The next day, on the second floor of the guild.
Sunlight spilled through the stained-glass windows onto the wooden floor, and the air was thick with the scent of old books and parchment.
The second floor was much quieter than the first, with only the occasional rustle of quest sheets being flipped through.
Riyao stood at the top of the stairs, quickly adjusting his clothes. He tucked his shirt into his pants, smoothed his hair, then took a deep breath and put on a look of utter panic.
Beside him, Laxus leaned against a pillar with his arms crossed and headphones around his neck, watching Riyao's performance with a speechless expression. His eye twitched slightly, wondering what kind of nonsense this idiot was up to now.
"This is bad! Gramps! An S-Class Quest is missing from the second floor!"
Riyao rushed downstairs in a panic, his footsteps thumping loudly on the stairs. He even lost one of his flip-flops, running into the first-floor hall with one bare foot slapping against the floor, looking like the sky was falling.
Makarov, who was drinking Hangover tea, spat it out instantly when he heard this, spraying it all over Macao's face.
"What?!"
Macao silently wiped the tea off his face, already used to such things.
The guild members were all shocked and stopped what they were doing one after another.
"What? Someone actually took a quest without permission?"
"I wonder which idiot did it? It's so hard to guess."
Laxus leaned lazily against the second-floor railing, one leg crossed over the other, tapping his fingers on the handrail as he looked down at the chaotic guild members below.
A wicked smile curled on his lips as he spoke nonchalantly, "It's the flying blue cat."
Lisanna, holding a plate next to Makarov, rolled her eyes. "You might as well just say Happy's name."
The guild members began chattering among themselves.
"Then it must be Natsu and Happy."
"Not just them. Lucy and Gray are missing today too."
"Wait, Gray didn't come either? Isn't that guy the most rule-abiding one?"
"The rule-abiding Gray and the rule-breaking Natsu disappearing together... that's quite a sight."
Laxus sat back on the sofa and crossed his arms, wearing a malicious grin. "This is a serious violation, old man. You'll kick them out of the guild, right?"
His tone held a hint of schadenfreude mixed with testing, his golden eyes fixed on Makarov to see how the old man would handle it.
What a tsundere.
Makarov ignored Laxus's provocation and turned to ask Riyao, "Which mission is missing?"
Riyao replied directly, "The one for Karna Island."
The guild members were shocked once again.
Alzack exclaimed, nearly falling off his chair, "They're definitely idiots! Absolutely! A place like Karna Island!"
Bisca's jaw dropped, and the cup in her hand almost hit the floor. "That's way too reckless. That's no place for games."
Levy pushed up her glasses, her voice heavy with concern. "The rumored island where demons exist... it's said that no one who goes there ever returns alive."
Furious, Makarov slammed the counter, making the glasses rattle as he shouted, "Laxus! Go bring them back!"
He subconsciously ignored Riyao, or perhaps he just wanted an excuse to talk to his grandson more.
Laxus shrugged with an indifferent look. "I have work to do later, no time. Besides, isn't Riyao right here?"
Erza had already invited Mirajane to go out on a quest together, so the only S-Class wizards currently in the guild were Riyao and Laxus.
Makarov stroked his chin in thought, his fingers brushing against his mustache. "Riyao, you go bring them back."
Lisanna weakly raised her hand and said in a small voice, "Brother-in-law already went after them. He said he wanted to watch the show."
The guild members were all speechless, looking at each other with priceless expressions.
Makarov took a deep breath, pulled a crumpled pill bottle from his pocket, poured out two Vitamin C tablets, and tossed them into Macao's mouth.
Macao instinctively chewed them and then paused, confused. "Why are you giving these to me?"
Makarov patted his chest, his tone weary. "I've been eating them too much lately and got tired of them. Help me out. Lisanna, contact Mirajane and Erza. Tell them to stop by on their way back and make sure Riyao doesn't take his fun too far."
Lisanna nodded, set down her plate, and ran to get the Communication Lacrima.
...
At the pier, the sea breeze blew with a salty, briny scent, and seagulls circled overhead, crying out.
Riyao had changed his appearance; his hair was now dark brown, his facial features were slightly adjusted, and his aura had shifted from lazy to that of an ordinary passerby.
He swaggered after Natsu and the others. As for Natsu's keen nose, Riyao was well-prepared, having applied a special Scent-masking ointment to his body.
Natsu was still carrying a seemingly unconscious Gray, whose head dangled over Natsu's shoulder, with drool nearly dripping onto Natsu's back.
However, looking closely, the corner of Gray's mouth was slightly curled up; he was clearly faking it. It seemed Gray had run into them this morning, learned about the S-Class Quest, and intentionally let himself be 'knocked out' to tag along.
Seeing Natsu and the others board a small boat, Riyao followed, waving as he ran.
"Wait for me! I'm going to Karna Island too! I have a friend there I need to visit! Give me a lift, please!"
Natsu said carefreely, flashing a row of white teeth, "Sure, let's go together!"
He wasn't on guard at all, even patting the deck beside him to signal Riyao to sit down.
Lucy looked worried, her hands wringing together. "Hey, isn't this too reckless? Letting a total stranger on the boat just like that?"
Happy flapped his wings and flew over, patting Lucy's shoulder with a teasing look. "Aye, Lucy's such a scaredy-cat, hehehe."
Lucy glared at Happy and grabbed his tail. "Stupid cat! Shut up!"
The small boat started up, swaying as it left the pier.
Natsu sat at the bow, and as the sea breeze hit his face, his complexion gradually turned pale, as if a motion sickness switch had been flipped.
He sprawled against the side of the boat like a stranded salted fish, muttering weakly, "Maybe... I should just swim there..."
Happy flew beside him with a look of disdain. "Natsu's an idiot, getting motion sickness even on a boat."
Riyao leaned against the gunwale, pulled out a handful of melon seeds from somewhere, and began cracking them, accurately spitting the shells into the sea. He intentionally stretched out his bare foot, placing it right next to Gray's head.
Gray kept his eyes closed but quietly moved his head, trying to get away from that smelly foot.
Riyao's lips curled slightly as he quietly moved his foot to follow.
Gray moved again.
Riyao followed again.
Gray moved once more.
Riyao followed once more.
Watching this, Lucy's eye twitched. "What are you two doing?"
Gray finally couldn't keep up the act anymore. He sat up abruptly and pushed Riyao's foot away in disgust. "Can you move your foot away!"
Riyao retracted his foot with a smile, continuing to crack melon seeds. "Oh, you're awake?"
Natsu lay over the side, weakly lifting his head. "Gray... weren't you unconscious..."
Gray: "..."