(5) Shopping for Supplies

Chapter 5: Shopping for Supplies

The four made their way back to Magnolia. As they strolled down the streets, Silver watched Mira and the cheerful Lisanna skipping ahead.

He then tilted his head towards Elfman beside him and asked, "Elfman, how about accompanying me to buy some art supplies?"

"Huh? Me?" Elfman, who had been walking alongside him, looked surprised. He pointed at himself in disbelief and asked, "Are you sure you want me to go?"

"Why not? Do you have something else to do later?" Silver asked, noticing Elfman's surprised expression.

"No, no, it's not that," Elfman quickly waved his hands and shook his head. "I was just surprised that you'd want me to come along."

"Huh? Haven't you gone shopping with anyone before?" Silver found Elfman's reaction strange, but the truth behind it took him by surprise.

"Natsu and Gray say I'm too slow and timid, so they don't like hanging out with me. And since my sister Mira and Lisanna are girls, I don't feel comfortable going shopping with them either," Elfman explained softly, lowering his head and tapping his index fingers together shyly.

Seeing Elfman like this, even Silver, who had a more mature mindset, felt at a loss for words.

Considering Natsu and Gray's playful personalities, it wasn't surprising that they wouldn't want to play with Elfman.

However, Elfman's timid nature was a significant issue.

Since Silver had already decided to help the siblings in any way he could, he figured his first task was to address Elfman's lack of confidence and Mira's short temper.

As he thought about Mira's personality, Silver shook his head slightly.

He realized he couldn't force changes overnight; he would have to slowly influence Mira through words and actions.

On the other hand, dealing with Elfman seemed simpler.

Elfman was mainly lacking in self-confidence due to being overshadowed by Mira for a long time, always deferring to her decisions.

If Silver could help Elfman build his confidence, he believed it wouldn't be long before Elfman found his stride.

With this plan in mind, Silver patted Elfman on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry about it. From now on, we can go shopping together."

As they discussed what they needed to buy, Mira noticed that the distance between her and the two lagging behind was growing.

She turned around, intending to call them over, only to find them deep in conversation. From her distance, she couldn't make out what they were saying.

"Hey, what are you two talking about?" Mira shouted, stopping in her tracks to let them catch up.

"We're just planning to buy some supplies. Why don't you and Lisanna head back first? Elfman and I will go shopping and meet you at the guild later," Silver explained their plan to Mira as she stood there, hands on her hips, staring at them.

"Seriously? You're just going shopping. Why make it seem so secretive?" Mira huffed, clearly losing interest. She waved them off impatiently and said, "Fine, just hurry back."

Silver had no intention of being mysterious, but Elfman, acting like a bashful girl, couldn't help but lower his voice when speaking.

What else could Silver do? If he didn't know better, he might have suspected Elfman of being interested in him.

Leaving Mira and Lisanna behind, Silver and Elfman headed off to buy their supplies.

Meanwhile, Mira and Lisanna returned to the guild.

As they approached the entrance, Mira kicked the guild's door open with a loud bang.

She strode inside with her arms crossed, not saying a word.

Lisanna followed behind, constantly apologizing to the other guild members for Mira's rude behavior.

"Mira, you're supposed to push the door open gently with your hands. Don't you have hands? Why do you have to destroy the guild's door like this?" A girl sitting at a table near the guild's counter immediately stood up to reprimand Mira for her actions.

The girl wore a suit of armor and had a sword hanging at her waist.

Her long, crimson hair was tied into a thick braid down her back.

With a delicate face that rivaled Mira's beauty, she was clearly a stunning young woman. At that moment, her expression was serious as she sternly lectured Mira.

"Erza, we still have unfinished business from last time. Take this!" Upon seeing the girl, Mira wasted no time, calling her name and charging straight at her.

"Tin Can Girl."

"Midriff Queen."

The two traded insults as they prepared to clash, each standing their ground without backing down.

The two locked their hands together, fingers interlaced, pushing against each other with all their strength, their foreheads pressing together as they continued to hurl insults at each other.

Seeing this, Lisanna, who had grown used to such scenes, hopped cheerfully over to the guild's counter, placing 20,000 J on the table.

"Lisanna, did you just return from a job?" As Lisanna handed over the money, a boy with cherry-red hair and a neck wrapped in a scaly scarf, his face badly bruised, called out to her.

"Yeah, Natsu, we took the new guy, Silver, on his first job," Lisanna replied, turning her head to recognize the bruised boy.

Not far from Natsu, sitting at a table, was another boy, similarly bruised, wearing only shorts. Upon hearing Lisanna, he immediately turned around and asked, "A new guy? Lisanna, are you saying we have a new member in our guild?"

At this moment, the girl sitting across from Gray, who was busy reading tarot cards, raised her eyes slightly and quietly said to Gray, "Gray, your clothes."

"Huh? Oh no, when did I take them off?" Gray, reminded by the girl, looked down at himself and immediately jumped up in alarm.

"Yeah, it's Silver Greyhart. He just joined this morning. But now he's out with Elfman buying some things," Lisanna answered, still with a smile, looking at Gray, who was only wearing shorts, unfazed by the situation.

"Hey, Gray! I noticed Lisanna was back first, so I should be the one asking that!" Natsu, clearly displeased, shot an angry glare at Gray.

"What? Got a problem with that, you sling-eyed freak?" Gray, who had initially been searching for his lost clothes, now completely forgot about them. He turned to face Natsu and retorted angrily.

"What did you say, you damn droopy-eyed freak, exhibitionist? I'm going to show you who's boss today!" Natsu stormed over to Gray, and once again, the two heads collided as they began bickering once more.

The lesson of their earlier bruises was completely forgotten as they continued to argue.