Gray and Chen Fan boarded a train heading west. They eventually disembarked at a place Chen Fan didn't recognize and walked deep into the winding streets.
"Stop!" Chen Fan shouted, reaching out toward Gray.
"What is it now?" Gray turned around, looking annoyed. "On this trip, you've either been hungry or needing a bathroom. What is it this time?"
Chen Fan didn't look embarrassed at all. He extended his right hand and pointed his thumb toward the people on the street. "Don't you think what I'm wearing is a bit too conspicuous?"
Gray looked around. Indeed, quite a few people were staring at them. Although Chen Fan had tried to keep a low profile over the years and his current style wasn't strictly exclusive to him, he still stood out in a crowd.
"Then I'll just lend you my clothes," Gray said, already reaching to pull off his shirt.
"Holy—!"
Bang.
Chen Fan kicked Gray squarely, sending him flying.
"What was that for?" Gray yelled as he scrambled up. Chen Fan pointed at the discarded shirt on the ground and then at the nearby crowd. Gray looked down; the surrounding townspeople were staring at him, whispering words like "Thug," "Pervert," and "Exhibitionist."
"Ah, crap." He quickly scooped his clothes off the ground and threw them back on before looking at Chen Fan again.
Chen Fan scanned the area and waved for Gray to follow. "Come with me."
Gray had no idea what he was up to, but he followed. They stopped in front of a very luxurious clothing store. Gray recognized the 'Swoosh' logo on the sign; it was the most popular brand right now, called 'Nike.' He knew their business was massive.
When Gray followed Chen Fan inside, the staff stood in two perfect rows and shouted in unison, "Welcome, Boss!"
The sudden roar startled Gray, but Chen Fan simply waved a hand. "You've worked hard, comrades."
"It is our pleasure!!"
"Carry on with your work." As soon as Chen Fan spoke, the staff dispersed, leaving only one person by his side.
Gray was left stunned, unable to make head or tail of the situation. Moments later, Chen Fan followed the remaining staff member into a back room. Gray grabbed a passing waiter and asked, "Who is Chen Fan to you guys?"
"He's the Boss! Didn't you come here with him? How could you not know? The Boss's business is enormous; he has a hand in almost every industry. There's Adidas, Li-Ning, Kappa..." The waiter grew more and more excited as he talked. It seemed he was another person completely under Chen Fan's spell.
Gray's jaw dropped further with every word. He knew Chen Fan was rich, but he hadn't imagined this level of wealth. His business empire spanned the entire country. No wonder even The Magic Council had to show him some respect.
A short while later, a figure emerged from the room and tapped the still-gaping Gray on the shoulder. "Alright, let's go."
Gray looked at the man with confusion. "Uh... who are you?"
Thwack.
Chen Fan gave Gray a light punch. "Who else could it be? It's me, Chen Fan, your Brother Chen."
"Chen Fan!!" Gray's eyes went wide as he scrutinized him from head to toe. Chen Fan was now dressed in a white tracksuit with connected front pockets, white athletic pants, and white sneakers.
He topped it off with a fashionable white cashmere brimmed hat all of which bore the Nike logo. His black sideburns framed his face perfectly. He looked like a vibrant, sunny young man the kind who was "drop dead gorgeous."
The contrast between this and his usual lecherous middle-aged look was so vast that Gray was momentarily dazed.
Thwack.
Seeing Gray daze off again, Chen Fan smacked his head. "Alright, seen enough? If you have, let's move." He started walking ahead. Gray followed behind in a trance, only catching up to lead the way when he realized Chen Fan was heading in the wrong direction. Still, his eyes kept darting back to Chen Fan, making the latter feel a bit creeped out.
When they reached the harbor, Chen Fan and Gray spotted Natsu and Lucy. They were searching for a boat to take them to Galuna Island. Gray crept up quietly while Chen Fan followed slowly behind.
"Found you," Gray said, tapping their shoulders. Natsu and Lucy jumped, spinning around in a panic.
"Gray! What are you doing here?" Natsu asked, clearly shocked.
Gray sighed helplessly. "Grandpa ordered us to bring you back."
