章 72: Coming to Magnolia

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.

August, x780.

Today, the date Elicia and Marin discussed as the pickup date for her costume, was not the most ideal date for meeting up with someone. The skies were overcast, the wind was blowing fiercely, and a few drops of rain fell every now and then. Even so, Marin's excitement could not be extinguished.

Disembarking from the most recent train to arrive from Hargeon, Marin made her way through the town, not even stopping to take in the sites. Instead, after asking one of the passersby for directions to the address she was given, she walked non-stop toward her destination.

"I'm gonna be Shizuku-Tan!" Marin mumbled to herself as she speed-walked through the streets of Magnolia.

Unfortunately, before she made it halfway to her destination, the clouds could no longer hold the rain that had been gathering in the sky. Then, as if it all fell at once, a down pour started.

"Seriously?" Marin shouted in panic as she started running.

Realizing that she would be soaked to the bone if she continued, she ducked under the eaves of a nearby shop.

"This sucks." Marin complained, pulling a small towel out of her purse. Then, while she wiped her face and hair, she continued. "I hope this down pour doesn't last long. I really don't wanna wait to be Shizuku-Tan."

Unfortunately, it did not seem like the rain would be letting up any time soon. So, standing under the shop's eaves, Marin found her mood plummeting as time went by.

"Hey!" An unfamiliar male voice rang out from the road, prompting Marin to look in its direction. "You're the girl from Lici's shop, right?"

After peering through the current of rain, Marin saw a fancy magic vehicle had stopped in front of the shop she was using to hide from the rain. Looking closer, she recognized the person in the magic vehicle's driver's seat.

"Oh, you're that super-hot, harem protagonist!" Marin shouted excitedly before clapping her hands over her mouth. Then, she smiled sheepishly while correcting herself. "I mean, you're Elicia's boyfriend."

Smiling wryly in response, Alfonzo could only shake his head at Marin's first statement.

"You're supposed to meet with Lici today, right?" Alfonzo asked, maintaining his wry smile. "Hop in, we're headed the same way, anyway."

Without a word or any hesitation, Marin sprinted into the rain and around Alfonzo's Vanquish. Then, she pulled the passenger side door open, plopped down in the seat, pulled the door closed, and put on her seatbelt.

"*Sigh* You're a life saver." Marin said in a relieved tone. "I had no idea how long this rain was gonna last. If it didn't stop soon, I would have just ran all the way there."

"Then, it's a good thing I finished my last quest when I did." Alfonzo said with a smile. "You still had at least a mile (1.6 km) to go."

"Seriously?" Marin asked in shock. "I would have been soaked down to my underwear by the time I got there."

Though he didn't show it outwardly, Alfonzo briefly imagine Marin's figure in soaking wet clothes that stuck to her curves while her bra and panties were visible through them. Then, he shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts.

"Anyway, we'll have to stop past the guild hall for a few minutes before we go to my house." Alfonzo said. "I have to report about my quest. Then, I'll take you to see Lici."

"Okay." Marin replied with an energetic nod. "I'm one step closer to being Shizuku-Tan."

Hearing Marin's enthusiasm, Alfonzo could not help but smile.

'Everyone has a passion in life.' Alfonzo thought to himself as he drove through the rain with Marin's excited mumbles acting as the background music. 'It's really just a matter of finding it. I guess me and Lici were lucky. And meeting Lici makes this girl lucky, too.'

"Oh, by the way, I'm Alfonzo… Alfonzo Marcus." Alfonzo said, realizing that he had yet to formally introduce himself. "I'm Lici's boyfriend and one of Fairy Tail's S-Class wizards."

"I'm Marin Kitagawa." Marin introduced herself as well. "It's nice to meet ya."

With introductions out of the way, Alfonzo and Marin chatted happily during the short ride to the guild hall. Then, when they arrived, Alfonzo got out of the car, creating a metal parasol as he did, and made his way inside.

