Erza was again at it when Mirajane popped her through the side of the door to announce a break to head to one of the best cafeterias in Magnolia. Erza agreed without a pause of hesitation, much to Mirajane's surprise. Regardless, the white-haired woman smiled at the welcome change in Erza's behavior.
Erza was getting better at managing her work and self-care. She didn't skip meals anymore, took breaks in between the crammed up hours of sitting at her desk typing away careful drafts of paperwork or going through the sea of case files that now sat neatly in folders in her bookshelf. She still patrolled the city and for some odd reason, the crimes that would happen regularly turned into crimes taking place days apart.
It brought some little relief that the crime wave was not as rapid as before, but that didn't ease the pressure on Magnolia's police force. As long as the crimes take place, the police force vows to not stop until the end. Something she knew she would uphold until the end of time.
Erza slightly brushed away at her unkempt hair, trying to look presentable. (Not that messy hair would ever ruin her god-gifted beauty anyway.) She changed into some casual clothes, a simple navy blue t-shirt reaching her mid-thigh and denim jeans. After that, she trudged excitedly down the stairs, genuine anticipation bubbling in her mind about what sweet delicacies awaited her at the cafeteria. Little did she know, a quite unexpected sight was present at the cafeteria.
One thing Erza hadn't expected was there to be a cluster of people in front of the cafeteria, mostly consisting of young girls. They were seen squealing and swooning over something they had seen.
"Oh my! Have you seen how dreamy the new employee is?! I felt like my heart would jump out of my ribcage the moment he smiled over at me wishing me well-Ahhh!"
"There is no denying that he is the most charming gentleman I have seen in my life!"
"How can someone be so handsome?!"
Erza heard those girls saying as she moved past them, nearing the entrance of the cafe, trying to refrain from rolling her eyes at their high-pitched squealing. She was working day and night to solve cases and the women here were acting as if a hero had come to the rescue.
'What could be so special about this ma-'
Erza's thought came to a temporary pause upon entering the cafe. Standing there undoubtedly was the man from her dreams (both literally and figuratively might I add.) With features so strikingly impeccable that it was impossible for her to not get any flashbacks. In front of her was the exact carbon copy of the boy from her dark past, Jellal.
She took her previous words back in her head. This guy was indeed special.
Then again, was he the guy she knew from her childhood? She couldn't know if he was just a lookalike or the real deal himself.
"Hello there, miss. Welcome to 8-Island cafe," The blue-haired man greeted her in a friendly way, bowing slightly, then flashing a smile that for sure was the cause of the women's dilemma outside.
"Hello to you too. I haven't seen you before in this cafe though."
Erza was hoping that she wasn't being too obvious in her attempt to know his name.
"Oh well, that's because I have never been here in Magnolia before. I just moved here recently and I am a new barista in this cafe." He responded, pointing at his apron.
It was then that Erza's eyes moved to the tag on his apron. Siegrain, it said. She barely suppressed a sigh.
'What was I thinking? I don't even know if he is alive or dead.' Erza thought, feeling a little pang in her heart at the memories hitting her hard. The memories weren't any good and she just couldn't risk having flashbacks all over again, so without fretting hard over it, she headed over to the table where all her female colleagues sat.
As soon as Erza sat down beside them, Evergreen shot a smug look at her. Erza was a bit taken aback by the gesture but when every other woman in her lounge kept staring at her, that ticked her off.
"What happened?" Erza asked, slightly uncomfortable by the blank looks of amusement on the ladies' faces.
Lucy leaned into her ear and whispered, "The blue-haired guy has been checking you out for quite some time."
Erza's face flushed. She was used to catching people's eyes, especially men's as a result of her beauty. That never really mattered to her in the past, well until now that is. Something about catching his eyes had made her cheeks flare up the same scarlet color as her hair.
'No! What's wrong with you, Erza?!' She scolded herself internally for being flustered. Intimidation was her forte and she hated how she was being affected by a mere stranger who she met only moments ago.
Clearing her throat, she said, "Well instead of over-analyzing the atmosphere, how about we give an order?" The girls knew then that was the queue for them to drop the attempt of teasing the redhead. No one liked to mess with Erza, even if it was in playful banter as they knew how Erza would always pay them back in her way, if not more.
Mystogan looked at the swooning bunch of women outside with utter disinterest. The women outside were so artificial– batting their eyelashes at him, giving him sweet saccharine smiles, and hoping that he would be charmed by their mediocre advances of flirting. He could barely suppress a sigh as he thought of the things he would have to endure if he wanted to make his plan work in full action.
Resisting the urge to grit his teeth in annoyance, Mystogan's attention wandered back to the red-haired woman chatting at the table with her friends. He was in awe of how she was seemingly unaffected by his charm. So much for initiating the second step in his plan.
But he wasn't the type to back down from his mission. He was meant to overcome the odds and succeed in his missions despite the challenges that came his way. He admitted to himself that maybe this mission was the biggest and the best among all his missions. Mystogan wanted thrill rather than his boring assassination feats. And this plan was exhilarating. He could feel the rush of adrenaline just at the mere thought of how risqué the entire thing was. The entire operation was hanging from only a thin thread as the danger of being exposed was at an all-time high. Anything that could alert the police could surface with one mistake of his occurring while trying to get close to Erza.
Averting his focus from his thoughts, he brought his attention to the tray in his hand carrying pastries of different kinds to the table where she sat. Erza looked vibrant, laughing with her comrades. Something about her made him feel the long-forgotten rush of excitement. Excited at the thought of achieving the look of pain on his victims when they realized there was no hope but only destruction that awaited them. He liked the hopelessness on their faces, so much that it brought him a sick sense of glee every time. Mystogan was a sadist, but a proud one at that. He considered torture and destruction as a form of art. He didn't care for anything more than satiating his inner sadistic hunger. He was made to be a monster, after all.
The women at Erza's table were giving him a curious gaze, some even with a hint of amusement. Mystogan felt smug at their noticeable acknowledgment of him. He was wishing to see the same effect on Erza. How far could the apple fall from the tree? Much to his dismay, his words backfired as he saw her paying little to no attention to his presence, immersed in looking anywhere but him.
How come she so conveniently not even spare him a glance when he was the center of everyone's attention?! Calling him annoyed at the moment was nothing but an understatement. It didn't take him much longer to figure out that it would take more than silly attempts of enticing her to crack down the hard shell Erza had put up against him.
'This is no more a game, it's a war. I will break you down, Erza. Mark my words, that's for sure.' He swore to himself, still checking on her while the wheels in his brain turned in the process of making a new scheme.
A/N: I know this isn't that much of a big chapter. But the future ones should be a lot bigger. The next update won't be too far. thank you for reading!