Half an hour later.
Darwin and Erza left Grisha's Clinic, snatching a bag of candy on their way out.
"Sigh, I didn't expect to be delayed at the clinic for so long."
Darwin scratched his hair irritably, complaining that he couldn't even hold out against mere hunger: "By now, everyone must have reached the town, and maybe some have already found Licht and started the mission. We are falling seriously behind!!"
Erza glanced at Darwin's head; seeing that his hair roots were resilient and the follicles were round and full, she figured there was a high probability he wouldn't have hair loss troubles before forty, and felt slightly reassured.
"Darwin, low blood sugar is making you too anxious!"
"Calm down and think about it. Since 'finding Licht' is also a part of this examination, he obviously won't be that easy to find!"
"Although we've delayed a lot of time, I imagine everyone's progress is about the same right now!"
That made sense!
With Erza's reminder, Darwin felt as if a bucket of cold water had cleared his head, and he was overjoyed.
"You're right!"
"Trying to find one person within the entire scope of Magnolia is no easy task!"
"Besides, Mr. Licht rarely goes out and doesn't have many hobbies or friends. Even if others want to start from that angle, they'll have nowhere to look!"
"Maybe right now, the others are searching house to house for his tracks!"
Seeing Darwin grasp the point, Erza nodded with satisfaction and suggested: "Since there are no clues for finding him at the moment, why don't we get something to eat first? Once our stomachs are full, we'll have the energy to search. Otherwise, if those symptoms from earlier happen again during the action, it will only waste more time."
"Yeah, I agree!"
With the plan decided, the two immediately headed to the neighboring district, intending to have a hearty meal at "Meow-Meow Breakfast Shop."
Three minutes later.
"Uh... everyone is here?"
"This is a bit too much of a coincidence!"
Darwin and Erza stared blankly at the bustling scene in the breakfast shop, frozen in place.
The Meow-Meow Breakfast Shop was currently packed to the rafters, and almost everyone there was a wizard from Fairy Tail.
It turned out that the first thing everyone else did upon returning to Magnolia wasn't to start looking for the person either, but to eat first!
The guild wizards were either eating steaming hot white buns or slurping fragrant noodle soup, everyone devouring their food like starving wolves, with no regard for their image.
Seeing the "head-start" couple, Darwin and Erza, walk into the shop, they all shared a knowing smile.
Those smug eyes and slightly raised lips seemed to say: "See? What was the point of running so fast? You still couldn't find the guy and now you're here eating breakfast with us! You're even a step slower than us for breakfast; you missed the hottest batch..."
"A coincidence? Not really!"
"After all, everyone has been hungry for a day. Isn't it normal to look for food after coming back?"
"This 'Meow-Meow Breakfast Shop' is the top-rated breakfast spot in town. Since we're having breakfast, it's normal to choose this place! It just shows everyone knows quality!"
"Knowing quality, my foot. Why don't I see you here usually?"
"Look at how you're talking. Usually, I'm just sleeping in and can't get up. Since I finally have the chance today, of course I can't miss it..."
After eating breakfast, their strength returned.
As soon as their physical energy recovered, the "starving ghosts" revealed their true colors, beginning to eat, shout, play, and make a fuss. It felt like they had turned the place into the guild, looking as if they might roll up their sleeves and start a group brawl at any second.
The little cat manager of Meow-Meow Breakfast Shop moved among the crowd holding a wooden spoon, keeping an eye on everything. Every now and then, he would pull one person back or persuade another, fearing this group might start a fight over a disagreement and wreck his shop.
Grumble—
Darwin tilted his head back, sniffing the white steam in the air. His mouth watered instantly, and his stomach roared.
"As expected of the number one breakfast shop in Magnolia, the smell of this food... it smells delicious!"
"Manager! I want ten... no, thirty buns! And two bowls of noodle soup!!"
"No problem!!"
Erza pulled on Darwin and whispered, "Darwin, there's only two of us; we can't finish that much!"
Unfortunately, Darwin, immersed in the aroma of the food, didn't hear her.
"Huh? What did you say?"
"Right, Erza, what do you want to eat?"
Erza: "??"
So those thirty buns and two bowls of noodle soup were just for yourself?!
"One bowl of noodle soup is enough for me."
"No need to be shy, I'm treating you today. Eat as much as you want!"
Oh?
You said it!
Then I won't hold back!
Erza's eyes lit up: "Then I want fifty buns and three bowls of noodle soup!"
Darwin: "??"
Do girls nowadays have such huge appetites?
A few minutes later.
Thud, thud!
The steamed buns and hot noodle soup were finally served. Darwin and Erza couldn't hold back any longer and immediately buried their heads in the food.
At the same time, others had already finished their meals. They patted their stomachs and walked past the two with their heads held high, not forgetting to "show off" smugly as they passed.
"Slowly enjoy this exquisite breakfast, Darwin, Erza!"
"Hahaha... we're taking the lead to go find Licht!"
Darwin knew they were teasing him on purpose, so he ignored them entirely and focused on eating.
"By the way, Darwin! I heard you made a bet with Chris-chan to see who gets a higher score in this examination, right?"
The speaker was an uncle in the guild who loved watching drama.
His greatest interest was prodding Darwin to challenge Chris, then opening a betting pool for others to gamble on who would win, doing so day after day without ever getting tired of it.
Hmm??
Darwin paused, then looked up. His bulging cheeks moved as he made a muffled sound: "Yeah, so what?"
"To keep her winning streak, she hasn't let her guard down at all!"
"When we came for breakfast just now, we saw her eating on the street while searching for the guy!"
"She's probably already found Licht by now!"
What?!
If Chris finds Licht first, wouldn't he likely lose again?!
Though he knew the other party was likely being alarmist, Darwin couldn't help but get anxious.
"Erza, let's eat faster!"
"Right, why don't you just eat 3 buns in one bite!"
"How could such a thing be possible?!"
"It's fine, I'll help you!"
As Darwin spoke, he actually stood up. Not even minding the heat, he grabbed a few buns from the table and brought them to Erza's mouth, making a gesture to stuff them in.
Just at that moment—