Natsu finished the last piece of cheese lobster and let out a loud burp while rubbing his stomach. Happy licked the sauce off his tail. The two looked at each other and suddenly knelt down with a loud 'thud,' their knees hitting the floor with a dull bang. With their heads bowed low and hands raised above their heads in a worshipping gesture, they cried out, 'Thank you so much! Louise!'
The restaurant instantly fell silent. Sailors at the next table, the waiter at the counter, and even the auntie wiping the tables all turned to look in unison, their eyes filled with confusion as if wondering, 'Is this some new way of eating?'
Lucy's face turned red all the way to her ears. Her fingers gripped the chair legs, and her toes curled so hard in her shoes she felt like she could dig out a three-bedroom apartment right then and there. She just wanted to find a hole to crawl into: 'You... you guys get up! This is so embarrassing!'
Riyao had already hunched his back and slipped to the restaurant entrance the moment the two of them knelt down.
He tiptoed along the wall, not forgetting to hold the door curtain to prevent it from making a sound. It wasn't until he left the restaurant and turned into an alley that he dared to straighten his back, patting his chest and letting out a long sigh: 'Man, I almost got dragged into social death by those two idiots! Luckily, I slipped away fast.'
He shook the small cake box in his hand and walked toward the harbor, feeling the sea breeze. Rubbing his chin, he mused: 'Where should I go next? I need to find a place where I can observe the future newcomer up close... It's definitely not just to watch the drama unfold.' As soon as the words left his mouth, his eyes lit up, and he turned into a deserted side alley.
A faint golden light flashed in the alley. When he walked out again, Riyao had transformed into a blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty. Wavy curls cascaded down to his waist, his eyelashes were long and curled, and his features held a Mirajane-style gentle radiance—though those panda eyes were covered by a thick layer of foundation.
He stepped into a roadside women's clothing store, and ten minutes later, he had changed into a purple velvet dress with a hem adorned with fine silver diamonds. Stepping in high heels, he did a spin and giggled into his hand toward the mirror: 'Ohoho, I'm so beautiful! Master Bora, I'm coming~'
In front of the cruise ship at the harbor, Bora was busy attracting female fans with his lackeys. When he suddenly saw the blonde beauty approaching in high heels, his eyes went straight. The rose in his hand dropped to the ground, his smile froze, and his throat bobbed. He blurted out almost instinctively: 'Beautiful lady, I assume you are one of my fans too.' His tone was incredibly arrogant; though it was a question, it radiated absolute confidence.
Riyao let out an 'Oh my' while covering his mouth, taking two shy steps back. The hem of the purple dress fluttered with the movement, unintentionally revealing a pair of long, slender legs.
His eyes shimmered as his fingertips lightly twirled a lock of hair: 'Master Bora, asking me like that makes me so shy.' His voice was soft enough to melt water, but his eyes were secretly gauging Bora's reaction.
Bora nearly lost his soul to the charm. Hearts appeared in his eyes as he leaned forward, almost pouncing. He thought frantically: 'Oh no, this beauty is better at flirting than I am. Am I being counter-charmed?' His lackeys were also dazed, letting their banners fall to the ground.
Seeing that the timing was right, Riyao ran off with a 'clack-clack-clack' of high heels, blending into the crowd on the deck. Before leaving, he looked back and blew a kiss: 'I'm really looking forward to the banquet tonight, Master Bora~'
Bora and his lackeys stood frozen, staring blankly at his retreating back, drool nearly escaping their mouths. They didn't snap out of it for a long time.
Happy Scene Transition.GIF
Riyao sat on the highest mast of the ship, holding a handful of sunflower seeds and cracking them happily.
Below, Bora's lackeys were sneakily knocking out the girls boarding the ship one by one, tying them up, and stuffing them into the corners of the hold with practiced movements.
Lucy walked in wearing a wine-red dress, her hem sweeping across the deck. Her eyes were full of longing, truly believing she could join 'Fairy Tail.' Her hands unconsciously gripped her skirt, and her steps were light.
'Crack!'
A sunflower seed shell landed precisely on top of Lucy's head. Lucy looked up in confusion, reached out to remove the shell, and grumbled with a frown: 'Who is it? So inconsiderate!'
Just as she finished speaking, Riyao leaped lightly from the mast, seed shells fluttering down by his feet. He pressed his hands together, putting on a face full of apology, and said in a soft voice: 'Oh, I'm so sorry, my hand slipped.'
Lucy looked at the blonde beauty before her and felt her features were somewhat familiar, especially that gentle smile. For a moment, she forgot to complain about how the person could jump from such a height and just waved her hand foolishly: 'It's okay, hahaha.'
She didn't notice that a small portion of the Fairy Tail emblem was visible at the neckline of Riyao's dress.
Bora walked over holding champagne, a self-proclaimed charming smirk on his face. His eyes darted between Lucy and Riyao: 'Oh~ Lucy is here, and this beautiful lady, it's a pleasure to see you again.'
As he spoke, he tried to reach out and put an arm around Riyao's shoulder, but Riyao nimbly dodged him.
As the group walked into the cabin, Bora continued to brag incessantly: 'The banquet on my ship is the finest in all of Fiore...' Riyao, feeling bored, instinctively raised his hand and used his pinky to pick his nose while maintaining a perfunctory smile.
Lucy caught a glimpse of this from the corner of her eye and screamed internally: 'Hey! Is that pretty face of yours meant for that? Can't you pay a little attention to your image!'
