Considering he might need to ask the old man to introduce him to some heavy hitters later, Shane didn't head straight to the guild. Instead, he tied on an apron and went into the kitchen.
Fresh beast meat was chopped into a fine mince on the cutting board, then mixed vigorously with diced onion, herbs, and beaten egg until it got springy.
Erza dragged over a small stool and sat in the kitchen doorway, chin in her hands, eyes tracking every move he made.
Shane didn't slow down—portioning, rolling wrappers, filling, pressing patties—everything flowed in one smooth sequence.
Then the patties slid into hot oil. With a sizzle, a rich fragrance burst out instantly.
At the sound, Erza straightened without realizing it, eyes shining.
Shane fried eight in one go. He plated two and handed them to the girl who'd been practically staring holes through him, then carefully stacked the rest into an insulated food box, layering them neatly.
"Let's go." He lifted the food box and looked at the girl who had already annihilated the patties and was wiping her mouth. "To the guild."
They headed out side by side.
The commercial street was busy and lively, but Shane wasn't in the mood to browse.
"Just meat patties might not be enough," he murmured, rubbing his chin as his eyes scanned the storefronts. "I need to add some… extra firepower for the old man."
Then he remembered the way Makarov always squinted and intensely ogled the dancer, Everlue, and an idea immediately formed.
He veered off and led Erza into a large newspaper-and-book shop.
"Looking for… uh, a gift for the master," Shane said vaguely, scanning the shelves.
Before long, a weekly magazine with a provocative cover caught his eye: Sorcerer Magazine.
It looked freshly released. The cover model had an incredible figure, barely covered, posing in a boldly seductive way—maximum visual impact.
Shane flipped through it and found an interview inside. The woman was apparently a moderately famous mage.
"No wonder they put out two full rows…" he muttered, turning further back and noticing it also included some guild news and updates.
He thought for a moment, then handed the magazine to Erza. "Erza, what do you think? The master would probably like this, right?"
Erza took the magazine. Even with that daring cover, she showed no embarrassment—just the same serious expression.
She read it page by page, carefully. Occasionally she tilted her head, occasionally she looked like she'd had an insight.
After a while, she nodded solemnly. "Yes. Very pretty. The color composition and posing have strong impact. The master should like it."
A professional-grade endorsement.
"And there's a lot of news and intel about other guilds in the back," Shane added, pleasantly surprised at his own find. "It's not completely useless."
With approval secured, Shane brought Sorcerer Magazine to the counter.
But as he was about to pay, Erza calmly picked up another copy from the shelf and set it on the counter too.
"Hm?" Shane blinked. "What's that for?"
"I think it's worth learning from," Erza said, completely straight-faced.
Shane stared at her dead-serious expression, then chuckled and flicked her smooth forehead lightly with a knuckle. "Learn what? Just let the master read it."
A small red mark immediately appeared on her forehead, but she kept her posture rigid and insisted, "Learn how other guild mages do… publicity. And information gathering."
Shane went quiet.
Hearing her say "information gathering" with that righteous, no-nonsense face left him speechless.
And he couldn't help thinking: Is this Erza's level of mental fortitude?
Compared to Gray yelping like a wounded dog after a simple flick, the difference was obvious.
"…Fine." Shane sighed at the shopkeeper. "Two copies. Wrap them up together."
With an excuse that "proper," he couldn't even argue.
After paying, Shane packed away the "bribe" food box and the magazine, and they continued toward the guild.
Near noon, sunlight fell across Erza's profile, giving her face a gold rim and softening her usual sharp, knightly vibe into something unexpectedly gentle.
But Shane's attention wasn't on the view at all.
His mind was sunk deep in his own awareness, tracking the tiny feedback he kept getting as long as Erza stayed within the effective distance.
"Plus one… plus one… EXP plus one…" he counted silently, like a gamer who'd found an absurdly efficient grind spot.
Erza glanced sideways at him. Seeing him zoned out—no different from the way he always looked when he was thinking alone—she pouted ever so slightly.
Stay together, he said… but he was acting exactly the same as always.
Finally, the familiar doors of Fairy Tail came into view.
Shane almost instinctively raised his leg, ready to kick the doors open like Gildarts or Gray…
Then forced it back down.
Right. I'm a mature "guide" now. Certified by the Book of Heroes. I need to lead by example. No vandalizing public property.
He nodded to himself and reached out to push the doors normally.
But just as his hand was about to touch the door—
"Yo!"
With a shout, Natsu shot out from the side like a cannonball and planted a kick on the door.
BANG!
The doors slammed inward. Natsu landed and looked at Shane—who was still frozen in a "politely pushing the door" pose.
"Why aren't you going in?"
Shane's eye twitched as he stared at the door still wobbling on its hinges, and a weird premonition rose in his chest:
This kid might end up being even worse than Gray.
But he shrugged immediately.
Whatever. That's the master's headache.
He gave Makarov half a second of silent mourning, already picturing the old man's "writing self-reflection letters" speed leveling up again.
Then Shane shook it off and stepped inside—
Only to realize Erza wasn't beside him anymore.
A beat later, there was a loud CRASH from inside the guild, mixed with Natsu's startled yelp.
Shane rushed in.
Erza had somehow appeared behind Natsu like a ghost. One hand was planted on the back of his head, slamming his face into a wooden table.
The force flipped both Natsu and the table—wood splintering everywhere.
"Natsu," Erza said, voice calm but carrying a bone-chilling pressure, "I believe I warned you not to kick the guild doors."
Pinned on the floor, Natsu thrashed. "I—I get it! Erza! Let go!"
Watching her look so different—so razor-sharp she felt like a demon—Shane's heart jumped too.
He suddenly understood why Gray and Natsu acted like mice around a cat whenever Erza showed up.
She really hits people.
And she doesn't hold back.
"Those two are seriously hard to keep down…" Shane muttered under his breath, quietly relieved. "Thank goodness normal Erza is still pretty cute."
He let Erza keep "educating" Natsu and scanned the room. He quickly found his target at the bar.
Makarov was sipping his drink contentedly, completely unfazed by the chaos at the entrance.
Shane adjusted his expression, then walked over carrying the food box and the Sorcerer Magazine weekly wrapped in brown paper.
"Master."
Makarov looked up. Seeing Shane—and especially noticing the obvious "gifts" in his hands—his expression turned instantly suspicious.
"What do you want?"
"Nothing," Shane said with an awkward grin, doing his best to look painfully sincere. "I just thought… you work hard taking care of the guild. I wanted to give you something. That's all."
Makarov snorted, clearly not buying it.
But he still opened the food box. The smell of the meat patties drifted out, and his brows lifted slightly.
Then he picked up Sorcerer Magazine. The moment he saw the cover girl, his eyes flashed with unmistakable interest.
Seizing the instant his attention was fully hooked, Shane silently—hopefully—thought:
[Select Companion: Makarov Dreyar.]
~~~
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