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5.91% Fairy Tail: Metal and Threads / Chapter 40: Strawberry Shortcake

Chapter 40: Strawberry Shortcake

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.

May 11, x776.

A few minutes later, Alfonzo and Elicia appeared between the still open doors of the guild hall and began walking toward Makarov, who was sitting in his usual spot atop the bar. While Alfonzo remained calm, Elicia could not help stealing a few glances at Erza, who had gone back to contemplating her situation and future.

Eventually, the duo reached the bar and Alfonzo took off his backpack, beginning to rummage through it. Meanwhile, Makarov watched with a smile on his face. He had already anticipated that Alfonzo and Elicia would have no issue completing the quest they took, so he was just waiting for confirmation.

"Here you go, Gramps." Alfonzo said, finally pulling out the completion letter from Reno Fox. "We completed our first B-Class quest with flying colors."

With his smile growing wider, Makarov accepted the letter. Then, without hesitation, he began reading it. As he read, is smile widened ever so slightly, considering that it was already quite wide. Eventually, when he got to the end of the mayor of Lupinus' letter, tears began flowing from his eyes.

"Not only did you complete the quest, but you also finished off the cause for the howling, a lycan." Makarov said emotionally. "And through all that, you didn't cause any property damage. You kids truly are amazing."

While Elicia smiled happily at the praise, Alfonzo looked at Makarov with a weirded-out gaze.

"*Cough* Anyway, good job." Makarov said after noticing Alfonzo's gaze. "Actually, I wanted to ask you two a favor, as well."

Hearing that, both Alfonzo and Elicia tilted their heads, having a good idea what this favor was.

"First, Elicia, can you make some clothes for our new member?" Makarov asked, focusing on Elicia. "Since you just got back, you don't have to---"

"Sure!" Elicia said energetically. "Where are they? Is it a boy or a girl? Oh, are they a kid like us or an adult like Aunt Ur?"

"Who the hell did you just call an aunt?" Ur shouted from across the guild hall.

Shaking his head with a smile on his face, Makarov pointed to the corner where Erza was seated.

"She's over there." Makarov said. "She's been through a lot. So, she could use a few sets of clothing.'

"Okay, I'll take care of it~." Elicia said with her eyes sparkling before dashing off towards Erza.

Shaking his head once again, while Alfonzo did the same, Makarov eventually settled his gaze on Alfonzo.

"Alfonzo, my boy." Makarov said with a smile. "Can you make something for Erza to eat? I'm sure a taste of your cooking will make her feel welcome."

"Sure." Alfonzo said while shrugging his shoulders. "I'm always down to see someone's face after the first time they eat my food."

Chuckling good naturedly, Makarov watched as Alfonzo walked towards the guild's showers.

"Just let me get cleaned up, then I'll take care of it." Alfonzo said, waving his hand as he walked away. A moment later, he began rubbing his thumb and index finger together as he continued. "But this will cost you extra, I'm exhausted from the job, and I'm not on shift right now."

Shaking his head for the third time, Makarov could not help but smile wryly.

"That boy always gets the most he can out of any situation." Makarov said to himself, hoping there would be a little extra left over after Erza's meal was prepared.

An hour and a half later, Alfonzo walked out of the kitchen with a large platter floating behind him. After looking around the guild hall, he found Elicia animatedly chatting with Erza about what kind of clothes she would like.

Naturally, Elicia was doing all the chatting while Erza, who had not spent much time on fashion, simply listened. However, Alfonzo could see the spark of interest in her eyes.

'Well, I guess she still likes to dress up.' Alfonzo thought to himself as he began walking toward the table.

"Are you two hungry?" Alfonzo asked, letting the platter land on the table.

When Elicia and Erza looked in his direction, they saw Alfonzo picking up one of the three plates with two pieces of salmon sandwiching what appeared to be some kind of crabmeat filling. On top of that was a brown sauce that smelled sweet. On the side were scalloped potatoes and green beans. They were also curious to know what was under the cover in the center of the platter.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you, I'm Alfonzo Marcus. What's your name?" Alfonzo asked as he continued to distribute the plates.

While Elicia began to drool immediately after seeing the food, Erza looked on with curiosity. And if the way her nose was twitching was any indication, there was a bit of anticipation mixed in, as well.

"I'm Erza Scarlet." Erza said, introducing herself. "The pleasure is mine."

Once all three plates were on the table, Alfonzo took a seat next to Elicia. Then, he gestured for everyone to start eating. Following Alfonzo's instructions, Elicia cut a piece of the stuffed salmon and put it in her mouth with vigor. Then, she smiled happily and chewed her mouthful of food.

