Mirajane was strolling through the amusement area, arm-in-arm with Riyao, when her gaze was suddenly drawn to a massive circular turntable in the distance.
Her eyes lit up instantly, and she grabbed Riyao by the wrist, dragging him as she dashed in that direction.
Lisanna and Elfman were taken aback for a moment before quickly jogging to catch up.
A disco turntable!
It was a huge circular platform surrounded by inflatable railings. The turntable would spin faster and faster, occasionally bucking up and down, tossing everyone on it in every which direction.
It might not have been inherently that fun, but Mirajane spotted a figure in the queue that instantly ignited her fighting spirit.
Erza was standing at the very front of the line, arms crossed, scrutinizing the turntable with a serious expression, as if she were assessing a battlefield that needed to be conquered.
A dangerous curve slowly formed at the corner of Mirajane's mouth as she let go of Riyao's hand.
She walked up to Erza with light steps, tilted her head slightly, and spoke with undisguised provocation in her tone.
"Erza, how about we have a contest to see who can stay standing the longest?"
Erza slowly turned her head, her gaze colliding with Mirajane's in the air, sparking invisible flames.
She let out a cold snort and lifted her chin slightly.
"Hmph, it will definitely be me."
The two were at it again. The air was thick with the scent of gunpowder, and the people around them instinctively took half a step back.
Lucy and Levy happened to be passing by and, seeing this scene, curiously gathered around.
Lucy tugged on Levy's sleeve and whispered.
"They're starting again."
Levy, however, excitedly raised her hand and jumped up.
"We want to play too!"
Alzack, Jet, and Droy appeared from out of nowhere; the three of them moved as if they were equipped with radar, raising their hands in unison and shouting.
"Count us in too!"
It was that damned competitive drive, along with those hormones acting up in secret.
Everyone piled onto the disco turntable in a flurry.
The other tourists were all obediently sitting on the edge of the turntable, hands gripping the railings, prepared to be tossed around.
But this group from Fairy Tail stood straight as ramrods, feet shoulder-width apart, arms either crossed or akimbo, striking a pose that screamed, "Whoever falls first is a dog."
The tourists sitting nearby watched this group of people standing like statues, completely bewildered. A little girl tugged on her mother's sleeve.
"Mommy, what's wrong with those big brothers and sisters?"
"Don't look at them, you'll catch whatever they have."
Lucy covered her face, not wanting to face reality.
With a crisp bell ring, the turntable slowly started.
Everyone simultaneously dug their toes in, gripping the surface of the turntable like eagle talons; combined, those toes could probably gouge out a tall tower.
Natsu wasn't there, otherwise he would have probably already collapsed.
The turntable spun faster and faster, and centrifugal force began to pull at everyone's bodies.
The platform also bucked violently from time to time, as if a giant frog were hiding underneath, hopping around.
The surrounding tourists were already being tossed every which way, with screams rising one after another.
Yet, this group from Fairy Tail remained standing firmly.
Mirajane stood with her arms crossed, her body slightly adjusting its center of gravity with the swaying of the turntable, her white hair fluttering up and covering Riyao's face.
A calm smile hung on her lips as her gaze drifted past the others to land on Erza.
"Erza, I could stand on this thing all day long. If you want to admit defeat, you should do it early."
Erza stood with her hands on her hips, her feet nailed to the turntable as if they had taken root, her body not moving a single inch.
She met Mirajane's gaze without showing any weakness, a defiant curve forming at the corner of her mouth.
"Hmph, Mira, your mouth is still as tough as ever, but the final winner will definitely be me."
Riyao, standing next to Mirajane, heard this and let his mouth curve slightly, interjecting in a tone that was nonchalant yet incredibly serious.
"No, Mira's little mouth is soft."
The air went quiet for a second.
Alzack and Bisca instinctively exchanged a glance, and both of their faces turned red to their earlobes at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Alzack stumbled, and Bisca covered her face with both hands.
Their centers of gravity shifted simultaneously, and like dominoes, they both fell to the ground, rolling onto the inflatable railing at the edge of the turntable.
(ﾉ ∇ ︎ 〃 ) ( ﾉ ∇ ︎ 〃 )
It was obvious that Elfman only trained his upper body and hadn't really worked on his legs.
His undertrained legs began to tremble uncontrollably, his knees shaking like a sieve.
He gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, trying to steady his body with sheer willpower, but eventually, his center of gravity shifted, and he crashed down, tripping Lisanna in the process.
Elfman lay on the edge of the turntable, pounding the ground with his fist, and let out a tragic cry.
"A real man must train his legs!"
"Brother, you really are something."
Cana hadn't drunk little on the way here and was still clutching a bottle of liquor.
With the turntable spinning and swaying like this, the alcohol accelerated its circulation in her body, and she began to feel dizzy, her eyes gradually growing unfocused.
She swayed twice and reached out to grab Erza's hem, but grabbed nothing and collapsed softly.
Cana lay on the turntable, raised her bottle to shake it at Erza, and then closed her eyes and started snoring softly.
"Erza, I can't go on."
Jet probably felt that just standing there was too boring and actually started running on the turntable.
He took off, trying to use running to counteract the rotational force of the turntable, but he didn't get two steps in.
Droy was jolted by the turntable and uncontrollably tilted to the side, slamming solidly into Jet.
The two rolled into a ball like bowling pins and flew off the turntable together, crashing into the inflatable railing on the side.
Droy poked his head out of the railing and shouted with a helpless expression.
"You idiot, why were you running?"
Jet lay in the railing, looking up at the sky, his tone carrying a hint of philosophical indifference.
"It's just because I was bored."
