Chatting as they walked, the two soon arrived at the guild doors.
It was six in the morning, so the street was deserted and there wasn't a single member at the entrance.
"Come on, I'll register our cute little Dora first."
Pushing open the doors, Mirajane said with a bright smile.
Little Dora had no opinion about joining a guild. For it, as long as it could follow Aurel, anywhere was fine.
"All set!"
At the bar, Mirajane pressed a sky-blue stamp onto little Dora's back and chuckled. "There—now you're a guild member too, Dora!"
"Do-ra-la!"
Little Dora lifted its dorayaki and chimed back loudly.
Neither of them understood what it was saying… but from the look of it, it was clearly delighted.
…
"System, show me today's quests."
Cradling a hot coffee, Aurel sat at the bar and glanced at the crystalline panel in his view.
[Daily Quests refreshed:]
[Quest 1: I'm a Master Angler!]
[Description: How could you forget fishing in your leisure time? Catch a total of twelve different kinds of fish!]
[Reward: One Lobster Fish (from the world of Toriko)]
"Items from the Gourmet world too?"
Aurel's eyes flickered, then he let out a soft sigh.
A pity it's just food, not the Gourmet Cells he actually wanted—but even if he got Gourmet Cells, in this world they probably wouldn't make him stronger.
[Quest 2: Sorry, I'm Actually the Strongest in the Guild!]
[Description: Defeat every member in the guild, and let your name, crowned by victory, resound across the Kingdom of Fiore!]
[Reward: Wood Release Ninjutsu Compendium (from the world of Naruto)]
Aurel's mouth twitched at the description and the reward.
Never mind the prize—this alone isn't doable in a single day.
Gildarts and Mystogan wander who-knows-where, Erza and Gray are out on jobs—he hadn't seen any of them since yesterday.
"Troublesome one. Skip."
Without hesitation, Aurel scrolled to the third quest.
[Quest 3: Love in Progress!]
[Description: Welcome to the romance panel. Go on a date with Miss Levy and raise her desire to its peak!]
[Reward: Levy's User Manual (from Fairy Tail)]
"…"
A user manual… what kind of reward is that?
Setting his cup down, Aurel lifted his gaze to the familiar name, and a spark of interest rose in his chest.
He wanted this reward.
"But… what does 'raise her desire to its peak' mean?" he murmured, pushing his glasses up as his expression turned a bit odd.
Surely it's not what I'm thinking…?
"What desire?"
Levy had somehow sidled up next to him, looking up with adorable curiosity.
They were close—her fresh, gentle scent teased his nose, and Aurel could even feel the warm rhythm of her breath.
"It's nothing, just thinking about what to watch out for during the job."
Aurel shook his head.
"'Watch out'?" Levy pressed a finger to her cheek, tilted her head, then laughed and waved it off. "There's nothing like that—as long as we don't do what Natsu and Erza do, wrecking buildings during every job, we'll be fine."
"Right, this job's in the northeast of the kingdom, a place called Oak Town. It's far, so we might have to camp outdoors!"
As she spoke, Levy gave him a quick, playful wink.
"But isn't it a bit late to prep camping gear now?"
"Don't worry, I packed last night!"
Only then did Aurel notice the huge travel pack on Levy's back.
With such a petite frame… how is she even carrying that?
"Well, since everything's ready, let's head out."
Seeing Levy had prepared it all, Aurel smiled, ruffled her hair, and casually took the travel pack off her hands.
"Dora, we're leaving."
At his words, the little red Dora, napping on a plate, forced its eyes open and wobbled to its feet.
"Eh? What is that?"
Levy let out a soft cry, her pretty eyes sparkling with curiosity.
So cute!
And another creature she'd never seen before—the last time had been Happy, that blue cat with wings Natsu brought.
"Little Dora. A partner I met on the road—joined the guild today."
Aurel set it on his shoulder and explained with a light smile.
"Is it some kind of special creature?"
"In a sense, yes. It's a bio-type robot…"
"Bio-type robot?"
The unfamiliar term made Levy's thirst for knowledge bubble up. She quickened her pace to keep up, peppering him with questions.
"Mira-nee, we're heading out."
Passing through the hall, Aurel called to the smiling bar maiden.
"Mm. Travel safe."
Mirajane, carrying a tray, blessed them with a gentle smile.
Whether by chance or not, sitting at the table behind her were Jet and Droy.
"We're off on a job. You two work hard as well!"
Levy waved to them cheerily, then turned without the slightest hesitation and fell into step beside Aurel.
"W-wait… Ugh… darn it!"
Watching her back fade into the distance, Droy slumped over the table with a mournful groan.
"Looks like we're out of luck."
Jet gave his friend's shoulder a consoling pat, then lifted his glass and drained it with a bleak look.
He was jealous of the newcomer, sure—but seeing the happiness on Levy's face, he couldn't help but sigh.
"If that's Levy's choice, then all we can do is give her our blessing…"
He'd better not make Levy cry. Otherwise—even if you beat Laxus—I'll make you pay!
——
They stepped out of the guild to a veil of fine rain.
"Is it raining?"
"It's okay, I brought an umbrella!"
Levy pulled one from her backpack, popped it open over the two of them, and beamed.
"But I only brought one, so we'll have to squeeze in!"
"That's fine. It's just that—"
Aurel tested the weight of the pack. It didn't feel like gear for two people at all.
Forget it… better not say anything.
(End of Chapter)
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