Meanwhile, Erza also cut a piece of the salmon, putting it in her mouth like Elicia. However, unlike Elicia, her eyes widened to a comical degree. Then, she closed her eyes and moaned sensually.

Seeing Erza's reaction, Alfonzo nodded his head in satisfaction. Then, like the other two, he began eating. Halfway through the meal, Elicia, after swallowing a fork full of green beans, pointed at the covered dish that was still on the platter.

"Fonzie, what's that?" Elicia asked, having a good guess what was under the cover.

"That's dessert." Alfonzo said, smiling triumphantly.

While Erza was not curious to know what they were having for dessert, since that was something she never got to have while working on the Tower of Heaven, Elicia was certain she knew what the dessert was after seeing Alfonzo's expression.

'I didn't think he would pull out the big guns on day one.' Elicia said to herself with a smile. 'She's gonna end up following him around like a lost puppy after today, if that's what I think it is.'

A few minutes later, Alfonzo, Elicia, and Erza finished their meal. While Erza rubbed her stomach with a content smile on her face, Elicia stared at Alfonzo, screaming at him with her eyes to serve the dessert.

Smiling in response to Elicia's intense stare, Alfonzo stood up, drawing Erza's attention. Then, he reached for the covered dish.

"Are you two ready for dessert?" Alfonzo asked.

Nodding excitedly, Elicia began bouncing in her seat while Erza stared at Alfonzo's hands, that were holding the cover. Then, when Alfonzo lifted the cover, Erza went into a daze.

"For dessert, strawberry shortcake." Alfonzo said with a smile.

Continuing to stare at the cake in a daze, Erza looked as if she had been enlightened by the truth of the world. Meanwhile, Alfonzo and Elicia watched her with amused smiles on their faces.

Eventually, Alfonzo materialized a knife with his magic and sliced the cake, causing Erza's stare to grow in intensity. Then, when he placed the slice of cake on one of the empty dessert plates, Erza's eye followed the slice with laser focus. Placing a dessert spoon on the plate, Alfonzo finally set the plate in front of Erza.

Alfonzo then repeated the process two more times, All the while, Erza stared at her slice as if it would run away if she took her eyes off it. Then, when all three of them had a slice of cake, he gestured toward the plates.

"Alright, let's dig in." Alfonzo said with a smile.

While Alfonzo and Elicia did not move, Erza picked up the dessert spoon immediately. Then, very carefully, she scooped up a piece of the cake and slowly brought it to her lips. Then, after a moment, she finally opened her mouth and put the cake inside.

Immediately, Erza's expression melted while her eye closed. As she chewed the cake, her lips formed a smile. Eventually, when she swallowed what was in her mouth, she opened her eye, and it sparkled like a star. Then, while tilting her head back and forth, she continued to eat the cake happily.

"OMG that was so cute." Elicia said quietly.

"Yeah, much cuter than it had any right to be." Alfonzo said in agreement.

After making their comments, Alfonzo and Elicia also began eating their own cake. A few minutes later, Erza finished her cake. Staring at the empty plate as if she just lost her greatest treasure, Alfonzo could not help but chuckle.

"We have more, you know." Alfonzo said.

Hearing that, Erza's eye lit up once again. Then, she stared at the cake in the middle of the platter. Considering that the cake was rather large, the three slices that were eaten was only a quarter of the cake. Realizing that, Erza smiled happily.

"You can have one more." Alfonzo said, cutting another piece of the strawberry short cake. "But I have to leave some for my other friends and Gramps."

Nodding absent mindedly, Erza received the plate from Alfonzo. Then, she began eating happily. Meanwhile, Alfonzo continued to cut up the cake.

'Shit, not enough. there were only eight slices left.' Alfonzo thought to himself as he counted the remaining pieces of cake. 'Oh well, looks like Gramps is shit outta luck this time. And since Alzack doesn't really care for sweets, everyone else gets a piece.'

As that thought passed through Alfonzo's head, Makarov felt about of sadness come over him.

'I don't know what's wrong, but I feel like I missed out on something amazing.' Makarov thought to himself.

Alfonzo then stood up, the platter floating behind him, and gave a slice of strawberry shortcake to Cana, Laki, Levy, Jet, Droy, Ur, Gray, and Ultear. Then, after a bit of small talk and a promise that he would train with them in the morning, Alfonzo returned to the table where Elicia and Erza sat.

When he arrived, Erza was smiling in contentment with her eye closed. Meanwhile, Elicia was smiling smugly, as if she was the one who had baked the cake.

"So, how was the food?" Alfonzo asked. "Did you like it?"

