In the end, the two of them didn't go for the signature desserts at "Caffe SSA" as planned.
Strangely enough, even though Erza had been looking forward to it for a long time, she didn't seem all that disappointed about missing out.
On the contrary, the corners of her mouth curved up slightly, as if she felt that leaving a little regret for later was actually a good thing.
"Next time," Shane took the initiative to say. "Next time we'll clear our schedule specifically for a shopping trip, and that'll be our first stop."
Erza nodded, her smile becoming even more obvious. "It's a date, then."
The two returned to the inn, checked out, retrieved their luggage, and officially moved into their new home.
Cleaning and organizing took quite a bit of time. Just as the manager had said, the house had great bones. The walls were pristine white, and the fireplace had a retro brick structure that looked warm just by looking at it. The furniture was complete too; although covered in a layer of dust, once wiped down, it all revealed a pretty decent quality.
The only downside was the shower room.
Although it came with a bathtub, the size was really a bit cramped for Shane. When he lay in it, he could barely straighten his legs, making the bath feel less than satisfying.
He couldn't help but brainstorm. The backyard had plenty of space. Once he had some free time, maybe he should just fence it off himself and build an open-air hot spring.
Being able to soak whenever he wanted—that would be true enjoyment.
However, while the idea was beautiful, the hot spring water was a major issue. Where to pipe it from? How to heat it? All troublesome matters. This plan could only remain in the fantasy stage for now.
As for the front yard, that patch of flat land made the instincts in his blood stir.
Such a large piece of land—leaving it empty was a waste! Should he plant some easy-to-manage vegetables, like cherry tomatoes or lettuce? Or maybe some flowers and fruit trees that had a long flowering period and were easy to keep alive?
Standing in the yard, he had already started planning where to put the vegetable patches and where to place the flower pots.
Erza, on the other hand, appeared much more pragmatic.
While Shane was cleaning, she made a special trip to the locksmith on the street and had a brand-new key made.
After returning, she solemnly placed the key into Shane's hand.
"Here," she said, her movements very serious. "This is the key to our home."
Shane took the key, which still held a trace of the girl's body warmth. His heart moved slightly, and he tucked it safely into the deepest part of his pocket.
---
The days that followed suddenly became peaceful.
Shane didn't set foot in the guild for a whole week.
On one hand, he was indeed avoiding Master Makarov a bit. But the main reason was that the mental backlash from forcefully guessing the True Name that time was far more severe than he had anticipated.
For these past few days, his brain had been muddled, as if covered by a thick layer of fog. Thinking about anything slightly complex made his temples throb, and focusing his attention became unusually difficult.
Consequently, the progress of his "Agility" stat, which was on the verge of breaking through to the next Rank, was forced to stagnate for a week.
This made him feel a bit irritable inside, but there was nothing he could do about it.
During these days of idleness and inability to focus, he simply started studying cooking.
In his past life, he liked messing around the stove.
Chopping vegetables, seasoning, controlling the heat... these things didn't require much brainpower. Instead, they allowed him to find a strange sense of peace. He found that he actually enjoyed the process quite a bit.
Erza was the complete opposite of him.
She went out early every morning, religiously soaking herself in the guild library until evening, returning with a faint scent of ink on her.
The girl's affinity for Requip Magic seemed to be quite good; her understanding of it was much smoother than expected.
According to her, she estimated that she could master the basics by next month and attempt her first Requip.
This made Shane twitch his lips in envy, condemning her for getting a head start, and he even added a few extra spoonfuls of chili while cooking.
But the result was that Erza ate even more happily, helping herself to an extra bowl of rice than usual.
---
This Sunday at noon, Shane had just finished pan-frying lamb chops.
The lamb skin was crispy, the inside tender and smooth, with fat sizzling quietly at the bottom of the plate. Erza finished her portion quietly and quickly, her appetite almost double that of Shane's.
She put down her fork, wiped the corner of her mouth with a napkin, and seemed to suddenly remember something. "By the way, Shane, the Master said you should stop hiding from him."
Shane was chewing on the lamb. Hearing this, he paused, then stubbornly retorted, "I'm really not hiding from him."
Even as he said it, he felt it lacked persuasiveness.
Erza acted as if she didn't hear his excuse and continued to relay the news on her own. "Gildarts destroyed another port two days ago. The bill from the Magic Council has already come down. The Master's rage meter... seems to have completely shifted over to him."
Shane's eyes lit up instantly.
He immediately changed his tune with the flow. "...It has indeed been a long time since I visited the guild. I'll accompany you there this afternoon."
He stood up and naturally placed his clean bowl and utensils by the sink.
It seemed that people who could cook all had a common ailment.
Happy to cook, love to research recipes, but absolutely keeping a respectful distance from dishwashing.
Fortunately, Erza was never ambiguous when it came to "eating," and she accepted the "fair trade" of washing dishes after the meal very frankly.
Once Erza finished eating at her own pace and washed and returned the dishes, Shane couldn't wait to shove the Gale-Force Reading Glasses into his pocket and urge her out the door.
He was really stimulated by Erza's speed of improvement and was bent on catching up to the girl's Requip Magic progress as soon as possible.
---
The Fairy Tail guild was as lively as ever.
Shane had just stepped one foot inside the gate, and before he could turn toward the library, his neck was hooked by a figure reeking of alcohol.
It was Macao. His face was flushed red from drinking, looking very enthusiastic.
He seemed very keen on finding an opportunity to groom Shane into a drinking buddy. Unfortunately, Erza kept a tight watch, so even if Shane was tempted, he couldn't cooperate.
"Yo! Newbie! Finally decided to show your face?"
Macao slapped Shane's shoulder hard, acting like they were best buds. "Heard you were scared of the Master's nagging and hid for a week? Hahaha, I really didn't expect a kid like you to be afraid of that!"
"I really had things to do," Shane said helplessly, having no way to deal with him.
Macao chuckled, leaned in closer, and lowered his voice. "You gotta learn from your seniors. Isn't it normal for accidents to happen while completing a commission? What are you afraid of that little old man for! Look at Gildarts—which time does he not cause a huge commotion and then come back acting like nothing happened?"
He breathed alcohol fumes, carrying the scent of a scumbag, and waved his hand vigorously. "As long as your skin is thick enough, nothing is a problem!"
The hot wind carrying the smell of booze hit his face. Shane subconsciously wanted to turn his head to avoid it, but listening to Macao's words, his heart couldn't help but stir.
Thinking about it carefully, it seemed that was indeed the logic. Gildarts' style of "I caused trouble, but I'm calm, I did nothing wrong"—in a way, wasn't that just a certain tradition of Fairy Tail?
"Yeah! I don't need to feel guilty!" He suddenly felt that his previous apprehension was indeed a bit unnecessary.
The two exchanged some "experienced" wisdom. Shane felt he had benefited greatly, and his plan for future commission procedures became much clearer.
"Macao is indeed a senior; meticulous thinking, seasoned experience!" Shane sighed with emotion and solemnly bought the guy three draft beers as thanks.
After feeling satisfied, he was just about to head to the library when he heard the main door being slammed open.
Immediately after, Gray's loud and confident voice rang out.
"Shane! Where is Shane?!"