Erza's forum posts all followed the classic "unbelievable" style of clickbait titles. At least ten of them began with "Unbelievable!" which caused Nate to chuckle.
"I think you're taking this a little too seriously…" he remarked.
He glanced at Erza, who stood beside him with a slightly furrowed brow. Even when she frowned, her beauty made the expression appear graceful. Since Nate was sitting and she was standing, Erza had to lower her head, her crimson hair framing her face. She brushed it back behind her ear, revealing the black crystal earrings Nate had given her. Her expression showed confusion.
"Isn't this what you taught me? You said it would attract more clicks."
"That's true, but it's not just about the 'unbelievable' part. It's what comes after that counts."
Nate thought Erza was being serious about the wrong thing. His words seemed to freeze her mid-motion, a hint of frustration flickering in her eyes as she continued brushing her hair back.
"This is harder than I thought…"
Even Erza had her struggles. Nate chuckled. "It's no big deal. Don't worry if you don't get it."
"Here, take a look at this."
Erza, feeling a bit tired of standing, sat next to Nate. They were both sitting on a stack of wooden planks meant for rebuilding the guild. Nate had been slacking off, using the planks as a bench instead of carrying them like he was supposed to.
Nate followed her gaze and clicked on her latest forum post. He then found a specific reply within it.
Samurai: "I know where it is. Add me as a friend."
"And then?" Nate asked, turning to her.
"So I added them as a friend."
Erza opened her private messages, casually showing Nate the conversation.
Knight: "Do you know about the Tower of Heaven?"
Samurai: "I've seen your posts asking about the Tower of Heaven for a while. Based on your username, 'Knight,' I can guess who you are."
Samurai: "You're Erza Scarlet of Fairy Tail, the 'Fairy Queen,' right?"
Knight: "Yes, I'm Erza."
Nate stared in disbelief.
That was so like Erza—someone guessed her identity, and she just confirmed it without hesitation.
"Knight" was the name of Erza's magic, specifically "Requip: The Knight." She was quite famous, having been interviewed multiple times by 'Sorcerer Weekly', and her magic abilities were essentially public knowledge. Still, it was impressive that someone had figured out her identity based on a username alone.
Nate continued reading.
Knight: "I'm looking for information about the Tower of Heaven. I'll pay you 2,000 points as compensation."
Samurai: "The Tower of Heaven, the R-System... the Cult of Black Magic. Heh."
Samurai: "I do know the exact location of one of the Towers of Heaven."
Samurai: "If you want to know, come to this location."
[Your friend "Samurai" has sent you a package. Would you like to accept it?]
Knight: "What is this?"
Knight: "Are you there?"
The conversation ended there.
"He sent me this!" Erza pulled out a shiny gold card from her pocket and handed it to Nate.
Nate examined it briefly. "A… voucher?"
The card had the words "Free Accommodation" written on it.
"Ah! That's… an Akane Resort voucher!" Levy exclaimed as she passed by, her eyes widening in surprise.
"Nate, how did you get your hands on something like that? It's super rare—you usually have to win it in a lottery."
"Akane Resort?" Nate echoed, the name vaguely familiar.
"Yes, Akane Paradise, the most famous seaside resort in Fiore," Levy explained, giving him a look that clearly said, 'How do you not know this?'
"They have a theme park, hotels, everything. With this voucher, you can enjoy all the facilities for free, including accommodations…"
At that point, Levy's eyes widened even more as she glanced back and forth between Nate and Erza.
Suddenly, she covered her mouth, realizing what she might have stumbled upon.
Nate sighed, already knowing what she was thinking. "It's Erza's, not mine," he clarified, shaking his head.
"Huh? Erza… you…"
Levy looked even more shocked now. Being a fan of romance novels, her mind instantly conjured a dramatic love triangle. Nate, Mirajane, and Erza?!
Oh no, this is juicy! she thought, giddy with excitement.
"Sorry for interrupting! Bye!" Levy said with a mischievous grin, quickly scurrying off before Nate could say anything.
"…"
Nate stared after her, unsure of what exactly Levy had misunderstood, but certain it was something.
Erza, meanwhile, didn't seem to notice the misunderstanding. She was deep in thought, seriously considering the situation.
"Could this be a trap?" she mused, then immediately began formulating a plan. "But if both you and I go, even if it is, we'll be fine. I'll meet with him in person, and you can hide in the shadows. If anything goes wrong, we'll fight together."
Wait, why am I automatically included in this? Nate was about to protest when Erza decisively grabbed his arm.
"What are we waiting for? If we leave now, we can still make it by tonight!"
Nate sighed internally. He had planned a date with Juvia tonight at the new mansion…
Well, that's canceled.
…
Nate found himself on a train bound for Akane Paradise, sending an apologetic message to Juvia. Opposite him sat Erza.
"Erza, are you aware of one small problem?" Nate decided to clarify something beforehand.
"What is it?"
"We only have one voucher," Nate said, holding up his hands in mock surrender.
Erza thought about it for a moment. "That's fine. We can share a room."
Isn't that a bit inappropriate? Nate thought, but only nodded. "Then why hasn't the train started yet? We'll be late!"
Erza smiled at him. "Why do you seem so excited about sharing a room with me?"
"Don't misunderstand—I'm just worried about you," Nate replied earnestly. "Think about it. We don't know if this 'Samurai' is male or female, or how many people might be involved. It could even be a dark mage lurking on the forum."
"How could I let you go alone? We're guildmates. We're family!"
Erza, who was usually serious, couldn't help but laugh at his sincerity.
She has such a beautiful smile, Nate thought. She should smile more often instead of always looking so serious—like the class president.
"Thank you, Nate."
Her smile faded into a serious expression as she sincerely thanked him.
Nate sighed. "If you really want to thank me, just smile more."
"Is that so?"
Erza touched the corner of her lips, feeling warmth inside as his words lightly touched her heart.
~~~
Sleeping right now. Bonus Chapters later...
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