Hearing Ankh's dismissive comment about the contest being for "girls," Erza immediately became flustered.
Steam practically poured from her ears.
"I am a girl, you idiot!"
Though Erza usually appeared domineering and decisive—more valiant and battle-hardened than most men in the guild—this didn't mean she had a masculine personality.
Quite the opposite.
Beneath that tough exterior of cold steel and discipline, Erza's pink and adorable side occupied a large part of her heart.
Like ordinary girls, she enjoyed eating strawberry cake, making desserts, and reading romantic novels.
She loved collecting beautiful clothes, even if she usually wore armor, and she could even be somewhat adorably clueless at times regarding social norms.
It's just that Erza's "Titania" image was too dazzling.
Even people within the guild who knew her true nature would unconsciously treat Erza as their "lead big brother" or a strict commander.
Fortunately, Erza's identity as the Titania held no intimidation power over her older brother, Ankh.
Just like how Natsu and Gray repeatedly lost to Erza, Erza and Mirajane had never managed to defeat Ankh since childhood.
Instead, every time, these two girls ended up being thoroughly disciplined by Ankh whenever they caused trouble.
So now, his troublesome little sister Erza puffed out her cheeks angrily, wearing an expression of suppressed fury mixed with embarrassment.
Mirajane, sitting nearby and seeing her like that, couldn't help but chuckle softly.
She covered her mouth elegantly and teased, "Oh? Does Erza actually have moments where she's at a disadvantage? How cute."
Erza shot a sharp glance at Mirajane.
She squeezed out a "Tch" from her throat but didn't bother arguing further with her.
In this timeline, since Mirajane hadn't suffered the traumatic loss of Lisanna, her personality hadn't completely shifted to the gentle, retired barmaid persona.
She retained her fearless "Demon" nature.
So their relationship remained as before—best friends who couldn't stand each other or rivals who constantly bickering.
The only difference was that both had matured.
They wouldn't start earth-shattering brawls destroying the guild hall over minor disagreements anymore.
Mostly.
Ankh ignored the sparks flying between them.
He took the "Miss Fairy Tail" poster from Erza and carefully read the information.
He thoughtfully murmured, "The prize money is 500,000 Jewels."
He whistled. "Looks like Lady Lucy is going to go all out again..."
With enough to cover seven months of rent, that poor but energetic Celestial Mage would definitely be green with envy when she found out.
She'd probably summon Aquarius just to wash away the competition.
But as a high-income earner and S-Class Mage, Erza didn't pay much attention to the prize money on the poster.
Instead, she clenched her fist, her eyes burning with intensity.
She said with particular seriousness, "Every competition held by the guild must be taken seriously. Since we're participating, we must achieve victory! I cannot lose!"
'What kind of logic is that?' Ankh thought, sweating slightly.
'It's a beauty pageant, not a war.'
Erza always maintained intense enthusiasm for these peculiar activities in the guild.
She treated a picnic like a military operation.
"So," Ankh asked, looking at her confusedly, "you want me to help you select an outfit that can secure victory in the competition? You have hundreds of armors."
Erza nodded with a confident smile. "Yes! As the 'Emperor of the Fashion World', of course I need you to help me pick something out! Your taste is impeccable."
Ankh couldn't help but blush at her words.
What "Emperor of the Fashion World"?
That was all just hype from his fans because Frey marketed his image well.
Ankh didn't even know when this cringe-worthy title had started circulating among the populace.
He sighed helplessly at Erza's expectant, sparkling eyes.
He couldn't refuse her when she looked like that.
"Alright, alright. I'll help you look."
Seeing his agreement, Erza cheered with delight. "Great! Let's go now!"
She immediately grabbed his wrist and pulled Ankh toward the exit.
"Wait."
Suddenly, Ankh felt something soft pressing tightly against his other arm, firmly locking it in place.
Turning back, he saw Mirajane standing up.
She was clinging to his arm, hugging it to her chest.
Gazing at the confused-looking Erza with a sweet, yet dangerous smile, she said gently.
"I'm coming too."
Erza's face instantly darkened.
With an aura of regal authority, she retorted, "Why are you tagging along? My brother is helping me pick clothes. Go polish some glasses, Mira."
