For a split second, the guild went dead silent—then it exploded into loud, roaring laughter.
But in that sea of laughter, Shane couldn't laugh at all.
He stared at Natsu's skittish, startled-rabbit behavior, swallowed hard, and carefully asked Gray, "…How badly did you guys get beat up? I was only gone a little over two months—has Erza really gotten that terrifying now?"
Gray's mouth twitched as if he'd just been punched by an old, traumatic memory.
He didn't answer—but his expression said everything.
Instantly, Shane felt his brow start pounding. A strong sense of danger crawled up his spine.
"Uh—so, um…" He suddenly raised his voice, forcing a casual tone as he glanced out the window. "It's getting late! I'm kinda tired—I'm heading home to rest!"
And with Kana's teasing sing-song—"Erza should be back tonight~"—ringing in his ears, he bolted out of the guild hall.
But he didn't go straight home.
He pivoted and sprinted straight for the most famous dessert shop on the central commercial street—Tomas's Coffee.
Under the clerk's slightly stunned gaze, he didn't hesitate. He swept every single strawberry cake in the display case clean.
With this… Erza's anger should cool off a bit, right?
Clutching the heavy paper bag, Shane felt a little more secure and hurried home.
But the moment he reached his front door, his steps unconsciously stopped.
The door was cracked open—not fully shut.
A sliver of light leaked through the gap, casting a thin ribbon across the ground.
"Erza's already back?" His heart lurched. He instinctively tightened his grip on the cake bag.
He took a deep breath, put on an expression of grim resignation, and pushed the door open.
But the furious red-haired girl he'd imagined wasn't there.
In the living room, soft light spilled like gauze, and a figure sat quietly on the sofa.
Long hair as black and glossy as pencil lead. Skin so pale it almost looked translucent under the lamplight.
"…Ultear." Shane exhaled, the tension draining from his shoulders.
Then confusion rose immediately after.
They'd contacted each other remotely via lacrima earlier this month—well before their next scheduled "exchange." Why would she show up now?
He walked inside and set the big bag of cakes down on the coffee table, then looked at Ultear in question.
Ultear lifted her pretty eyes and gave him a flat glance. "That's a rude look. You—"
She cut herself off mid-sentence when her gaze caught the bag on the table—the dessert shop logo was unmistakable.
The sharp remark that had been on her tongue quietly retreated.
She hadn't expected Shane—of all people—to understand offering pastries to a guest.
So, for once, she didn't fire back with an even more contemptuous eye-roll.
"According to our agreement," Ultear said, her voice as level as ever, "I provide intel, and you provide assistance. Right?"
As she spoke, her hand slipped naturally into the bag and pulled out a neatly packaged strawberry cake.
She hadn't touched this sort of painfully "girly" sweet in a long time.
For her, eating was usually just… maintenance.
But if she could fleece Shane a little, Ultear was perfectly happy to enjoy herself.
"Wait—" Shane reflexively tried to stop her, wanting to say that was tribute meant for Erza.
But Ultear's silver spoon had already sliced cleanly through, and she lifted a bite crowned with bright red strawberry to her mouth.
A smear of cream accidentally touched the corner of her lips, adding an oddly vivid softness to her cool, distant aura.
"What?" She licked her lips, looking at him with faint puzzlement. "Something wrong?"
Since she'd already eaten, and there were still plenty left in the bag, Shane could only shake his head. "No. Go ahead."
Ultear nodded faintly. "I need your help. I recently combed through some old texts and found a location that may contain an 'Super Magic.'"
"Super Magic?" Shane repeated, puzzled.
He'd crammed plenty of basics in Layla's study, but a term this high-level was still outside his knowledge.
"Mm." She took another spoonful before explaining, unhurried. "As the name implies, Super Magics are magic that stand above conventional systems—powerful enough to break common sense, or governed by special rules."
"They're usually rare and extremely strong. They can flip the entire battlefield—or achieve effects ordinary magic simply can't."
That, at least, made sense.
Shane nodded. "If we're going by the deal, helping you is reasonable. But first, tell me your concrete purpose for searching this Super Magic."
Ultear shook her head lightly. "No concrete purpose. I'm not even sure it exists, or what it would be if it does."
"Even if I have ideas, I'll decide after I see it—based on reality."
"Then why—" Shane was even more confused.
Ultear set her spoon down, expression calm. "I already decided I won't rely on anyone. I'll fulfill my wish with my own hands."
"If there's an Super Magic there, I'm going to confirm it myself—and see whether it helps."
Then her eyes returned to the bag. Apparently it really was good, because she casually took out a second one.
Shane, still thinking, didn't notice.
He considered it. Since they'd made their arrangement, Ultear had been the one providing valuable intel while he hadn't offered much tangible in return. For the sake of fairness, her request wasn't unreasonable.
"Alright." He finally nodded. "Time and place?"
Ultear narrowed her eyes slightly, savoring the sweetness spreading in her mouth. "The Worth Woodsea."
"As for timing—later. Once I'm fully prepared, I'll come find you. With your 'eyes,' we should be able to locate the clue."
"Worth Woodsea… got it." Shane memorized the name.
Then he suddenly remembered the unlucky kid, Gray.
He'd already asked once before, but Gray had behaved reasonably lately, so Shane figured he'd help him again.
"This might be unnecessary, but… Gray may actually know something about your mother, Ur. There might be a misunderstanding. Are you still refusing to see him?"
The instant the word "mother" came up, Ultear's face turned cold, like someone flipped a switch.
"We're done here. I'm leaving." She stood, voice distant.
Shane shrugged helplessly. Every time her mother came up, she shut down completely.
He watched her walk to the door, thinking: Yeah… digging at someone's scars is a bad habit. If we're partners now, I should stop pushing this. Gray could deal with it himself.
Just as Shane was about to look away, Ultear—hand on the doorknob—paused.
She didn't open it right away.
After a moment, still facing away, she spoke in a voice so soft it was almost inaudible—yet perfectly clear:
"I… I'm not ready yet."
Then the knob turned. She slipped out.
The door clicked shut gently behind her.
Shane blinked, then scratched his head.
Was that… progress? At least she gave a reason instead of pure stonewalling.
But before he could think any deeper, a familiar voice sounded outside—one that made Shane's scalp tingle.
"...Ultear?" Erza's crisp voice carried unmistakable surprise. "Why are you here?"
"Did you come to see Shane? He's back?"
"And he served strawberry cake?"
"…And it tastes—really good?"
~~~
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