Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Caelum, the Village Hidden in the Mist.
January 21, x792.
Two weeks after Alfonzo, Elicia, and Cana arrived in the Village Hidden in the Mist, Mei, Ao, and Chojuro sat in Mei's office discussing the events of the last two weeks. At the same time, Mei also worked on the paperwork covering her desk with speed that would have made Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, jealous.
"Those Fairy Tail wizards are incredible." Chojuro said softly, his voice nearly lost under the sound of Mei's pen scratching against the paperwork.
"I have to agree." Ao said, his tone mixed with both admiration and frustration. "Over fourteen days, not one of our Shinobi has even come close to defeating the targets."
Chojuro nodded in agreement. Mei, on the other hand, did not even raise her head from her work. From what Chojuro could tell, she expected such a result. And judging by the frown on Ao's face, he thought that was also the case for the older Shinobi, as well.
"I didn't expect them to." Mei said, affirming Chojuro's thoughts. "In fact, I would have been disappointed if it had been easy. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been training, would it?"
"*Sigh* I can't disagree with that." Ao replied while shaking his head. "Even so, these two weeks of failures are lowering confidence. Mist Shinobi are supposed to be the best when it comes to assassination, after all."
"And that hasn't changed." Mei replied as she picked up the document she was working on and looked it over. "Instead, even if they never land an attack on those three, they'll only get better."
Ao huffed in annoyance. Though, he nodded in agreement. Chojuro, on the other hand, looked as if he could not follow the conversation, which made sense. Especially since he never tried to attack Alfonzo, Elicia, or Cana, taking his role as Mei's guard way too seriously.
After reading the document thoroughly, Mei placed it back on her desk before signing and stamping it. Then, she raised her arms over her head and stretched, the action emphasizing her magnificent figure, causing Chojuro to look away with a flushed face. Meanwhile, Ao shook his head at Chojuro's reaction as Mei smiled triumphantly.
'Good, I still got it.' Mei thought to herself.
"Well, I think that's enough for today." Mei said as she lowered her arms. "I have plans for the evening. So, Chojuro, there's no need to set up a guard detail for the evening."
Hearing that, Chojuro's head snapped towards Mei with worry... as well as jealousy in his gaze. He knew exactly what her plans for the evening were, and he did not like it. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do. So, after taking a deep breath, he nodded in acknowledgement of Mei's order.
Seeing the look in Chojuro's eyes, Mei sighed internally. She was quite aware of his feelings for her. And although she had a soft spot for him, as well, her feelings were far from romantic.
As for Ao, who also saw the look in Chojuro's eyes, he only shook his head again. The relationship between Mei and Chojuro was none of his business. So, he had no intention of interjecting.
With that, the trio left Mei's office, separating once they left the Mizukage Tower. Naturally, Mei headed to the residence reserved for the Mizukage with no delay. She had a lot to do before her guest arrived.
"I still haven't decided what to wear." Mei said to herself while nodding at the civilians she passed on the way home. "I probably don't have to wear anything that is too fancy. We'll be at my house, after all. Still, I want to look my best."
While thinking about her plans for the evening, Mei's steps lightened subconsciously. And when the people of the mist saw her, they had to take a few double takes when they saw how radiant she seemed.
"I have to take a bath, do my hair and makeup, and finally get dressed when I get home." Mei muttered to herself while counting the tasks she needed to complete on her fingers. "Alfonzo said that I didn't need to worry about grocery shopping since he would do it on his way. But that only makes me curious. What will he be cooking for dinner tonight? I wonder if Lici and Cana made any requests."
That's right, Mei's plans for the evening were to have dinner with the Fairy Tail wizards. At least, that was what she thought they were.
However, the two presences following her from the rooftops made it clear that she was wrong, at least partially.
"She looks so excited." Cana said while under the effects of Elicia's [Hiding in Plain Sight] spell.
"She'd look even happier if she knew only Fonzie was coming over, though." Elicia said with a giggle. "I can't wait to get a picture of her shocked face when she opens the door and Fonzie's the only one standing there."
