Fairy Tail: This Healing Mage's hits hurt so much!

Lisana took Lucy out shopping.

Lucy wanted to stay on the bar and continue lying there, but Lisana grabbed her and dragged her out of the guild.

The guild hall fell silent again.

Mirajane, having had some free time, walked around the bar and sat down next to Sunshine, resting her head on his shoulder.

The two shadows overlapped, casting a long silhouette on the wooden bar counter.

Erza also went out to do errands, saying she was inspired by everyone's enthusiasm.

"That's the kind of thing she would say. I wonder if Philid will take the S-rank assessment seriously this time."

Sunlight rested his chin on Mirajane's head, his voice muffled.

"It's hard to say. He's probably obsessed with Laxus and doesn't care about anything else. He's strong enough, but he just doesn't participate actively and prefers to play support."

"And then there's Juvia. Her current strength is enough to make her an S-class, thanks to her unique elemental physique."

Mirajane counted on her fingers.

"This year's S-level assessment is going to be exciting. If they all participate, the competition will be much fiercer than in previous years."

Wendy sat on the chair next to them, her legs dangling in the air, and listened to their conversation with a puzzled look on her face.

She discovered that Sunrise and Mirajane only mentioned two people: Fred and Juvia.

"Sunburst Bro, Mira Sister, don't the others have a chance? Are Mr. Natsu and the others not even eligible?"

Sunlight then casually rubbed Wendy's little head.

"Everyone else has obvious weaknesses. The old man is very shrewd; he'll most likely set up obstacles to deliberately make things difficult for them. Otherwise, why wouldn't a new S-class mage have appeared in the past few years?"

Wendy blinked, her mind starting to analyze the weaknesses of the other people.

Mirajane then took over and continued rubbing Wendy's head.

Wendy's head was passed around like a ball between the two adults, but she didn't seem to mind.

"Take Natsu, for example. Natsu's strength fluctuates a lot, especially when it comes to transportation."

"Even if he manages to get back up and win, in some commissions, time is more important than the outcome. For example, protecting an important person—in the few minutes you're knocked down, the client might already be dead. Such a mistake is fatal in S-level commissions."

Wendy suddenly realized and tapped her palm with her little fist.

"I see! So what we need is consistent performance."

"That's right."

"And what about Mr. Gray?" Wendy then asked.

Riyao shrugged, his expression full of disdain.

"His attack methods were too limited before. An ice mage, all he thought about was smashing and slashing people with ice blocks. The ice he created were either hammers or swords, his imagination was as poor as a dried-up riverbed. He might as well just use an iron sword to fight, that way he could save some magic power."

Uru, who had just come out of the kitchen, overheard this and nodded in deep agreement.

"That little fool Gray has become so unimaginative as he's grown up. The most important thing about shape magic is creativity and adaptability. He used to create interesting things when he was young, but he's become more and more rigid and inflexible as he gets older."

"Leon is better than him in this respect. Leon's ice can move and change, adapting to different combat scenarios. Gray's ice is just a dead block of ice; you just throw it out and that's it."

Uru sighed after he finished speaking.

Gray stepped into the guild just as he heard someone chirping at him.

"Hey!! What do I lack compared to that idiot Leon?!"

"That's definitely not as good."

Uru stood with his hands on his hips, showing no respect whatsoever.

"Look at Leon's ice, it mimics animal movements. His ice birds can fly, and his ice snakes can coil around people. It's so versatile. Look at your ice, all you do is smash and chop. It's so rigid and boring."

"This is a static pose! His is a dynamic pose! They're two different things! How can they be the same!"

Gray crossed his arms, stubbornly refusing to admit it, his neck held high.

"Think about how Sunrise's ice sword turned into chains a while ago."

Uru stuck out his index finger and poked Gray's forehead.

"After the sword is launched, it can transform twice, from a sharp weapon into a binding chain. Would you call that static or dynamic?"

"That...that is..."

Gray's lips twitched, and his eyes began to wander.