"Ah... we've been found out? Wait, what do you mean by 'us'? Is Erza here?" Natsu looked around with a face full of terror. When he didn't see her, he let out a massive sigh of relief. Meanwhile, Chen Fan, our protagonist, was being completely ignored, making his brow twitch in irritation.
"If you come back now, you might not be expelled from Fairy Tail," Gray continued.
"Expelled?!" Lucy exclaimed, her face pale with dread.
Seeing that Erza hadn't arrived, Natsu's confidence returned. He spoke firmly, "No way! I'm going to finish this S-Class Quest."
"You don't have the strength to complete it," Gray warned. "If Erza finds out about this, you're dead." Natsu, Lucy, and Happy all flinched at the threat.
Happy, the little cat, showed zero loyalty and immediately flew behind Gray's shoulder to hide. "Gray, save me! I was forced to come along!"
"Traitor!" Lucy yelled at him.
"I'm going to make Erza acknowledge me. I'm not giving up here," Natsu said, his expression turning serious.
"This is the Guild Master's direct order. I'll take you back by force if I have to, so don't blame me if you get hurt." Gray's right hand lit up with a magic circle as frost began to form.
"Then let's settle this, you bastard!" Flames erupted from Natsu's hands.
"Now, now, let's talk this out. No need to fight," Chen Fan interjected, unable to watch any longer.
Natsu looked at Chen Fan with confusion and turned to Gray. "I've been wondering for a while... who is this guy?"
Gray turned to look at Chen Fan, his expression equally blank. "I don't know him either."
A vein popped on Chen Fan's forehead. He closed his eyes and roared at them, "It's me! Chen Fan! Damn it!"
Natsu and the others clutched their ears, falling to their knees in pain. Seeing them suffer brought a sense of relief to Chen Fan's heart. He closed his eyes, feeling one simple word: Satisfying.
"Chen Fan?"
"Chen Fan?"
"Pervert."
Chen Fan was enjoying the recognition until that last word "Pervert" made him freeze. He snapped his eyes open to look at the speaker.
Lucy stood there, looking pretty and surprised. She couldn't bridge the gap between this handsome, sunny guy and the lecherous Chen Fan she knew.
Whoosh.
Several figures instantly leaped away from Lucy. They knew better than anyone that calling Chen Fan a pervert to his face was suicide. If you wanted to call him that, you did it secretly during a commotion. If he remembered your face, there would be hell to pay.
Realizing she was suddenly alone, Lucy panicked. She looked up to see a stiff, handsome smile on Chen Fan's face. "A few days ago, wasn't I 'Brother Chen Fan'? My, how things change."
"That... well..." Lucy bit her finger, her head spinning as she searched for an excuse.
Just then, a voice interrupted. "Are you Wizards?"
Their attention shifted to the boatman who had spoken. He continued, "Are you here to break the curse on the island...?"
"Yeah, something like that," Natsu said.
"I won't let you go," Gray cut in.
"Get on board," the boatman said.
"Really?"
"Hey!"
"You're wide open! Take this!" Bang. Natsu kicked Gray in the jaw, knocking him unconscious. He then turned to Chen Fan, cracking his knuckles as he approached.
"Stop right there! Don't come any closer or I'll scream!"
"Go ahead and scream! No one's going to come help you no matter how loud you yell!"
Seeing this, Chen Fan waved his hands. "Fine, I won't go. You guys go ahead."
"No. If you don't come, the next person to show up will be Erza," Natsu said, stepping closer. To Chen Fan's surprise, the hothead was actually using his brain for once.
Seeing that Natsu wasn't going to budge, Chen Fan sighed. "Fine, fine. I'll go with you."
"Really? That's great! With Chen Fan, we'll be safe! Oh yeah!" Natsu and Happy jumped for joy.
"Alright, get on the boat," Chen Fan said. In truth, he was worried about them. Even though he knew they were fine in the original plot, his presence had changed things. He didn't want to gamble with their lives. With him there, he could at least ensure their safety. Besides, if Chen Fan truly didn't want to do something, there wasn't a single person in this world who could force him.
And so, they boarded the small boat. It drifted slowly toward the deep sea, eventually disappearing over the horizon.
🚨 Note: Consider supporting this story on Patreon.com/kleinmoretti to access 100+ advance chapters and 2 new chapters daily! (Full story bundles also available without a subscription).