Gulp...
In the shadow of a broken wall, a clear sound of swallowing rang out.
Juvia clung to the corner of the wall, her gaze seemingly physical as it greedily stuck to Gray's body not far away.
Her cheeks were flushed, her breathing was rapid, and white steam was even faintly rising from the top of her head.
"Ah... Gray-sama..."
"Those perfect Deltoids... those tight Rectus Abdominis muscles..."
"Juvia wants to beco that piece of wood so badly, to be carried on Gray-sama's shoulder..."
"Kyaaaa—!! No, no! This is too embarrassing!! Juvia is going to break!!!"
Ron stood not far away, watching Juvia as she cupped her face with both hands and distorted her body back and forth, his mouth twitching slightly.
Is this what a stalker girl is like?
Tailing, peeping, and that perverted staring... how thril— cough, cough, what terrible behavior!
As a righteous Wizard with a 'noble sense of mission,' Ron felt he couldn't just stand by and watch.
He walked up decisively and tapped her gently on the shoulder.
Tap!
Juvia's whole body stiffened, and the white steam on her head instantly froze.
She turned her head chanically, coming face to face with a teasingly smiling face.
"Um, Juvia."
Ron pointed to the corner of his own mouth, giving her a kind reminder.
"While I can understand your feelings, however... you're drooling."
"Eh?!"
Juvia let out a startled cry, her face turning red all the way to her ears as she frantically wiped the corners of her mouth with her sleeves.
"No, no! Juvia wasn't peeping, Juvia was... just, uh..."
She wanted to explain but was incoherent. Finally, she just stood there with her head bowed, like a little rain dove caught red-handed, wishing she could bury herself in the ground.
Is this the legendary... social death on the spot?!
Seeing her look like she wanted to die then and there, Ron waved his hand with an 'I understand' expression.
"Don't be nervous, we're all on the sa side now."
Ron leaned in a bit closer, his tone playful.
"If you want to watch, then watch openly. Just treat it as... your guild benefit?"
"Or..." He blinked. "Do you prefer this 'observing from the shadows' style?"
"N-No!" Juvia shook her head like a rattle, the steam rising even more vigorously.
"But, on the sa side?"
She finally realized that she had already joined Fairy Tail.
Both Juvia and Gajeel had joined Fairy Tail ahead of ti.
In Makarov's words, leading misguided youths back to the right path is the responsibility of a proper guild.
"Alright, I was just teasing you."
As he spoke, Ron led Juvia inside, imdiately drawing a wave of warm greetings.
The speed at which everyone accepted Juvia was absurdly fast; when it was announced she was joining, they almost instantly agreed.
As for Gajeel, because he had trashed the guild, everyone's attitude toward him wasn't as warm and friendly as it was toward Juvia.
Gajeel wasn't at the guild right now either; he seed to have gone off on a mission.
"Hey—!! Ron!!"
Before he even got close, he heard Natsu's loud voice ringing out.
He pointed at Ron, looking indignant.
"You're way too late! We've been working for ages! Did you go off to slack again?!"
"Slander. This is blatant slander."
Ron looked righteous, completely refusing to admit to Natsu's accusations.
"Besides, what do you an late? Don't I always co at this ti?"
"Don't just talk with your eyes wide open. Take a look at yourself sotis. After all this ti, how many bricks have you moved? How many logs have you carried? And..."
He stepped aside, pushing Juvia—who was hiding behind him—forward like a prize.
"I've also recruited new labor for you guys. Look, a top-tier Water Wizard, proficient in everything from moving bricks to washing floors!"
"Oh, it's Juvia! You ca to help too!"
Natsu, stunned by the rapid-fire words, spoke subconsciously upon seeing Juvia, then imdiately reacted.
"Wait, why do you get to bring soone as cover to slack off?! I'm going to find Lucy to help work too!!"
Ron rolled his eyes with a look of disdain. "Do I even need cover to slack off?"
Just then, Gray heard the commotion and turned around, shaking the sweat from his forehead.
That movent made the sweat glisten in the sunlight.
"Gr-Gray... Gray-sama..."
Juvia's brain instantly overloaded.
She gripped her clothes tightly with both hands, her face as red as a ripe tomato. Her mouth opened and closed for a long ti, her mind a complete blank.
"Um... I... I want to be Gray-sama's wood... No! I an..."
Gray: "Huh?"
Natsu: "Pfft—"
Ron: "..."
Seeing Gray's bewildered face, Juvia's composure completely collapsed.
"I'm going to help!!!"
She shouted, then shot out like a stream of water with a whoosh.
But after running a dozen ters, she still couldn't help but quietly look back to steal a glance at Gray's abs.
That look was so intense, the lingering gaze could almost weave a net.
"What's... wrong with her?" Gray scratched his head, looking lost. "Feels kinda weird."
"It's nothing." Ron patted his shoulder and said earnestly, "You've just been targeted, that's all."
Gray: "???"
At this mont, a blue cat flew by silently, curling its tongue to deliver a soulful strike:
"They're in looooove~—!!!"
Watching this scene, Ron shook his head helplessly.
The romantic developnt between these two really has a long way to go.
Just as he turned to find a place to loaf around, his gaze suddenly caught a figure in the corner.
Ron's eyes flickered slightly as he walked over slowly.
"Your ti... seems to be running out."
Loki's body stiffened abruptly.
He slowly looked up, staring through his sunglasses at Ron's heterochromatic eyes that seed capable of piercing through everything, and gave a bitter laugh.
"You... are you secretly analyzing again?"
"Professional habit."
Ron shrugged noncommittally. "I'm always quite interested in unique physical structures."
Loki subconsciously took half a step back, crossing his arms in a wary stance.
"Hey! I might be a lover of all, but I'm not interested in n!"
"What a coincidence, neither am I."
The two looked at each other and laughed at the sa ti.
But after the laughter, silence surged in like a tide.
"It's already been three years..."
Loki leaned against the wall, his voice low and raspy, filled with deep exhaustion and desolation.
"For soone like who violated the contract... fading away is a fate long since decided."
He looked up at the dazzling blue sky, as if asking Ron, or perhaps asking himself:
"Does a sinner like ... really still have the right to look up at the cosmos?"
Ron didn't answer imdiately.
He turned around, watching Natsu and Gray fooling around in the distance, his voice calm and powerful.
"If you want to return to the heavens... perhaps, soone can help you."
Loki was stunned and turned his head, his eyes full of confusion.
"What... do you an?"
Ron smiled, a deep aning flashing in his eyes.
"So special people are always able to create miracles and shake those seemingly irreversible rules."
After saying that, he waved his hand and left Loki standing there alone in a daze.
"Tsk, being a riddler really does feel great."
The corners of Ron's mouth curled into a slight arc, a vague wisp of magic power swirling around his fingertips.
On the other side, Lucy had already set off on her way ho.
By the ti Natsu and the others noticed and rushed over, she had already finished her farewell to her father.
"Lucy!!!"
A familiar voice called out.
Looking at her companions running toward her with hurried expressions, a Happy curve rose on Lucy's lips.
"I'm sorry for making you all worry."
"After all that, it turns out we were just scaring ourselves?"
"Seriously, Happy has been crying until now!"
"Humph! Wasn't Natsu also crying until his nose was bubbling!"
"N-Nonsense! I did not!!"
Amidst the laughter, Lucy suddenly seed to rember sothing and looked around.
"Um... everyone is here."
"Where did Ron go?"
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