73 Becoming Shizuku-Tan

Earth land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.

August, x780.

"Fonzie, put me down." Cana whispered into Alfonzo's ear with a mischievous smile on her face.

Heeding Cana's request, Alfonzo gently lowered Cana until her feet were on the soft carpet of the living room. Without alerting Erza, who was so focused on the novel in her hands that she did not even detect the new arrivals, Cana made her way over to the couch Erza was sitting on. Then, after moving quietly for a few moments, Cana did a few things simultaneously.

All at once, she sat down on the couch, wrapped her arm around Erza's waist, and pressed her cheek against Erza, and started reading the page Erza had the book open to.

"Hey Erza, whatcha reading?" Cana asked in a playful tone.

In the next instant, Erza's entire body stiffened. Then, at a speed that approached the speed she could reach when going all out, Erza clapped the book shut and tossed it on the table where Elicia left it after she finished taking notes for the costume. Surprisingly, the book landed in the exact same spot, in the exact same position, Elicia left it.

"Reading? I'm not reading anything." Erza replied with her eyes swimming. "Whatever could you be talking about, Cana?"

In the next moment, Erza noticed that Alfonzo was standing in the living room's doorway with an amused smirk on his face.

"Alfonzo, you're back." Erza said, her cheeks now as red as her hair. "How did the quest go?"

"Wow!" Cana exclaimed as she poked Erza in the cheek with her index finger, "You're really gonna pretend as if neither of us never saw you, aren't you?"

"There's no need to be embarrassed, Erza." Alfonzo said as he started walking toward the couch Cana and Erza were sitting on. "Everyone's got something they're into, there's no shame in that."

Instead of responding, Erza simply lowered her head, the blush still present, and grasped her skirt. No matter what Alfonzo said, Erza was embarrassed. And Cana, who had always seen Erza with a cool and composed expression on her face, except when she was fighting with Mirajane, found the moment extremely amusing.

"Fonzie! How was the quest?" Elicia shouted as she ran through the house and arrived in the living room.

Before Alfonzo could react, He felt a weight on his back as a pair of arms wrapped around his neck from behind.

"Hey, Lici." Alfonzo said without a change in his expression. "I guess Marin is getting warmed up."

"Yup, She's in the bath right now." Elicia replied with a nod.

At that moment, Elicia noticed the awkward atmosphere in the room. Seeing Alfonzo's wry smile, Cana's teasing smile, and Erza's embarrassed expression, Elicia tilted her head in confusion. Then, she noticed the erotic novel on the coffee table in front of the Couch.

"Oh, Erza got caught reading the erotic novel, huh?" Elicia said without thinking.

That statement caused Erza to hide her face behind her hands as she fell to the side and curled up on the couch. Meanwhile, Cana started laughing hysterically.

"Flawless victory." Alfonzo said while shaking his head with a smile on his face. "Elicia wins. Fatality."

"What the hell was that?" Cana asked while Elicia giggled at the reference that only she and Alfonzo would understand.

"Don't worry about it." Alfonzo said while waving it off dismissively. "I was just being silly."

"Anyway, tell us about the quest." Elicia said, bouncing up and down on Alfonzo's back.

"Alright." Alfonzo replied with a smile.

Then, while pulling Elicia to his front, Alfonzo took a seat on the couch opposite the one Cana was sitting on with Erza, while sitting Elicia on his lap.

"Well, the quest was to kill a blade liger." Alfonzo said.

"You mean one of those magical lion-tiger hybrids with blades that fold out from their torsos?" Cana asked before Alfonzo could continue.

"That's right." Alfonzo replied with a nod. "Apparently, it wandered into the forest near Shirotsume Town. And with its arrival, the weaker magical beasts were forced out of their usual domains. This caused a domino effect and led to some beasts attacking the town."

From there, Alfonzo went on to tell his experience hunting the blade liger, keeping the girls on the edge of their seats. About half way through the story, even Erza got over her embarrassment and sat up straight to hear the story with rapt attention.

"Fonzie, you didn't mention using the new magic in your fight with the blade liger." Elicia said after Alfonso's story came to an end.

"Yeah... *Sigh*" Alfonzo replied while slowly shaking his head. "Although I can use it. The casting time is too slow for a high-level battle like that one."

Hearing that, Elicia, Cana, and Erza all nodded in understanding.

"But I should have it down before the next S-Class Promotion Exam." Alfonzo continued with a big smile on his face.

Although the girls were happy Alfonzo would master the magic he had been working on for so long, they would not complain if it took hm a few weeks longer than his initial prediction.

"Hey, where is everyone?" Marin's voice sounded from the entrance hall.

"I guess she's done." Alfonzo said with a shrug.

"I'll go get her." Elicia said, hopping off Alfonzo's lap and dashing out of the room.

As soon as Elicia was no longer in the room, Cana, with her bottle of ale in hand, stood up from her seat on the opposite couch. Then, she walked around the coffee table and took a seat on Alfonzo's lap with a victorious smile on her face.

Meanwhile, although she tried to hide it, Erza's slightly envious expression could not be hidden from Alfonzo.

"Now, how 'bout that drink?" Cana asked, having not noticed Erza's current expression.

Taking a swig from the bottle in her hand, instead of swallowing it, Cana drew her face towards Alfonzo's with her lips puckered.

Before Cana could force the mouthful of ale on Alfonzo, however, Elicia appeared in the living room's doorway, accompanied by Marin.

"I'm back!" Elicia announced energetically. "And when she saw Cana, she pouted a bit. "Cana, you stole my seat."

"You got up." Cana said with an innocent expression after swallowing the ale in her mouth. "How was I supposed to know you were coming back?"

