Nate didn't expect Erza to show up at his house that night to teach him magic. The gesture gave him a new understanding of her serious nature. He was pleasantly surprised that she remembered a casual remark he had made back at the Tower of Heaven.
"Shall we start now?" Nate agreed eagerly, closing the door and sitting across from Erza.
"Wait, there's something I want to give you," Erza said, extending her hands and calling out, "Requip!" In an instant, a silver suit of magical armor appeared in her hands.
"This is a new set of armor created by the 'Heart Kreuz' boutique, part of the 'Black Knight' series," she explained. "You helped me a lot last time, and just thanking you didn't feel like enough. So, I had this armor custom-made for you. Once you learn Requip magic, you'll be able to use it."
Erza smiled softly, leaving Nate momentarily speechless. There were so many things he wanted to say—like why the armor was called 'Black Knight' when it was silver.
"Wait, doesn't making armor take time?" Nate asked, surprised. "So, after we returned from the Akane Resort, you went to order this?"
Erza nodded. "It took three days. I just got the notification today that it was ready."
Nate felt touched. Erza's thoughtfulness really stood out. "Thank you for the gift."
He accepted the armor, inspecting it carefully. It had a prominent cross design with heart-shaped edges.
"This symbol… your usual armor has it too. Is it the company's logo?"
"Yes, most of my magic armors are made by that boutique."
Nate vaguely remembered the boutique from fashion ads in 'Weekly Sorcerer'. "Isn't that a fashion store? They make magic armor too?" he asked, amused.
Erza laughed. "Originally, they didn't, but after my earnest request, they agreed to help."
The word "earnest" made Nate imagine some intimidating scenes. He could picture the boutique reluctantly agreeing under the pressure of a strong-willed mage like Erza.
Sensing his thoughts, Erza added, "In fact, the armor they made for me became quite popular afterward, especially among younger women."
Nate thought, of course, anything associated with Erza, a star mage of Fairy Tail, would become a trend. "This is the second time you've given me a gift. I'll have to return the favor next time."
"Can I look forward to it?" Erza smiled warmly, glancing at Nate's left hand. She noticed he was still wearing the gloves she had gifted him before, which made her happy.
"You can expect it. So, shall we start the lesson now?" Nate suggested.
Erza nodded, but then hesitated. "Wait a moment…"
Nate wondered what else she had planned when she suddenly called out another Requip. With a flash of golden light, Erza had changed into a teacher's outfit—complete with a black suit, glasses, black stockings, and a bamboo ruler in hand.
"Nate, class is starting now," Erza said seriously, pushing her glasses up her nose.
Nate was stunned. "You really like role-playing, don't you?" he asked, eyes wide.
"I ordered this along with the Black Knight armor…" Erza's face reddened slightly, but she tried to remain composed.
"I love it!" Nate laughed. "Erza-sensei, please teach me Requip magic!"
Erza smiled shyly but cleared her throat. "Ahem, Nate, before we begin, you need to understand the principles of Requip magic," she explained seriously. "It's a magic that allows you to summon stored weapons, armor, and other equipment from another space and switch them during battle as needed. It involves spatial magic, but it should be easy for you."
Under her patient guidance, Nate quickly grasped the concept. Requip magic wasn't inherently difficult, and many mages used it. However, mastering it to Erza's level, where she had a large "Requip space" and could change equipment at lightning speed, was rare.
After just an hour, Nate successfully created his own Requip space. Thanks to his expertise in spatial magic, his space wasn't much smaller than Erza's.
Then, he gave it a try.
"Requip!" he called out, and a flash of white light surrounded him. A moment later, he had only managed to summon the helmet from the Black Knight armor.
"Seems like you've got it. Now, you just need to practice," Erza praised him. "Don't focus on speed at first. Make sure you successfully Requip, then work on quickening the pace."
This was just the beginning, Nate thought. Erza was clearly a Requip master.
"Let me try again."
Confident in his learning ability, Nate attempted another Requip. This time, he managed to send the helmet back into the Requip space and summon it again—though with a twist. He accidentally removed all his clothes except for the helmet.
"…"
Even Nate's usual confidence couldn't stop him from blushing. Erza gasped, covering her eyes with her hands, though her fingers were wide enough for her to peek.
"It's nothing, just a small mishap," Nate said, trying to maintain his composure. "The sword hasn't even been drawn, no need to be shocked. Requip!"
With a flash of silver light, Nate slowed down his pace and successfully donned the entire Black Knight armor.
Erza, still blushing, praised him, "You've got the hang of it! Exactly like that—keep practicing!"
Seeing her trying to maintain composure while blushing was adorable to Nate. He almost wanted to hug her.
"It's all thanks to your excellent teaching, Erza-sensei," Nate said.
"You're a fast learner, Nate."
"No, it's because you're a good teacher."
Erza smiled, laughing softly. She glanced out the window, noticing it was already late.
"Class is over. I should be going. Tomorrow is the top 32 tournament, Nate. You need to prepare."
"It's so late already. Why not stay the night?" Nate offered. "Can you even get back into the women's dorm at this hour?"
Erza froze on the spot. Nate saw her body tremble slightly.
"Well… it would be disruptive at this hour," Erza admitted, pushing her hair behind her ear.
"I only have one bed. If you don't mind…"
"It's okay. It's not like this is the first time we've slept together," Erza turned slightly, blushing. "But don't touch my panda again."
Nate was confused. When had he touched her? He had no memory of it.
Was it back at the Akane Resort while they slept? If so, he felt like he had missed out on something significant.
"I'm afraid of the dark. Can I hold you while we sleep?" Nate teased.
"Are you really afraid of the dark?" Erza seemed skeptical but nodded.
And so, they both washed up and went to bed together. The bed was small, making it a tight fit for two people, but Nate didn't mind at all.
Unlike last time, when he had hugged her from behind, this time they faced each other, holding each other as they fell asleep.
"Goodnight. We have the tournament tomorrow," Erza smiled, resting on the same pillow. "Nate, I guess even you have things you're not good at, like being afraid of the dark."
"Yes, I'm terribly afraid of the dark. And if you're willing to sleep with me during the day, I might even be afraid of sunlight," Nate joked, snuggling into Erza's shoulder.
She smelled wonderful.
~~~
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