Lucy shook her head violently to suppress her internal complaints. She slammed the table and stood up, her gaze firm: 'The magic you're using right now is "Sleep," isn't it! All those girls were put to Sleep by you!'
The smile on Bora's face vanished instantly, replaced by a sinister sneer: 'You know quite a lot, little girl.' He waved his hand, and the curtain behind him was pulled back, revealing a row of tied-up girls and lackeys holding ropes.
Lucy straightened her back and shouted righteously: 'It's true I want to join Fairy Tail, but I will never be your woman!'
Bora let out a cackling laugh, his voice shrill: 'Now that you're on my ship, you think you can escape? Jie jie jie!'
He pointed at Lucy with a contemptuous look: 'You're not even qualified to be my woman; you're only fit to be sold as merchandise! Only a beautiful lady like the one next to you deserves to stay by my side!'
Riyao immediately played along, covering his face shyly: 'Oh, Master Bora, you're such a joker~' That tone was so sugary it almost gave Lucy goosebumps.
Lucy's eyes widened as she pointed at Riyao: 'Are you with them too?!'
Riyao spread his hands with an innocent expression, his voice carrying a sob: 'I'm just a weak woman. If I don't obey, won't I get beaten up? I don't have any special attributes, sob sob sob.'
Lucy held her forehead, feeling her urge to complain about to explode. This wasn't a weak woman; this was a drama queen! She pulled out a celestial spirit key and shouted: 'Then I'll save them myself!' But just as she held up the key, it was knocked away by a Flame Whip flicked by Bora.
Riyao rolled his eyes and whispered a complaint: 'The Lady Mage is a bit unreliable; she can't even hold her keys steady.'
Lucy's cheeks flushed. Just as she was about to defend herself, she saw Bora toss the celestial spirit key in his hand and laugh as he threw it into the sea outside the window: 'Now, surrender quietly, and we will treat you "gently."'
Riyao immediately acted frightened, covering his chest and backing away: 'Yamero~ Someone please save me!'
Bora rubbed his hands together and approached step by step with a lewd smile: 'Even if you scream your throat broken, no one will come to save you! Jie jie jie!'
Riyao suddenly dropped the terrified expression and shouted in a high-pitched voice: 'Broken Throat! Broken Throat!'
Lucy was on the verge of a breakdown. Even in such a crisis, she couldn't help but complain: 'Don't use such an old meme! What era is this!'
BANG!
With a loud crash, a large hole was smashed into the ceiling of the cabin. Natsu jumped down wrapped in a ball of fire, landing steadily in front of Riyao and Lucy, blocking Bora.
Just as everyone was dumbstruck, Natsu suddenly covered his mouth. His face was pale, and his body trembled slightly, looking like he was about to vomit at any second.
Happy flew in through the hole and landed on Natsu's shoulder. Flapping his wings, he explained calmly: 'This is Natsu's old problem. It's just motion sickness from the ship.'
Happy turned to look at Riyao, his eyes widening: 'Aye! Riyao, why are you here too? And dressed like that!'
Lucy's brain completely short-circuited. She looked back and forth at Riyao, remembering the handsome guy with panda eyes from the restaurant. Her eyes grew wider and wider, her mouth opening and closing for a long time without a word. This look, this tone, and that faint sense of familiarity... he seemed like someone?!
Riyao slowly wiped away the foundation on his face, revealing those signature panda eyes, and even winked at Lucy: 'Well, since there's fun to be had, I just came to join the excitement.'
Natsu clutched his stomach and pitifully reached out to grab Riyao's sleeve:'Save me, quickly use that anti-motion sickness magic! I'm going to puke!'
Bora, feeling completely ignored, roared in anger and lashed out with his Flame Whip toward Lucy and Happy.
Happy immediately spread his wings, his tail wrapping around Lucy as he zoomed upward: 'Aye! Get out of the way!'
As Happy flew to dodge the attacks, he didn't forget to comfort Lucy: 'If Riyao is here, there's nothing to worry about! He's super strong in a fight!'
Lucy had just relaxed when she saw Riyao suddenly stiffen. His eyes widened, and then he vanished from the spot with a 'whoosh,' leaving only a wail floating in the air: 'Oh no! Mirajane is summoning me!'
Lucy pointed at the spot where Riyao had disappeared, looking completely bewildered: 'What's the situation??? Does Riyao know Space Magic too?'
As soon as she spoke, Happy's wings suddenly disappeared; his flight time had reached its limit. The person and the cat screamed as they went into a free fall. Happy yelled as he fell: 'Aye! That's not Space Magic! Mirajane used a celestial spirit key to summon him home! Just like your Celestial Spirit Magic!'
Splash~
Lucy fell hard into the sea, the splash rising a person's height. Ignoring the water she choked on, she quickly swam to where the key had fallen, fished out the seawater-drenched Aquarius key, took a deep breath, and shouted: 'Gate of the Water Bearer, Aquarius!'
A blue water pillar shot into the sky. Aquarius, wearing a bikini, stood on the crest of a wave with an impatient look. Seeing Lucy, she let out a 'Tch.'
Lucy immediately bristled: 'Did you just "tch" at me!'
Aquarius rolled her eyes: 'If you ever dare to lose the key again, I won't forgive you.' With a casual wave of her hand, a massive tidal wave instantly crashed down, sweeping both the people and the ship back to the shore. Bora and his lackeys were left dizzy from the wave, lying on the beach like salted fish.