Chapter 06: The Untouchable Jerk
Fanfic by: Geraint(Erza's POV)
It's been a day since Nero—who looks exactly like Jellal—arrived at the Fairy Tail Guild. Just yesterday, I spent the entire afternoon chasing that perverted jerk all over Magnolia, trying to retrieve my stolen panties. He finally returned them that evening… out of pity. The most frustrating part? Even though he was barefoot the entire time, I couldn't keep up with him. He was so fast it was obvious he was holding back just so I wouldn't lose track of him entirely.
Worse, he could run up trees without using his hands—like he was just sprinting across the bark like it was solid ground. In the end, I never even managed to land a hit. My so-called "revenge" was a complete failure.
Despite looking exactly like Jellal, his personality couldn't be more different. Nero is mischievous, cocky, and annoyingly perverted. His magic allows him to steal girls' underwear without even getting close, and he doesn't hesitate to slap people—even girls—when they annoy him. I don't care about being treated differently because I'm a woman, but what about the others? Would he hurt them too if they got on his nerves?
He's a total jerk, nothing like the Jellal I once knew. That Jellal was kind, compassionate, and full of hope—always smiling even when we were enslaved in the Tower of Heaven. But... he changed.
Right now, Nero sat at one of the dining tables, barefoot as usual, poring over a detailed map of Magnolia Town. He was marking buildings with a pen and jotting notes in a small notebook.
"Erza, if you've got something to ask him, go talk to him already," Master Makarov said from the counter. "You might not like the kid, but I don't believe he's truly bad."
I glanced at Master, frowning."But why does he look exactly like Jellal? And how does he seem to know him?"
Master sighed. "I can't answer that. All I know is he's the grandson of one of my distant relatives. And she was very clear—he's not Jellal."
"He's suspicious," I muttered, narrowing my eyes at Nero.
"Huh?" he said, noticing my glare. He leaned back and smirked lazily."Erza, do you really hate my face that much? Just because I look like the guy you used to like—the one who broke your heart? I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'm not Jellal. My name is Nero Vermillion."
This boy pisses me off.
"Nero Vermillion?" Gildarts, who was sitting at the bar, suddenly spoke up. "That surname sounds familiar…"
He was his usual rugged self—tall, broad-shouldered, with messy orange hair and a stubbly beard.
"Anyway," Master interrupted, "at least try to get along with him. He's about your age, Erza."
"I'm sorry, Master," I said, turning away, "but I can't."
Master just sighed.
"Nero!" he called.
"What is it, Uncle?" Nero responded casually.
"Why don't you stay at our house? We've got a spare room. Better than sleeping in the guild's storage."
"No thanks. I'm fine where I am. The guild's peaceful at night—and I can feel Lolibaba's presence nearby."
Lolibaba? Who the hell is that?
"Wait… you know about that?" Master blinked in shock.
"Of course I do," Nero replied, grinning mischievously. "I unsealed that room myself and found what I was looking for—she even scribbled 'Lolibaba' on the surface of the lacrima."
"You what!?" Master was stunned.
"That Lolibaba!" Nero suddenly stomped his foot in anger.
"While we were traveling, Uncle and I took a break to eat lunch. But when I opened my lunch boxes, they were empty! There was only a note that said: 'Sorry, Stinky Nero. I took a small bite to taste it, but it was so good that I ate all of it. Thanks for the food.'"
He clenched his fists. "I had to hunt in the forest just to have something to eat for lunch that day."
"Alright, never mind," Master muttered, shaking his head.
"Master, who's he talking about?" I asked, confused.
"Just his grandma," Master replied flatly.
He's definitely hiding something.
Just then, Macao and Wakaba approached Nero's table.
"Hey kid, what are you doing?" Macao asked.
"It looks like he's marking restaurants and stores," Wakaba said, leaning over to peek at the map.
"You even marked places like bakeries and that famous cake shop…" Macao blinked. "What are you planning, marking all those places?"
Nero looked up. "I'm going to visit them all—one by one—to learn their recipes and make them my own. My goal is to travel around Fiore and master every food recipe as a young chef."
A chef? Him? He doesn't look like one. More like a pervert on the run.
"That's quite a dream," Macao smiled. "Good luck, kid."
"Thanks."
"You can call me Macao. This guy here is Wakaba. If you ever have questions about the town, just ask us."
"I'll take you up on that," Nero nodded, slightly bowing his head.
Meanwhile, Gray and Cana stood off to the side, whispering nervously.
"Gray, you go first," Cana said.
"No way, you go first."
"You saw him slap Erza without hesitation yesterday! What if he slaps me? Or worse—steals my underwear?" Cana shuddered.
"Fine, I'll go," Gray sighed, walking toward Nero.
"Nero!" Gray called out.
"What's up?" Nero replied, eyes still on his notes.
"We want to talk to you," Gray said. "This is Cana, and I'm Gray."
"Nice to meet you," Nero said, glancing up. "Ask me whatever you like. I'd rather clear up any misunderstandings."
I walked over to join them.
Gray glanced at me. "Erza?"
I looked straight at Nero. "If you're not Jellal, then why do you look exactly like him? It seems like you know him too."
Nero was silent for a long moment. Then he smiled.
"Because I'm actually Jellal's clone."
"What!?" all three of us said at once.
"I'm just a copy. A fake Jellal. But I don't want to be defined by that. My grandma adopted me three years ago and gave me a name—Nero Vermillion. That's who I really am. I'm nothing like that Jellal you once knew. That's why I hate being compared to him."
...
So he really isn't the Jellal from the Tower of Heaven. He's just… someone carrying the same face, and the burden that comes with it. Being blamed for someone else's actions…
I guess I owe him an apology.
"Nero, I'm sorry for what I did yesterday."
"No big deal. You didn't really do anything to me anyway," he replied with a smirk.
Ugh. He's trying to annoy me again.
"Erza, can I try it again?"
"Try what?"
He raised his palm toward me.
"That spell—!"
"Correct! Steal!"
His palm glowed. A white cloth materialized in his hand.
I felt a sudden chill under my skirt.
"Oh… it's white again today," he said, holding up my panties with both hands.
I immediately grabbed my skirt, face burning.
This perverted bastard! He stole my panties again!
"Apology accepted, Erza," he grinned.
"YOU PERVERTED JERK! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!!" I roared, lunging at him—but he leapt from his seat and bolted out of the guild.
"Let's play tag again, Erza!" he called, laughing.
"COME BACK HERE, NERO!! I'M GOING TO END YOU!"
"If you catch me, I'll return your panties and treat you to some cake!"
"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!"
"Let me join too!" Cana yelled, running after us.
"I won't lose to a newcomer!" Gray added, chasing after us—shirtless, as usual.
(To be continued.)