After hearing Gray's choked but unwavering "Yes," Shane nodded. He stopped holding back and laid out—cleanly and completely—the "rescue plan" he and Ultear had devised.
"W-What?!"
As Shane spoke, Gray's eyes grew wider and wider, until he looked like he'd lost the ability to speak.
"S-So…"
Only after a long while did he find his voice again, still unable to believe it. He kept asking to confirm:
"All I have to do is hold that magic book and… desperately replay that scene in my head?"
"I don't need to do anything else? I'm strong now! Even if it's that demon Deliora, I can—"
He waved his arms as he talked, so fired up it looked like he'd throw his life away without hesitation if it meant saving Ur.
"You don't need to do anything extra," Shane cut him off coldly, his tone sharp.
"Or rather—absolutely do not do anything extra."
He'd deliberately kept the exact location of Time of Memories in the guild library vague, but he was still afraid Gray would get heated, sneak off before Ultear arrived, find the book on his own, and jump through time.
To be safe, Shane narrowed his eyes and made his words heavy on purpose:
"You're this eager to prove yourself… don't tell me it's because after all these years, your memory of Ur has gotten blurry?"
"Listen carefully. No matter how unwilling you are, you have to dig those images out—bit by bit—until they're crystal clear!"
"Even if you have to hate every second of it—the clearer, the better."
"How could it be blurry?!"
Gray jumped like someone had stepped on his tail, his face burning red.
"How could I forget?! That—That…"
He clenched his teeth. His voice sank, the earlier heat turning into a heavy, suppressed pressure.
The image of Ur dying before his eyes—becoming eternal ice—was carved into his bones.
But memories fade with time. No matter how deep they run, details can blur.
And this trip would only last six precious hours. Any deviation could ruin everything.
And more than that…
"Ur… Ultear…" Gray murmured the two names, his chest twisting.
Ur's daughter had been carrying all that weight in silence.
Joining a dark guild. Doing evil things against her own heart. Nearly staining her hands beyond recovery—just to return to the past and see her mother one more time…
"No wonder she hates me…" Gray whispered bitterly. "If it were me… I'd probably want to kill myself too."
Guilt surged like a tide. Gray lowered his head and took a deep breath.
"Ha…"
When he looked up again, his eyes were firmer than they'd ever been.
"Shane."
He faced his comrade and spoke with full seriousness.
"Even if that scene is painful—so painful I don't want to remember it…"
"I'll do it."
"I'll carve every single ray of light, every single sound from that moment back into my head."
"Even the sound of the wind scraping across the ice—I won't miss it."
With that, he said nothing else. He turned and walked toward the boys' dorms.
His steps were heavy—but resolute.
Focus. Then meditate. That was his only task now.
"What's up with Gray?"
Natsu, who'd been hiding in the distance, wandered over. Seeing Gray look hollow and murderous at the same time, he couldn't help worrying.
"He's fine. Don't bother him for a while."
Shane held Natsu back and spoke softly.
He knew how cruel it was to make Gray replay his teacher's death over and over.
But as the plan's most critical "memory anchor," there couldn't be even a fraction of carelessness.
…
Over the next few days, the guild seemed to return to its usual calm.
Aside from waiting for Ultear's message, Shane had almost nothing else to do.
To control Lancer's vision progress, he had to strictly limit his contact time with Erza.
Which meant he couldn't even do something as simple as sparring with her.
Watching that crimson figure practicing alone in the yard—looking a little lonely—Shane's eyes flicked sideways, locking onto another "idle person."
He called over the white-haired delinquent girl who'd been slacking on training lately and pointed at Erza.
"Want to spar with Erza?"
"Hah?"
Erza—desperate to grow stronger and determined to surpass her "future self"—would've been thrilled.
But Mira's face instantly darkened at the suggestion.
"Why would I train with Erza?"
Arms crossed, she looked disgusted. Behind her, her demon tail smacked-smacked the ground irritably, cracking the grass.
"Oh? Like that, huh."
Shane's smile turned bright and cheerful—like a wolf in grandma's bonnet.
"Don't want to train with her? Then let's do a long-overdue… special training."