He tilted his head to dodge Uru's finger attack, then ran towards the guild gate with lightning speed.

"I still have other commitments! Goodbye!!"

Before the words were even finished, the person had already rushed out the door, running faster than a rabbit.

Only a shirt remained, lying forlornly on the ground.

Riyao looked down at the shirt, then at Uru.

"Is this a side effect of learning the Ice Form? Like Natsu's motion sickness, is it an occupational hazard?"

"Don't look at me. That's Gray's own bad habit; I didn't teach him that."

Uru guiltily turned his head to the side, avoiding looking at Riyao.

She bent down, picked up Gray's clothes, dusted them off, and tossed them into the clothes basket inside the bar.

The basket still contained the vest Gray had left behind last time, the coat he had left behind the time before that, and the sweater he had left behind the time before that.

Wendy's curiosity wasn't satisfied, and she continued to press for answers.

"Who else has weaknesses?"

Mirajane thought for a moment, then continued rubbing Wendy's head without stopping.

Wendy's hair was already a bird's nest, but she didn't care at all.

"Take Levy for example. She's the complete opposite of Gray. Levy is very thoughtful, intelligent, and has a unique understanding of magic. But her strength can't keep up with her ideas. She knows this weakness, which is why she chooses to form a team."

"Jed and Troy are her teammates, and the three of them complement each other's weaknesses. Jed is responsible for frontal restraint, Troy is responsible for interference and control, and Levy provides support or restraint from the rear using word magic. This combination is quite reasonable."

"This is also the strategy of most mages. Not everyone can be an all-rounder like me."

Riyao added some details and also praised himself.

Mirajane rolled her eyes at him, but didn't argue.

"Can we team up for the S-level assessment?" Wendy asked.

"Sure," Mirajane nodded.

"Huh, so can we choose Mira or other S-rank mages like you?"

Wendy's eyes lit up.

"You're overthinking it. How could such a good thing exist? If I could have an S-rank mage as a teammate, what would be the point of the assessment? I could just go easy on them and pass."

Mirajane reached out and pinched Wendy's cheek, giving it a gentle tug.

Wendy's face was distorted and her mouth was pinched into a duck's beak, but she still managed to make indistinct sounds.

"So... how did Riyao manage back then?"

Mirajane's hand suddenly stopped.

She released Wendy's face, turned her head, and reached out to pinch Sunshine's face.

Press your two thumbs on Riyao's cheekbones and pull them to the sides.

"You actually teamed up with Erza back then."

Riyao's face was pulled into a comical shape.

"They're not looking for me."

They changed direction again.

I'm very sad.

Riyao's expression twisted into various shapes under Mirajane's fingers, but his eyes were full of helplessness and amusement.

Wendy and Charlotte both perked up their ears and unconsciously leaned forward.

Xia Lulu put down her small teacup, and Wendy didn't even bother to tidy her disheveled hair.

Wow, this looks like some interesting news.

Riyao was both amused and exasperated. He reached out and pulled Mirajane into his arms, resting his chin on the top of her head.

"When I took the S-rank assessment, you weren't even in the guild yet."

"I don't care."

Mirajane buried her face in Sunrise's chest, her voice muffled.

"I'm furious. You actually teamed up with another woman."

"What can I do to comfort my Mila?"

Mirajane lifted her head from Sunshine's embrace, a pre-prepared smile curving her lips.

"Come shopping with me later."

"Okay." Riyao agreed without even thinking.

Wendy and Charlotte exchanged a glance.

It took me several seconds to realize that there was no explosive inside story in this story.

When Sunrise and Erza teamed up, Mirajane had not yet joined the guild.

That means this was just another instance of him being affectionate.

Wendy silently brushed her disheveled hair back into place.

Xia Lulu picked up her small teacup again and took a sip of tea.

"Wendy, let's not have too high expectations of these adults in the future."

"Um......"

Wendy's voice carried a hint of world-weariness that was beyond her years.