The guild hall had been so rowdy the roof was practically lifting off, but then a sudden wave of low pressure, enough to grind a person into the floor, descended from the entrance. Our 1.85-meter Guild Master, Makarov—alright, fine, he had a 1.85-meter presence—was leisurely stepping over the threshold with a pipe in his mouth.
The poor old man had gone to desperate lengths to grow taller, such as learning Giant Magic.
The old man's wrinkled face was so dark it looked like it was leaking ink, and he was wrapped in a three-foot-thick shroud of black aura. The low pressure was so dense it wouldn't dissipate; even the wooden guild sign that had hung at the door for decades rattled violently, to the point that the four words [Fairy Tail] carved into it were nearly shaking their paint off.
Makarov snorted a cloud of smoke from his nose, and his cold huff made the windows buzz. His right knuckles cracked as they suddenly grew to a massive size. That mountain-like giant palm, accompanied by the whistling sound of rushing wind, pressed down right over the heads of the rowdy fairies!
"You bratty kids! How dare you try to tear the house down while I was away at a meeting! You've gone too far!"
Riyao had been in the middle of the crowd, but as soon as he saw the Master's fury, he immediately dashed behind the bar. He pointed at the others, nodding and bowing as he scrambled to take a side: "Exactly, exactly! This is too much! To think they'd dare wreck the place while the great Master was away—it's beyond outrageous!"
Makarov's sharp gaze shot over like a literal arrow, his face darkening even more terrifyingly: "I'm talking about them? And I'm not talking about you, Riyao?!"
Riyao immediately pulled back his pointing hand and put on a face so innocent it practically glowed. He fluttered his eyes—which looked even larger than Lucy's—at Makarov with a starry-eyed, cutesy look, his tone sickeningly sweet: "I only just stepped through the door I didn't even get a chance to join in the wrecking. Master, why are you back so soon?"
Gray, who had been halfway through taking off his coat and draping it over his arm, felt his dinner from last night rising at that tone. He rolled his eyes hard on the spot, bent over, and made a retching sound: "Good grief, Riyao, can you not be so disgusting? You're giving me goosebumps."
Riyao rolled his eyes back and tossed his golden ponytail with a look of disdain: "Tsk, what do you little kids know? This is called the art of conversation. You wouldn't understand."
Makarov huffed and hopped onto a bar stool, tapping his pipe against the counter. His voice instantly drowned out the murmurs of the crowd: "Stop hiding! The repair costs this time will be deducted from all of your commission rewards for the month!"
Riyao immediately leaned in, his large hand slapping Makarov's back with a 'thwack-thwack' that nearly made the old man choke on his pipe. He even put on a fake frown of concern: "It's alright, it's alright, Master. Don't be angry. In a couple of years, when these brats grow up and mature, it'll be fine."
Inside his head, Riyao's inner self was rolling on the floor laughing: 'Hehehe, in a couple of years? Once the demolition king Natsu and the former delinquent Mirajane join, they'll tear the guild down to its foundation in minutes! Old man, I wonder if your pension is enough to fill those holes~'
Makarov suddenly shuddered as a chill ran down his spine. Why did he feel like someone was plotting against his pension? He scanned the room suspiciously and immediately locked onto Riyao's fake smile. He slammed the bar counter and exposed him: "Stop acting like the good guy! What about you? You went to the Capital for a mission and made quite a ruckus, didn't you? You wiped out an entire forest on the outskirts of the Capital!"
Cana, who was wiping glasses nearby, and Gray, who had just finished rubbing his bumps, heard the juicy gossip. Their eyes lit up like lightbulbs. They immediately brought their drinks over and surrounded Riyao, looking like they were ready to pull out snacks and wait for the story to begin.
Riyao got excited upon hearing this. With a flourish, he swept his hand out and pounded his chest. He began to boast grandiosely, his spit flying as he painted an exaggerated picture of the scene. After finishing, he picked up a cup of tea from the bar, took a sip, and struck a cool pose.
Gray's eyes widened in shock as he leaned in: "Ten... over a dozen demons? For real? Don't be bullshitting us!"
Riyao, without blushing or losing his breath, shamelessly patted his chest: "Guaranteed authentic, little brother. If it's fake, I'll compensate you with one to play with later, alright?"
Cana laughed so hard she couldn't stand up straight, clutching her stomach and groaning: "Just keep bragging! Punching a mountain away? Why don't you brag about flying to the moon while you're at it?"
