Shane went into the kitchen and started prepping with brisk, practiced movements.
He carefully peeled fresh shrimp, keeping the meat whole. He mixed the shrimp with a little fatty pork and seasonings, creating a tender pink filling.
Next, he took out a ready-made wheat starch dough, rolled it with skilled hands into round wrappers as thin as cicada wings, and wrapped each one around a whole shrimp and a portion of filling—his fingers pinching neat, elegant pleats.
Soon, the shrimp dumplings—curved like tiny combs, their skins thin and glossy—were lined up neatly in the steamer basket.
He steamed them briefly. When the fragrant steam rose, they were done. Through the semi-translucent wrappers, the pink shrimp showed faintly, irresistibly appetizing.
Erza picked one up carefully with her chopsticks, blew on it, and took a bite.
The thin-but-springy skin gave way, and sweet, savory juices burst out along with the crisp, bouncy shrimp.
Her eyes widened instantly. Her cheeks puffed slightly as she chewed, her face openly showing surprise and satisfaction.
The taste spoke for itself.
Seeing her delighted expression, Shane's "chef soul" felt deeply fulfilled. He couldn't help saying, "There are a lot of good foods out there. Don't just obsess over pan-seared steak."
Erza set down her chopsticks and countered with utter seriousness, "Shrimp dumplings are very good. And your pan-seared steak is also very good."
Her sincerity made Shane want to tease her, so he asked with a grin, "Then—what's better: strawberry cake or pan-seared steak?"
The question dropped Erza straight into silence.
She frowned slightly, wearing an extremely rare, very teenage look of genuine conflict.
After a long moment, like she'd made a painfully difficult decision, she raised her hand and pinched her thumb and index finger just a sliver apart. Her voice carried a hint of guilt. "Strawberry cake… is better by a tiny bit."
"Ohhh, I see…" Shane dragged the sound out on purpose, putting on an exaggeratedly wounded face.
Erza immediately rushed to explain, flustered. "It's only a tiny bit! If it was a strawberry cake made by Shane, then it would definitely—definitely be the best!"
Seeing her hurried explanation, Shane finally broke into laughter, eyes crinkling.
Only then did Erza realize she'd been played again.
She pressed her lips together in mild irritation, then swiftly reached with her chopsticks and snatched three shrimp dumplings off Shane's plate and onto her own.
Shane, in a fantastic mood, didn't get mad at all. Instead, he waved a hand and generously slid all the remaining dumplings from his plate onto hers. "Take them all."
That reaction stole Erza's "revenge" satisfaction.
But… she bit into one anyway.
Yeah. The dumplings were still delicious.
After breakfast, they tidied up a little and headed for the guild.
Mornings in Magnolia were always lively.
Sunlight fell onto clean streets. Shops were just taking down their wooden shutters. Wagon wheels clattered rhythmically over stone.
They walked side by side along the riverside path, enjoying the rare calm.
Then a cheerful voice called out, "Hey! Shane!"
A plump orange arced through the air toward him.
Shane caught it on instinct and looked, puzzled, at a smiling vendor pushing a fruit cart.
"I heard you took care of that bastard Ivan! Nice work! This one's on me!" the man said loudly.
Shane lifted an eyebrow.
The news had spread that fast? Fairy Tail really did have big mouths.
And just how disliked had Ivan been?
Magnolia's residents were usually very tolerant of Fairy Tail, yet people were angry enough to show support like this.
And it didn't stop there.
In the short walk from the river to the guild, more residents recognized Shane, waved him down, and stuffed things into his hands.
Fresh vegetables. Warm bread. Wrapped candies.
Before long, he couldn't carry it all. Erza had to help, and together they hauled the pile of food to the guild entrance.
The moment they stepped into the hall, upbeat music hit them.
Makarov was standing on the bar, dancing to the rhythm with surprising agility for such a small body, a huge mug raised in one hand—looking nothing like the grief-stricken old man from yesterday.
That's… a very fast recovery, Shane thought.
He walked up and handed over some of the heavy bundle. "Here, Master. Brought you something to eat."
Since the gifts were essentially thanks for the Ivan incident, it felt right to share.
Makarov stopped dancing and eyed the pile. "Oh? Where'd all this good stuff come from so early?"
Shane almost blurted, "People on the street heard I beat your son—"
But Erza caught his intent instantly and cut in first, voice smooth and natural. "We saw these were very fresh on the way. We were worried you might be in a bad mood, so we thought we'd buy some things to cheer you up."
Makarov beamed. "Hahaha! You two are thoughtful, very thoughtful! Come on, everyone, take some!"
He immediately started handing food out to the nearby members, privately thinking how nice it would be if more of the guild were as considerate as Shane and Erza.
While the master was distributing things, Shane pulled Erza aside and whispered, "You're getting crafty, Erza. Taking other people's gifts and using them to score points."
Erza's eye twitched. In her mind flashed that moment on their very first day in the Tower of Paradise—Shane taking bread Jellal gave him, then turning around and giving it to Simon.
If this is 'crafty,' I learned it from you, she silently shot back.
Out loud, she only gave Shane an unimpressed look, then walked off toward the request board, leaving Shane behind grinning at nothing.
A moment later, Shane noticed Erza standing in front of the board, scanning with focus, and wandered over. "You picking a job?"
"Mm." She didn't take her eyes off the listings. "I want to save money and buy two more sets of armor, to match 'Anti-Magic' and 'Armor-Cutting.'"
Shane understood.
Unlike him, Erza's magic relied heavily on having the right equipment to reach its full potential.
"And," Erza added, finally shifting her gaze to him, "we're also out of money again. We need money."
~~~
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