense of control.
"I thought… you'd actually prepared something."
She rose gracefully to her feet.
Then, under Shane's horrified stare, she walked over to him step by step, completely ignoring Erza's presence beside him.
"Well, if you've already told her, then that's even better."
Turning around, Ultear slowly, gently, but with absolute certainty and no room for refusal…
sat directly in Shane's lap.
"Mm…"
Soft warmth and cool fragrance instantly filled his arms.
Ultear lifted one hand and rested it intimately against Shane's shoulder. Then she slightly turned her head and looked at Erza, who still hadn't fully processed what was happening.
A victorious smile curved across her lips.
"It's… more or less like this."
~~~
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