"Indeed, it was incredible." Erza said, her eyes shining. "And the strawberry shortcake was truly delightful. Please allow me to thank you for the wonderful meal."

"Don't mention it." Alfonzo said with a smile.

Smiling in return, Erza then remembered the message she was asked to deliver.

"The matron of an orphanage in Hargeon asked me to deliver a message to the two of you." Erza said, gathering her thoughts.

Immediately after hearing Erza's words, Alfonzo and Elicia knew exactly who she was talking about.

"Oh? What did the matron say?" Elicia asked curiously.

"She wanted me to tell you to come visit some time." Erza said. "She said that the staff miss you and want to see you again. Especially you, Alfonzo. They miss their little helper in the kitchen."

While Elicia could not help but laugh at that last part, Alfonzo could only smile wryly.

"Although I know better, why does it sound like they only want me to come help them cook for the kids again?" Alfonzo asked.

Hearing that, both Elicia and Erza giggled.

'Yup, just like I thought.' Elicia thought to herself as she watched Erza giggle. 'She's gonna be like a little puppy with Alfonzo. Well, I can't blame her, that shortcake was so yummy.'

Although Alfonzo was not trying to attract Erza, in a romantic sense, he did want to make her feel at home more quickly. If he remembered correctly, Erza did not really open up to the other members of the guild until Natsu showed up and continuously challenged her to fights.

For the rest of the evening, Alfonzo and Elicia continued to chat with Erza. Eventually, Cana, Laki, and Alzack joined them. Then, when it started getting late, Elicia, Cana, and Laki led Erza to Fairy Hills, with Elicia and Erza falling asleep almost immediately after their heads hit the pillow.

Meanwhile, back in the male dorm, Alfonzo laid in his bed, too excited to fall asleep. He had finally gotten his hands on some rechargeable lacrima, and he could not wait to show them to Nell.

"Just wait." Alfonzo muttered with excitement in his eyes. "Soon, I'll have the best ride in Fiore."


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SixthSense1029 SixthSense1029

2/2

I'll be back with two more tomorrow.

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy the story.

Comments, Reviews, and Power Stones are always appreciated.

next chapter

Chapter 41: Sparring with Erza

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.

September, x776.

A few months passed since Erza joined Fairy Tail. Today, shortly after breakfast, she, along with Alfonzo, Elicia, and the rest of their group of younger wizards were in the guild's backyard doing their usual training. While Elicia and the rest of the kids were standing off to the side, cooling down from their training, Alfonzo and Erza were facing each other in a rather intense spar.

Wielding a sword, Erza thrust forward at Alfonzo's throat. Although it seemed vicious, Erza, in only a few months, had enough control of her body to stop the thrust should it become apparent that it would land on Alfonzo.

As it turns out, constantly using your body for manual labor with little in the way of nourishment made stamina and energy control grow immensely. On top of that, Erza had an uncanny knack for wielding swords.

Tilting his head slightly, Alfonzo dodged Erza's thrust. Then, with the Eskrima stick in his left hand, he flicked Erza's sword upward, destabilizing Erza's center of balance for an instant. However, for Alfonzo, that instant was more than enough.

Following his flick, Alfonzo lashed out with the stick in his right hand, aiming for Erza's abdomen. Reacting quickly, Erza blocked the incoming attack with her free, left, arm.

*Thump!*

"Gah!" Erza groaned as the titanium Eskrima stick slammed into her left forearm.

Causing Erza to wince in pain, Alfonzo lowered his body and swept his right leg at Erza's legs. In response, Erza leapt slightly, clearing the leg sweep. Then, on her way down, she swung her sword, that had been deflected upward previously, down toward Alfonzo's shoulder.

Reacting just as quickly, Alfonzo crossed his Eskrima sticks over his head, catching Erza's sword at he intersection of his two weapons. Then, scissoring the sword between them, he jerked the blade to his left.

In response, a flash of light appeared in Erza's outstretched left arm. An instant later, a second, nearly identical sword appeared in her left hand that she wasted no time swinging down toward Alfonzo.

"[Metal Magic: Spring Dash]." Alfonzo chanted as springs coiled around his calves and feet.

Then, Alfonzo pushed off, flinging himself backward, narrowly avoiding the incoming slash. A moment later, as he regained his footing, Alfonzo, with the springs still equipped on his legs, sprung forward. Jamming the two ends of his Eskrima sticks together, the two rods become one longer one.

With a staff in his hands, Alfonzo thrust forward, using his new found reach to take the advantage. Deflecting Alfonzo's thrust with the sword in her right hand, Erza attempted to close the distance, making Alfonzo's longer weapon useless.

