Chapter Fourteen - Erza's First Picnic

The sandwiches that Erza had prepared were truly delicious. She had even gone so far as to cut off the crusts, leaving only a delicious gooey center! Compared to her, Juvia's own cooking talents were miserable... this woman could take her beloved Lee away from her at any time she wanted!

"Is it not good?" Erza asked, her tone self-effacing. She was humble as well! Juvia was doomed!

"It's amazing!"

"Then why are you making that face?" Konata asked, biting down into her own sandwich experimentally, then humming in enjoyment as she started to chow down on it hard.

"I... was simply thinking about something," Juvia said defensively, returning to eating her sandwich a moment later to provide her cover if she was asked further questions.

"Please, tell me what is troubling you," Erza said. She was so kind and thoughtful too, a sign of an outrageously large heart! Her breasts, too, were outrageously large! If she wanted to, she could no doubt convince her beloved Lee to break things off with Juvia. Perhaps Juvia should get rid of her... no! She had promised Lee that she wouldn't do any violence to his other lovers. "Juvia!" Erza's hand gripped Juvia's wrist, making her terrified that she had somehow read her mind and was going to destroy Juvia for daring to think ill of her. "You've just eaten four entire sandwiches. Although I am gladdened to see that you enjoy my sandwiches so much, we are all sharing here."

"Yeahmf," Konata said, "theeshe are brebby goob," she continued, the sandwich still in her mouth as she spoke. What a horrible woman! It was only a matter of time before her beloved Lee realized that she was completely unsuited to him, and instead deserved a man who was fat, ugly, poor, and cruel, rather than one who was strong, handsome, rich, and kind. (She actually wasn't sure if Lee was rich, but it was the principle.)

"I-I'm sorry," Juvia said, to Erza and her beloved Lee, but not to Konata, despite the way that Konata waved her off as if it was no big deal and she didn't need to apologize.

"It is fine. I am certain something is bothering you, Juvia. As your guildmate, and, I hope, your friend, you can confide anything you wish in me."

Juvia was torn. On the one hand, Erza was obviously a threat to her relationship to her beloved Lee; on the other hand, she was being kind, and had not even complained about having to share Lee with her, which, if their positions had been reversed, Juvia knew she would have. It was solved when she realized that there was nothing she could do to get rid of Erza, since her beloved Lee didn't want her to resort to violence for the sake of her love for him. "I am so sorry! I was simply shocked that my beloved Lee has yet another lover!"

Erza gave a soft but firm nod. "Yes, I understand very well that feeling. I am glad that, despite it, we can eat together."

"I never really thought of this before," Konata said in between bites of her sandwich, which she had fortunately swallowed this time, "but how do guys with like, mega-harems eat?"

* * *

"It won't be difficult to eat with four people at the table," Erza reassured. It was obvious that Konata was not nearly as adaptable as Erza herself was.

"It'll be five," Konata corrected, making Erza blink rapidly as she took in what Konata meant.

"You are pregnant?" Erza asked, smiling. "Congratulations."

"No, he's also made Levy his lover," Konata said. "And he's going after Lucy too. Probably going to try to fuck Ur," she started to count things off, listing the names of several other Fairy Tail guild members, as well as a member of the magic council, and several names that Erza didn't recognize.

Rather than feeling enraged or jealous - Juvia had begun to ferociously consume yet more sandwiches, simply shoving them into her mouth and chewing away like they were bubblegum - Erza felt something else at the realization that Lee had yet another lover, and planned more. That she would never be his only woman, nor would it be only her and Konata, or only her and Konata and Juvia. Each added woman made her heart race a bit faster, her nostrils flaring, her pulse rising. She fidgeted softly in place, her womanhood feeling increasingly warm. Somehow she felt herself wanting Lee to make love to her as she was informed of his flagrant infidelity... but she restrained such passions. To simply fall upon him in lust would be unbefitting her stature. She needed to stand as an exemplar.

"...plus there's like, I dunno, Carla? Once she turns into a human, I mean." Konata was still going strong, having listed off a dozen names while Erza was distracted by the feelings blossoming forth inside her.

"So many other women," Juvia said to herself before beginning to eat the corn on the cob that Erza had prepared, simply feeding it directly into her mouth and chomping down with an incredibly powerful bite rather than eating it correctly.

"I must defend myself by noting that you are listing every name of every woman in this world that you know of," Lee said, raising his chin into the air.

"I am," Konata agreed immediately, without saying anything further. Lee looked rather less confident in that moment.

"I cannot take it any longer!" Erza shot up to her feet, making everyone look at her. She began to Requip herself, and as the light engulfed her, Konata sidled to one side, moving away from Lee, perhaps to give her more space. "Lee, make love to me!" She was now adorned in the very same lacy red lingerie that he had so clearly desired earlier.

"Jeez," Konata said, as everyone else remained in stunned silence, "being that horny is bad for you, you know?"

"Yes," Erza agreed, "that is why I am asking Lee to humbly remove such arousal in the most obvious manner, by fiercely taking me!"

"I am afraid I cannot in good conscience do that," Lee said, and Erza was devastated.

"Of course. I am sorry. I am coming on far too strong, you no doubt need to be further romanced. To simply demand in the middle of a date one prepared that the other party abandon decorum and take you amongst the dishes, is far too much."

"No - it is because I would not want to ruin the date for Juvia and Konata who would have to watch."

"Yes, you are right. I am sorry, friends." She Requiped again, back into her armor. "I was... overpowered by certain feelings and urges and desires that I should not have expressed that way. Please, forgive me. You may punish me if you like."

