Mirajane walked over to Lucy, who was still staring blankly at the shore, and handed her a glass of iced juice.
"Would you like one?" she offered.
"Ah... Thank you, Mira."
Lucy quickly thanked her and took the drink, but her gaze remained fixed on the figure leisurely lying on the distant sea.
Mirajane followed her gaze, a gentle smile playing on her lips. "I didn't expect him to have finished already, and to have mastered it so well."
Mirajane's tone held a hint of admiration, yet also seemed to carry a touch of expected understanding.
"Eh?" Lucy seemed to grasp a key point and immediately looked at Mirajane curiously.
"Do you know what's going on?"
"Hmm... Sort of."
Mirajane smiled as she looked at the figure, gently rising and falling with the waves, yet still steadily suspended on the sea's surface, and slowly explained, "Ryoma mentioned it to me once, but I didn't expect him to actually achieve it."
This piqued Lucy's curiosity even more.
"Mentioned it?"
Lucy's curiosity was fully ignited, her eyes sparkling as she pressed, "How did he do it? Is it a special magic?"
"No, rather than magic, it's more of a technique."
Mirajane gently tapped her right index finger on her smooth chin, appearing to be in thought, and slowly began to speak, "Ryoma seemed to say before..."
Her voice paused, as if she was recalling something.
"...evenly covering the soles of his feet with magic power to form an invisible magic film."
"Then, letting that film adhere to the water's surface, using the tension created between the magic power and the water to support his body."
The principle sounded... not complicated?
Lucy's eyes instantly brightened even more, sparkling with excitement.
"So... as long as one has magic power, they can learn this ability?"
If that were true, it would be too cool. No need for boats when going out to sea anymore.
Mirajane looked at Lucy's eager expression, her smile deepening, but her next words were like a bucket of cold water extinguishing the small flame that had ignited in Lucy's heart.
"Probably not."
Mirajane shook her head, smiling as she interrupted her fantasy.
"This likely requires very high demands on magic power output and control. Adhering magic power to the soles of the feet and forming a film of perfectly even thickness—not too much, not too little—is already very difficult."
"And..."
She glanced at the undulating sea. "The water's surface isn't flat, it has waves, which makes it even harder. The magic film needs to be adjusted constantly according to the shape of the waves, maintaining both adhesion and balance. So... even if an average Mage knows the principle, it would be very difficult for them to achieve."
"...I see." Lucy instantly wilted.
Just listening to the description, her head felt like a jumble.
Precise magic power control... she wasn't very good at it.
Meanwhile, a certain single-minded individual on the other side clearly didn't have the concept of giving up.
Splash!
"Cough! Cough... Ptooey! So salty!"
Natsu resurfaced from the sea once again, spitting out a few mouthfuls of bitter seawater and wiping his face.
He stared at Ryoma, who lied on the sea surface as if nothing had happened.
Repeated failures and gulped seawater not only didn't make him give up, but his fighting spirit in his eyes increased rather than decreased.
Now, he didn't just want to fight Ryoma. He wanted to beat Ryoma in this water-walking challenge.
"Damn it!"
Natsu roared, retreated to the beach, took a deep breath, and tensed his leg muscles.
"I don't believe it!"
If Ryoma could do it, there was no reason he couldn't.
He once again, without a care, charged towards the sea.
The result was no surprise.
Splash!
"Ryoma! You just wait! I will definitely stand on it!"
Ryoma on the sea seemed to hear his grand declaration. Without even changing his posture, he lazily raised his hand and waved in his direction.
Erza and Gray, who were originally playing volleyball, were also attracted by the commotion. They happened to walk over to Mirajane and Lucy and also happened to hear Mirajane's explanation of the water-walking principle.
Gray stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I see. Using magic power to adhere to the water's surface sounds interesting."
Erza's eyes instantly burst forth with brilliant light. It wasn't curiosity at seeing something new, but the interest of discovering an excellent training method.
"I see." She clenched her fists, her expression extremely serious. "It sounds like good training."
"Huh?" Gray looked at her in confusion.
Training? We're on vacation.
However, Erza was already completely immersed in her own world.
She suddenly turned to Gray and announced in an undeniable tone, "Gray! Our beach volleyball match is suspended. We're changing the event now."
"Changing to... a sea duel!"
"Huh?! How do you fight on the sea?" Gray was bewildered.
Erza completely ignored his protest, her eyes burning as she stared at the sea.
"This is excellent training. We absolutely cannot miss it."
As soon as she finished speaking, she turned and walked towards the sea.
"Hey! Wait! At least explain it clearly!" Gray shouted helplessly, but Erza had already walked away.
He sighed, scratched his head, and finally followed her.
After all, Erza had already decided, he couldn't resist.
And...
If he could succeed before her, that would definitely be something worth bragging about for a long time.
Watching Erza and Gray also join the attempts, Lucy stood still, her heart in a struggle.
Erza... Gray... even that idiot Natsu was trying.
She...
She took a deep breath, the salty taste mixed in the sea breeze.
"I want to try too."
Lucy cheered herself on, her fighting spirit reigniting on her face.
"I absolutely can't be left far behind by everyone."
She imitated Erza, and carefully walked to the water's edge. She closed her eyes, and began to try to guide the magic power within her body.
According to Mira, guide the magic power to the soles of my feet.
However, there's a difference between imagination and reality.
Lucy could feel the magic power flowing within her body, but it was like a group of mischievous children, incredibly disobedient. They scurried around in her body, unwilling to obediently gather at the soles of her feet.
She finally managed to guide a sliver of it, but before that film could even form, it dissipated again.
"Ugh... So hard..."
Beads of sweat formed on Lucy's forehead.
On the other side, after the initial few failures, Erza had quickly grasped the knack.
Splash!
This was her fifth time falling into the water.
But she quickly stood up from the water, and wiped the water droplets from her face, her gaze unwavering, instead becoming even more focused.
She stood at the water's edge again, closed her eyes, and a steady stream of magic power surged from within her body, flowing to her feet.
This time, when her feet touched the sea surface, she didn't immediately sink. Although her body was still swaying slightly, looking very unstable, she had indeed stood up.
"Oh! Erza stood up!" Happy's exclamation rang out on the beach.
However, before Erza could be happy, a moderately sized wave rolled over.
Whoosh!
The delicate balance she had just established was instantly broken. Erza stumbled and fell into the water again.
"Not enough. My response to the waves... my adjustment of magic output... not stable enough."
She stood up from the water, muttering to herself, and immediately began a new round of attempts.
Mirajane remained standing in place, watching everything quietly with a gentle smile.