Magnolia, the city where Ankh had grown up and knew like the back of his hand, hadn't changed much over the past two years.
Mainly because there wasn't much room left for development.
After all, Magnolia was considered a first-tier city within the Fiore Kingdom, with its commercial prosperity likely second only to the royal capital.
Moreover, its level of magic popularization and usage surpassed all other regions in the nation.
Under the blazing sun, Lisanna was happily clinging to someone's arm, gleefully browsing through various market stalls.
At a street corner not far away, two suspicious figures were stealthily observing her movements.
"Public displays of affection like this are utterly improper!" Ankh exclaimed.
The wall he was leaning against suddenly cracked as he spoke with distress.
Mirajane, who was following behind him, sighed helplessly and tried to reason with him.
"Ankh, even if Lisanna is really dating someone, what's wrong with that?"
"Of course there's nothing wrong with it," Ankh replied, his eyes never leaving the figure beside Lisanna.
"But as family members, we need to vet her choices properly."
Mirajane nodded at his words, then tilted her head in confusion, her eyes filled with puzzlement...
Something about that statement felt... off?
Sneaking along behind Lisanna and her companion as they strolled down the street, Ankh couldn't shake the feeling of being a guilty thief.
Lisanna was currently holding hands with the "man" and asked cheerfully.
"Thank you for shopping with me, Frey-sis."
The person whom Lisanna addressed as Frey-sis smiled gently and responded generously.
"No problem, we're friends after all."
Little did Ankh know that Lisanna's so-called "boyfriend" was actually a girl.
This particular girl had rather short hair, and while her features were delicate, her gender remained ambiguous at first glance.
Looking further down... Her figure was completely flat.
Combined with her particularly dashing jeans and jacket, the oblivious Ankh couldn't tell whether this person was male or female from a distance.
However, Lisanna didn't dare to underestimate this androgynous-looking girl, because the other's background was anything but ordinary.
Some days ago, Lisanna had heard about a particularly mysterious shop that had opened in Magnolia town.
The shop was called the Love Fortune Pavilion, specializing in making predictions about romantic matters and offering guidance.
At first, Lisanna thought such establishments were mostly scams—how could hidden affections between ordinary people possibly be calculated?
But later, she became a believer.
Because the Love Fortune Pavilion had been operating for quite some time without any incidents.
Every girl who received guidance from there experienced smooth sailing in their romantic lives, perfectly avoiding pitfalls, earning it the reputation as the ultimate player-detection machine.
The unassuming girl before Lisanna was none other than the owner, Master Frey.
Rumor had it that Frey's eyes had been nourished since birth by her family's exceptional potions.
Combined with her own substantial magic power, her eyes had unexpectedly mutated, granting her the ability to see everyone's love fortune lines.
Though the stories sounded far-fetched, after becoming acquainted with Frey, Lisanna quickly verified her capabilities. The reputation was indeed well-deserved...
This continent truly had peculiar talents everywhere.
Thus, as the gossip princess and the most mischievous fairy among Fairy Tail's little sprites, Lisanna naturally felt compelled to thoughtfully check the romantic fortunes for her brother and sister!
Frey looked at Lisanna clinging to her side, putting on an ingratiating smile and shook her head with a resigned laugh.
"Alright, I can guess why you little one called me out. Go ahead, whose love fortune do you want to know this time?"
Lisanna happily lifted her small face, about to speak when Frey interrupted again.
"Also, I don't want to reveal anything about your own love line."
Lisanna was immediately choked up.
Though she hadn't planned to ask about her own love prospects, she still asked curiously.
"Why?"
Frey's face turned obscure and difficult to read as she sighed meaningfully.
"Love is originally illusory, but because of these strange eyes of mine, it seems to have become tangible."
"But the term 'beloved' means someone firmly occupying the tip of your heart. With this ability, it becomes different."
"When you can clearly see who the so-called destined one is, it means you've seen your future husband—it feels predestined..."
"But what if the person you see isn't the one you hoped for in your heart..."
Lisanna seemed to perceive the hidden sorrow in Frey's eyes and immediately understood this was her personal experience.
She quickly comforted her.
"But haven't you been using this ability quite well? Many people in the city have pursued their loved ones because of it."
A forced smile appeared on Frey's face.
"Because I only give suggestions, I absolutely won't tell them specific details about their love future to avoid hurting them..."
"And this is especially true for those close to me, so don't ask me about it."
Lisanna quickly shook her head. "No, I wanted to ask you to look at my sister—what is her love life like?"
Frey looked at Lisanna in surprise. "Your sister..."
"Oh right, the Witch of the Fashion World, the Demon Mage, Mirajane?"
Lisanna nodded frantically, unconsciously lowering her voice.
"My sister and Ankh-nii have known each other for a long time, and everyone in the guild can see how my sister feels about Ankh-nii. But why hasn't Ankh-nii shown any response?"
"Ankh?" Frey thought for a moment, then said in surprise, "That super famous man, one of the Ten Wizard Saints?"
"Hiss... your sister certainly has high standards."
Frey couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
Ankh's looks had been famous since his youth, and his power had become renowned worldwide in recent years.
As a business owner, Frey had naturally heard of him.
Lisanna nodded, then her voice grew even quieter, almost like a thief whispering.
"So I wanted to ask you to look at their love..."
Frey looked speechlessly at Lisanna whose voice kept getting softer.
"Is there any need to speak so quietly? It's not like we're doing anything illegal."
Lisanna quickly covered Frey's mouth, her small face anxious.
"Quiet! That Brother of mine... he's... he's really powerful..."
"He's everywhere—"
"Ah—choo!!"
Ankh, who was following far behind the two, suddenly sneezed with an earth-shaking force.
"Hiss, who's speaking ill of me?" He wiped his nose, muttering to himself somewhat puzzled.
Mirajane looked at him with concern. "You're not catching a cold, are you?"
Ankh waved his hand dismissively. "Stop joking, I never get sick."
Mirajane chuckled helplessly and nodded.
"Actually, I think Lisanna has grown up now. There's no need to be overly concerned about this, right?"
"Letting her face some challenges isn't necessarily a bad thing."
Ankh retorted, "How can that be? What if she gets worn down by too much challange?"
Mirajane puffed her cheeks like a bickering young wife, saying indignantly.
"Elfman is still a child too, but didn't you scold him when he attempted Beast Soul takeover before?"
Ankh was taken aback.
"Who?"
"Elfman."
"What about Elfman?"
"Didn't you train him harshly before?!"
"Training? Oh... alright, I'll train him some more when we get back."
Mirajane: (??ˇ?ˇ??)?
'I mean... could you be any more obvious with your favoritism?'
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