"Special training?"
Mira glanced at Erza, who was already burning with fighting spirit, then looked back at Shane's "friendly" expression.
It felt like both options were traps, and neither smelled good.
But in the end, her natural urge to oppose Erza won out.
Seeing her rival—already strong—still squeezing every last drop of potential out of herself, Mira felt a sharp sense of crisis.
"Fine! Special training it is!"
She flicked her silver hair and lifted her chin stubbornly.
Shane's eyes widened.
She'd rather endure devil training again than work with Erza?
Their incompatibility was worse than he'd thought.
"Tch…"
Shane sighed, cleared his throat, and announced:
"Alright. Special training begins! Phase one is—high-intensity practical sparring with Erza."
"…"
Mira blanked for one second.
Then she exploded.
"Shane, you bastard! Are you messing with me?!"
Purple magic burst skyward.
She didn't even care about Erza anymore—she just kicked straight at Shane, and the two of them immediately started wrestling.
"Don't be so violent!"
Shane shamelessly activated his Heroic Spirit state and flipped the delinquent into a clean suppression hold.
Not far away, Erza stopped mid-swing.
She stared at the two of them—twisted up together in a way that looked almost like "playful bickering"—and tightened her grip on her sword, her eyes flickering with something unreadable.
And that moment—Erza's subtle expression—was caught perfectly by Mira, who never stopped tracking her rival.
"Hm?"
Pinned to the ground, Mira looked at Shane, then at Erza's strange face.
In an instant, she froze—like she'd just discovered an earth-shattering secret.
Her struggling stopped completely. She even proactively canceled her demon form.
"…You behaving now?"
Shane felt the resistance vanish and frowned, confused. He loosened his grip slightly.
The next second—
"Rub~"
A pretty face slid in.
Mira, like a clingy cat, didn't get up at all. Instead, she deliberately rubbed her soft cheek against Shane's.
Her fine hair carried that faint, sweet scent unique to her, brushing his neck like a feather and sending a ticklish shiver down his spine.
"Hey! What are you doing?!"
Shane jolted and instinctively tried to lean away.
Mira didn't care. She pressed in even closer.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Erza's face darken instantly—and Mira's grin turned downright wicked, like she'd discovered a whole new continent.
So that's how it is…
she laughed inside her head.
Erza—the stiff, serious, stubborn Erza—can actually get jealous like a normal girl?
That reaction… is adorable.
"Hehe."
Mira threw an arm around Shane's neck like she was slinging an old buddy into a headlock. She practically hung off him, then turned her head and raised her eyebrows at Erza—pure challenge.
"Clang—!"
A clean sword ring.
Erza drew her blade with a blank face.
The more intense Erza's reaction got, the more excited Mira became.
This was way more fun than fighting.
She wrapped around Shane like a koala—arms and legs—swaying as he backed up.
She'd noticed another detail too: for some reason lately, Shane had been strongly avoiding letting Erza get close.
So the scene turned ridiculous.
Erza advanced one step with a black face. Shane had to retreat one step with a pained expression.
And Mira—still glued to Shane—watched her rival's expression get uglier and uglier with pure enjoyment.
"Mira… get off him."
Erza's voice was quiet, but heavy—like thunderclouds before a storm.
Her sword tip hung by her side, trembling faintly.
But the stronger Erza reacted, the more Mira enjoyed it.
It was like poking a hornet's nest just to see it buzz.
"No"
Mira stuck out her tongue, legs locked tightly around Shane's waist, refusing to let go.
"Shane can't let you come close right now, can he? Heehee!"
"Mira. You—"
A vein jumped at Erza's temple. Her beautiful face finally cracked, showing a hint of genuine embarrassment and anger.
Just as the tension climbed and Shane—stuck in the middle—was sweating bullets—
"You two… what are you doing?"
A voice—flat, cold like poured ice water—cut in from behind Shane.
All the noise seemed to freeze.
Shane stiffened and slowly turned his head.
Under the dappled shadow of the trees stood a black-haired girl.
Her face was porcelain-perfect, expressionless, eyes deep and still.
She stood there quietly. Watching.
~~~
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