Chapter 239

The Scent of a Man

One cloudy afternoon, I was at a restaurant called 8-Island, bussing some tables in a black-and-white suit. Not too far away, Erza, Levy, and Mira went about their way, also serving other customers and taking dishes, each wearing orange maid uniforms. At another table, Juvia, Carla, and Wendy were looking at a recent addition of Sorcror Weekly. Not too far away, Lucy stood wearing a white bunny suit with only her legs showing as she held up a sign promoting the restaurant.

We were here because Yajima had sent out a job request for help with the grand opening of the Magnolia branch of this restaurant to attract customers. Initially, some of the female members were called, but surprisingly, Yajima asked me to help as well because a celebrity like me would gain even more revenue, or so he said. Since then, we've been busy.

"Willy! We got another order for table two!" called out Yajima.

"On my way, Boss!" I called back.

I went over to the counter, took the dishes, and brought them to a group of people. When I came, all of their eyes seemed to sparkle with admiration, not only from the food but also from seeing me.

I then heard Lucy whine. "Man… How'd I end up getting dragged into this?" she bemoaned.

"What's wrong, Lucy?" I asked. "I would have thought that you wouldn't mind working for something as simple as this. It's easy jewel."

"I know," said Lucy. "But Yajima could have at least let me wait tables like the rest of you so I wouldn't have to wear this ridiculous outfit."

"Well, I think you look rather adorable, Lucy," said Mira. "It suits you."

"I'm not sure I should take it as a compliment or not, Mira, but thanks anyway," said Lucy.

"I don't see what you're complaining about," Erza said, her face a glow with positivity. "After all, with our help, the grand opening of Yajima's Magnolia branch of 8-Island is sure to rake in a lot of cash."

"You only say that because you wanted to wear the uniform," quipped Lucy. "I mean, not that I have any issues with it."

"She's not wrong," said Mira as she twirled in a circle. "I'm quite taken with these uniforms myself. I think they look cute." She glanced at me. "What do you think, Willy?"

I briefly looked over at Mira before glancing away. "Y-Yeah. Super cute," I responded. "A-Anyway, I'm surprised that Yajima's the owner of this place. You'd think that with him being a former member of the Magic Council and a commentator of the games, he'd go for a job a bit more flashy."

"True, but his passion has always been cooking," said Erza. "So after he retired, he's been working hard to get his business, and it's a pleasure to see it come to fruition. Speaking of which…" She then glared sternly at Wendy, Juvia, and Clara. "Is there any reason why the lot of you are slacking off? You should be bussing tables right now."

"Sorry, but we were on Brea and lost track of time," apologized Wendy.

"And the four of you were having so much fun, we didn't want to interrupt you," smiled Juvia. She then got up and approached with the magazine. "That being said, have you all seen the latest Sorceror Weeky?"

"The last I heard, Jenny was supposed to pose in that magazine in the buff due to losing against Mira," I said. "What about it?"

Jenny then smiled as she excitedly pointed out an article on a page with a picture of Sting and Rogue. They were both bare-chested and stood by the wall.

Erza then took a quick skim. "Let's see… Top Ten Pretty Man Wizard Ranking?" she hummed with interest. "I didn't even know that was a thing."

"Neither did I," I said.

"Oh, it's been something that's been there for a while now," said Mira. "They usually have a featured list like that all the time. There's been a lot of top tens about different topics, but it's mostly about who's the hottest model or bachelor."

"Oh yeah?" I murmured. "Have you been on one of those rankings before?"

"Sure have," smiled Mira. "I've been number one in a few of them, actually. But lately, it's mostly been Jenny due to the time skip."

Juvia then turned the page, which showed a picture of Gray. "And look at this!" she excitedly swooned, her eyes turning into hearts. "My beloved Gray is on here, too! How dreamy!"

Mira then took the magazine and started flipping through a few pages until she stopped on one that made a brief look of surprise cross her face. "Hey, look! Willy made the ranking, too!"