Mirajane's warm smile remained radiant as sunshine, yet the terrifying demonic energy around her grew so thick it seemed to overflow visibly.
Unyielding, she responded, "What you need is a girl with good taste, not just a man's opinion. Your fashion sense is stuck in the old era."
She tightened her grip on Ankh.
"Besides... I want to spend more time with Ankh too."
She clung tightly to Ankh, as if afraid he might fly away or vanish the next second.
Honestly, after Ankh had just survived a life-threatening ordeal at the Tower of Heaven, Mirajane still felt lingering fear whenever she thought about it.
The image of him unconscious scared her more than she admitted.
Right now, she wished she could be with Ankh every single moment—how could she bear to let Erza take him away?
Meanwhile, Erza had indeed hoped to use this opportunity to spend some alone time with her brother, but she never expected...
A delinquent bitch would crash the party!
Watching the two girls suddenly confront each other with sparks flying from their eyes, Ankh felt completely bewildered.
What's with this atmosphere?
It felt like the sky suddenly turned dark inside the guild.
The temperature dropped ten degrees.
And why did it seem like these two were about to summon satan soul and purgatory armor right here?
Ankh quickly and cleverly decided to intervene before blood was shed.
He separated them slightly, then declared magnanimously.
"Stop it. It's just picking clothes! We can get Mira something too. Let's all go together!"
Then, under Erza and Mirajane's stunned gazes, Ankh casually wrapped his arms around both their shoulders, pulling them close.
"Let's go!"
He marched them outside.
At that moment, both girls felt utterly disoriented, as if caught in a whirlwind.
Watching from behind at the table, the spectator Lisanna was so shocked she nearly swallowed her watermelon rind.
Cana also choked on her beer.
Cough! Cough!
She coughed twice in a very unladylike manner before wiping her mouth.
She muttered in disbelief as she watched Ankh depart with "a beauty on each arm".
"Ankh... should I call him clueless, or just plain brave? He's walking into a minefield."
...
Elsewhere, unaware of Cana's complaints, Ankh was walking down the main street of Magnolia with two stunning beauties of completely different styles—the scarlet-haired knight and the white-haired demoness.
They drew envious looks from every man they passed.
"Lucky bastard," someone muttered.
Ankh ignored them.
His eyes scanned the various shops lining the streets, taking in the diverse clothing selections.
The three of them moved curiously through different clothing stores.
When it comes to buying clothes, girls can be extremely meticulous in their evaluation.
The whole process resembled something like a girl group audition on a reality show—they tried on outfit after outfit in the stores.
Although the original purpose was to help Erza pick clothes, Mirajane, rarely coming out of the guild these days, couldn't resist joining in.
She started trying things on alongside Erza, turning it into an unspoken competition.
This gave Ankh, the only male in their trio, a free, private fashion show to enjoy.
Curtain opens.
Outfit 1: Mirajane in an ethereal white dress that made her look like a pure schoolgirl.
She twirled, her curves accentuated perfectly.
"How does this look, Ankh?"
Outfit 2: Erza in a daring, wild outfit with faux beast ears and a tail, looking both fierce and alluring.
"Is this victorious enough?"
The two girls tried on countless outfits.
Gothic lolita, formal gowns, swimsuits, casual wear.
At first, Ankh was dazzled and thoroughly entertained, giving thumbs up and genuine compliments.
But as time went on... his heart grew somewhat numb.
How many shops are there in this town?
Truth be told, the two girls' "costume selection show" lasted far too long—from morning until night.
They didn't even stop for a meal.
And they still hadn't decided which outfit would take the center stage.
'Do these two women even lack clothes at home?' Ankh wondered, his legs aching.
He sat on a small stool in the corner of the tenth shop.
He stared blankly at the pile of shopping bags in his hands, which had grown into a small mountain when stacked on the chair next to him.
Yet, despite all that shopping, they still hadn't found the so-called "winning outfit" Erza had mentioned.
[Human women...]
Seram's voice echoed in Ankh's mind, sounding genuinely exhausted just by watching.
[The patience and bizarre thought processes of this species when it comes to shopping are truly formidable... I have seen wars end faster than this.]
Seram's tone was filled with a rare sense of having been enlightened about the terrors of the mortal world!
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