However, just as Erza stepped forward, Alfonzo pulled the staff backward, grabbing it toward the middle with both hands, and began whirling it around with great force.

*Cling!* *Clang!* *Cling!*

Using the two swords in her hands, Erza had no choice but to stop her advance and begin blocking and deflecting the swinging staff.

"Whoa!" Cana exclaimed in surprise. "It's only been a few months since she got here, and Erza can already keep up with Fonzie in melee combat."

"Yeah." Gray said with a nod. "Is she some kind of genius?"

"That's what it looks like to me." Ultear added.

"Well, she definitely has superb body control." Ur said, walking up behind the spectating youths. "That probably has something to do with how quickly she picks up swordplay."

"Mom." Ultear said with a happy smile on her face.

"Master." Gray said respectfully.

Nodding in response, Ur kept her eyes on the spar between Alfonzo and Erza.

"Still, Alfonzo is going easy on her." Ur said.

"Of course." Elicia said with a big smile. "Fonzie is the best."

Hurriedly, Cana nodded in agreement with Elicia's statement, watching Alfonzo with hearts in her eyes.

Glancing at Cana's expression, Elicia nodded to herself internally.

'Maybe it's about time I talked to Cana about sharing.' Elicia thought to herself. 'Sharing is caring, after all.'

At that moment, Alfonzo felt a chill running up his spine. At the same time, Alfonzo was finally able to land a blow that would end this spar.

As Erza slashed at Alfonzo horizontally, he turned his staff so that it stood upright and blocked the strike. Then, he quickly slammed the butt of his staff into the ground, using the recoil to jab its other end at Erza's chin faster than she could react. An instant later, Alfonzo stopped his strike just before it struck Erza.

Meanwhile, Erza's other sword was stopped halfway through her swing, knowing that she had lost the spar. Using her magic, [Requip: The Knight], Erza allowed her two swords to disappear in a flash of light. Then, she smiled at Alfonzo while wiping the sweat that ran down her face.

Erza's magic, [Requip: The Knight], is a type of spatial magic that allows her to store and equip different types of weapons, armor, and clothing in/from a separate space. Though [Requip Magic] is not rare, it is relatively uncommon. On top of that, Erza's variant was special in its own right.

Most users of [Requip Magic] can only store weapons or armor. Erza, on the other hand, can store both. On top of that, she can bring up a panel, similar to an inventory window in a video game, that allows her to organize what she has stored in her storage space.

"That was quite the spar." Erza said, clearly happy with the workout. "It's especially impressive how you can change weapons seamlessly."

"Well, I put a lot of work into it." Alfonzo said with a proud smile on his face. "It was no where near as smooth a couple of years ago."

"I can imagine." Erza replied with a nod.

While Erza continued discussing the spar with Alfonzo, the rest of the group walked over to them.

"That was awesome." Alzack said, amazed at the skill displayed by the two.

"Yeah, you two are pretty good." Jet said. Then, after raising his head slightly, he continued. "But I'll be better. Just you wait."

"Well, if you don't put more effort into your training, that will be impossible." Laki said, pouring a bucket of cold water on Jet's pride.

Although he wanted to deliver a snappy retort, Jet gritted his teeth instead. He knew what Laki said was right. After watching the way Alfonzo, Elicia, Cana, Gray, Ultear, and Erza trained, he could not bring himself to disagree. Not to say that he and the others did not train hard, but those six were on a whole different level.

Ignoring Jet after her statement, Laki pulled on Alfonzo's clothes, gaining his attention.

"I need to feed my stomach." Laki said. "Cook something."

"You know if I cook something, it will cost you, right?" Alfonzo asked with a smirk.

"Stop it, Fonzie." Elicia said, playfully smacking Alfonzo on the arm. "As long as they pay for the ingredients, you don't mind cooking for them, right?"

"*Sigh* Lici, you're messing up my money making operations." Alfonzo said as he glanced at the brightly smiling Elicia. "*Sigh* Fine. Just pay for the ingredients. I won't charge you any labor fees."

"Yeah!" Everyone else, including Ur, cheered happily.

"Unfortunately, you'll have to wait 'til dinner." Alfonzo said, taking the wind out of their sails. "I have to visit Master Goldstein this afternoon."

"Ugh!" The group groaned simultaneously.

After that, the entire group returned to the guild hall. While Ur went to the bar and ordered a drink, the kids all went to the showers to clean up after their training session. Then, when they were all cleaned up, they ordered lunch and ate together.

"So, Lici told us that the project you've been working on will be complete soon." Cana said before putting a fork full of spaghetti into her mouth.

