A magic merchant infiltrating Fairy Tail

Walking home alone, feeling the lingering warmth of the setting sun, Gray felt incredibly heavy-hearted.

Without a doubt, this heaviness stemmed from Jelf.

It's been so many days, and Gray still hasn't shaken off his depressed and distressed mood. Several times, he's wondered if he's overthinking things, since, after all, Zeref himself doesn't have much direct hatred for him.

Besides, he hadn't forgotten what Kira had told him: "Natsu is END, and Zeref's life or death is related to Natsu's life."

He would never do something like taking Natsu's life to avenge Zeref, someone he has no direct grudge against, unless their relationship is severed, in which case he might consider it.

"It's been over a year already, I wonder how Kira is doing with that book..."

How's the research going?

The answer is completely... no, no... almost... um... a little bit! He only studied it a little bit and then stopped.

It wasn't because he lacked ability, but because he had other important matters to attend to.

For example, right now, he is concerned about something very important!

What should we eat tonight?

Even after living in this world for more than 20 years, Kira always kept in mind the sage's saying that "food is the first necessity of the people," so he attached great importance to eating.

"How about the ramen shop up ahead? But I get hungry easily if I eat ramen at night... Or should I have a proper meal? But I just ate a lot of snacks at the guild... Or should I just eat snacks at home? No, no, that's too unhealthy..."

Kira put his hands behind his head and thought of several dinner options, but ultimately rejected them all.

Suddenly, his eyes, which were darting around, spotted a figure behaving in a very dishonest manner.

"Ah! It's a nymphomaniac... no, it's Juvia!!"

Juvia was hiding like a stalker, peeking out from under the wall of a building, her blue head peeking out, her love radar and eyes activated to the maximum.

Why is she hiding like this?

Kira said that, but he knew the answer to the question wasn't hard to guess, because there was only one person in the whole world who could make Juvia do that.

Sure enough, following her gaze, Kira spotted Gray's melancholy figure.

Snapped!

Kira walked over and patted the other man lightly on the shoulder, calling out, "Following Gray, Juvia!"

"babble--!!"

With all her attention focused on Gray, Juvia, noticing the changes around her, cried out in alarm.

Gray, who was walking home, suddenly stopped and turned around to look behind him suspiciously, but apart from a few ordinary passersby, there was nothing unusual.

Is it just my imagination?

After muttering to himself, Gray continued forward.

Not far behind him, behind a wall in the shadows, Kira slowly released his hand from Juvia's mouth.

Kira had originally intended to make a joke, but Juvia's first words made his face darken.

"What are you doing, Kira?"

"Juvia already has Lord Gray!"

After saying that, she triumphantly tossed her hair, looking arrogant as if she were the woman she couldn't have.

Kira: "..."

"Stop being so narcissistic! Gray hasn't even said he likes you yet, don't you know why you're not looking at your own problems?"

Is Juvia pretty?

Even Kira secretly thought she was very beautiful, especially after her former guild went bankrupt and she switched to her current guild, her looks improved day by day, especially after she grew her hair long.

But we can't lose a verbal argument!

So after Juvia said that, Kira could only reply in this way.

The young people in the guild these days... their emotional intelligence still needs improvement; they need more experience!

Kira's words had a great effect. Juvia's momentum waned at a visible speed, and he immediately became dejected, hanging his head and falling into reflection.

I don't think I said it was very heavy, did I?

Kira pondered for a moment and concluded that the damage caused by his words was relatively mild! If Juvia's mindset regarding pursuing Gray was affected by those words, then her resilience should be tested.

"So, you were just following Gray?"

"Yes Yes……"

"Has he been acting strangely lately?"

"Have you also noticed Lord Gray's unusual behavior?"

Juvia looked up again, staring at Kira in surprise. "These past two days, Juvia has been making bento boxes for Lord Gray, and Lord Gray hasn't refused any of them!"

"Being rejected isn't normal... What?! He didn't reject me?!"

Kira gasped in shock, staring wide-eyed at Juvia in disbelief.

"Yes! Lord Gray not only ate all of Juvia's bento, but also smiled at me gently and said, 'Thank you, it was delicious!'"

Recalling the smile on Gray's face when he said those words, Juvia's heart began to pound wildly, and she smiled foolishly, her whole being enveloped in a pink glow reminiscent of a woman in love.

"Is that all you said? Didn't you hear the part about 'Don't do it again next time'?"

"No, that's not true!!"

"Isn't that a good thing? Maybe Gray has finally come to his senses and is going to accept Juvia's confession!!"

