Raizel's house had been renovated a long time ago.
However, he had been so busy training or completing missions that he hadn't had time to tend to the yard.
Now that he was back, he planned to buy some plants to decorate the wooden fence.
During their conversation the night before last, Raizel had mentioned this, and the girls agreed to go to the Flower and Bird Market with him today.
Raizel's yard was quite large, but he didn't plan to plant big trees.
Looking through the floor-to-ceiling window, Raizel saw the three of them chatting and laughing as they approached his house.
They seemed to be in a good mood.
Erza had her scarlet hair tied in a braid.
She wore a white shirt and a beige knee-length skirt, walking in the middle.
Kagura and Ultear both had their long hair flowing over their shoulders.
Kagura had a white ribbon tied in her hair and held Archenemy in her right hand, while Ultear had the silk scarf Raizel gave her tied around her wrist.
"You all seem to be in a good mood," Raizel said as he walked out and leaned against the front door.
Ultear smiled and nodded. "Training is good, but it gets boring if we do it constantly. The market you mentioned sounds like a nice place to visit. None of us have been there before."
Erza and Kagura nodded too.
They were more familiar with swords than flowers, but it would be nice to see something pretty for a change.
"Growing flowers can calm the mind, relieve stress, and make life more interesting," Raizel explained, raising a finger.
"Speaking of which, there is a large empty space around the girls' dormitory. We could try planting something there too," Ultear suggested.
The area around their dorm was quite barren—just the building, a few trees, and some grass.
"Great idea!" Erza clapped her hands together, looking excited.
She was already imagining how it would look!
"Then let's not wait. Shall we go?"
Raizel had checked the map last night, so he knew the way.
He pointed toward the market.
"Okay." The three nodded.
Raizel led the way, staying one step ahead, while the girls walked side-by-side behind him, looking around at the streets.
"We haven't really explored all of Magnolia, have we? We've never been to this area before," Erza remarked, looking at the unfamiliar shops.
Magnolia was actually a very large city.
The places they usually visited were just the Guild, the Cathedral, South Gate Park, the Food Plaza, and the main shopping street.
"Same for me. Although I joined the Guild a few months earlier than you, we go to the same places everytime," Ultear nodded, pinching her chin in thought.
"Haha, actually, me too. Even though Laxus and I have lived here for so long, we haven't explored everywhere either," Raizel admitted, slowing down to turn around.
"Without even thinking, I know why. You two are training maniacs—no, I think Laxus is even more obsessed than you," Ultear teased him.
She remembered their time in Rosemary Village where Laxus did nothing but train.
But she understood it; having a rival like Raizel was great motivation.
Laxus was chasing Raizel, and Raizel didn't want to be caught.
"When we go out at night, you two head straight for the Food Plaza," Kagura said with a straight face, hitting the nail on the head.
Raizel and Erza looked at each other awkwardly.
"About that... it's hard for me to argue," Ultear stepped forward with a hand on her hip, taking part of the blame.
Raizel wasn't too interested in food at first, but he realized that with his level of exercise, he wouldn't be a fatass no matter what he ate—so he just enjoyed himself.
Among them, only Kagura had the right to comment.
Aside from liking donuts when she was younger, she had lost interest in sweets as she grew up.
What she loved most now was Archenemy—the sword hardly ever left her hand, resting on her lap even when she ate.
...
They arrived at the market entrance.
A wooden sign above the arch read: "Bird and Flower Market."
From a distance, the street was lined with colorful stalls on both sides. Near the entrance, most items were plants. Greenery filled their vision.
Raizel didn't know much about plants, but that didn't matter—he just picked what looked good.
He quickly found his first target: a type of ivy, which he planned to hang on his wooden fence.
Ultear and the others weren't interested in ivy.
They strolled along to see if there were any pretty flowers for the girls' dorm.
Raizel paused, drawn by a row of red plants.
The girls stopped with him.
The vendor noticed Raizel's interest and explained, "These are Red Maple saplings. They aren't very bright now, but they will become much redder when they mature."
'No, they look plenty red already', Raizel thought.
The color had caught his eye.
Just moments ago, Raizel thought he didn't want to plant trees, but he changed his mind instantly.
"Are these difficult to grow?" Raizel asked.
He had never planted a tree before.
"Where are you planning to plant them?"
"In my own yard, over in the East Forest."
"Then it's not hard. Just make sure they get sunlight and stay moist. Magnolia's climate is perfect for Red Maples, and the best time to plant them is right now—from early March to late April."
Raizel couldn't resist.
He picked four saplings, planning to plant them in a row.
"Please wrap these up for me. Can you deliver them?" Raizel didn't want to carry four trees while shopping.
Using Teleportation Magic for gardening felt too silly.
The vendor said yes for a small fee.
Raizel paid, gave his address, and asked for delivery in the afternoon.
Raizel picked a few more flowers that were easy to grow.
Ultear joined him and bought some too.
Erza selected a shrub that had already bloomed with large red flowers. The vendor said it was a spring-blooming variety that was easy to maintain, though it needed pruning.
Kagura didn't seem interested in the plants. She just followed the group quietly.
After walking for a while, the three suddenly realized Kagura had disappeared.
Looking back, they saw her squatting in front of a stall.
It was a pet stall selling kittens.
Kagura was staring at a cage containing a long-haired orange cat.
It was small, but its fur was already quite fluffy. Kagura watched intently as the orange cat groomed itself.
The vendor didn't stop her from looking, but since Kagura didn't speak, he stayed silent too.
"Do you like it, Kagura?" Ultear asked, squatting down beside her.
Raizel and Erza also joined them.
"Yes." Kagura nodded, her gaze never leaving the kitten.
Erza smiled. "If you like it, then buy it. In our girls' dormitory, only Cana has a pet. Having a kitten would be nice, right, Ultear?"
"Yes, I think this cat is beautiful," Ultear agreed.
Seeing they were interested, the vendor spoke up.
"This cat is almost three months old. Don't worry if it doesn't seem affectionate right now—it will be fine once you take it home and care for it."
"I'll take it."
Kagura didn't care if it was affectionate or not. she felt a connection.
Kagura paid for it herself—40,000 Jewel.
The vendor gave them some cat supplies as a gift.
Raizel carried the supplies, while Kagura held the cat in her arms, refusing to put it in a cage.
The cat didn't seem eager to cuddle, but it didn't struggle in her arms either.
It seemed they were a perfect match.