Juvia...
If nothing unexpected happened, she was probably drawn by the sun I threw into the sky.
Thinking of the Rain Woman's identity, Roland watched the rain along the roadside outside the window, unable to keep calm inside.
"I can't anymore. I'm going to nap for a bit. Wake me when we reach Oak City."
Closing the book in her hands, Levy covered her mouth with a yawn and naturally lay down on his lap.
Because of last night, they hadn't slept until nearly three in the morning. Now she could no longer fight the drowsiness.
"Mm. No problem."
Roland gently stroked her lovely short blue hair, his brown eyes quietly admiring the girl's sleeping face.
Because she wore an off-shoulder dress, her porcelain-white shoulders were in plain view. Look closely and you could even see the fine down.
His gaze slid lower. Her slender waist and hips traced a graceful curve. Her fair, taut legs bent slightly, inviting the touch.
Reining in the sudden urge, Roland turned back to the beautiful scenery beyond the window.
Don't rush...
Sooner or later, anyway.
Half an hour later, the carriage stopped inside Oak City.
Gently waking the sleeping Levy, the two stepped down at an unhurried pace.
"Ahh... I'm exhausted. It feels like ever since I met you, I haven't had a single good night's sleep."
She leaned her head weakly against his back. Tears glimmered at the corners of her eyes as she murmured her complaint.
They'd only known each other not even a week, yet she'd had three sleepless nights in a row.
"As compensation, how about I sleep beside you when we're back?"
"Nope. Men are forbidden in the girls' dorms." Levy crossed her arms in front of her chest to make an X, then the corners of her lips lifted. "But at night I can go to your place."
They had already done things far more intimate. Sharing a bed was nothing by comparison.
That was clearly Levy's thinking now.
"Come on. If we don't finish the job this afternoon, the two of us will be making a trip for nothing with no reward."
Seeing the deadline written on the commission slip, Levy couldn't help pushing him from behind as they headed for the town center.
The client this time was a middle-aged merchant, and the task was simple — drive off the bandit gang prowling near the road to his town.
"Leave it to me."
Levy patted her chest, brimming with confidence.
Though her two former teammates were gone, wasn't Roland even more reliable?
"Only two people for this job?"
Looking at the pair who had accepted the task, the middle-aged merchant hesitated, his expression uncertain.
Unbelievable. That renowned guild had actually sent two kids who didn't even look of age?
"Should've posted this at Phantom Lord instead..."
The merchant shook his head helplessly.
That guild's members were nasty one by one, and their fees were steep, but at least their strength was real.
"Hey, mister, don't underestimate people."
At that, Levy frowned slightly, her tone displeased.
"In a situation like this, more words are useless. Better to show him our strength."
Roland spoke softly, raised his hand toward the wide river nearby, and the magic granted by Sun surged forth in an instant.
In a heartbeat the surging river turned into scalding steam. The entire town was wrapped in a mist like the haze that rises after rain.
"So hot!"
The exposed skin that touched the vapor made the merchant cry out and throw his coat over his head.
"That temperament again... is it noon already?"
Thanks to the blanket the Shadow Battalion had passed to her in advance, Levy wasn't harmed at all.
With the fluffy blanket over her head, she stared wide-eyed at the familiar yet unfamiliar Roland and understood immediately.
By Roland's own account, he had one minute every day when he couldn't control his emotions and the magic in his body rampaged.
So around noon the past two days, Roland would step away for a while to avoid hurting Levy without meaning to.
With that lofty, contempt-for-all bearing, not even he could predict what might happen.
Better to play it safe.
"Is that level of power enough? If not, I can keep turning it up..."
And it wouldn't just be a single river evaporating next time.
Roland still wore his gentle smile, but his eyes were full of disdain, sending a chill down the spine.
"E-enough. More than enough."
Watching a river nearly a hundred meters wide go dry in an instant, the merchant gulped in terror, nodding rapidly and shouting his reply.
Terrifying. This one man was scarier than Phantom Lord's Gajeel.
After obtaining the bandits' whereabouts, Roland and Levy left the town that had become a maze of alleys filled with vapor.
"Roland..."
Walking along, Levy called to him softly, her amber eyes studying his expression.
"Mm. Tired again?"
Roland turned his head on reflex, his face already back to its earlier gentle look.
So the minute had passed.
Levy let out a tiny breath of relief.
To tell the truth, when faced with that other side of Roland, even she couldn't help feeling a thread of instinctive fear at the suffocating pressure he gave off.
They walked on a while longer, and it was time for lunch.
After gathering branches to build a small campfire, Roland took out the lobster-fish he'd obtained yesterday, ready to cook it well.
"Never seen such a creature..."
Levy half-squinted at the blue fish with a pair of massive crab claws.
Ever since she'd been with Roland, he kept producing things that overturned her understanding.
A cat-shaped robot with self-awareness. Sun magic no one had ever heard of. And now this species that looked like a crab crossed with a fish...
"Are you sure this thing is edible?"
"Probably."
Roland nodded with a hint of hesitation. He had brought it from the Gourmet World. If it weren't edible, that would be impossible.
As they worked, fine rain began to fall again, hissing as it struck the burning fire.
"It's raining again... So annoying. What is with this cursed weather?"
Watching the clouds gather once more, Levy suddenly felt weary.
"I actually like rainy days. For some reason this kind of weather puts me at ease. Especially the crisp sound of the rain..."
Summoning the Shadow Battalion to hold umbrellas, Roland propped his chin on one hand, a gentle smile at his lips.
He likes rainy days... and—
Hidden behind a tree, a figure quietly pressed a hand to her chest. Two blushes bloomed on her cheeks, and her quickened breaths turned to white mist in the air.
"He likes me."
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