Chapter 23: Red Head(s)

"Well, time to say goodbye." Leo tightened his tie, a smirk playing on his lips as he met his reflection in the mirror. Clad in his signature three-piece suit, he exuded an air of readiness for departure.

Now that he had completed the mission, somewhat, it was time to return to his original world. "Maybe I should have asked Ur for the heads…" Leo shook his head, feeling some regret for not getting closer to the Ice Mage mother.

He had a condition where he released active hormones until he, well, released some. That's why he was always searching for a woman so that he didn't have to hire a hooker for the job. With their diseases these days, he didn't want to risk losing his active little bro. It had already been more than a month in this world, and he was reaching his limit. He was wondering if he should have charmed Ur for a night.

But he dismissed the idea. Ur had just been resurrected and still needed time to rehabilitate. It didn't feel right to take advantage of her or risk giving her a swollen belly, especially since he didn't have any protection.

When he came to the backyard of the house he had bought (with loot from the Tower), he found Erza diligently practicing swordsmanship.

Standing meters away from a dummy, she closed her eyes, tightened her grip on the sword, and then opened her eyes with a determined cry. In a flash of movement, she materialized beside the dummy, leaving a diagonal gash that split the upper half from the bottom moments later.

"Ah, damn it. She learned Flash Steps after all…" Leo shook his head, realizing he was altering the timeline more than anyone. A week ago, Erza had nagged him to teach her a sword art. Leo was unsure since his own sword style was self-taught. So, to look cool in front of her, he combined Flash Steps with his sword style, showing some flashy moves.

Unbeknownst to him, those moves had made a deep impact on Erza, and she had practiced day and night with little guidance from Leo. And voila, Erza had learned Flash Steps.

"Oh, Leo." Erza noticed him and ran towards him. "Where are you going?"

"Well, it's time."

His announcement hit her like a punch to the gut. She knew this day was coming, but facing reality drained the color from her face.

The sight of Erza pale and trembling prompted Leo to usher her into the kitchen. He donned an apron, a warm smile gracing his features, and began whisking flour and baking powder.

"Why are we…"

Seeing Erza confused as to why Leo had suddenly invited her to the kitchen, Leo smiled.

"My mother... She loves me more than anyone, but because of her busy schedule, she had to leave me for days. We both got sad that we couldn't spend time together." Leo stopped whisking and looked at little red riding hood. "But then she would invite me to the kitchen. Together we would make cookies or cakes, even though her baking skills were as sad as Jack's death in Titanic, but we had so much fun together."

Leo smiled and ruffled Erza's hair. "And so, I want to make something with you. Will you join me in this fun that my mother taught me?"

Amidst her soft tears, a smile bloomed on her face. "Um~!"

Together, Erza and Leo made a lot of things: cakes, cookies, and of course, being a gun-loving American, how could one forget the pizza? They made a lot of mess, but not wanting to leave it for later, they also cleaned the kitchen while chatting with each other. Soon, the table was decorated with a lot of dishes, with the strawberry cake being the centerpiece.

Leo and Erza then took a piece of the cake, nodding at each other before taking a bite. "...Hm, not as sweet as the bakery shop cake..." Erza made a complex face. As a strawberry cake lover, she didn't like the taste much.

"You are right. This is shi— I mean, not good."

Erza then smiled. "But I had a lot of fun, and that fun alone makes this cake 100 times more delicious."

"...Right." Leo puffed a smile before they finished everything on the table, with Erza eating 95% of the food.

After the meal, Leo walked towards the door to say farewell, but seeing Erza still looking at him with puppy eyes, he bent down and widened his arms. Within a millisecond, he found Erza in his embrace.

After a brief hug, Erza released Leo, who then wiped away her tears.

"Will we meet again?" she asked.

"Yes," Leo replied, expecting the question. Ultear had asked him the same thing not long ago.

"Then will you marry me the next time you see me?"

Okay, he wasn't expecting that! Why do the Fairy Tail girls act so mature at this age? First Ultear, and now Erza.

"Y-yes, I will," Leo stammered. He didn't want to break the little girl's heart, so he agreed. Besides, it's not like she would take this seriously when she became an adult.

"Really? Promise?!"

"Y-yeah... Promise. God, I feel like a criminal." Leo then asked one last time, "So about what I taught you."

"Um! Don't be a cut and become strong as fuk!" Erza replied with an innocent smile.

"That's not how…" Leo just rolled his eyes. At this point, he should leave before he could harm the world more than he already did.

After placing a goodbye kiss on her forehead and waving one last time, Leo disappeared from her sight.

However, he didn't go back to his world immediately. Instead, he used Flash Steps to exit Magnolia Town and head into the woods. After leveling the Tower of Heaven, he had a nagging feeling that something was off, as if someone was observing him. The feeling intensified when he came back to meet Erza. Therefore, before returning to his world, he had to confirm that everything was okay for Erza's sake.

Soon, he arrived in the middle of the woods, surrounded by clear grass.

"Just who..."

Just then, he felt a heavy presence behind him, causing his forehead to sweat. He might not have any magic, but he was damn sure that whoever was behind him could crush him in seconds.

"Aw, fuck me," he muttered.

Slowly turning around, the first thing he noticed was her pair of BOOBS. They were jacked! But he wished those boobs were just the warm flesh of a human. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. She was a dragon.

Yup, with thick braids, a witch's hat, and a revealing attire on a voluptuous body, the person he encountered was another redhead: Irene Belserion.

(AN: I mean, why not Irene?)

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Never wrote okyadon before but why not now?! Besides, Irene is busted!

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