Riyao simply tilted his chin up at a forty-five-degree angle toward the ceiling, his nose practically pointing to the sky. He gave an arrogant, haughty huff: "The vision of mortals simply cannot comprehend my power. Even if I told you, you wouldn't believe it."
Makarov rolled his eyes hard and blew out a puff of smoke with disdain: "What a load of crap. Even I, the Master, didn't know you could use Fairy Law? Where did you steal that from?"
Riyao didn't skip a beat, talking nonsense with a straight face: "The First Master came to me in a dream and specifically taught it to me. Don't you get it? This is called divine inheritance!"
Levy had been taking mission notes nearby, but she had long been curious about the book 'Postpartum Care for Sows' in Riyao's arms. Taking advantage of Riyao bragging with his head held high, she stood on her tiptoes and reached into his arms. Riyao reacted quickly, immediately clutching his chest tightly with a wary look: "No way, Levy!"
Levy didn't let go, shaking his arm like a swing: "Riyao-ge, just let me have a look!"
Riyao tilted his head and smiled: "It's not impossible to let you see it. I've been craving a strawberry sundae and a chocolate sundae since I walked in. If you treat me, I'll let you look."
Levy's face immediately fell as she pulled out her empty pockets: "Ah... I don't have any money. My commission pay isn't even enough for food, waah."
Riyao immediately put on a look of mock disgust: "Oh my, this Levy is just so weak~"
Despite his words, Riyao couldn't resist Levy's persistent wheedling. He pulled out the magic book and handed it over.
Riyao himself had been researching and collecting fragmented Enchantment Magic and already had a foundation. He had finished reading the whole thing during the journey back without any effort.
Since she took the item but couldn't pay, she had to accept another price. Riyao immediately rubbed his hands together with a devious grin, his eyes sparkling as he stared at Levy's hair. Without a word, he started braiding it, and in no time...
A fresh, new Twin-Tailed Levy.jpg appeared.
Riyao stepped back two paces, crossing his arms as he looked her over. He nodded with satisfaction: "Keep this hairstyle for a month. No changing it."
Levy pouted and scrunched up her face in protest. Riyao raised an eyebrow and let out a long, threatening "Hmm?♦♦" Levy caved instantly, nodding reluctantly in submission.
Just as they finished, a woman with a purple braid walked over with a smile, carrying a tray. She placed it in front of Riyao: "Aha ha, the chicken soup is here~"
(¬_¬ )
Riyao completely froze. He had been so hungry his stomach was growling, but suddenly, he had no appetite at all.
Gray and Cana didn't care; free food was free food. They immediately lunged forward with spoons to snatch it. The chicken soup was wiped clean, and the three of them wiped their mouths and let out a collective burp. Riyao intentionally burped in Gray's face, being as obnoxious as possible. Gray couldn't stand it and immediately threw a punch. The two of them instantly devolved into a brawl, fists thudding against each other, knocking over the nearby tables.
Before they could land many hits, two iron fists carrying powerful wind flew in. Each of them took one of Makarov's [Iron Fists of Love], and a bump the size of a quail egg immediately rose on their heads. Riyao clutched his bump with a look of tragic indignation, opening his mouth to shout: "A... bag of rice..."
The words had barely left his mouth when Makarov lunged forward and firmly covered his lips. The old man gave a stiff smile: "Oh, Riyao, can we stop with the 'bag of rice' already? These old bones of mine have osteoporosis; I can't carry your 'bag of rice'!"
Riyao muffled some protests under Makarov's hand until the old man let go. Makarov sighed helplessly and shouted toward the bar: "Fine, fine, I give up! Macao, get this kid a glass of '82 Coke. Chilled, but no ice cubes. Put it on my tab!"
Gray, rubbing the bump on his head, saw the unfairness and immediately started shouting: "Why does he get a Coke and I don't, Master! That's blatant favoritism!"
Makarov waved him off like he was shooing a fly: "Go, go. There's fresh mud in the corner of the backyard. Go play with that!"
Gray exploded on the spot: "Hey! I'm way past the age of playing with mud—wait! I never played with mud in the first place! Why are you telling me to go play with mud!"
Cana leaned on the bar, laughing so hard she was slapping the table, tears almost coming out: "Gray, your clothes."
Riyao happily took a sip of his iced Coke and patted Gray's shoulder with a smug look: "Gray, oh Gray, this is what happens when you lack strength. Work hard and try to surpass me soon."
After gloating, Riyao swirled his half-glass of iced Coke and whistled happily as he walked out of the guild doors. He planned to head back to his manor on the outskirts to tidy up and enjoy a comfortable day of slacking off.