She put the building blocks back on the table, stood up, glanced left and right, her bright eyes flitting about, lost in thought.
She recalled Lisanna's words from the previous night: "Mirajane, you seemed really off after coming back from Finn's place today."
"Why are your cheeks so red?" Lisanna asked, smiling. Mirajane could only reply, "You're just a kid, what do you know?"
Mirajane's face flushed again.
Lisanna suddenly stood before Mirajane, staring intently. Mirajane felt uncomfortable. "What are you looking at? Looking for a beating?" she asked, raising her fist.
Lisanna quickly moved aside. "Mirajane likes Finn," she said, sounding certain.
"Wh…who told you that? I…I could never like that guy," Mirajane's head felt like a steam engine, emitting metaphorical steam.
"Everyone can see it. Both you and Erza like Finn," Lisanna continued.
"Erza? Her again, hmph," Mirajane's annoyance flared at the thought of Erza also liking Finn.
"Look, look," Lisanna pointed at Mirajane. "You're like a jealous girl."
Mirajane realized she was acting strangely. She took a deep breath and asked, "How do you know? And what about Erza?"
Lisanna laughed. "Everyone knows. They're discussing who'll end up with Finn."
Mirajane recalled the different looks she'd been getting.
"Those gossiping idiots! I'll get them tomorrow," Mirajane clenched her fist, planning her revenge. Especially Macao and Wakaba.
Lisanna realized she'd betrayed everyone. "Mirajane, don't be mad. It's not their fault. You and Erza always drag Finn into your fights."
"So they guessed. And liking someone isn't bad," Lisanna said maturely.
Mirajane grabbed Lisanna's ear. "I told you not to hang out with those two! Look what you've learned!"
"Mirajane, I'm sorry! Easy, easy," Lisanna apologized.
Seeing Mirajane still angry, Lisanna said, "Mirajane, I can help you get Finn."
Mirajane's eyes flickered. She released Lisanna and said, "Tell me."
Lisanna rubbed her ear. "Finn's like a log. You'll wait forever."
Mirajane looked at Lisanna, her lips pursed.
Lisanna continued, "You need to be proactive. Erza won't be, so you have a better chance."
"Guys like gentle girls. You need to change your personality."
"Huh? My personality is bad?" Mirajane's face changed; a small demon seemed to glare at Lisanna.
Lisanna shook her head. "No, your personality is good."
"Hmph, that's more like it," Mirajane returned to her nonchalant demeanor.
Lisanna patted her chest. "I mean, guys like gentler girls."
Mirajane didn't understand gentleness. "Like?"
"Like cleaning your shared home, making him a meal, or saying 'Welcome home'," Lisanna listed.
"Most guys in the guild think this way. I investigated this for you!" Lisanna said proudly.
Mirajane ignored her. "Anything else?"
"Spend time alone with him." Mirajane thought of her request for Finn to take her on an S-class mission. That was perfect.
Returning to the present, Mirajane looked at the sleeping Finn, observing her surroundings.
"It's surprisingly clean," she noted. The floor was spotless, everything neatly organized; there was nothing to tidy up.
"Then, I'll make Finn something to eat later. Breakfast is my specialty," Mirajane thought, heading straight for the kitchen.
Soon, a delicious aroma filled the room, causing Finn's stomach to rumble involuntarily.
The scent of food, a powerful stimulant, broke through Finn's slumber.
"Hmm? What's that smell?" Finn sniffed the air.
"Fried eggs? But where's that smell coming from?" Finn sat up in bed; if anything could rouse a sleepyhead, it was the allure of delicious food.
The enticing aroma led Finn straight to the kitchen.
Upon entering, Finn felt as though he hadn't fully woken up yet. The sight before him was jarring: the usually violent Mirajane calmly preparing a meal? The scene was utterly incongruous.
Finn slapped himself in the face.
"Whoa, is this real? This scene is actually happening?"
Finn's sudden movement startled Mirajane, who was diligently frying eggs. Turning her head, she saw Finn staring at her with an expression of utter disbelief.
Remembering Lisanna's advice from the previous night to be gentle, Mirajane subtly adjusted her expression, striving to appear less boisterous than usual.
Once she felt she'd achieved the desired effect, she spoke, "You're awake. Go wash your hands first; breakfast will be ready soon."
Seeing that Finn remained motionless, Mirajane wiped the grease from her hands on her apron and gently nudged him out of the kitchen.
