Chapter 11: The Figure Crying by the River

"Alala, Little Alex, don't underestimate my new creation, oh! This is the world's best strawberry cake that I've spent so much time perfecting!" The cake shop owner proudly displayed his masterpiece.

"Can I taste it then?" Alex stared at the strawberry cake in the display case, eyes sparkling with anticipation. Just hearing the owner's enthusiasm made him crave a bite.

The owner was thrilled. "Of course! But this is just a trial version. You can try it out first. If everything's good, I'll officially launch it tomorrow."

"Oh! Thank you, then I'll taste it now." The owner brought out a plate from the back and eagerly handed it to Alex.

"It looks and smells amazing." Alex sniffed the cake, feeling captivated already.

Carefully, he took a spoonful and savored the sweet taste filling his mouth.

"Is it delicious?" The owner watched Alex expectantly.

Alex gave a thumbs up, chewing happily. The owner's anxiety melted away seeing Alex's enjoyment.

"Boss, do you have more?" Alex quickly finished the slice but still wanted more.

"Haha, sorry, I don't have more. Today was just a trial, so I didn't make too much. Since you liked it, I'll start selling it officially tomorrow." The owner laughed happily at Alex's delight.

As a chef, making food that people loved was the greatest honor.

"Then I'll reserve one... no, two!" Alex initially held up one finger but changed his mind quickly.

"Sure, sure, no problem!" The owner could barely contain his laughter.

Alex handed the plate back and asked, "By the way, how much is the cake I just had?"

Seeing Alex prepare to pay, the owner hurriedly shook his head. "No, no, no! I'm happy that you tried it. I can't take your money."

Seeing the owner's insistence, Alex relented. "Alright then, give me a few bottles of milk."

"Okay, just a moment." The owner turned to the fridge to get the milk.

Alex placed 1000 Jewels under the cashier's book. That was the usual price for such cakes.

Soon, the owner returned with the milk. Alex took the milk and handed the money to the owner, saying, "You should take the money for the milk."

"Haha, you little rascal." The owner took the money and waved Alex goodbye, laughing at his antics as he left the shop.

...

The next day, Alex arrived at the guild.

"Good morning, Alex!" Cana greeted Alex as soon as he entered, waving her hand.

"Good morning, Cana." Alex greeted Cana back and walked to the counter to order.

"Can you get me a cup of warm milk, please? Thanks."

Soon, a cup of milk was placed in front of Alex. At that moment, some commotion caught Alex's attention from across the guild.

In a corner of the guild hall, Erza was sitting quietly, having her breakfast. The unusual thing was that Erza was wearing armor today.

Alex sat down next to Cana, asking, "What's wrong with Erza? Why is she still wearing armor?"

Cana looked at Alex and replied, "I don't know either. Erza came in like this today, and she's been alone the whole time."

Sipping his milk, Alex commented, "She seems to have deep issues."

"Um, aren't you quite young to be saying that?" Cana looked Alex up and down.

"Oh, don't worry about these details." Alex waved his hand. After all, he had lived two lives, and Erza, in Alex's eyes, was still just a child.

But that wasn't something Alex could tell Cana.

Cana didn't dwell on it and said, "You seem to understand a bit?"

After thinking for a moment, Alex said, "Erza might be afraid of others. She's a girl with severe insecurity. I'm not too sure about the specifics."

"Hmm? Where did Gray go?" Alex took another sip of milk and noticed Gray swaggering over towards Erza.

Cana explained, "Gray said he was going to say hello to Erza."

Alex pointed dumbfoundedly at Erza and asked, "Is that how you say hello?"

Gray stood in front of Erza, kicking the table over with a foot, hands on hips, and confidently said, "Hey, what's with the armor? Got nothing else to wear?"

Erza didn't react much to the table being kicked over but looked up at Gray, who was shirtless, and replied, "Do you have any shame? Go put some clothes on."

"This guild isn't some sort of weird place, is it?" Erza remarked, deliberately avoiding eye contact with Gray, then turned away.

