The experimental cottage on the west side of Riyao Manor rarely saw any sunlight throughout the year; the heavy blackout curtains were drawn tightly, with only a few thin rays of light sneaking through the cracks in the window, illuminating the dust floating in the air.
Magic drafts stained with reagents and half-full glass bottles were piled on the table, and even the air was mixed with the smell of pale green potions and the lavender scent of stardust.
"I choose you! Virgo!"
Just as Riyao's voice fell, a golden celestial gate opened, and Virgo, dressed in a classic black-and-white maid outfit, made a grand entrance holding a feather duster.
As soon as she stood firm, she looked around. Her gaze swept across the animal bones piled in the corner and the magic books on the shelf. The tips of her ears flushed a faint red, and her eyes drifted toward the labeled reagent boxes, as if she had associated them with something she shouldn't have.
Riyao rolled his eyes hard and irritably grabbed the curtain cord, pulling it sharply. Sunlight flooded in instantly, lighting up the dim cottage and making even the dust clearly visible.
"What kind of nonsense are you thinking about?"
Virgo's neatly arranged bun drooped, and even her feather duster wilted. She blinked her eyes pitifully. "Eh? Is it not what I thought?"
"I summoned you to conduct an experiment."
As soon as he said this, a suspicious blush appeared on Virgo's cheeks again, and her fingertips tightened on the hem of her skirt.
"Hey! It's a serious experiment!" Riyao waved his hands hurriedly, fearing she would misunderstand further. He reached out and pushed the open leather notebook on the table between them.
"A proper magic experiment; I need your cooperation."
Virgo leaned in, stared at the scrawled handwriting for a few seconds, tilted her head, and asked, "Boss, what kind of magic is Life Mimicry?"
"It's similar to Take Over Magic, but mixed with Enchantment Magic and Transformation Magic. However, its core essence is Life Magic."
Riyao picked up a pen stained with reagents and made two marks on the notebook, his tone carrying a bit of pride in his results.
Virgo tilted her head and thought for two seconds. Her fingertip tapped the four characters for "Life Mimicry" on the notebook, her tone as flat as if she were asking about dinner tonight. "Then what do you need me to do, Boss?"
"Just let me analyze your magic and your body." Riyao leaned back against the chair, swinging his legs over the side.
Bang.
A loud bang shook the reagent bottles on the table. The wooden door of the experimental cottage was kicked open violently, the door panel hitting the wall with a dull vibration.
Riyao had been swinging his legs, but the pen in his hand fell onto the notebook with a clatter, splashing a bit of green potion. His eyes instantly went wide.
Σ(° ロ °)
"You hooligan! You pervert! What are you trying to do to Virgo!?"
Mirajane stood at the door with a darkened face, her hair messy from the wind. She was still clutching a ladle for the vegetable soup she had just prepared, with a bit of flour from the kitchen under her fingernails. Demonized claws sprouted from her fingertips, looking as if she were about to tear someone apart.
Lisanna peeked out from behind her, clutching the corner of her apron and peeking into the room, still holding half an unfinished cookie in her hand.
"You scared me! I'm not doing anything." Riyao waved his hands quickly, pulling the open notebook toward his chest and rubbing his nose to hide his guilt.
When Mirajane, Lisanna, and Elfman first joined Fairy Tail, Riyao had shamelessly dragged them to live at the manor, under the pretext of having them help look after the manor's magic plants so he could mooch meals every day.
At this moment, Mirajane had originally come to call Riyao for dinner. Having overheard words like "body" from outside the door, her face instantly turned so dark it could drip ink.
Her gaze swept across the entire cottage. Piled on the top shelf were several colorful magazines—the "Sorcerer Weekly" issues "borrowed" from Chairman Makarov's storage locker last time. The models on the covers wore revealing dresses, looking particularly conspicuous in the sunlight.
On the desk by the window was a row of reagent bottles arranged by color spectrum, following the rainbow. Some were functional potions, while others were transition-colored useless liquids Riyao had mixed to satisfy his intermittent OCD.