"Go wash up first," she instructed, pointing towards the washbasin where the toothpaste had already been squeezed out.
She then returned to her cooking.
Finn vigorously rubbed his eyes. "Did I see that correctly? What in the world is going on here?"
Finn, still somewhat dazed, completed his morning routine, and by the time he was finished, Mirajane's breakfast was ready and waiting.
She firmly but gently pushed Finn into a chair, before returning to the kitchen to bring out a plate after plate of breakfast.
The breakfast spread was incredibly lavish, instantly whetting Finn's appetite.
A glass of milk was placed before Finn, and Mirajane smiled warmly. "And your favorite milk. Eat up."
Despite his mouth watering profusely, Finn managed to restrain himself. "Mirajane, what's gotten into you today? I've already agreed to take you on that S-class mission, there's really no need for you to go to all this trouble of making me breakfast."
Upon hearing Finn's dense words, Mirajane's temper flared. Calling him a block of wood was an overestimation; he was harder than steel.
Just as she was about to unleash her anger, Lisanna's words echoed in her mind: "Mirajane, be gentle!"
She bit her lower lip, forcing herself to remain calm. "It's not about that. Oh, just eat already! All this food won't stop you from talking," she said, shoving a piece of cake into Finn's mouth.
Finn, caught off guard, had a mouthful of cake shoved into his mouth before he could react. He quickly raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, indicating that he could manage it himself, and Mirajane finally relented, withdrawing her hand.
She rolled her eyes at Finn and resumed eating her own breakfast.
Finn, completely bewildered, thought to himself, "Why is she still angry?" Unable to comprehend the situation, he noticed that Mirajane was no longer paying him any attention.
Therefore, Finn turned his attention to the delicious food spread before him.
"…Mmm…mmm…delicious…delicious…" Finn mumbled through a mouthful of food, showering Mirajane's cooking with praise.
It had to be admitted that Mirajane's culinary skills were truly exceptional.
Mirajane, secretly amused by Finn's reaction, suddenly noticed him start to cough violently, one hand repeatedly pounding against his chest.
Mirajane quickly handed Finn the glass of milk from the table and rushed to his side, gently patting his back.
"Ah… I'm saved," Finn exclaimed, letting out a sigh of relief after finally managing to swallow the food that had been lodged in his throat.
"It's all yours; no one's going to take it from you," Mirajane said, covering her mouth with a hand to stifle a laugh.
…
At the Fairy Tail guild, Finn kicked open the doors and strode inside alongside Mirajane.
"Yo, Finn, what's with you and Mirajane coming in together?" Wakaba greeted them with a teasing tone.
Before Finn could even utter a response, Mirajane's fierce gaze locked onto Wakaba. Despite the sweltering heat of the day, Wakaba instantly felt as though he'd been transported to a frigid, icy wasteland.
Meeting Mirajane's deathly glare, the teasing expression on Wakaba's face vanished, replaced by an expression of utmost seriousness.
He turned to Macao and began to loudly discuss the recent political situation in the Kingdom of Fiore, as if to demonstrate their seriousness.
Lisanna, playing with Natsu, Gray, and Cana, watched her sister, a look of proud approval on her face. She nodded repeatedly, clearly pleased with her sister's progress.
"Lisanna, what's wrong?" Natsu asked, sensing something amiss in Lisanna's demeanor.
Lisanna discreetly pointed towards the entrance, where Finn and Mirajane had just entered.
Natsu seemed to grasp the situation and nodded, but just as Lisanna thought that Natsu had finally shown some understanding, he vanished from his spot.
"Finn, let's duel! I'm going to beat you today!" Natsu shouted, already charging towards Finn.
Lisanna facepalmed and shook her head. It seemed that Finn wasn't the only idiot around.
Faced with Natsu's provocative challenge, Finn responded with a straightforward refusal. "No, I'm very busy," he said, turning to head upstairs to accept a mission.
Natsu, however, disregarded Finn's wishes, raising his fist and bellowing, "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
Finn subtly shifted to the side, evading Natsu's attack. He then raised his own fist high above his head, and with a powerful downward strike…
"Bang—" Natsu, who had been airborne during his attack, plummeted downwards with incredible speed, creating a deafening impact as he crashed into the floor, leaving a series of cracks in its surface.
Happy, ever the mischievous one, held up a sign that read, "Natsu's 387th defeat against Finn."
Makarov, seated at the bar, quietly made a note in his small notebook: "XX month, XX day—Finn damaged a section of the floor."
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