She then showed us the page, and sure enough, there was a picture of me, which was a freeze frame of my fight during my fight with Orga.

"Wh-What the?!" I couldn't help but gasp. "When was this photo taken?!"

"More than likely during your match with Orga," said Lucy. "Jason is a good photographer like that, and knowing him being a fan of our guild, he probably couldn't wait for the chance to write an article about you."

"Yeah, but… why do I feel a little embarrassed about this?" I said while taking the magazine. "I mean, I don't really care for photos, but I feel like I look ridiculous."

"I don't think so," said Wendy. "I think you look really cool."

"So do I," said Juvia. "There's no need to be so embarrassed about it."

"Be glad that Jason didn't use a picture of you in that speedo," said Carla. "I can only imagine how mortified you'd be if he'd chosen that for that article."

Memories of the Naval Battle came flooding into my head, and my cheeks immediately grew warm. "Well… I suppose you have a point there," I conceded. "But still… "

"Well, I think you look absolutely amazing like everyone else," said Mira. "That photo shows how you worked hard to win, and you've not only become a champion, but that day, you showed everyone who you really are. A proud Fairy Tail wizard. And I think that's something to be proud of."

"Is that so?" I asked doubtfully.

"Of course," smiled Mira. "But then again, in my opinion, no matter what photo you take, you'll always look amazing. And for matter, pretty and dashing, too."

My face immediately started burning as my wings popped out. "How the heck can this girl say all of that with a straight face?!" I screeched in my thoughts.

Erza then cut in. "Now, hold on just a minute," she said. "I thought the term "pretty men" only applied to people like Ichiya. And, for that matter, how come he isn't in this?"

When I heard that statement, I, along with everyone else, immediately looked at Erza in utter confusion. I couldn't help but picture the man in question in my head, which made me feel squeamish.

"And where the heck would you get an idea like that?!" exclaimed Lucy.

"Well, he's always talking about how "pretty" he and his men are," replied Erza. "I mean, he practically preaches it over every corner of Fiore."

"Look, Erza, I'm not the brightest fish in the school when it comes to pretty men, but let me assure you Ichiya is a lot of things, but "pretty" is definitely not one of them," I told her perturbingly. "He's more like the troll that lives under the bridge that doesn't know when to stop with his nonsense."

"Now, Willy, be nice," chided Mira. "I'll admit that Ichiya's a little strange, but it's a bit harsh to call him a troll."

"Well, it's true. That guy always gives me the creeps," I said with a shudder. "Every time I see him, I just want to punch him. And to add to that, he always reminds me of that Bob guy, which makes me want to hurt him even more."

"Seems like seeing Master Bob was quite the traumatic experience for you, huh?" said Lucy.

"That aside, Willy's right about one thing," said Juvia. "Just because Ichiya calls himself a pretty man doesn't make it true. When you compare my darling Gray, Willy, and the others to him, the difference is as clear as day and night."

Erza then looked into the distance, deep in thought as if she made a massive discovery. "I see. So there is a difference," she murmured. "Interesting."

"Sometimes I wonder how she makes it through the day with her sense of wonder," sighed Wendy.

"Indeed," agreed Carla. "It defies all logic."

"All right, you guys. I think we've chatted around long enough," said Mira. "Why don't we all get to work, and we'll talk later?"

So everyone did. But as Mira walked past me, I couldn't help but detect a sweet aroma wafting from her, which caught my attention.

"Hey, Mira, if you don't mind me asking, what's that pretty smell?" I asked.

"Oh, you've noticed, huh?" said Mira. "It's just a new perfume that I bought the other day, and I felt like trying it on. You like?"

"Sure do," I smiled. "It's very nice."

Then, Levy approached. "Hey, has anyone seen Jet and Droy?" she asked. "They told me they were going to stop by here, and I haven't seen them."

"You'd think that with you being in a waitress uniform, they'd be first in line to see you," chuckled Lucy.

