Seeing the beautiful woman sent flying, the bespectacled man panicked.
He rushed out to block Mirajane's path, black energy coiling ominously around his hands.
The woman scrambled up from the rubble, disheveled and bleeding.
Her eyes locked onto Mirajane with venomous hatred.
"You bitch! You have a death wish!"
Mirajane didn't reply.
Her gaze went dark, devoid of mercy.
Fueled by the immense strength of the demon arm, she vanished from her spot, charging forward instantly.
The woman was ready this time.
She twisted the black ring on her finger. It absorbed dark purple Magic Power and channeled it straight into the earth.
A jagged, sinister magic circle cracked the pavement.
Dozens of phantom soldiers clawed their way out of the ground, forming a wall between her and Mirajane.
Forced to stop, Mirajane began tearing through the spectral soldiers.
Seeing an opening, the scholar sneered.
He brandished the black energy in his hand, preparing to ambush her.
"Prepare to die! Taste my Corrosive Poison Gas!"
The man's booming roar echoed through the street. Mirajane glanced up, not a trace of fear in her eyes.
Just as the man thought he had her, the world blurred.
Bang! Crack!
The sickening sound of shattering lenses and snapping bone cut through the air.
The scholar let out a miserable shriek before an invisible force crushed him, tossing his broken body to the ground like a bag of trash.
Ankh strolled leisurely out of the hotel, hands clasped behind his back. He didn't even bother to look at the man writhing on the ground.
"What an absolute idiots," Ankh muttered, looking annoyed. "Shouting out your moves before you attack? What a waste of time."
He calmly shifted his gaze to Mirajane.
Seeing her partner instantly defeated, the beautiful woman's confidence shattered.
She looked at Mirajane in pure terror.
Mirajane didn't hesitate.
She closed the distance in a heartbeat. Her fist, imbued with the raw power of the Satan Soul, slammed into the woman's face with brutal force.
CRACK.
The impact instantly broke her nose. Mirajane clearly didn't care about ruining the woman's delicate features.
'How deep is this grudge?' Ankh wondered, sweating slightly. 'She knocked her out cold just for that one comment about our relationship?'
Ankh stood to the side, not daring to make a sound for fear of drawing her fire.
But of course, Mirajane hadn't forgotten him.
She stormed over, her expression frosty. "Why did you attack them? Wasn't our mission just to steal the blueprint?"
She tilted her head up, staring him down.
The faint, youthful fragrance drifting from her hair teased Ankh's senses, instantly reminding him of the... thrilling scene from that morning.
Ankh coughed, fighting to keep his composure.
"The reward for just the map is peanuts. If we handle the cleanup and catch the culprits, we'll naturally earn a bonus."
Though Ankh explained earnestly, Mirajane wasn't listening to a word he said.
She studied his face, looking for a crack in his mask.
But he looked completely unbothered, as if he didn't remember a single thing about waking up in the same bed.
A pang of grievance hit her heart. Her eyes grew slightly moist.
'Does he really have no reaction?! Does he think I'm just some girl he can play with and then ignore?'
Seeing Mirajane's expression shift from anger to hurt, Ankh finally caught on.
He stepped closer and lowered his voice.
"Sorry, Mira. I never expected... last night to turn out like that."
He looked her in the eye, his expression sincere. "Whatever compensation you want... or whatever request you have, I'll fulfill it."
Mirajane paused.
She didn't actually care about compensation.
She just didn't want him to play deaf and dumb—to pretend it never happened. That would have broken her heart.
What she wanted was simple: an acknowledgment.
An apology.
She knew her own feelings clearly. She already liked Ankh. Even last night's "recklessness" wasn't entirely his fault; she hadn't exactly fought him off.
Hearing his sincere apology, the anger and grievance evaporated instantly.
But Mirajane was young and proud.
She couldn't let him off the hook too easily. She forced her face to remain stern, pretending she was still furious.
However, the traitorous corners of her mouth twitched upward. Overcome with sudden shyness, she couldn't think of a cool comeback.
Watching her struggle to stay mad, Ankh smiled.
"Let me treat you to a meal," he offered gently. "I know it can't make up for everything... but consider it a peace offering."
Mirajane froze.
Logic told her to maintain her pride and refuse.
But her head nodded on its own.
"Okay..." she whispered.
'Damn it', she cursed herself inwardly. 'I'm such a coward.'
Ankh felt a weight lift off his chest.
Compared to the guilt he felt, buying her dinner was nothing. He had plenty of money, after all.
'Wait...' Ankh paused. 'Does this count as asking a girl out on a date?'
With his limited romantic experience from his previous life, he wasn't sure.
'Probably not. Mira might not even like me that way.'
He dismissed the thought.
As a man, he obviously found Mira, Erza, and the other girls attractive.
But this was real life, not a harem anime.
These were living, breathing people, not prizes to be won just because he showed up. There was no way she would fall for him that easily.
'Impossible. Absolutely impossible.'
Ankh shook his head to clear his thoughts.
"Let's go. We need to take these two—plus the one unconscious inside—back to the client. Then we get our money."
Mirajane, who had just been acting like a wronged wife, immediately turned and obediently followed his lead.
'It's been so long since I've seen such an honest, well-behaved girl,' Ankh thought, feeling a fresh wave of guilt.
He quickly stepped forward to help her tie up the cultists.
Finally, Ankh silently reviewed the operation.
Although the finale had alarmed the hotel guests—it was a bit reckless—the outcome was good.
No hostages were taken.
However, looking at the destroyed wall and the craters in the street... the repair bill sent to Fairy Tail was going to be astronomical.
'I can already see Master Makarov crying over the invoice...'
After securely tying up the three cult members, and before handing them over to the client, Ankh sat down in front of them.
"Stop playing dead," he said, kicking the scholar's shoe. "Answer my questions."
The man with the shattered glasses trembled.
He cracked one swollen eye open.
Seeing the bruised and disfigured woman beside him, he shouted angrily, "What do you want?!"
Ankh's gaze turned cold. He grabbed the man by the collar and pulled him close.
"I should be asking you that."
"The White Devil Cult... what is your true purpose?" Ankh hissed. "First the Satan Soul, now the blueprints for a Etherion... Why are you gathering such weapons of mass destruction?"