The Pict Magic Of Fairy Tail

Chapter 23: Fishing

The trio was deep in a discussion about the S-Class trials when Cana finished reporting her mission to the guild master.

She walked over, sat down in front of Silver, and started fiddling with her magic cards.

At the same time, Gray, who had just taken another hit from Erza thanks to Natsu, decided to take a break from their usual brawling and lazily sat down next to Cana to rest.

"Yo, you're back. How was the mission?" Gray propped his arm on the table and asked Cana.

"It was simple, really—just some performances at a banquet," Cana replied, casually flipping her cards onto the table as she practiced her magic.

"You make it sound easy, but that wasn't just any banquet. If you'd messed up, it could've caused serious trouble," Gray said. He was well aware of the difficulty of Cana's mission.

Normally, such tasks would only be classified as C-rank, but Cana's was a B-rank mission, clearly indicating its complexity.

"Pick a card," Cana said, ignoring Gray's comments. The mission was over, the client was satisfied, and there was nothing left to dwell on.

"What did you say?" Gray, not catching her words, asked again.

"I said, pick one and flip it over." Cana gestured to her cards spread out on the table.

"Oh, this one then," Gray said, randomly choosing a card and flipping it.

Meanwhile, Silver, who had been slouched over the table, straightened up and glanced around the guild. "Huh? Why does it feel so quiet? Where's Natsu?"

"No idea," Gray shrugged. "He took off right after peeling himself off the wall. I think he went to that place."

"That place?" Cana asked, looking up from the card Gray had chosen, her expression curious.

"Yeah, Natsu's training spot," Silver explained. "Apparently, he has portraits he drew himself of Erza, Mira, and Gray hanging there. Every time he trains, he uses them as targets."

"Is that true?" a voice suddenly asked from behind Silver just as he finished speaking.

"Of course it is," Silver replied confidently before turning around to see who it was.

The moment he saw, a bead of cold sweat ran down his forehead. Forcing a smile, he stammered, "H-hi, Mira."

"Hi, my foot!" Mira growled, raising her clenched fist in anger. She grabbed Silver by his collar and shouted, "You knew about this and didn't tell me?!"

"Calm down, Mira. He rarely hangs your portrait there. It's usually Gray and Erza," Silver said quickly, trying to placate her. He gently took her hand and pulled her to sit beside him. "Besides, it's not like it hurts anyone. Why bother getting worked up?"

"How can I not care?!" Mira snapped, but before she could continue, Gray chimed in provocatively, "I support you, Mira. Make sure to teach Natsu a lesson!"

"You—" Silver turned to glare at Gray, feeling a headache coming on.

Just then, Lisanna hummed a cheerful tune as she approached, effectively diffusing the tension. "Sis, didn't you say you wanted to invite Silver to go fishing?"

"Fishing?" Silver blinked, looking at Mira in confusion.

"What? Don't want to go?" Mira asked, her face darkening.

"Of course not. I'm just surprised you're interested in fishing," Silver replied with a smile. "Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's go."

Without another word, he grabbed Mira's hand and headed toward the door.

"You two go ahead. I've got something else to do," Lisanna said, smiling mischievously as she declined to join them.

"Lisanna has something to do, so what about you two?" Silver turned to look at Cana and Gray.

"I'm busy divining, and Gray is helping me," Cana replied seriously, her attention fully focused on interpreting the card Gray had chosen.

"Alright then," Silver nodded and turned to Mira. "How about we find Elfman? I'm sure he'd be willing to come with us."

"No need. Elfman has his own mission to finish," Mira replied before Silver could even finish his sentence. "It'll just be the two of us."

Silver paused for a moment, then nodded. "That works too. But if we catch any fish, you'll have to cook them. Your cooking is amazing—better than any restaurant chef."

"Hmph, at least you have good taste." Mira's previously sour mood softened, and a small smile appeared on her face as she strode out of the guild ahead of him.

Seeing Mira leave, Silver quickly jogged to catch up, walking beside her as a sense of puzzlement stirred in his heart.

He couldn't help but find her behavior strange. Mira was known for her fiery temper—not unreasonable, but quick to react with her fists if provoked.

Yet, when she heard about Natsu using her portrait as a target for his training, she hadn't stormed off to confront him or slammed a table in anger.

She'd merely looked displeased. It was out of character, and it left Silver feeling curious.

The two soon arrived at the edge of town, stopping at a large rock by a flowing lake. This was the fishing spot Mira had chosen.

"Mira, you gather some bait nearby, and I'll draw us some fishing gear," Silver said, summoning a shovel through his drawing magic and handing it to her.

Taking the shovel, Mira nodded. "Don't forget cooking tools and a campfire as well."

"No rush. Let's catch some fish first," Silver replied casually as he set up his drawing board and spread out a sheet of paper.

Just as Silver picked up his pencil to start sketching, Mira walked a short distance from the rock to start digging for bait.

From the direction of the town, a loud voice suddenly called out, "Mira! Silver!"

Hearing the shout, Silver turned his head to see Natsu sprinting toward them, with Happy flying close behind, using his wing magic.

When Silver realized it was Natsu, he glanced at Mira, who wasn't far away. As expected, her face had already darkened to the point that it seemed ready to storm.

Seeing Mira's expression, Silver could only shake his head and let out a bitter smile. When Natsu and Happy finally reached them, Silver asked, "What are you two doing here?"

"Silver, Mira, you're so mean! Going fishing without inviting us!" Happy was the first to speak, immediately complaining.

"We heard from Gray that you two came here to fish, so we came to join you," Natsu added, backing up Happy's explanation.

"Is that so? Well, I guess it's no wonder you're a glutton for punishment," Silver muttered with a wry smile, realizing Gray had likely told Natsu intentionally.

"Huh?" Natsu responded, looking confused.

At that moment, Mira silently appeared behind Natsu…