Her comment instantly brought laughter from everyone in the guild.

With a cigarette in his mouth, Wakaba chuckled, "Well said, Erza!"

Gray, hearing the laughter all around, couldn't hide his embarrassment. "You, you..."

Erza's remaining eye locked onto Gray with a fierce glare. "Don't bother me!"

Gray froze instantly. Truth be told, that look reminded him of the fear he felt when under Alex's control. But then he shook off the thought; after all, Alex was a monster. There couldn't be that many monsters in the world, right?

With this in mind, Gray relaxed a bit and said, "Your name is Erza, right? I challenge you. Let's see who's really the boss of the guild."

Erza shook her head faintly. "Fine. If you lose, don't bother me again."

Saying so, Erza walked out of the guild, with Gray following closely behind.

"Is it okay for them to fight like this?" Cana expressed concern.

"Don't worry, Gray can't beat Erza," Alex reassured her confidently. Although Alex hadn't fought Erza himself, he had heard from Makarov. Yesterday, when Makarov stamped Erza's guild insignia, he kept saying how she brought talent like a monster to the guild.

With such high praise, Erza couldn't possibly be weak.

As expected, amid everyone's anticipation, Gray was defeated in an instant.

With a large bruise on his head, Gray inevitably became the butt of everyone's jokes. This deeply stung Gray; once, he proudly considered himself the most talented mage in the guild.

But first, there was Alex, and now Erza. Gray keenly felt his own weakness now, spending most of his time away from the guild in the days that followed, reportedly training somewhere.

Later, he even went to Alex to learn a couple of martial arts moves. Filled with confidence in learning Alex's true teachings, Gray sought revenge on Erza, only to be defeated once again.

Of course, these were all stories for another time.

Today, Alex spent the day at the guild, occasionally chatting with the older guys and sometimes talking to Erza. However, Erza remained as introverted as ever, hardly speaking to anyone except Alex.

...

As the sun began to set, Alex walked home with two cakes he had ordered from the cake shop owner yesterday.

Passing by the small river in the city, he suddenly noticed a figure sitting by the riverbank, head buried between folded knees.

Seeing the familiar crimson hair and the armor, Alex knew it was Erza.

"Why is she here?" With curiosity, Alex decided to greet her.

"Erza? Why are you sitting alone by the river?"

Hearing someone call out, Erza turned to look back. Tears glistened in her eyes, reflecting the sunlight, a sight that deeply moved Alex.

"Oh, it's you. What's up?" Erza quickly wiped away her tears, trying to compose herself.

Alex sighed deeply, sat down on the grass beside Erza, and gazed into the distance. "Why do you like to cry alone?"

Erza buried her head back between her knees for a long time before saying, "I prefer being alone. Being with others makes me feel uneasy."

"Is that why you wear this armor? To protect yourself?"

"Mm." A faint murmur escaped Erza's lips as she recalled her ordeal in the Tower of Heaven. Tears started to flow again uncontrollably.

Erza bit her lip tightly, trying not to make a sound, but her trembling body betrayed her emotions. Just then, a tissue was handed to her.

Erza hesitated for a moment.

"Take it, to wipe your tears." Erza took the tissue and continued, "If you feel like crying, cry out loud. Everyone in the guild is family; they are here to share your pain."

"I remember someone told me that the guild is a home for the homeless, where one's joy is everyone's joy and one's sorrow is everyone's sorrow. You don't have to isolate yourself. Maybe you could try to reach out."

"Although you didn't say anything, everyone is worried about you. Everyone hopes you can integrate into the guild sooner rather than later, instead of being alone all the time."

Erza wiped away her tears, her sobbing gradually subsiding.

Seeing this, Alex smiled faintly and continued, "Including Gray. He wanted to challenge you to help you integrate sooner. After all, fighting is always the main theme of Fairy Tail."

"People get to know each other through fights, and they become closer through fights. Although Gray's goal wasn't achieved and he ended up being beaten by you," Erza recalled how Gray had said he would win next time after being beaten, smiling through her tears and then quickly stopping.