"You… you… what did you just say?"
Erza stared at Kaien, stunned and wide-eyed.
Kaien smiled. "I said, sure! Once this mission is over, let's head back to the registry office and get married. Then we'll hold a grand wedding with everyone in the guild as our witnesses."
"Married?!!"
Lucy and Happy almost leapt out of their seats. Thankfully, they were prepared—they immediately clamped each other's mouths shut. They didn't dare cover their own mouths, fearing they'd blurt something out by accident.
Kaien continued, "After the wedding, we can have a few kids. Hmm, how many? The more the better."
"M-Married… kids…"
Erza turned bright red. The fact that Kaien actually agreed to marry her—and wanted to have children with her—sent her head spinning.
If there was anything Erza liked besides armor, it was weddings. She even had a wedding dress stashed in her magical storage, one she'd chosen with great care, meant for the day she got married. No one had ever seen it—she only tried it on in secret in her dorm.
Flustered, Erza waved her hands. "I-I was joking! Besides, don't you like Mira?"
"I do like Mira. But that doesn't mean I don't like you too."
Kaien sighed dramatically, pretending to be heartbroken. "Sigh… and here I thought spring had finally come for me. Turns out I was just being toyed with."
Seeing him like this, Erza suddenly felt a little guilty.
Kaien grinned. "Haha, just kidding!"
Erza puffed her cheeks in frustration. Sure, she had been the one joking first—but somehow, she still found this annoying.
"But seriously, jokes aside, if I really got to marry someone as amazing as you, Erza, I'd be smiling in my sleep."
As Kaien spoke, he leaned back with his hands behind his head, wearing a casual smile. But his tone was surprisingly sincere—so honest it was hard not to believe him.
Erza's heart skipped a beat, and her face grew even redder.
Not far away, Lucy and Happy looked like they had just witnessed a bombshell. They desperately resisted the urge to scream.
They couldn't believe they'd just overheard something this spicy.
Lucy's imagination went into overdrive, already weaving a love triangle story featuring Kaien, Mira, and Erza. It was giving her endless inspiration for her own writing.
Just as they thought they were about to hear something even juicier—
Suddenly!
Kaien's voice rang out: "Hey! Have you two heard enough yet?!"
Lucy and Happy froze. They looked up… and saw Kaien's face staring right at them.
"EEEEK———!!!"
They both screamed.
"H-Hey Kaien! What a coincidence! You're working too, huh?"
Lucy waved awkwardly, trying to laugh it off.
"Coincidence? You've been sneaking behind me since the train station. Yeah, suuure."
"Busted?!"
Lucy and Happy's eyes went wide.
"You seriously thought you were being stealthy?"
Kaien had noticed them since they entered the station. Whether it was because of all the character traits he'd absorbed or thanks to his breathing techniques, his sensory perception—both physical and magical—had improved dramatically. He immediately sensed someone watching him.
Still, he hadn't said anything. He wanted to see what they were up to.
Turns out, they were bold enough to sneak onto the same train car and creep closer to eavesdrop. He'd even heard their whispered exclamations loud and clear.
"Happy… you… mmph—"
Erza stood up and looked at the two of them. She'd seen Lucy briefly when she returned to the guild yesterday. The guild wasn't big, and Erza had basically met everyone at some point. A girl as unfamiliar and beautiful as Lucy certainly stood out.
Lucy bowed quickly. "I'm a new member. My name is Lucy. Please take care of me!"
"I'm Erza. Nice to meet you. So you're the girl everyone's been talking about—took down that mercenary gorilla or whatever. Sounds like you're pretty dependable."
Erza had heard guild chatter about Lucy. Apparently, she'd taken down some local hotshot, causing quite a stir. Word spread fast.
"That was… Natsu, actually. The rumors aren't quite accurate…"
Lucy had spent the entire day yesterday explaining this. She had no idea how Natsu's achievement got pinned on her.
"Speaking of which, where's Natsu?"
Erza didn't know Lucy well, but she knew that Happy was practically glued to Natsu.
"Oh right, Natsu!"
Lucy suddenly remembered and rushed over to help the train-sick Dragon Slayer.
"Huff… urgh… blargh…"
Natsu looked like he was dying.
"Hey—! Don't throw up on me!"
Soon, everyone was sitting face to face.
"So… explain yourselves. What are you doing here?"
Erza reverted to her usual cold and commanding demeanor, like the earlier flirtation with Kaien had never happened. Her sudden shift startled the group.
"It was Natsu! He was curious about what you were doing with Kaien, so he dragged me and Happy along!"
"Aye~!"
Without hesitation, Lucy and Happy threw Natsu under the bus. Better him than them.
"Urgh! Mmph! Glarggh—!"
Natsu shook his head violently and glared at them. Sure, he'd suggested it—but they were clearly just as curious! Traitors!
"I see."
Erza nodded calmly.
"Y-You're not mad?"
Lucy was surprised. Erza had scolded nearly everyone in the guild yesterday. She assumed Erza would be angry.
"Mad? Why would I be mad? Honestly, if Kaien weren't available this time, I would've invited Natsu and Gray to come with me instead. Since Kaien is free, there's no need for them."
"Then why didn't you just invite Natsu and Gray from the start?"
Kaien sighed. He had been planning to go on an S-Class mission. Now he was stuck helping Erza on something that, no matter how hard, wouldn't earn him any system rewards.
"Because you're more reliable, obviously."
"Don't think flattery will make me happy. Now spill it. What exactly do you need my help with?"
"Yeah! If even someone like you needs assistance, Miss Erza, it must be something serious."
After Erza left the guild yesterday, Lucy had asked Mira about her. She was shocked to learn that Erza was not only the strongest female mage in Fairy Tail but also known as the Titania, the Fairy Queen.
Lucy might not have recognized the name "Erza," but she definitely knew "Titania." That name was famous across the magic world. She just hadn't expected her to be such a beautiful woman.
"No need to be so formal. Just call me Erza. Anyway, it's time to get to the point. I heard something troubling on my way back yesterday…"