"Is that the only reason we're stalking her?" Cana asked while shooting a skeptical look in Elicia's direction. "We're not doing this because of your fetish, are we?"
"Fetish?" Elicia asked with feigned confusion. "What fetish are you talking about? I don't think I have a fetish, do I?"
Instead of dignifying what Elicia said with a response, Cana only rolled her eyes before taking a swig from her flask.
"On another note..." Cana said after swallowing her drink. "Is it really okay for us to be doing this?"
"What do you mean?" Elicia asked, understanding that Cana was not referring to spying on Mei.
"We're supposed to be acting as targets for assassination until Fonzie is done modifying the training grounds, right?" Cana asked.
"Yeah, we've got six more days to go according to Fonzie's estimations." Elicia replied with a nod. "Why?"
"Then, is it okay for us to just disappear like this?" Cana asked, surprisingly playing the role of the responsible wizard. "I mean, I can already sense all the ninjas that usually follow us around moving around frantically trying to find us."
"Eh~, they'll be fine for one night." Elicia said while waving her hand dismissively.
"But what if they complain?" Cana asked. "They won't cut our pay, will they?"
"Does it really matter if we miss the pay for one night?" Elicia asked while rolling her eyes. "You make it seem like you really need the money."
"Of course, I do." Cana replied. "There's a bottle of hundred fifty year old brandy that's going to be auctioned off in Crocus next month. So, I need all the money I can get."
"*Sigh* You sound like Lucy back in the day." Elicia said while shaking her head. "Just… with different reasons."
"Whatever." Cana shot back. "Anyway, if we get docked for this, you're covering the difference, Lici."
"Fine." Elicia replied while rolling her eyes.
While continuing to bicker playfully, Elicia and Cana continued to follow Mei until she reached her house.
As for Mei, as soon as she got home, she immediately started taking off her clothes while walking towards her bedroom.
"I still need to figure out what to wear." Mei muttered to herself. "But I guess I can think about it while I take a bath... I should have..."
Reaching that point, Mei glanced at a clock hanging on the wall.
"... a little more than an hour and a half to get ready." Mei continued. "I'll be cutting it close, but..."
As her words trailed off, a beautiful, anticipatory smile spread across Mei's face.
"... I should be able to make it."
Then, with some extra pep in her step, Mei rushed to her bedroom to take a bath. However, about a minute later, even before the sound of water filling the bathtub could be heard, Mei rushed back out of her room and picked up the clothing she had discarded along her path to her bedroom. She then turned around and [Body Flickered] back to the bathroom.
"I thought she was going to leave the clothes there." Cana muttered from Mei's couch while still under the effects of Elicia's [Hiding in Plain Sight] spell. "It would have been funny if she forgot all the way until Fonzie showed up."
"As much as I agree with you, we both know that would never happen." Elicia said with a smile, seemingly imagining the image Cana just made. "Still, it would have been really funny."
The two spent the next minute, or so, giggling. After that, Cana's expression turned a bit worried.
"But seriously, Fonzie won't be mad that we're here, will he?" Cana asked.
"Probably not?" Elicia said, though it sounded more like a question. "I mean, he did say that he was planning to surprise Mei by showing up alone, didn't he? Besides, from what I know, Mei thinks we're all gonna be here for dinner. So, we're kinda doing exactly what Mei expects."
"You have a way of twisting everything to your advantage, don't you?" Cana asked while giving Elicia a side-eye. She then took a swig from her flask before continuing. "Whatever, if Fonzie gets mad, I'm throwing you under the bus."
On a side note, before Alfonzo created his version of magic vehicles, Earth Land did not have buses. So, that saying made no sense whenever he or Elicia said it. But now, it is much more commonly used.
"I don't know what Fonzie will do to punish me if he's not happy, but I know how you'll be punished for going along with my idea." Elicia said with a smile after rolling her eyes.