Meanwhile, Marin, who was taking in the new room, slightly blushed when she saw Cana sitting in Alfonso's lap.

"This is a face I don't recognize." Erza said, finally getting her envious expression completely under control. "I am Erza Scarlet. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Immediately, Marin's attention was drawn to the only person in the room she had yet to meet. Hearing the polite greeting, Marin smiled in return as she waved her hand.

"Hi! I'm Marin Kitagawa." Marin said, introducing herself. "It's nice to meet you, too."

As Marin introduced herself, Alfonzo saw that Erza had noticed Marin's magic power reserves. Then, just before she could say anything about it, Alfonzo beat her to the punch.

"So, now that you're all warmed up, are you gonna try on your costume?" Alfonzo asked with a smile.

With her eyes lighting up at Alfonzo's question, Marin quickly turned her shining eyes in Elicia's direction.

"Yeah!" Elicia said, raising both hands in the air happily. "Let's go! Follow me, Marin!"

A moment later, both Elicia and Marin rushed out of the living room, making their way toward the master bedroom.

As soon as they were gone, both Cana and Erza turned their attention toward Alfonzo.

"So, what's the deal with that girl?" Cana asked. "She's got a lot of magic power, but it doesn't seem like she's a wizard."

"Yes, I was going to ask her about that." Erza added with a nod. "So, why did you stop me?"

"For now she's just one of Lici's clients." Alfonzo replied. "And as for the magic power, Lici and I came to the same conclusion. But I'm pretty sure Lici has a plan for that."

Having grown to trust Alfonzo and Elicia quite a bit over the years, Cana and Erza simply nodded in understanding. Then, as if nothing happened they chatted about the things that happened in Magnolia while Alfonzo was away on his quest.

Meanwhile, about fifteen minutes later, Marin was standing in one of the three walk-in closets between the master bedroom and the master bathroom. Currently, she was looking down at her body that was now clad in the Saint Slippery's Academy girl's uniform she commissioned Elicia to make.

Wearing a black maid gown with a matching tie that hangs down her chest and ends between her breasts., there are large frills where the sleeves meet the torso. Her sleeves, extending down her arms from the frills are long enough to cover her hands as they flare out at the ends. Between the two large frills, there are two individual breast pockets that support her breasts. Unfortunately, with her slender figure, she does not quite fill them out.

Below the breast pockets, where the out fit is the slimmest, the dress begins. There are a total of four layers to the dress. One to make the dress look fluffier, and three more to give the right pattern and coloration, with the top layer having a rose patterned embroidery that ends in frills at the bottom of the dress.

Rounding out the look, her legs were wrapped in black, rose pattern embroidered stockings, garter belts, and black platformed heels. She also wears a black mob cap with rose embroidery and three artificial roses sewn into it. And last, but certainly not least, she wore a brown leather choker around her neck with a chain attached to it.

"So, how is it?" Elicia asked form outside the closet.

With Elicia'[s voice snapping her out of her daze, Marin smiled brightly.

"OMG! This is even better than I imagined." Marin shouted excitedly. Then, she turned around and rushed toward the closet's door as she continued. "Elicia, you're, like, super amazing! I really am Shizuku-Tan right now!"

Unbeknownst to Marin, however, as she walked toward the closet door, her hair shortened, turning black in the process and gaining a midnight purple tint. At the same time, her pupils changed from their usual pink to a violet color.

On top of her hair and eye colors changing, Marin's face also changed to match the Shizuku on the books cover while her body became more curvy, filling out all the lose parts of the outfit.

Just as the changes finished, Marin opened the door, surprising Elicia greatly. If she didn't have a hunch about the magic Marin used subconsciously, she would have thought someone switched places with the cheerful blonde.

"The only complaint I have… Well I guess it's not a complaint." Marin said as she cupped her breasts. "The boob bags are---"

Surprised at what she saw and felt, Marin continuously fondled her breasts with a shocked expression on her face.

"My boobs! They're so big!" Marin exclaimed as she continued feeling herself up. "But the boob bags were loose just a minute ago. How did this happen? I didn't even put any padding in them."

"If you're surprised by that, then you're gonna lose your mind when you look in a mirror." Elicia said with a mischievous grin on her face.

Before Marin could ask Elicia what she meant, Elicia took hold of the other girl's hand and dragged her into the master bedroom where there was a full length mirror present.

"Kya~~~~~~~~~~!" Marin screamed loud enough to be heard throughout the mansion when she saw her reflection in the mirror.

Elicia, on the other hand, simply nodded at the expected response.

"What? How?" Marin asked, at a total loss for words. "Shizuku-Tan is here! But how is that possible?"

As she spoke, Marin drew nearer to the mirror. Then, she eventually touched it. When she felt the cold, smooth surface of the mirror, she finally realized that she was looking at her reflection. And just to make sure, she began moving her arms and hands around.

"Wait, is that me?" Marin asked, completely dumbfounded at what she was seeing. A moment later, she raised her hand and tugged on a strand of her, now, shoulder-length purplish-black hair. "And what happened to my hair? How did it get so short? And my eyes, why are they purple?"

At that moment, Alfonzo, Cana, and Erza burst into the master bedroom in battle ready states.

"We heard a scream, is everything---" Erza began to ask just as the trio entered the room.

However, when she saw the unfamiliar girl standing in front of the mirror with a confused look on her face and a smiling Elicia standing behind her, she was thoroughly confused. Cana was in a state no different than Erza. Meanwhile, Alfonzo examined Marin's new appearance for a moment before nodding with an expression that said, "as expected," on his face.