"That's right." Alfonzo said excitedly. "In fact, if everything goes well, you'll get to see it tonight."

Hearing that, most of the kids at the table were excited. They knew that Alfonzo had been working on this project for almost three years now. So, they were curious to know exactly what it was. Erza, on the other hand, had only been in the guild for three, or so, months, so she did not know exactly what everyone was talking about.

"A project?" Erza asked.

"Oh, that's right." Elicia said, knocking her knuckles on the side of her own head. "You haven't been here that long, and I don't' think it has come up yet. Fonzie is apprenticed under Master Goldstein and he's quite the magic item craftsman."

"Master Goldstein?" Erza asked, clearly unsure of what that name represents.

Seeing the confusion in Erza's eyes, everyone did their best to explain who Nell Goldstein was. Eventually, around the time they finished eating, Erza had some understanding of who she was and what she did.

"That's impressive." Erza said, looking at Alfonzo with stars in her eyes. "Does that mean you could make magic swords and armor for me in the future?"

"Shouldn't be a problem." Alfonzo said, standing up from his seat at the table before picking up his dirty plate. "As long as you provide the materials, I don't see why not. Oh, but it will cost you."

Like he does any time he talks about money, Alfonzo held up his right hand, rubbing his thumb and index finger together.

"Understood." Erza said with a nod.

"But we can talk about that later." Alfonzo said, turning away from the table. "I have to go and meet Master Goldstein. I'll see you guys this evening."

Like that, Alfonzo left with his dishes in hand. Meanwhile, the rest of the group continue to chat without him.

"So, how was the new eye during the spar, Erza?" Elicia asked, curious to know how it felt.

As Elicia's question indicated, Erza had a new eye implanted shortly after she joined the guild. However, since the process of healing and adapting to the new organ was delicate, Porlyusica did not allow her to participate in any spars or any activities that could result in her taking a blow to the head.

In fact, it was only yesterday that she was cleared to spar and to do any intense training. Although, she never really followed the last instruction. In fact, in the beginning, it was common for Makarov to have to stop Erza from training after seeing how hard she went at it. Eventually, after a month of constantly stopping her and telling her to take it easy, he gave up. As long as Porlyusica did not find out, then it was fine.

"Honestly, it feels just like my old one." Erza said. "From what I can tell, there is no difference in my vision. No, I guess that's not completely true. It feels like my field of view has expanded ever so slightly."

"That's a good thing, right?" Droy asked.

"Yes… In the long term." Erza replied. "But as of now, it feels a little weird that I can see further to my right than I can to my left."

Hearing that, everyone nodded in understanding.

"Well, you'll get used to it." Elicia said in an optimistic tone.

"Indeed." Erza replied with a nod. "And with all the excellent training partners here in the guild, I'm sure it will happen sooner rather than later."

Like that, the kids continued to chat for the rest of the afternoon. And like every day, there were several brawls that broke out in the guild hall. However, the most brutal brawl of the day was when one of the older wizards was knocked into the kids' table, crushing Erza's strawberry shortcake underneath him.

Immediately after it happened, the entire guild hall fell silent as a dark, ominous aura began flooding the hall. At its source was Erza with her head down and her bangs covering her eyes. When she raised her head, no one she looked at, not even Makarov, was able to move. A moment later, she identified those who were responsible for the loss of her cake and… Let's just say it was not a pretty sight.

Several hours after showing her dominance, Erza was still sulking at the loss of her shortcake. Unfortunately, as she had not been granted permission to take quests yet, she did not have the funds to buy another slice.

"Don't worry, my shortcake." Erza muttered to herself in a resolute tone. "I was able to avenge you. And I promise, there will never be another lost to senseless violence as long as I am present."

"That's intense." Gray said, looking at Erza with a weirded-out expression on his face.

"Just let her be, Gray." Cana said. "Everyone has something they are passionate about. Even if they don't know it yet."

Though he was not completely sure what Cana was talking about, it seemed to make sense. So, Gray nodded in understanding and let it be.

"Oh, by the way, Gray." Cana continued.

"Yeah?" Gray asked curiously.

"Nice undies." Cana said with a giggle. "The ice cubes are cute."

"Huh?" Gray exclaimed, simultaneously looking down. "Ah, what happened to my clothes."

"While Gray quickly gathered his clothing and got dressed, the other kids laughed. However, a moment later, not only the kids' laughter, but all the noise in the guild hall stopped when they heard a noise from outside.

*Honk!* *Honk!*


CREATORS' THOUGHTS
SixthSense1029 SixthSense1029

1/2

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy the story.

Comments, Reviews, and Power Stones ar ealways appreciated.

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