Several boxes were filled with various materials. He usually mixed potions when he had nothing else to do. He sold recovery potions to guild members—giving them away for free was impossible; what if he spoiled them? He also used some potions to strengthen his own physical fitness.
Like some dried magical beast meat—buy it, infuse it with life energy, and it becomes top-tier fresh magical beast material!
And some withered extinct herbs—buy them, infuse them with life energy, plant them in the medicine field, and you have a steady stream of extinct herbs.
"Boss just wants to study my Celestial Spirit Body to perfect his magic," Virgo added softly, clutching her apron.
"Exactly, exactly. What bad intentions could a decent person like me have?" Riyao immediately puffed out his chest and leaned over, but as soon as he finished speaking, he knocked over a bottle of pale blue reagent and hurriedly scrambled to steady it.
"If you're a decent person, then there are no decent people left." Mirajane rolled her eyes, reached out to snatch the notebook from his arms, and flipped through a few pages of scrawled magic notes, frowning and scratching her head. "Isn't this Take Over Magic?"
"Similar, similar." Riyao quickly tried to laugh it off.
"Are you sure it's not plagiarism?"
"How can a decent person's work be called copying!" Riyao jumped up to argue, his elbow knocking over scrolls on the bookshelf, which rolled all over the floor.
He pushed Mirajane and Lisanna, who was still reaching out to touch the reagent bottles, toward the door, shouting, "Out, out! The experiment is important; don't cause trouble here!"
Lisanna turned back and stuck out her tongue. Mirajane gave him one last glare before leaving, dropping a "Don't create anything weird" before closing the door.
Riyao took a deep breath and grasped Virgo's wrist. Pale green Life Magic flickered at his fingertips, slowly seeping into her veins and flowing through her Celestial Spirit Body.
He closed his eyes, his brow slightly furrowed, carefully sensing the subtle differences between celestial spirit magic and ordinary Life Magic.
"Boss, Life Mimicry is similar to Take Over Magic. You're not going to 'Take Over' Virgo, are you?" Virgo's flat voice sounded.
"How could that be? You're my dear friend; I'm not some kind of devil." Riyao stopped the magic.
He activated the Life Mimicry magic. The pale green Life Magic intertwined with the celestial spirit magic on Virgo's body, and strands of celestial spirit life information were gently sucked into the magic in Riyao's palm.
"Eh? This is...?" Virgo's eyes widened in confusion, feeling as if something inside her had been copied and pasted.
Riyao suddenly released her wrist and leaned back against the chair as if a weight had been lifted, sighing in relief. "It's exactly as I imagined! Life Mimicry was indeed missing a catalyst!"
"Boss, are you planning to change classes and become a celestial spirit?" Virgo tilted her head and blinked curiously.
"Hehe."(¬◡¬)✧
Riyao swung his legs with a smug, roguish grin on his face.
"Then will Virgo be a celestial spirit's celestial spirit?"
"It's fine. I'll find you a good home when the time comes." Riyao stood with his hands on his hips, looking like a kidnapper.
"Waaa, Boss doesn't want me anymore?" Virgo began her expressionless performance.
"Ohohoho..." Riyao laughed even more arrogantly, looking very much like a villain.
There was another loud bang as the wooden door was kicked open again. This time, Riyao had heard the movement at the door long ago; he could even hear Lisanna tugging at Mirajane's hem and whispering, "Sister, maybe we shouldn't disturb Brother Riyao's experiment?"
Mirajane rolled her eyes. "Stop talking. He must be up to something shady!"
Riyao didn't even look up. He leaned against the door, swinging his legs and clutching his newly organized notebook, looking at the two who had barged in with a playful expression. "Big Sister Mira really cares about me."
The tips of Mirajane's ears turned slightly red. Riyao looked at Mirajane with a smile.
Virgo said expressionlessly, "It's been a long time since I've seen Boss this happy."