These words weren't spoken by Kira, but by Happy, who appeared out of nowhere.

"..."

The air fell silent for a few seconds.

Kira stiffly turned his head and realized that Natsu, Lucy, Happy, Erza, Wendy, and Carla had arrived beside him without him noticing. Happy, in particular, had a look of schadenfreude on his face as he fluttered his snow-white wings and flew comfortably in the air.

"When did you guys show up?"

Do these people walk so quietly? How come I never noticed their talent before? Right, it must be because these guys are always so energetic and efficient.

"It all started when Juvia mentioned the word 'bento'!"

Lucy's eyes lit up with excitement, her face full of gossip, completely abandoning any ladylike demeanor: "Tell me what happens next, I can't wait to hear it all!!"

Kira looked at Lucy's expression and confirmed his suspicions: Sure enough... gossip knows no gender or age!

But compared to Kira, Juvia's 'rival detection radar' immediately went on alert: "Hmm?? Could it be that Lucy wants to find out Gray-sama's favorite bento flavor through Juvia? Juvia won't tell you!!"

Lucy rolled her eyes speechlessly and waved her hand, saying, "You're overthinking it. I absolutely have no such intention!"

After confirming several times that Lucy wouldn't take this opportunity to win over Gray's taste buds, Juvia reluctantly voiced her opinion.

"Normally, I would be very happy, but this time is different!"

Juvia straightened his back confidently, his eyes radiating an astonishing gaze, like a detective.

“This time, Lord Gray’s smile was forced. Juvia could tell that it was a fake smile he used to hide his true emotions so that others wouldn’t notice them!”

"Lord Gray must be troubled by something!!"

Chapter 648 Gray, the situation is critical. Only your kiss can wake Juvia now!

That's amazing...

How could they have discovered something unusual from such a small detail?!

No wonder he's the founder of 'Grey theory', is this Juvia's keen observation?

That's absolutely breathtaking!

Everyone present had the same thought, admiring Juvia's judgment, and completely ignoring the absurd notions that 'Grey usually ignores me = normal' and 'Grey receiving a bento this year = abnormal' under Juvia's insightful tone.

"Juvia doesn't know why Lord Grey is in a bad mood, but Juvia knows that this is a test of our love, so Juvia will stay by Lord Grey's side at all times and let him feel Juvia's love for him!"

Erza's eyes lit up: "What a great love!"

The others were speechless: "No, this has nothing to do with any love test or anything, right? Don't make a big deal out of it!"

Juvia, oblivious to the strange expressions on their faces, was lost in her own vivid fantasies: "Whenever Lord Gray turns around, I can fall into Juvia's arms and cry, rest, or even... or pour out my heart to confide my troubles. Whatever he wants to do, Juvia will accept it without reservation."

Erza was so moved that tears streamed down her face: "What a touching love, Juvia! This is exactly what they mean when they say 'love is a lasting companionship'!"

Others: "Don't get all emotional!! What they're implying is that you can't help at all?! And you just said **, right? You definitely said **, right? Is that a word you can just throw into something like that?! There are kids here, for crying out loud!!"

The group watched Juvia silently, waiting for her to continue, but the girl's sweet smile froze on her face, and time seemed to stand still.

A few seconds later...

Kira's calm voice rang out: "But Gray seems to have disappeared!"

Everyone: "..."

Juvia: "?!"

"Eh eh eh eh!!!!!"

She gasped in shock, gasped for breath, and clutched her pale face with her hands. Juvia's entire appearance changed from dark blue to grayish-white, her original sweetness instantly turning into terror, panic, and helplessness.

Kira was very familiar with this expression. It was just like when he used to miss a question while copying answers to practice problems, and then suddenly realized that everything he had done was useless, and that the teacher would definitely find out that he had copied the answers.

It was a nightmare!!

Without hesitation, Juvia rushed out of the corner and found that Gray was indeed nowhere to be seen on the street. Instantly, Juvia collapsed to the ground like a deflated silicone doll, looking utterly defeated.

"It's all over! Juvia has lost sight of Lord Gray... Juvia and Gray's love has suffered the biggest blow in history..."

Others: "Hey... is it really that serious?"

Erza hurriedly pulled Juvia into her arms, shaking her soft, full body vigorously: "Cheer up, Juvia! Don't give up on your love!!"

Her long, deep blue hair began to shake violently back and forth, left and right, up and down.

"Ah! Be gentle, Erza-san! Juvia-san isn't breathing!!"

"Shouldn't we tell her to stop shaking at a time like this?!"