"You're forgiven, as long as we can have another picnic soon, this is really good," Konata said, and Erza felt her heart lighten.

* * *

Juvia was torn. Erza was far too confident! How could she simply strip herself into her underwear right in the open and challenge anyone to look at her?! Juvia could never do that. She had just barely managed to suppress her feelings when she had sex with her beloved Lee in front of Konata by thinking of it as a way of teaching that hussy her place as an inferior woman who should give up on her beloved Lee already! Erza was completely out of Juvia's league, and now she was asking for Juvia's forgiveness?! She was definitely doomed, her fated love with her beloved Lee to be destroyed at the slightest whim from Erza! Unless... she could convince Erza that she should keep Juvia around indefinitely... which would require them to become friends. After all, she knew she was bustier and more accommodating than Levy, so she didn't feel too threatened by the other woman, so surely the same would work in reverse?

It was her only chance. "Ah, it's no problem, Erza. Let's become friends so that you won't try to destroy my beloved Lee and I's relationship!"

Erza clasped Juvia's hands in her own, transfixing her with a serious expression. "I cannot help but feel as if you are worried that I might destroy you and Lee's relationship, Juvia."

She was also so perceptive! "It's true!" She admitted. She could hear that hussy Konata begin to giggle at the scene going on in front of her, until Lee placed one firm hand over her mouth. "Unlike the other girls that my beloved Lee has sex with, you are clearly in a league all your own."

"Love isn't a competition, where one accounts for points and then concludes who is the best. It is an intimate and perpetual loyalty that transcends time and space." She was so wise, too! Ahhh! Juvia truly would have to crawl on her belly like a worm if it was what Erza wanted! "That loyalty is unique, and drawn from those special, individual qualities of each subject. For example, I admire Lee's incredible skill with his hands, which has enabled him to steal both of our bras while we were talking." She reached out for her own bra and glowed with golden light, the item of clothing seemingly vanishing.

Juvia didn't try to retrieve her bra. If her beloved Lee wanted her bra, then of course he could have it. She hoped he enjoyed it, however he wanted! (She did wonder how he wanted to enjoy it, though.)

"Yet," Erza continued, "I hardly think this is taken into an accounting of such objective qualities that make up one's 'league.' I am certain that there are things unique to you - perhaps even that you see as flaws or failures - which Lee finds attractive. Lee?" She wheeled on her beloved Lee with a sudden intensity that was a bit frightening, as if she would beat Lee if he didn't find something nice about Juvia right now.

"Yes! Many such things exist! For example, I find your extreme insecurity quite cute!" He found her cute? Yes, just another way she was better than that hussy Konata.

"You see? Many men might find that to be a neutral or even negative trait," Erza explained. "Yet Lee finds it appealing. This is the heart of genuine, earnest love."

She really was so wise.

Her beloved Lee spoke again. "Let us cease going on about myself - Erza! Please, share what it is that you do to entertain yourself!"

Erza nodded, raising her fingers. "I enjoy doing jobs for the guild, exercising, eating, cooking, having sex with you Lee," she explained, counting off with her fingers each one in turn. "Fashion, naturally. Practicing my sword skills. Modeling different armors. Modeling different clothes. And, most obviously of all, so obvious I forgot to mention it until now, much to my shame," she said, raising one hand in a clenched fist even as she lowered her head, "spending time with my friends!"

"I like H-games, sex with Lee, video games, sex with Lee, eating - oh hey, there's one we have in common - sex with Lee, and sleeping," Konata said, entirely of her own accord. Dammit! Juvia should have thought of doing that! It was so natural, and that stupid hussy had thought of it first!

"I like cooking for Lee!" Juvia offered. "I like performing fellatio on Lee! Ah, I like sex with Lee too, of course! I like it when Lee looks at me! I like it when Lee talks to me! I like being near Lee! I like staying at Lee's home!" She could feel the burning in her cheeks as she confessed such things, but she continued nonetheless.

"I think I'm detecting a pattern," Konata said.

"Really?" Erza asked. "What is it?" Konata simply stared blankly, then laughed and shook her head.

"Carry on, Juvia," Lee said. "But perhaps, focus on those things which have nothing to do with me."

Juvia paused. What things did she enjoy doing that didn't have anything to do with Lee? Sleeping in the same bed as Lee? No! Talking to Lee? Staring Lee in the eyes? Asking Lee how many children he wanted to have? No, they all had to do with Lee! Her beloved had asked for one simple thing from her, and she had not even managed to do that! She was so miserable a failure of a woman! What would Levy say if she told her what was going on inside her head? Aha! There was something she liked that wasn't related to Lee! "I like talking about my feelings!"

"I can imagine," Erza said, placing one reassuring hand on Juvia's shoulder. "You seem as if you have great difficulty being asked to restrain your emotions for even a moment."

"I thought I was quite good at hiding my feelings," Juvia said, pulling on her collar to offer her something she could chew on to dissipate her nerves at being seen through so easily.

Konata just laughed at her, that hussy! She glared at the other girl. No, wait! Was this what Erza was referring to? She tried to smile at Konata instead.

* * *

Konata pulled back. Something was seriously wrong with Juvia's face now. Her lips were curved up into a rictus grin that revealed seemingly every single one of her teeth, which, somehow, appeared far sharper than normal teeth, like she was a shark instead of a human. Her eyes were too wide, as if her lids had been forcibly peeled back as far as they could get. She leaned forward, as if ready to pounce, predatorily.

Konata hid behind Lee. As the OP isekai hero, it was his job to deal with this, not hers.