— — — — — —
"Because…"
Erza froze when Makarov asked the question, her instinct kicking in to answer honestly—only to be elbowed sharply by Mirajane the next second.
"Ahem! Because the meat at the market was super cheap today," Mira said with a sweet little cough. "I accidentally bought too much, and since I couldn't finish it all myself, I came to ask Kazuma to help me eat it."
"Then halfway back, I realized I'd bought way too much stuff, so I asked Erza to join too. As for Mystogan…"
"We ran into him at the fruit stand, but he said he was busy with a mission, so he couldn't come."
Mira smiled innocently as she finished spinning her story, her eyes narrowing into crescents, her voice soft and warm enough to melt butter.
"Ok, it's proved. The prettier they are, the better they lie…" Kazuma thought wryly as he inspected the Devil Fruit.
To his pleasant surprise, it didn't have the usual weakness to water—or any curse-like side effects. And best of all, it didn't taste like rotten sludge. He could gain such a powerful conceptual ability just by eating it.
If developed properly, this fruit could be a game-changer.
But before he could sink deeper into thought, Mira's sweet voice pulled him back to reality.
"You can ask Kazuma, master."
"...No need," Makarov sighed, clearly unconvinced but too tired to dig further. "Keep eating. Just remember to show up early at the guild tomorrow."
He turned and walked away without another word.
As soon as the old man left—
"…What about my door?"
Kazuma looked at the front door, which had been blown off its hinges courtesy of Makarov's kick. He sighed, summoned a few shadow soldiers, and had them fix it.
Then he went back to the living room with Erza and Mira to resume their barbecue feast.
"Why didn't we just tell the truth to the Guild Master?" Erza asked after they sat down again, her brows slightly furrowed.
Mira handed out the grilled meat pieces one by one, smiling gently. "He's getting old. We shouldn't bother him with more trouble. Besides, Kazuma didn't actually do anything wrong."
"If you told him everything, he'd be up all night worrying."
Erza nodded thoughtfully.
"Today's been a long day," Kazuma said, raising his glass. "But it's over now. Cheers to that—and to a good night's sleep!"
"And to my first S-rank mission tomorrow!"
He clinked glasses with them, laughing. What a day it had been—first a brawl with Laxus in the afternoon, then an impromptu dinner with Erza, Mira, and even Mystogan showing up for a bit. And finally, Makarov himself had dropped in with a big piece of news. Nonstop chaos from morning till night.
"Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
The three drank together. The wine Kazuma brought out was dangerously good, and the two women couldn't help drinking more than they should have.
Predictably, they both got drunk—magic energy amplifying the effects until they were deep in what could only be called a drunken magic surge.
"Come on, another one! No one's leaving tonight!" Erza yelled, her cheeks flushed red. "We drink till morning! Cheers!"
She was completely gone, tugging on Kazuma's arm and forcing glass after glass into his hand.
Meanwhile, Mira wasn't loud—she just sat there crying softly, tears falling nonstop. Honestly, that was even harder to deal with.
"Can I even get a peaceful night's sleep at this rate…" Kazuma muttered, rubbing his temples.
Looked like the chaos wasn't over yet.
"Erza, come on then!" he said finally, pulling out another dozen bottles from his treasury. "If I don't drink you under the table tonight, I'm not getting any rest!"
"Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
Bottle after bottle vanished in a blur. Eventually they abandoned cups entirely and started drinking straight from the necks. In just minutes, a small mountain of empty bottles piled up.
"Mm… I'm not drunk… I can still drink…"
Erza mumbled, arms draped tightly around Kazuma's neck. But before she could pour another round, she slumped against his shoulder and passed out cold.
"One down," Kazuma sighed, glancing at the clock. "It's only eight… if I deal with Mira next, I might actually sleep before ten."
He tried to gently pry Erza's arms off, but no luck.
"Damn, she's strong even while unconscious. Those drinks really boosted her magic."
After a few failed attempts, he gave up—forcing it might hurt her. She wasn't heavy anyway, so he let her rest on him.
"Mira, you still drinking?" he asked, turning toward her.
She sniffled, tears streaming again. "I'm sorry, Kazuma… I'm so sorry…"
"…Sorry? For what?" Kazuma blinked. "You didn't, like, spike my meat or something, did you?"
Mira's eyes widened, then she shook her head frantically. "No! It's just… if it weren't for me, none of that would've happened. You wouldn't have clashed with Laxus, Erza and Mystogan wouldn't have been dragged into it, and the Guild Master wouldn't be so worried. It's all my fault…"
She buried her face in her hands, voice trembling. "I'm a walking disaster… a demon who only brings misfortune. I should've just stayed somewhere far away, alone…"
Her guilt spilled out like a flood—years of pent-up self-blame finally breaking loose.
Kazuma sighed softly. Then he reached out, flicked her forehead just hard enough to stop the tears, and said, "Mira, you might be gorgeous, but don't get so full of yourself."
She blinked in confusion.
"The fight between me and Laxus happened because we can't stand each other. That's all."
"Erza and Mystogan stepped in because they care about the guild, not because of you."
"And Makarov? That old man worries about everything. That's just what he does."
"So stop taking the blame for things that aren't yours to carry."
He reached out and gently ruffled her hair. It was soft—surprisingly so. She looked up, eyes still wet, as he went on:
"If you need to cry, cry. If you're sad, let it out. If you're happy, laugh. Don't bottle it up."
"But once you've let it all out tonight… tomorrow, face the world with a smile again."
"And not just a smile of optimism," he added, grinning. "A smile that mocks the hardships ahead. No matter what comes your way, never let it knock you down."
"Giving up? Surrendering? Pointless. Even if you quit, the world won't stop. The waves will keep crashing no matter what—so instead of running, stand your ground and strike back."
Kazuma laughed heartily. Sometimes, he thought, people like Mira needed a moment to break before they could start healing again. Tonight was one of those moments.
.
.
.