"So, why are you out here alone, sighing so deeply?" Erza asked as she sat down beside Yuuki on the grassy field.
Yuuki was initially surprised that she had left the guild just to come find him. Turning his gaze back toward the distant mountains, he answered plainly, "I've only just joined Fairy Tail, and I don't feel like I've earned my place there yet."
Hearing his words, a smile appeared on Erza's face as she thought Yuuki was quite cute. She then shook her head and said. "What are you talking about? The moment you joined Fairy Tail, you became our comrade. You're a family now, just like every one of us."
Erza's scarlet hair fluttered gently in the breeze as she gazed at Yuuki when saying those words.
To Yuuki, Erza's smile was simply so radiant that it was almost dazzling, leaving him momentarily stunned.
Seeing Yuuki's entranced expression, Erza suddenly realized how close their faces were. For a moment, neither of them moved, and the atmosphere between them became unexpectedly ambiguous.
From Yuuki's eyes, Erza could see a mixture of admiration, longing, and desire. The intensity of his gaze made her cheeks heat up, and she couldn't help but wonder, 'Why does Yuuki look at me with such emotions in his eyes?'
It was different from how Natsu, Gray and some male members of their guild look at her, but Erza didn't feel disgusted or uncomfortable with his gaze. Instead, the two of them continued this staring contest for a period of time in silence.
As the moment stretched on, Erza began to feel increasingly restlest. Yet, beneath that nervousness was a faint sense of anticipation that she couldn't quite understand.
As the warm sunlight bathed them, Yuuki suddenly felt his lips grow dry. His gaze lingered on Erza's lips, which looked soft and moist, tempting enough to make him want to take a bite.
Fearing that he might actually give in and steal those luscious lips of hers, Yuuki quickly tried to push the thought from his mind and took a deep breath to calm himself. Deciding it would be better to change the subject, he then spoke in a low voice that only Erza could hear.
"Erza."
"Y-Yes?" Erza was so embarrassed that she actually stuttered. Thankfully, Yuuki didn't seem to notice and simply continued.
"Do you have a boyfriend?" Yuuki asked.
The question caught Erza completely off guard. She hadn't expected him to ask something like that, and for a moment, she could only stare at him speechlessly.
A blush started spreading across her cheeks and shyly turned her face away. Erza then replied in a low voice, "No... I don't have anyone like that."
As soon as she said it, Erza felt ashamed and also slight resentment toward Yuuki. She couldn't believe he had put her on the spot with such an embarrassing question.
Yet, to her surprise, Yuuki chuckled, and this made Erza even more ashamed to the point of burying her face on a hole.
"You...! Are you mocking me?" Erza's face was red and she was about to scold him, but before she could say anything, Yuuki continued.
"Mocking you? Please, don't misunderstand. I wasn't laughing at you for being single. I was just wondering..." Yuuki paused, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "What kind of fools would actually ignore a beauty like Erza?"
"!!!"
Erza felt her face growing hotter with every word Yuuki said. Her cheeks flushed a deep red as she lowered her gaze, unable to meet his intense eyes for long. She fidgeted slightly, feeling increasingly shy as his words continued to echo in her mind.
'Does that mean... he thinks I'm attractive in his eyes?' Erza said inwardly.
Just the thought alone made Erza feel her heart flutter.
"Yuuki, I..." Erza wanted to say something, but the words refused to come. From everything Yuuki had said, she was beginning to realize that he was attracted to her, often letting subtle hints slip through his words.
Yet, despite the warmth those words sparked within her, Erza couldn't simply ignore the feelings she still held for Jellal all this time. The conflicting emotions left her mind in turmoil, unsure of what she truly wanted.
Yuuki looked closely at Erza's frowning face and he had to admit that she was truly a wonderful woman.
'Her mother definitely contributed a lot to making Erza such a beautiful woman.' Yuuki said inwardly.
Still, his thoughts didn't linger for too long. With a small sigh, he said, "Sigh, I'm jealous."
Seeing him suddenly sigh, Erza was confused and tilted her head slightly.
"Jealous?"
Yuuki nodded, his gaze still fixed on her. "I'm jealous of the person who gets to receive your love someday. I'm sure he will be the happiest man in the world."
Erza fell silent, and was taken aback by yet another embarrassing words from Yuuki. The redness on her cheeks began to spread to her neck as she struggled to think of a response.
However, just as she was about to say something, she noticed the teasing smile on Yuuki's face making Erza understand that she had been played by him.
"Yuuki, you mischievous bastard!" Erza immediately pulled Yuuki into a headlock, wrapping an arm around his neck and squeezing him in a playful chokehold.
Yuuki burst out laughing at her reaction.
"Haha! I'm not joking, though. I'm genuinely jealous of your future husband."
"You said it again!" Erza growled, tightening her hold as her face grew even redder.
Even though Erza's tone was quite stern, she didn't realize that she was actually enjoying herself as she joke and played around with Yuuki.
Yuuki, on the other hand, couldn't help but be delighted as he could feel her soft breast pressing on his face. However, as a gentleman, Yuuki needed to inform her. "Cough, Erza, your breast are pressing on my face."
Hearing his words, Erza momentarily fell in daze then look at Yuuki's head that was being squeezed by her breast. This caused her to become flustered and pushed Yuuki away. She quickly crossed her arms over her chest as if to protect herself, glaring at Yuuki with a deeply embarrassed and ashamed expression.
If it was other male members of their guild, like Natsu and Gray, Erza wouldn't feel embarrassed since they even took bath together when they were child and she also only saw those two as her brothers. But Yuuki was different since she gave her a different feeling which caused her to break her character. Fortunately, there are only both of them at the back of their guild otherwise Erza might not be able to go out of Fairy Hills for some time because of embarrassment.
"Pervert!" Erza cried out.
'Geez, it's you who pressed me into your boobs.' Yuuki smiled bitterly but he didn't dare to say it.
At the guild's entrance, several of the female members stepped outside, only to freeze when they caught sight of Erza and Yuuki playfully teasing each other. Their jaws dropped in disbelief at the unexpected scene.
"…I didn't expect their relationship to become this close so quickly after returning." Lucy said in surprise.
"Looks like our Erza is finally blooming." Cana laughed as she chugged beer straight from the barrel.
Levy, Lisanna, and Wendy also watched the scene before them and their faces were tinged with shyness.
"I know Yuuki is charming, but I didn't expect even Erza-san to fall in his hands." Laki said awkwardly, though a hint of jealousy lingered in her voice.
Kinana, on the other hand, simply smiled. "Yuuki-kun is really popular."
Meanwhile, Mirajane puffed out her cheeks, clearly jealous. "Geez! Erza is going ahead of me!"
The playful exchange between Erza and Yuuki finally came to an end when Mirajane could no longer hold herself back. She suddenly jumped forward and pulled Yuuki into a hug, snatching him away from Erza like a mother hen protecting her chicks.
Yuuki felt awkward because of how much Mirajane doted on him. However, he quickly made an excuse, reminding her that Natsu and Gajeel's postponed challenge was coming up soon.
He smoothly freed himself from her grasp and glanced toward the guild entrance which made Mirajane pout. The two Dragon Slayers were already walking outside and their fighting spirit clearly visible in their eyes.
Behind them, the members of Fairy Tail followed, eager to watch the fight, knowing it was bound to be an incredible battle.