At the bar, Lucy was sprawled on the table, wailing as usual: "What am I going to do about rent... I'm going to have to eat dirt again next month..."
Just then, the guild's wooden door was gently pushed open, and a petite figure walked in. Her long, dark blue hair was tied into twin tails, swaying softly with her steps.
"Is Mr. Riyao here?" Wendy's soft, sweet voice rang out, like cotton candy melting in the air.
Lisanna's eyes lit up instantly. She put down the rag in her hand and rushed over in two or three steps, hugging Wendy and pressing her against her chest as if she were holding a plush toy: "Little Wendy is visiting again! I want to steal you away~ Brother-in-law is farming at the manor, do you want me to take you there?"
Wendy's face was muffled by Lisanna's clothes, her cheeks turning bright red. She patted Lisanna's arm with her small hands, her voice muffled: "Sister Lisanna... I can't breathe..."
Lisanna finally let go and laughed: "Little Wendy, do you want to join our guild? Our guild is so much fun, people fight every day~"
Wendy waved her hands and shook her head desperately, her twin tails swinging like a rattle: "No, no! The seniors in my guild are very kind to me!"
Carla, following behind Wendy, crossed her arms and gave a look of disdain at the chaotic scene in the guild. Gray was shirtless again, Natsu was dancing on a table, and Cana was lying on a wine barrel singing. She snorted coldly: "Hmph, that black-bellied drama queen is so lazy, actually farming? What a waste of talent."
A blue figure "whooshed" over. Happy's eyes were filled with hearts, his wings flapping like a small fan, and he held a grilled fish in his claws: "Carla! You're here! Do you want to eat fish? This is my favorite grilled fish! I saved it especially for you!"
Carla gave him a look of disdain, her nose wrinkling slightly: "I don't want to eat that greasy thing of yours."
Happy's heart broke in two, but he immediately cheered up: "Then I'll make you steamed fish next time!"
Carla couldn't be bothered with him and pulled Wendy's hand to walk out: "Let's go find that drama queen quickly. There's a shirtless pervert over there, let's go."
Gray's face turned red, and he hurriedly looked around for his clothes: "Where are my clothes?! Who stole my clothes again!"
Natsu pointed at Gray and laughed: "Hahaha! You're naked again! Pervert!"
Gray threw a punch, Natsu dodged to the side, and the two immediately started brawling, with tables and chairs suffering the consequences.
The love-struck Happy followed closely behind Carla, and the two cats and one girl arrived at Riyao's manor.
Riyao was squatting in the field, busy with a small shovel, muttering to a grafted fruit tree. He was wearing a white undershirt with the sleeves rolled up to his shoulders, revealing lean arms, with sweat beads hanging on his forehead.
"Make an apple tree grow peach-flavored mangoes..." he muttered to himself.
Nearby, Mira, wearing a straw hat, sat on a rattan chair with a magazine on her lap and a fruit knife in her hand, slowly cutting a watermelon. She cut a slice and held it out to Riyao's mouth: "Come on, take a bite~"
Riyao opened his mouth and took a big bite without even turning his head. After chewing twice, his eyes lit up: "Mmm! This strawberry-flavored watermelon is really great! The sweetness is just right!"
Not far away, the two cats and one girl stood frozen in place, their eyes twitching in unison.
Carla retorted with her sharp tongue: "Is strawberry-flavored watermelon some kind of evil research result?! What on earth are you doing!"
Wendy widened her deep blue eyes, her mouth forming an 'O' shape, and muttered softly: "Mr. Riyao's magic research... is so strange..."
Happy had already flown over, grabbed a piece of watermelon with his claws, stuffed it into his mouth, and said vaguely: "Riyao! Can you make a black-striped bass-flavored watermelon next time?"
Riyao tidied up his tools, stood up, patted the dirt off his knees, turned around and saw Wendy, and smiled: "Isn't this little Wendy? Are you planning to join Fairy Tail?"
Wendy's face turned red, and she shook her head vigorously: "No! I'm just here to ask a question!"
Fortunately, Wendy was young, otherwise Mirajane would have been jealous and beaten Riyao up; this man was always thinking about tricking little girls into the guild.
Wendy heard the word "little" again, lowered her head, and muttered in a super small voice: "I will grow up..." The voice was as small as a mosquito, but Riyao's ears still caught it.
He pretended not to hear, but Mirajane had already run over, hugged Wendy and rubbed her face against hers, her straw hat even going crooked: "Little Wendy is here again~ Stay the night, I'll make you your favorite little cake!"
Wendy was surrounded by Mirajane's scent, her face turning even redder, her little hands having nowhere to rest: "Th... Thank you, Miss Mirajane..."
Happy squatted next to the watermelon plate, eating while saying: "Riyao, is black-striped bass-flavored watermelon really impossible?"
Riyao tidied up his tools, got up and walked towards the cabin, throwing the shovel into the bucket by the door: "It can't be done. How about I sprinkle some cumin on it for you?"
As he walked, he pulled off his undershirt, revealing his lean upper body, sweat beads sliding down his back: "I'm going back to take a shower. I'm all sweaty and sticky, and Mira won't cuddle with me."
