"..."
So my luck is really that bad?
Staring at the two lonely cards left in his hand, Aurel fell silent.
This was already his fourth loss in a row—he hadn't won a single round.
"It's okay. You just got unlucky this time."
The victor, Mirajane, smiled and comforted him with the gentleness one would use on a child.
"How about we switch to a different game?"
Seeing his gloomy face, Levy poked his waist and couldn't help making the suggestion.
"Fine by me…"
Aurel gathered the cards on the bar, shuffled, and started explaining the rules of Fight the Landlord.
There was no way he wouldn't win three hands today!
...
["All right, let's play cards today!" complete. Please claim your reward!]
Back on home turf with a game he knew, Aurel flipped a four-loss streak into three straight wins, tension finally easing from his shoulders.
Quest: done at last!
"So, do you two want to keep playing?"
Riding the momentum, the gloom was gone from his face, replaced by his usual warm smile.
This guy… one little win streak and he's smug again.
Levy rolled her eyes and peeled off the sticky notes plastered to her cheeks.
They'd tried a small wager for fun, and Mirajane had proposed that the loser get paper slips stuck to their face—Levy was, by far, the one with the most.
"Hey, can I join?"
A curious female voice came from the side. Aurel turned his head instinctively.
First he saw the twin-horn hairpiece atop a pretty face, then a striking tiger-striped bandeau dress with a high-slit skirt that showed off long legs; even her shoes had tiger claws.
All in all, she looked like she was purposefully cosplaying a tiger—with a wild sort of beauty.
Worth noting: perched on her head was a tiny bird in a black top hat.
"Miki's back from her job, huh." Mirajane blinked, then introduced her to Aurel. "This is Miki Chitentiger, captain of the Youth One-Million Dead Squad!"
"Youth One-Million Dead…?" Aurel repeated, expression going odd.
What a bizarre team name.
"Shadow Gear" sounded way better than that.
But noticing how Miki was staring at him without blinking, he got the picture.
Another one drawn in by the tear mole…
"Nice to meet you, Miki-san. I look forward to working with you."
He brushed aside the stray thought and greeted her politely.
"Mm. Please take care of me!"
She never looked away while speaking—her interest in him was obvious.
Catching that bold intent, a surge of crisis prickled in Levy's chest. Her amber eyes watched the suddenly-appearing bombshell with open wariness.
"Um, Aurel… didn't you say you wanted to check the guild library? I, uh, happen to be free right now!"
Under the table, she tugged his shirt hem and blurted it out as if she'd just remembered.
Having Cana as a rival was trouble enough—she wasn't about to add another.
Sensing the look she shot him, Aurel played along with a nod and an easy smile. "Then I'll be in your care."
"Mira-nee, we're heading to the library. Let's play more tonight if there's time," Levy said in a rush before Aurel could, then grabbed his hand and hustled him off—guard dog mode fully engaged.
"Why'd she run off like that?"
Watching their retreating backs, Miki tilted her head, puzzled.
Why did Levy look scared of her?
It's not like she'd done anything weird yet!
"No idea~"
Mirajane just shook her head lightly and went back to polishing glasses.
...
The guild library wasn't huge, but the shelves stacked up nearly ten tiers high.
Biographies, the history of Ishgar, ancient literature—there were even manuals on training different types of magic—
"Training Methods for Plant Magic?"
Seeing the tome Aurel pulled from a shelf, Levy pushed up her pink Wind Song glasses and read the title aloud.
"So you're into plant magic?" she asked, surprised.
"'Into' is a stretch. I just want a way to quickly create a sea of flowers."
Aurel sat beside her and unhurriedly opened the cover.
The Shadow Legion was out again today, making another trade with a dark guild. If all went well, there'd be another fat payout by nightfall.
At this rate, he could buy his own manor soon—and when that happened, a little plant magic would make for some lovely landscaping.
"I see."
Levy tickled her chin with a quill and added, "I think Droy uses plant magic. If something stumps you, you could ask him!"
"With how things stand between us right now, do you really think Droy would teach me?"
Aurel ruffled her hair twice, exasperated.
Not being chased off would be a win.
"…That's true."
Thinking of her two childhood teammates, Levy felt a headache coming on.
On one side was the boy she liked; on the other, friends she'd grown up with. Why couldn't everyone just get along?
While Levy slumped over the table with a sigh, Aurel sipped a hot coffee and skimmed the magic manual at an easy pace.
...
By the time they left the library, dusk had gathered outside.
After a simple dinner, Aurel took out the same deck from the afternoon. The gaming partners were still Mirajane and Levy.
Only—
"The loser has to eat this!"
Aurel pulled a small glass bottle of white tablets from his pocket and gave it a shake under their curious gazes.
"What is that?"
Levy eyed him, suspicion written all over her face.
Looked shady… definitely not anything good.
"Honest Pills. Whoever takes one can only speak the truth—for twenty minutes."
Aurel's smile turned to Mirajane, who had frozen mid-blink.
"Mira-nee, shall we play?"
(End of Chapter)
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