As soon as Alfonzo was no longer visible, Marin's face reddened.

"Wow! He's even hotter up close.' Marin thought to herself. 'To bad he's a playboy… Wait, is he really a playboy if his girlfriends know about each other? Now that's food for thought. Eh, whatever. But this magic vehicle is really nice. I wonder how much it costs. Not that it matters, I wouldn't be able to drive one, anyway."

Just as Alfonzo and Elicia thought, Marin was completely unaware of the large amount of magic power she held. Which is understandable, she had never come in contact with any wizards in her fifteen years of life. Nor had anyone pointed out to her how her distinguishing features change when she gets excited.

After a few more minutes, Alfonzo and another girl, Cana, walked out of the guild hall under Alfonzo's metal parasol. A moment later, Alfonzo opened the driver's side door to the vehicle. Then, he leaned down and moved the seat forward while leaning it down.

"You should probably sit the long way, Cana." Alfonzo said.

"Ugh… I wish you were driving the Escalade." Cana grumbled as she climbed into the back seat. "There's no space back here."

"I know…" Alfonzo said as he readjusted his seat. "But I wasn't expecting to pick up anyone on my way home. Anyway, I'll introduce the two of you. Cana, this is Marin, Lici's client. Marin, this is Cana, my other girlfriend."

"Oh, you're the girl who gave Lici those smutty books, huh?" Cana asked while examining Marin the best she could from the backseat.

"Although those books are a little risqué, I wouldn't call them smutty." Marin replied with a blush.

"So, hardcore bondage and humiliation play isn't smutty?" Cana replied with another question. "I wonder what the world you live in looks like."

At that moment, Alfonzo pulled away from the guild hall. While Marin's blush grew in intensity, Alfonzo could not help but chuckle while driving, causing Marin's blush to deepen even further. After a moment, Cana joined Alfonzo in chuckling. After a few more moments, even Marin joined them.

"So, how much longer 'til we get to your house?" Marin asked, feeling a lot more relaxed after the laughter.

"We'll be there in a couple minutes." Alfonzo replied with a smile on his face.

"Fonzie, how did the quest go." Cana asked from the back seat.

'They call him Fonzie, huh?' Marin thought to herself as she waited for Alfonzo's answer with curiosity. 'That's kinda cute.'

"Just as smooth as usual." Alfonzo replied with pride in his tone.

"*Sigh* I can't wait 'til I'm S-Class, too." Cana replied. "Then, I could go on those quests with you, too."

"You'll have some pretty stiff competition to get there." Alfonzo said with a smile. "You'll probably be eligible for the exam this year. But so will Lici, Erza, and Ultear. Can't forget about Laxus' friends either. And that other guy... Mest... he'll still be eligible, too."

"I know, you don't have to remind me that I've got an uphill challenge." Cana grumbled.

Meanwhile, Marin listened with rapt attention. She did not know much about wizards and their guilds. So, the new information was quite interesting. Unfortunately, the conversation came to a end when a large mansion surrounded by a wall was finally visible through the rain.

"Holy crap! Is that your house?" Marin asked with her eyes wide open.

"Yup, had it built almost three years ago." Alfonzo said with a happy smile. "Lici and I saved up money for it ever since we started taking quests."

"Wow... And I thought the apartment that me and my dad lived in was nice." Marin said, trying to see the mansion clearly through the pouring rain.

"If you think it's nice from the front, wait 'til you see the inside and the backyard." Cana said, puffing out her chest as if she had anything to do with obtaining the house."

In response, Alfonzo's smile widened. Meanwhile, Marin's eyes started shining even brighter with interest. Then, Alfonzo used the remote control in his Vanquish to open the front gate and the garage before using the same device to close them after he had entered. A few moments later, Alfonzo, Cana, and Marin were standing in the garage having just exited the vehicle.

"Ugh... I'm still soaked." Marin said with her clothes still sticking to her.