*Swish!* *Swish!*
She then raised her right hand and made two swatting motions at the spot just to the right of her lap before giggling at Cana's embarrassed expression.
"As long as it's not in front of everyone like last time, it would be more of a reward than a punishment." Cana whispered, causing Elicia's giggles to turn into full-blown laughter.
Meanwhile, Mei, with her hair wrapped in a towel, was soaking in the bathtub. And for the next half hour, she was thinking about what she could wear to knock Alfonzo's socks off. She was also brainstorming about the best way to put on her makeup to catch and hold his attention.
*Splash!*
"Alright, I got it." Mei said as she stood up, splashing the bath water while revealing her perfect curves and toned body. "I hope you're ready, Alfonzo! You're not getting away from me! I'm definitely gonna catch myself a husband tonight!"
With that, Mei quickly got out of the bath, dried off, and started doing her makeup. Then, after carefully applying her makeup for nearly half an hour, she started rifling through her wardrobe to find the dress she was thinking about. After finding it, she looked for the accessories that would complement it. Then, when she found everything, she quickly got dressed.
"This is exactly what I was going for." Mei said while standing in front of a mirror and looking over the blue, halter-style dress, choker, and loose-fitting chains around her waist she had just put on. "If I'm having trouble looking away from myself, then there's no way that Alfonzo will be able to tear his eyes away from me."
Smiling brightly, Mei could not help but giggle when she imagined the look on Alfonzo's face when he saw her. At the same time, she twisted and turned in front of the mirror while looking for any stray threads or wrinkles. And by the time she was completely satisfied...
*Ding Dong!*
... the sound of her doorbell rang throughout the house.
"He's here." Mei whispered with her eyes lighting up in anticipation.
Mei then rushed out of her bedroom and made her way to the front door. Naturally, as she did so, she walked past Elicia and Cana, who were still sitting in her living room, completely unaware of their presence.
"Wow!" Cana muttered with her eyes wide open. "She really went all-out, didn't she?"
"She sure did." Elicia replied with a smile. "She's even wearing one of the dresses she commissioned from me. I wonder if she planned to get some tonight even though she thought we were supposed to be here, too. If that's the case, there was no reason for us to hide and watch."
"Is your mind ever not in the gutter?" Cana asked before taking another swig from her flask.
"Of course, it is." Elicia said righteously. "I'm always focused when spending time with Mar'e, making clothes, and taking quests, you know?"
"And every other time is free game, huh?" Cana asked while shaking her head in fond exasperation.
Meanwhile, Alfonzo, with a few bags filled with groceries, stood at the front door to Mei's residence with a wry smile on his face.
"I was wondering why Lici was so excited to let me go alone." Alfonzo muttered to himself, Elicia and Cana showing up loud and clear in his [Magic Power Detection]. "At first, I thought it was because she wanted to let Mei and I have some time alone. But it looks like there was more to it than that."
["That's so Lici, isn't it?"] Bedlam asked from Alfonzo's inner world. ["She's just looking forward to watching when you inevitably knock down the Mizukage. Actually, now that I think about it, it's been a long time since she got the chance to act upon her fetish, hasn't it?"]
["Don't make it sound so vulgar."] Riot said in an irritated tone. ["You make it sound like Lici is some kind of pervert."]
["That's what she is, isn't it?"] Bedlam shot back. ["I mean, what kind of woman gets off on watching her man's first time with other women besides a pervert?"]
Alfonzo could not help smiling at the sight of Riot opening and closing his mouth as if he wanted to argue Bedlam's point, yet could not come up with any kind of rebuttal.
["Simp."] Bedlam said disdainfully after Riot could not retort.
["I'll fucking kill you!"] Riot shouted as his anger overflowed before jumping to attack Bedlam.
*Click!*
Luckily, Alfonzo's attention was pulled away from his [Armament Spirits'] usual antics when the door was opened revealing Mei with a smile on her face. And when Alfonzo saw Mei's outfit, his eyes widened in surprise, causing Mei's smile to widen even further.