For some unknown reason, Yuki, who'd been revived, shed the rough, dull fur of its old dog days, replaced with soft, smooth, and shiny fur.
At this moment, the little white dog had returned to its youthful appearance.
As an ordinary dog, Yuki didn't understand the miraculous changes happening to him. He only knew that when he opened his eyes, his awaited owner was by his side.
His four little legs bounced nonstop, and the adorable white puppy circled Cana again and again, whining incessantly in a spoiled manner.
Cana dotingly stroked Yuki's fur, letting him rub against her and act spoiled.
Cana was only five when her mother passed away. Although she was very sad then, she felt much better after crying for a while.
Children are like this—their concept of death is very vague, thinking that deceased family members will return someday.
But as she grew older, Cana gradually understood her childhood naivety. Her mother would not be coming back.
Therefore, she especially cherished Yuki, who'd accompanied her for twelve years. Even though she'd developed a bad habit of alcoholism, Cana tried her best to control herself not to drink at home.
"Noah, thank you."
Cana picked up Yuki and expressed her sincerest gratitude to Noah.
As if sensing her owner's emotions, Yuki also barked softly at Noah.
Noah ruffled the little white dog's fluffy head and chuckled as he looked at Cana. "Don't just say thank you. Give me something practical."
"I saved your Yuki. Asking for a million isn't too much, is it?"
As if struck by lightning, Cana's body stiffened when she heard Noah's words. When she and her mother bought Yuki at the pet store, it only cost a few hundred Jewels. Now you're asking me for a million?!
"Why don't you just rob someone?!"
"Is robbing as quick a way to make money as this?"
Noah gave a charmingly evil smile and snatched Yuki from Cana's hands. The little white dog didn't resist, obediently letting this stranger he'd just met pet him.
"And Cana, don't forget—you, as a Card Mage, should be very clear about how much the card that revived Yuki can sell for on the market."
Noah's answer left Cana speechless. Indeed, it was the card Noah provided that brought Yuki back to life.
Although the Soul of Rebirth card could only revive ordinary creatures, ordinary people who couldn't use Magic were also included in this scope, and many wealthy and powerful figures were also ordinary people.
If it were taken to an auction house, countless magnates would surely bid against each other, spending lavishly. A mere million Jewels would probably not even be enough for the starting bid.
Sighing, Cana knew she might not be able to save that much money even if she worked her whole life. Since that was the case, she might as well try a different approach...
Cana showed a fawning smile. "Noah, you know I'm dirt poor. How about this... I'll take a loss and be your girlfriend."
She deliberately loosened her shoulder strap, letting it slip from her smooth skin.
Cana felt she was quite charming. The other party was just an eighteen-year-old innocent boy. As long as she flattered him a little, then coaxed him, she could easily make this matter blow over, right?
The girl struck what she considered a seductive pose, but Noah was as steady as an old hand. He'd read many novels with such plots when he was cooped up in the palace.
A mere honey trap—too naive.
Noah gave a charmingly evil smile, suddenly leaned close to Cana, and blew a breath into her ear. "Your seductive moves are too stiff, Cana."
The intensely aggressive masculine aura instantly flushed Cana's face all the way to her earlobes, making her want to escape, but she was already in the corner of the bedroom, with the wall behind her. She had nowhere left to retreat.
What to do... It's completely different from what I imagined!
Could it be that I'm really going to get myself into this...
Realizing she'd underestimated Noah, this guy was definitely not some innocent young man. A flustered Cana could only cast a pleading gaze at Mirajane.
Help me out, Mira!
But Mirajane was just sitting on the only chair in the bedroom, legs crossed, cracking melon seeds, completely ignoring Cana's anxious pleas for help, adopting a posture of simply watching the show.
Damn it, how could I forget Mira's a devil who loves to see chaos and would be thrilled to see me make a fool of myself.
Sure enough, a person can only rely on herself!
Cana put her hands in front of her chest, revealing an awkward yet polite smile. "Um... Noah, actually, I was just joking earlier..."
"Oh? A joke worth a million?"
Noah stared at Cana with a half-smile, but his body continued to press forward. Having nowhere to escape, Cana could only close her eyes, pressing tightly against the wall.
"Woof woof?"
Cana didn't wait for the embarrassing thing she imagined. When she opened her eyes, she saw the little white dog tilting its head repeatedly in confusion.
Noah put Yuki back into Cana's hands. He'd only been teasing her in return for her trying to seduce him.
He hadn't expected that Cana, who usually seemed so bold, would act like a female character from a romance novel in such a situation, passively waiting.
How interesting.
Holding Yuki, Cana slowly sat on the floor against the wall, her face still flushed.
At this point, Mirajane finally spoke. "Noah, you're really too much. You clearly saw that Cana was just all talk, but you still deliberately bullied her."
"Well, you didn't stop me either."
Noah gave Mirajane a speechless look, glancing at the melon seed shells at her feet.
Mirajane chuckled. "Cana always brags about her romantic experiences in the guild, but in reality, she's barely touched a man's hand a few times. The only times she's had physical contact with men are during guild brawls."
Listening to Mirajane expose her exaggerations, Cana felt utterly humiliated today, so she just threw caution to the wind, got up, and flopped onto the bed.
Anyway, it's already like this. What else can I do but give up?
Noah shook his head. Want to give up? Did you ask me first?
However, Noah wasn't really trying to make Cana pay. He just wanted to use the "tear down the house to open a window" effect to make Cana naturally choose Noah's true objective.
"Cana, I don't need you to repay me in any way. Answer me one question, and this matter will be over. How does that sound?"
Cana rolled over and looked at Noah. "What question?"
"Yesterday, I saw the name 'Ivan Dreyar' in a book in the library. What is his relationship with the Guild Master and with Laxus?"
The book mentioning Ivan was fabricated by Noah. Anyway, if he was asked about it later, he could just use forgetting the book as an excuse.
"Ivan Dreyar? He shares the same surname as the Guild Master and Laxus, but I've never heard of this person," Mirajane said, puzzled.
Cana, however, spoke as if it were obvious. "Of course you haven't heard of him, because he was personally expelled from the guild by the Guild Master before I joined."