"Hey, Erza, what do you want to eat for breakfast?" Cana asked as she held Erza's hand. As the most senior girl in the guild, she took it as her duty to guide the newcomers and get them familiar with the place.
Erza didn't speak right away. She flinched slightly when Cana took her hand, her small body freezing under her heavy armor. Her single visible eye darted toward the ground, and she pulled her hand back just a little bit, though not enough to be rude. She still wasn't used to people being so close or friendly.
"A…anything is fine," Erza whispered, her voice tiny and trembling under her red bangs.
Cana just smiled warmly, not minding Erza's cold reaction at all. "Oh, come on! Sera's breakfast is the best in the whole town. You have to try it."
Right then, Mirajane crossed her arms and huffed from the side. "Hey, don't force her if she doesn't want to eat, Cana. Can't you see she's terrified of you?" Mira sneered, her usual rebellious attitude flaring up.
"Who is terrified?! I'm just trying to be a good senior!" Cana barked back, turning around to glare at Mira.
While the two girls started their usual bickering, Makarov and Sera walked over, with Kira following right behind them. The cute, blue-haired clone kept his hands in his pockets, looking at Erza with a gentle expression.
"Good morning, girls," Makarov said loudly, drawing their attention and stopping Cana and Mira from fighting.
"Master!" Cana waved, while Mira just looked away with a small pout. Erza, however, instantly straightened up, her posture becoming stiff and formal like a soldier facing a commander.
Sera stepped forward, placing a gentle hand on Erza's armored shoulder. "Erza, dear, you need to eat something to grow big and strong. But before that, the Master has someone he wants to introduce to you."
Makarov cleared his throat and patted Kira on the back, pushing him forward a bit. "That's right. This brat here is Kira Akagami. He runs the Magic Weapon Shop down the street and is very skilled with weapons."
"Since your Requip Magic requires many magic armors and, what's more, since you wanted to learn martial arts, I think you can train under him," Makarov said as he gave Kira a look.
Kira took a deep breath, flashed his brightest smile, and spoke. "Hello, ladies. My name is Kira Akagami, and I'm the owner of the magic weapon shop down the street. It's a pleasure to meet all of you."
Hearing Makarov's words, Cana and Mira stopped their glaring match and turned their attention to the new boy. Mira eyed him up and down with a suspicious look, while Cana crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow.
"Wait, Master," Mira spoke up, pointing a finger at Kira. "This kid is supposed to train Erza? He looks even younger than us!?"
"Well, although Kira is young, he has mastered many weapons and martial arts that were passed down from his family. And Kira's shop sells weapons and armor that are very impressive." Makarov quickly explained. This was the story Kira had told him while they were walking over.
In truth, it was a very lucky coincidence. Just a few months ago, that old blacksmith in town decided he wanted to retire and move back to the capital city. He had finally finished a legendary weapon, which meant he had fulfilled his lifelong family goal and no longer needed to work hard. Akira found out about this and immediately bought the shop from him. He originally wanted to buy this shop solely to help his sister, as he knew exactly how many weapons and sets of armor Erza would need for her Requip Magic in the future. Since Akira already owned his own magic artifact shop, he decided to let Kira run this newly opened magic weapon shop starting today.
Makarov cleared his throat and continued, "The previous old blacksmith was able to retire and leave town because he was satisfied with Kira's attainment in weapon craftsmanship. "
Hearing this, Mira crossed her arms and let out a small huff, though she didn't argue further. Cana, on the other hand, looked impressed. "Wow, owning a whole shop at your age? That's actually pretty cool. Does that mean you can make custom weapons for us too?"
"Of course," Kira nodded smoothly, keeping up his character. " "
Makarov let out a hearty laugh, shaking his head. "Don't judge a book by its cover, girls. Kira might look young, but his knowledge about weapons and combat is top-tier. I personally asked him to help Erza adapt to her magic."
Erza, who had been standing the whole time stiffly, looked at Kira with wide, blinking eyes. She didn't say anything, but her gaze shifted from his cute face down to his hands, trying to see if he really was a strong warrior. She was desperate to grow stronger so she could protect herself and the people she cared about, but she was still very wary of strangers. She wondered if this boy could truly help her master the heavy, chaotic power of Requip Magic.
Kira noticed her intense gaze. Through his unique skill, [Voice of All Things], he could feel the deep layers of mistrust and fear wrapping around her heart like tight chains. He could hear the faint, painful echoes of her past screaming in her mind. It made his chest ache a little, but he kept his bright, warm smile on his face to avoid making her uncomfortable.
"You don't have to worry," Kira said softly, looking directly into Erza's lone eye. "I know a lot about swords, spears, and all kinds of armor. Since your magic lets you change weapons in battle, I can help you find the perfect fighting style so your armor doesn't slow you down. We can start whenever you feel ready."
Hearing him talk about armor not slowing her down struck a chord in Erza. She always wore her heavy metal suit like a shield to hide her vulnerability. The fact that this boy understood the balance between defense and movement made him seem much more credible.
Sera smiled gently from behind and patted Erza's shoulder again. "See? He is a very nice boy. Now, let's get some food into all of you before you start talking about training. Erza, come sit with us. Kira, you join too."
Erza looked at Sera, then at Makarov, and finally back at Kira. Seeing that none of them showed any malice or hidden intentions, the tension in her shoulders dropped just a tiny bit. She gave a small, barely visible nod.
"Okay..." Erza whispered, taking a small step forward.
Kira smiled inwardly as they all moved toward a larger table. Although he appeared calm in his mind, he was already dancing. With this training session, he can finally interact with his dear sister.
********
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