Mirajane blushed and kicked Riyao's butt: "Can you pay attention to your image! There are guests here!"
Riyao chuckled and slipped into the house.
Splash—
The sound of water in the bathroom rang out, and not long after.
Riyao's post-bath photo.jpg
He changed into a dark green shirt, black shorts, and flip-flops, walking out with a slapping sound. His hair was still wet, and water droplets dripped down his hair tips onto his shirt, leaving dark traces.
Mirajane's eyes lit up like a cat that had discovered prey, and she pounced on him, wanting to rub her face against Riyao's sweat: "Hehehe, little baby, let sister cuddle~"
Riyao agilely dodged to the side and reached out to block her face: "Now it's my turn to be disgusted by you, you're all sweaty."
Mirajane chased him relentlessly.
The two circled around Wendy, one in front and one behind.
Wendy stood in the middle, dizzy with stars in her eyes, holding her forehead with her small hand, and stumbled twice: "Mr. Riyao... Miss Mirajane... please stop spinning... I... I'm so dizzy..."
Poor Riyao was eventually rubbed with Mirajane's sweat. She seized the moment he stopped, hugged him from behind, pressed her face against his, and smiled triumphantly.
Mirajane went to take a bath with satisfaction, while Riyao looked helplessly at the water stains on his shirt and sighed.
...
Under the phoenix tree, a stone table and stone stools stood quietly in the mottled tree shadows.
Riyao sat on the stone stool, crossing his legs and shaking them, and even put on gold-rimmed glasses to look like a scholar, his fingers tapping gently on the table: "Little Wendy, what questions do you have this time?"
Wendy took out a huge book and "slammed" it onto the stone table, shaking the teacup on the table. Happy and Carla were blown into mid-air by the shock.
"Where did you pull such a big book out from?!" Lucy's voice came from the side, her eyes wide, looking at Wendy in disbelief.
Natsu had just finished "cuddling" with Gray at the guild and discovered Happy was missing. Lucy had also been curious about what Riyao's manor was like, so she simply came with Natsu.
It was less of a manor and more of a farm, but much more luxurious than a farm.
The pebble path was lined with lavender and roses, the fruit orchard was hung with strange-shaped fruits, and there was an exquisite fountain in the distance.
In Lucy's eyes, this was a combination of a manor and a farm, but it had an indescribable elegance.
There was no help for it; Riyao had set it up according to those ancient vacation villas, so in their eyes, it was a combination of a manor and a farm.
Natsu was holding a bunch of grapes, throwing them into the air one by one, tilting his head to catch them with his mouth, chewing until the juice splashed everywhere: "Mmm! These grapes are so sweet!"
Wendy opened the book, pointed to the magic circle diagram on it, and began to ask Riyao questions about healing and Enchantment Magic.
Riyao adjusted his glasses, picked up a twig, drew a magic circle on the ground, and began to explain to Wendy.
"This spaghetti should be mixed with No. 42 concrete because the length of this screw will easily affect the torque of the excavator..." Riyao said while drawing, the twig making smooth lines on the sandy ground.
Wendy nodded as if she understood, her deep blue eyes shining with the thirst for knowledge.
Beside them, Happy and Natsu were drowsy; Happy lay on the stone table, his eyelids getting heavier and heavier.
Natsu yawned, spitting grape seeds all over the ground. The gold content of Igneel's teaching was still rising.
Lucy leaned over, trying to learn some new knowledge, but those magic terms were like heavenly books; she was confused and could only secretly write down a few keywords in her notebook.
Mirajane walked over with dessert, the mango cake garnished with fresh mint leaves, smelling fragrant.
Carla elegantly scooped up a piece with a small spoon and savored it.
Riyao and Wendy finally finished talking. Lucy raised her hand like an elementary school student, holding a pen in the other hand, her eyes shining: "Teacher Riyao! Virgo said you know how to use Star Dress, can you teach me if there are any tips?"
Riyao pushed his glasses, the lenses reflecting a white light, his tone flat: "Virgo must have told you your magic power is low."
Virgo appeared out of thin air, wearing a maid outfit, bowed slightly, and then nodded expressionlessly: "Princess thinks there might be some shortcut to take here with Boss."
Lucy's face turned red instantly, her fingertips poking each other nervously, moving back and forth, her voice getting smaller and smaller: "I... I just wanted to ask... if there is any way... that doesn't require so much magic power..."
Mirajane walked over, gently patted Lucy's shoulder, and said softly: "It's okay, your current magic power is already half of what I had when I... first awakened my magic."
Lucy was stunned for a moment, then "wailed" and hugged Wendy, crying bitterly: "Why am I so weak! I don't even have half of Mirajane's when she was little! Wuwuwu..."
Wendy was squeezed by Lucy until she couldn't breathe, but she still gently patted Lucy's back, comforting her: "It's okay, Miss Lucy, you will... grow up eventually..."
As she spoke, Wendy's voice got smaller and smaller. She looked down at her flat chest, her eyes dimmed, and she muttered softly: "I will... grow up, right..."
Mirajane and Riyao looked at each other; they didn't have that trouble~