Lucy and Levy were almost unable to hold on.
Their legs were shaking like leaves in the autumn wind, and their hands were flailing wildly in the air, trying to grab something to keep their balance.
Riyao watched them, a cheeky grin forming on his lips, and raised his foot to lightly stomp on the turntable.
An imperceptible vibration spread from under Riyao's foot, precisely transmitting to the soles of Lucy and Levy's feet.
"Ah!"
Levy's feet slipped, and she sat down hard on the turntable, tears almost coming out from the pain.
"My butt hurts so much."
"You bastard, Riyao!"
Lucy lay on the edge of the turntable, pointing a trembling finger at Riyao, her eyes filled with accusation.
Riyao stuffed his hands into his pockets and whistled, turning his head to the side with an innocent expression that said, "I don't know anything."
The turntable slowly came to a stop. Only four people remained standing on the field: Erza, Mirajane, Riyao, and Juvia.
The turntable had stopped before it was decided who would be the last one standing.
Mirajane puffed out her cheeks, jumped up, and climbed onto Riyao's back, wrapping her arms around his neck and resting her chin on his shoulder, her tone full of unwillingness.
"What a pity, Erza didn't fall down after all."
Riyao took the opportunity to support the backs of Mirajane's knees, hoisting her up steadily, and turned his head to whisper in her ear.
"Then we'll go play something else later and beat her."
Mirajane shook her head, her cheeks still puffed out, but a new light had replaced the look in her eyes.
She pointed forward, gently squeezed her legs against Riyao's waist, and shouted like a commanding general.
"Nah, let's go play something fun! Giddy-up!"
Riyao didn't say a word and complied, starting to run, while also making a horse-like neighing sound.
The two ran along the stone path of the amusement area like this, Mirajane's laughter drifting past Riyao's ears, causing passing tourists to glance over one after another.
They hadn't run far before Riyao slammed on the brakes and stopped.
Up ahead, the three members of the Thunder God Tribe were gathered around a coin-operated kiddie ride.
To be precise, Freed was sitting on one of the kiddie rides.
The kiddie ride was shaped like a pink cartoon pony, covered in colorful stickers; after inserting a coin, it would start rocking back and forth and play a cheerful children's song.
Freed wore a face so serious he could attend a funeral, hands gripping the ride's handlebars tightly, his body swaying back and forth with the rhythm of the ride.
A group of children was gathered nearby, all looking up, gazing at this big brother sitting on the kiddie ride with worshipful eyes, as if he were performing an amazing feat.
"Yo, what are you guys playing?"
Riyao walked over with Mirajane on his back, his mouth already stretching almost to his ears.
Bickslow stood to the side, spreading his hands, and explained in a tone that said, "I'm helpless too, but I'm already used to it."
"Freed suddenly wanted to try the kiddie ride, saying it was a form of self-discipline."
Mirajane didn't say a word; she reached into Riyao's arms, pulled out the magic camera she carried with her, aimed it at Freed on the ride, and clicked the shutter with a snap.
The moment the flash went off, Freed's face seemed to tighten a bit more.
Mirajane put the camera away and patted Riyao's shoulder, signaling him to continue forward.
"Well then, carry on with your training."
The four of them continued strolling through the amusement area, and as they walked, a spooky haunted house appeared before them.
The exterior wall of the haunted house was painted in a colorful shade of black, with a few flickering pumpkin lanterns hanging at the entrance, and low, mournful wailing sounds playing on a loop from the speakers.
Riyao tilted his head, sizing up the entrance to the haunted house, his tone filled with a hint of eagerness.
"How about we go in and take a look? I'm quite curious about what kind of ghosts are inside."
Mirajane slid down from Riyao's back and linked her arm through his.
"I'm quite curious too, let's go."
Lisanna shrank her neck, hiding behind Mirajane, grabbing the hem of her sister's clothes with both hands.
"Big sister, you have to protect me."
Riyao immediately hugged Mirajane's arm tighter, pressing his whole body almost against her.
"No way, your sister needs to protect me."
Lisanna's eyes widened, looking at Riyao's righteous expression in disbelief.
"Brother-in-law, where is your manly dignity!"
Elfman scratched his head; that sounded like his line.
Riyao rolled his eyes and hugged Mirajane's arm even tighter, refusing to let go no matter what.
Mirajane looked down at the two people hanging off her, smiled helplessly, and dragged these two "attachments," one big and one small, toward the entrance of the haunted house.
Lisanna held onto Mirajane's other arm, and Elfman walked behind the three of them, acting as the rearguard.
He puffed out his chest, trying to provide a sense of security to the three people in front with his massive frame.
As soon as the four of them walked into the haunted house, cold air rushed toward them, and eerie green lights cast strange shadows on the walls.
They hadn't walked more than a few steps before they heard a familiar shout coming from ahead.
Happy was sprawled on top of Natsu's head, his two paws clutching Natsu's head for dear life, his tail wrapped around Natsu's neck, the whole cat shaking like a phone set to vibrate mode.
"Natsu! There's a ghost on the right! Aaaaaah…"
Natsu's vision was blocked by Happy, so he couldn't see a thing and could only spin in circles based on feeling, while also shouting "Aaaaaah" along with him.
Gajeel was standing on the right, the expression on his face changing from confusion to anger, and finally to hurt.
He pointed at his own face and roared at Happy.
"The one on the right is me! Do I look scarier?!"
Gray stood to the side, arms crossed, and replied with an expressionless face.
"What do you think?"
Riyao and the other three stood not far away, silently watching this scene.
Lisanna burst into laughter, and Elfman's shoulders were also shaking slightly.