"Friends?"
Shane's eyes darted away.
This wasn't a "choose the right answer" question—it was a funeral question.
If he said "friend," the girl in his arms had just been beaten half to death by that "friend," and her wounds hadn't even closed yet.
But if he said "not a friend"… that was future Erza.
No matter how much she'd "gone bad," he couldn't force himself to say something that dishonest.
"She's… a kind of friend. A special one," Shane said with a half-give-up, half-wing-it tone, starting to improvise. "You probably noticed it too—she's ridiculously strong, and she's a swordmaster."
"She was passing through and originally wanted to catch up with me. Then she saw you—someone with real talent for the sword—and her hands got itchy. So she couldn't help it and… uh… used a more aggressive way of 'teaching' you."
"Teaching?" Erza frowned, suspicious, clearly not buying it.
But then—those things the cloaked person had said during the fight surfaced in her head again.
You don't need to teach every detail by hand… blind imitation can kill inspiration… Guide her to fuse magic with swordplay…
And the way that person fought—like they could see the future—cleanly exposing every flaw and striking without mercy.
Back then, it had all sounded like mockery.
Now, thinking it through calmly… every sentence had nailed her weak points.
The bottleneck in teaching Kagura. The imperfections in her own swordplay. The stranger saw them more clearly than she did.
If you didn't understand swordsmanship at a deep level, you couldn't say things like that.
"So… in that sense…" Erza let go of Shane's cheeks, lowering her head thoughtfully. "She really was teaching me…"
Even if the condescending style made her furious—logically, it tracked.
Seeing Erza seemingly accept the "setting," Shane was about to breathe again.
"But—" Erza's gaze snapped sharp. "If she's your 'good friend,' how come I've never met her?"
"And if she's that strong, why does she have zero reputation in the Kingdom of Fiore?"
"…"
Yep. One lie always demands a dozen more.
Shane turned his head, guilty, and forced himself to keep going.
"Well… I sometimes take solo jobs and meet all sorts of people."
"Like Layla Hartfilia and little Lucy, or the Strauss siblings… you didn't know them at first either, right?"
But as he spoke, his voice got quieter and quieter.
Because Erza's black-jade eyes were narrowing, full of that go on, keep making it up, I'm enjoying the performance kind of calm.
She'd seen through him completely.
Shane screamed internally.
Being too close for too long had a downside—they knew each other's micro-expressions. Lying to her was basically impossible.
"…Fine." Under her increasingly dangerous stare, Shane raised both hands in surrender and bowed his head. "You do know that person. Or rather… you will know her later."
"But her exact identity—I can't tell you yet."
"Just… think of her as someone you'll inevitably have to face someday. A 'fated rival' you must surpass."
"You're lying again." Erza bit her lip, but oddly her attention wasn't on the "rival" part.
She was starting to think she'd been way too lenient with Shane. So lenient that she'd let small lies slide and pretended not to notice.
And now that she was asking seriously, he still dared to bluff her?
And if she was a rival Erza would definitely have to face later, why hide it?
"Hmph." Erza huffed and looked away, clearly dissatisfied.
Seeing her turn cold and flat, Shane's head started to ache.
So he changed the subject—dragging in what future Erza had told him to pass along.
"Right. She specifically told me you have to remember what she said to you."
"What did she say?" Even though Erza was still annoyed, her body betrayed her—she turned back immediately at the mention of "getting stronger."
Shane was curious too. Future Erza had gone to all that trouble—what message had she left?
"It was about refining your sword skills, and teaching Kagura according to her strengths… that kind of thing."
Erza thought back carefully. Confirming it wasn't nonsense, she nodded. "Yeah. Those suggestions were useful… Oh, right!"
Her eyes lit slightly, like she'd remembered the final bit.
"At the end she also told me that my attitude toward you should become—"
"Stop!" Shane cut her off so hard it was almost violent.
"Honestly, it doesn't matter what she said!"
He hitched Erza higher in his arms with exaggerated righteousness.
"She beat you up like this—she's an enemy. Anything an enemy says is just to shake your mind. Don't take it to heart!"
"Right now the important thing is that you're injured! We're going home to treat your wounds!"
One moment it was "good friend," the next it was "enemy."
The speed of that face change could rival flipping pages.
But Shane had a reason.
That idiot… he cursed future Erza again in his head.
You time-traveled back just to deliver that? I thought this was about the fate of the world or something. What a scam.
Erza tilted her head, feeling like he was dodging something.
Something felt off… but she did understand one thing:
That cloaked person—who had beaten her without her being able to resist—was a rival, an enemy, meaning she'd likely meet them again.
Got it.
Erza suddenly lifted her head, all confusion gone, eyes blazing.
"I'm going to get stronger! Strong enough that next time I see her, I won't lose again!"
Shane couldn't help but smile.
That's the Erza he knew.
Never stays down. Always climbing higher.
Even if… her goal was "defeat future me," which was honestly kind of absurd.
But as long as she stopped digging into who the "cloaked person" really was, Shane would gladly thank the heavens.
…
Back in the bedroom, Shane used the medical kit to patch her up, tucked her in, and softly coaxed her to sleep.
Once he heard her breathing turn steady, he slipped out quietly into the living room.
"Whew…"
Shane dropped heavily onto the sofa, the smile fading from his face.
Ultear had warned him: don't contact her unless it's truly necessary, or it might expose her.
But today's information…
That grimoire—Time of Memories—could not only send someone through time, it was sitting in Fairy Tail's library.
That was important enough to risk one contact.
He took a deep breath and pulled out the long-unused communication lacrima.
He fed magic into it.
The crystal began to hum faintly.
Staring at the flickering light, Shane felt a little mischievous anticipation rise in him.
Ultear always wore that deadpan, icy expression—if he told her he'd found a way for her to see her mother, Ur…
What kind of face would she make?
About ten agonizing minutes passed.
Just as Shane was about to give up, the light steadied, and a clear projection formed in midair.
A stunningly beautiful face appeared—expression utterly blank.
Black hair fell like a waterfall, and those emotionless eyes looked cold enough to freeze someone through the projection.
"What is it?"
Her voice was crisp and distant. Seeing it was Shane, the coldness eased a fraction—but her tone still didn't rise or fall.
Shane didn't notice that tiny change. He just saw the same old poker face, and his urge to mess with her immediately won.
"Ultear."
He leaned forward with a grin.
"If you smile right now…"
"I'll tell you something that'll make you so happy you'll cry."
~~~
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