"They're probably just running late," I told her. "I'm sure that they're fine. But I hope those two haven't run into trouble."

But no sooner had I said that I heard the footsteps of people approaching, and as I looked up, I could see the shadows of Jet and Droy just down the street.

"Oh, speak of the devil, or devils as it were," said Wendy.

"Hey, you guys! Took you long enough!" Levy greeted with a wave. "Feel free to sit anywhere you - ."

But no sooner than when Levy cheerfully greeted her buddies, her face froze while going pale with horror. And as soon as I saw Jet and Droy, I felt the color drain from my face, as well.

The two were the same Jet and Droy we all knew, but they had one horrifying difference. Both of their faces now looked precisely like Ichiya's, from his unnaturally rectangular face, his big and shiny flat nose, his enlarged cheekbones, to even the stubble on his chin. They also gave off a strange aroma that I couldn't place while the two let out a peculiar and familiar moan.

"Meeeeeeeeen."

At that moment, every single one of us let out a scream of terror from this unnatural sight.

"Wh-What is the meaning of this?!" Erza exclaimed. "Why do they both have Ichiya's face?!"

"I don't know, but I definitely don't like it!" I squawked with fear and disgust.

"I-I think I just threw up in my mind from the trauma…" Lucy spoke with revulsion.

Jet and Droy then lumbered over to Levy, cornering her to the wall, and as they did, they began sniffing at her."

"Levy… Levy…" they both eerily moaned.

"I-I don't like this!" Levy cried out as she tried pushing them back. "Get away! Stop smelling me!"

But they didn't, as they continued to hound her while sniffing.

"Hey! Get away from her!" I yelled.

"Hang on, Levy!" Lucy also yelled.

But as the two of us attempted to go over to help, Wendy and Juvia grabbed onto Lucy's hand while Mira and Erza grabbed mine, stopping us both.

"No, don't go over there!" cried Wendy. "I get the feeling that we should keep our distance!"

"She's right!" Mira also said. "Don't go over there!"

But while I stopped myself from preceding, Lucy still struggled.

"But Levy needs help!" Lucy insisted while still struggling. "Let me go!"

She soon managed to pull herself free from their grasp and rushed over to save her friend. But as she did, the Ichiya-fied Jet and Droy stepped back, revealing that Levy's face had also turned Ichiya-like, making her let out a shriek of terror.

"How awful!" cried Juvia. "If they get close enough to sniff you, you'll get infected!"

"M-Mira! Please don't tell me this is Transformation magic gone wrong again!" I spoke while trying to keep my nerve. "Because if it is, I'm going to lose my mind!"

"N-No! It's not!" Mira spoke, some fear evident in her voice. "I've never seen anything like this before!

"We need to get out of here while we can!" cried Carla. "Otherwise, we'll end up as Ichiya clones, too!"

Erza then bravely stepped up as Levy, Jet, and Droy set their sights on us, wielding nothing but the magazine as she rolled it up.

"Listen! Hurry and head for the guildhall!" she ordered us. "I'll make sure to hold off these three!"

"Are you crazy?!" I yelled. "This isn't the time to be playing hero!"

"If they even sniff at you even once, you'll turn into an Ichiya zombie, too!" warned Mira.

"I'll be fine!" said Erza. "These doppelgangers are too clumsy and slow to keep up with me! Now, go!"

And with that, our group took off running, not daring to look back.

"Erza… You better be right behind us!"

NO POV

As her friends took off, Erza turned her attention to the three Ichiya zombies. Then, with her magazine in hand, she shot forward and swiped and whacked at them on their heads, sending them flying and knocking to the ground, defeating them in an instant.

"All right, that should take of them," she sighed with relief. "I should probably look for Yajima and make sure he's safe."

But as she was about to start her search, something grabbed onto her leg. That something was Yajima. But much to Erza's horror, his face was also twisted into Ichiya's visage, and he was already sniffing her.