"Hahaha, Mommy, come catch me!"
"Slow down!"
Behind him, Jehfrit heard the cheerful laughter of a child and his mother's worried voice.
'Thump'
Jehfrit felt something collide with him. Turning around, he saw a little boy sitting on the ground, clutching an ice cream cone that had fallen, its scoop now smeared across the pavement.
"Oh, sir, I'm so sorry!" The woman chasing after the boy quickly apologized, visibly flustered.
"Waaah! My ice cream!" The boy burst into tears.
The woman glanced at Jehfrit's attire—he didn't look like someone easy to deal with, likely wealthy or powerful. Not wanting trouble, she scooped up her child and said, "Sir, I'm truly sorry for dirtying your clothes. All I have is this money..."
She began rummaging through her pockets.
"No need," Jehfrit smiled warmly. "This is my mage cloak—it doesn't get dirty easily."
He showed her the back of his cloak. Seeing it was indeed clean and Jehfrit's friendly demeanor, she relaxed slightly.
But the boy continued crying, wailing, "My ice cream… sniffle."
"Stop crying! Did I teach you to behave so rudely?" The mother scolded, lightly patting the boy's bottom.
The child stifled his sobs, sniffling quietly.
"Apologize to this gentleman right now!" she instructed sternly.
The boy wiped his tears and bowed deeply. "I'm sorry, sir."
"It's alright. You're a good kid who knows how to correct mistakes," Jehfrit said kindly. "What's your name?"
"I'm Tom."
Jehfrit softened his tone. "Little Tom, I'm a magician. Would you like to see me perform a trick and conjure another ice cream?"
"Really?!" Tom asked in amazement.
"No, sir, that would be too much trouble for you," the woman interjected quickly.
"Don't worry about it." Jehfrit grinned.
Young, handsome, and approachable, Jehfrit's smile made the woman blush slightly.
"Watch closely."
Jehfrit pulled out a card, and both mother and son stared intently. With a flick of his wrist, a beautiful ice cream appeared where the card had been.
"Wow!"
Tom gasped in awe.
"Look, a magician! So cool—can you do that too, big brother?" Another child nearby exclaimed excitedly.
Jehfrit turned to see a peculiar group approaching—a motley crew that screamed "troublemakers." Their leader stood out, sporting three eyes instead of two. His gaze pierced through everything, exuding pride and disdain as though regarding Jehfrit from some higher plane of existence.
The noisy one beside him was a pale-skinned boy whose complexion suggested an absence of pigmentation. Dressed in what looked like prison garb—but with sleeves and pant legs torn short into a punk-rock style—he bore bite marks all over his exposed skin. Iron collars encircled his neck, wrists, and ankles, and his crimson eyes gleamed as he grinned, revealing rows of sharp, shark-like teeth.
"He's not a magician," the three-eyed man stated dismissively. "He's a fraud."
"Eh? But he turned the card into ice cream!" the boy protested.
"That wasn't magic—" the three-eyed man began to explain.
Jehfrit shot him a cold glare.
"It's a Fairy Tail member. We shouldn't cause trouble," a hunched old man tugged at the leader's sleeve.
"Fairy Tail?" The pale boy perked up. "I know them! Big guild, yummy!"
"Hey, liar, I could eat y—mmph!"
Before the boy could finish, a burly man behind him clamped a hand over his mouth.
The old man forced a strained smile. "Children say the darndest things, sir. Please don't mind him."
With that, the odd group shuffled away.
Jehfrit paid them no further attention, resuming his warm smile as he handed the newly conjured ice cream to Tom, who eagerly awaited it.
"Here you go."
"Mom…" Tom looked pleadingly at his mother.
"No, sir, we can't accept it," the woman refused hastily. "It was this child's fault to begin with…"
"It's fine," Jehfrit reassured her, handing the treat to Tom before addressing the mother. "But please don't let your child run around in the streets—it's dangerous. Running into strangers like those earlier could spell trouble."
"Yes, my mistake," the woman nodded, reflecting inwardly.
"Well, I've got somewhere to be. Farewell."
Jehfrit's voice trailed off as he spoke.
"Thank you, kind sir!"
The woman looked up, but Jehfrit had already vanished.
"Mom, that man disappeared suddenly! He's amazing—I want to be a magician when I grow up!" Tom exclaimed excitedly.
"To do that, you'll need to study hard and learn lots of things," the woman ruffled her son's hair, thinking: *To vanish instantly… he's probably not just a magician but a mage!*
She wondered which guild he belonged to. Whoever he was, he seemed remarkably humble for a mage.
Not far away, at the ice cream stand, the busy shopkeeper failed to notice as their cash register was quietly opened, 300 Jewels slipped inside, and then locked again.
---
After receiving his new camera, Jehfrit was thrilled—at least initially. He even tried hanging it around his neck. However, within an hour, he grew annoyed by its weight and inconvenience, removing it promptly.
With no further delays, he boarded a train heading toward Magnolia Town, then took a carriage back to the guild.
"Jehfrit, you're just in time," Gray greeted him. "Natsu's going to duel Erza."
"A fight between those two? Not interested," Jehfrit shrugged indifferently.
"But isn't it risky for two of the guild's top fighters to battle?" Lucy expressed concern.
"Huh? Top fighters?" Gray tilted his head quizzically.
Lucy explained, "You know—Erza, Jehfrit, Natsu, and you. Aren't you four considered Fairy Tail's strongest?"
"Who told you that?" Gray's expression twisted in confusion. "Erza and Jehfrit are one thing, but even I admit that real strength only comes with achieving S-Class status in the guild."
"Eh?" Lucy blinked, surprised.
At that moment, Levy—the blue-haired legal loli—stepped forward. "That's right, Lucy. Right now, there are five official S-Class mages in the guild. While Natsu and Gray are strong, they still fall short compared to them."
"Five? Who are they?" Lucy asked curiously.
"Gildarts, Laxus, Mystogan, Erza, and Mirajane," Levy listed confidently. "They're undoubtedly the strongest. As for Jehfrit here…"
Levy hesitated, rubbing her temples.
Gray chimed in. "This guy skips every year despite having the skills to qualify."
"No, no, no," Jehfrit interjected, pulling out his glasses cloth to clean his lenses. "My magic is great for pranks, but it lacks any real offensive power. Using a gun would only risk hurting my comrades. Plus, being labeled S-Class attracts unwanted attention from villains looking to make a name for themselves by defeating me."
"See? That's just how Jehfrit is," Gray remarked. "But Lucy, if you think Jehfrit only has Deception Magic, you're in for a rude awakening!"