"Well, all the guest rooms have a bathroom, so feel free to take a shower and get warmed up before you try on your new outfit." Alfonzo said casually.

With the mention of her new outfit, Marin's eyes lit up once again. Then, she nodded energetically. Before she could reply, however, the sound of footsteps interrupted the conversation.

*Bang!*

"Fonzie! You're back!" Elicia said after swinging the door leading from the garage to the house open with more force than necessary. "I missed you!"

A moment later, Elicia flung herself at Alfonzo and wrapped her arms and legs around him before kissing him deeply.

While Cana only rolled her eyes at the usual scene, Marin watched with her eyes wide open while a light blush dusted her cheeks.

'Wow... Elicia is so bold.' Marin thought to herself before glancing at Cana. 'And Alfonzo must be doing something right. The other girl, Cana, doesn't even look jealous. Like, at all.'

After kissing Alfonzo for a few seconds, Elicia released him. Then, she turned to Cana and hugged her as well. Though, not quite as passionately.

"You too. Welcome home, Cana." Elicia said energetically.

"Thanks, Lici." Cana said with a wry smile on her face. "It's good to see you, too."

"Although the welcome home is nice, you didn't even greet our guest." Alfonzo said, wearing a wry smile much like Cana's.

"Huh?" Elicia said, finally noticing that there was a third person in the garage. "Oh! Marin! You made it!"

Elicia then immediately rushed to hug Marin like she had with Cana. However, before she could, Alfonzo grabbed her by the back of her collar and lifted her like a naughty kitten.

"Hey, Fonzie, put me down." Elicia said, struggling to free herself without success.

"*Sigh* You're too excited, Lici." Alfonzo replied in a tired tone. "Why don't you take a closer look at her."

Though she still struggled to free herself, Elicia followed Alfonzo's instructions. Then, when she saw that Marin was soaked, with her clothes clinging to her body, she gasped.

"Fonzie, put me down.!" Elicia exclaimed. "We don't have time for this. She needs a bath before she catches a cold."

Seeing that Elicia was now aware of Marin's current state, Alfonzo put her back on the floor. Then, Elicia rushed forward and grabbed Marin by the hand.

"Come with me, I'll take you to the bathroom." Elicia said while dragging Marin into the house.

Completely forgotten, Alfonzo and Cana watched Elicia disappear into the house with Marin in tow. Then, they turned and made eye contact with each other before shrugging simultaneously.

"She's even more energetic than usual." Cana said, making her way into the house. "And that's saying something."

"Yeah, " Alfonzo replied with a nod. "I guess the thrill of making something new is what did it."

But she makes new stuff all the time." Cana replied while tilting her head as she turned into the kitchen.

Before replying, Alfonzo watched Cana walk over to the magic refrigerator and take out a large bottle of ale. Then, she popped the top on the bottle and started chugging it.

"*Sigh* That's the good stuff." Cana said with a satisfied smile on her face. A moment later, she saw that Alfonzo was staring at her blankly. Then, she held the bottle toward Alfonzo as she continued. "What? You want some too?"

Then, she smiled seductively as she walked toward Alfonzo.

"I could even help you drink it." Cana said as she closed in on Alfonzo. "I heard it tastes even better mouth to mouth."

"As much as I'd like to see if that's true or not." Alfonzo said, sweeping Cana off her feet and carrying her in a princess carry as he spoke. "I'm really tired, and I'd like to relax."

"Tch! Fine." Cana said after clicking her tongue while making herself comfortable in Alfonzo's arms. "You're off the hook for now. But only because you just got back from an S-Class quest."

With that, Alfonzo carried Cana through the house until he reached the living room. When he and Cana entered the room, they saw Erza sitting on the couch while reading a book. With her nose buried in the book and deep concentration in her eyes, Erza occasionally rubbed her thighs together.

'Saint Slippery's Academy for Girls...' Alfonzo muttered internally. '*Sigh* I guess this is where her addiction to smutty romance novels will start in this timeline.'