In an instant, that daring girl wilted.
At present, the only person in this guild who truly scared her was Erza, the one who had beaten her down without mercy.
If her rival was Erza, then Bisca felt like she might as well give up now.
Seeing her lose heart so quickly, Sorano let out a disdainful snort.
"It's not just Erza. The guild's other S-Class mage, Mira, Cana, who's already touched the threshold of S-Class strength, and even Laki, the one who stamped you last night, are all his girlfriends.
So tell me, do you still dare to fight for him now?"
"Hm? There's actually something this good?"
To Sorano's complete surprise, after hearing all that, Bisca did not give up at all. Instead, her expression instantly brightened, as if the clouds had parted and the sun had come out.
"If he were the devoted type, I really wouldn't have had any way in. But if he already has that many women, then one more like me shouldn't matter, right?"
Under Sorano's stunned gaze, Bisca grabbed both of her hands and pleaded earnestly,
"Sorano, lend me some money. I want to buy a few outfits and do my makeup properly. I'm going to try and win him in one shot!"
Sorano: "..."
In the end, after being worn down by Bisca's endless begging, Sorano reluctantly pulled out 100,000 J from her pocket.
"Do your best. I support you in spirit. But if Erza and the others catch you, absolutely do not sell me out. I'm still young. I don't want to die yet."
Bisca gave a grin, wrapped herself affectionately around Sorano's arm, and whispered softly into her ear,
"If I don't at least try to chase a man this outstanding, I'll regret it for the rest of my life.
Big Sister Sorano... don't tell me you don't feel that way at all?
Since Erza and the others can tolerate other women existing around him, why don't you try it with me too?"
...
After saying that, she let go of the dazed Sorano, stood up, and waved to her.
"The finest horse deserves the best rider. That's something even a three-year-old would know.
I'm heading out first. If you change your mind, come find me at the clothing shop in town."
With that, Bisca turned and strode out of the guild without the slightest hesitation, leaving Sorano sitting there in a daze.
The finest horse deserves the best rider.
Sorano repeated those words silently in her heart, and ripples slowly began to spread through her mind.
Originally, what she had felt toward Kabe had been more gratitude than anything else, gratitude toward the man who had pulled her out of the darkness.
But after Bisca's words lit that spark, she suddenly realized that when she looked back on everything that had happened before, her feelings toward Kabe had begun to change.
She violently shook her head, trying to throw away the strange flutter that had appeared in her heart.
"Damn it, this is all Bisca's fault, filling my head with weird nonsense and making me start thinking about all this."
She muttered irritably, then picked up her spoon again and started drinking the soup, which had already gone cold.
But the more she drank, the more she found herself unable to stop thinking about Bisca's words before leaving.
And about Kabe's heroic figure at the Heartfilia estate, when he had erased an entire mountain with a single blow.
Damn it, I can't forget it now.
Bisca, you little bitch, give me back my innocent mind!!!