The room fell into an eerie silence.
One by one, heads turned stiffly toward Wakaba. No laughter erupted. No smug grins appeared. Instead, everyone stared at the projection screen, memories flooding back as they collectively broke out in cold sweats. Their throats tightened like they'd swallowed peach pits—unable to swallow or spit them out, the discomfort choking off their voices.
---
On stage.
Jehfrit smiled faintly, gesturing to the screen. "Yes, let us thank one of our guild members for providing such an... entertaining performance."
"He's right here among you—one of your own."
"And now," Jehfrit continued with a mischievous glint in his eye, "I wonder how he'd feel if I were to make this image clearer?"
*I bet he already knows the answer.*
*CLAP CLAP*
Jehfrit clapped his hands together. "So then… what happens when every single page becomes crystal clear?"
*KRAKABOOM*
The projection shattered explosively behind him, splintering into hundreds of fragments that scattered across the ceiling like shards of glass. Suspended above the crowd, these fragments formed a glittering artificial sky—a mosaic of mortifying memories.
Heads tilted upward, and within seconds, each person found the figure most familiar to them amidst the chaos. The images sharpened frame by frame.
[NOOOOOOO!!!]
Silent screams echoed through clenched teeth, but it was too late to stop it.
Each fragment displayed vivid, high-definition videos of guild members dressed in humiliating outfits: maid costumes, bunny suits, even skimpy swimsuits—and dancing awkwardly. It was cringe-worthy, embarrassing, and downright traumatizing!
"Gray-sama!" Juvia gasped, her hands flying to cover her mouth as she spotted Gray on-screen.
There he was—in full maid attire, complete with cat ears and tail, strutting down an imaginary runway. His hips swayed dramatically, confidence radiating from his expression as he walked toward Jehfrit during the original event.
"Gray-sama is so... so cute!" Juvia squealed, hearts practically leaping from her eyes.
"WAAAAAHHHH!" Gray let out a soul-crushing wail.
*KRRRK KRRRK*
Natsu and Gajeel, immobilized by bandages, struggled desperately to crane their necks toward the projections. Eyes wide with excitement, they relished the spectacle—they hadn't been subjected to the checkpoint humiliation earlier.
"JEHFIT!"
"You bastard!"
"Hey, Jehfrit, come over here—I've got a 'gift' for you!"
"GO TO HELL!!!"
The crowd exploded in outrage.
Sensing imminent mob justice, Jehfrit raised a calm hand. "Friendly reminder: don't attack a magician. We're sensitive souls who might get startled. And if we accidentally pull something else out..." He trailed off ominously.
The angry shouts died instantly.
Does Jehfrit have more up his sleeve?
They remembered being trapped inside barriers, answering questions under duress. If the dance videos were mortifying, those answers were absolute killers.
"Hahaha—" Suddenly, Cana's boisterous laugh cut through the tension. After taking a hearty swig of beer, she roared, "Gray, that move was hilarious!"
"*WAAAAAAHHH!*" Gray collapsed mentally.
"It's okay, Gray-sama looks adorable!" Juvia chimed in supportively.
"Juvia, stop making it worse," Lucy groaned.
"Even old-timers like Macao can still bust some moves!" someone called out.
"Wakaba dances worse than Macao!"
"Haha, Alzack, I had no idea you could groove like that!"
With Cana breaking the ice, the rest of the guild began to reluctantly accept their fate.
Fine!
Everyone danced anyway!
Might as well embrace the shared social death!
Just pretend to be Natsu for once!
No point hiding alone—you'll end up watching others regardless! So why not browse the fragments now? If you don't ogle others while they're ogling you, you'll lose leverage for future mockery.
The guild hall buzzed with commotion.
Faces flushed red, veins bulging in their necks, everyone gleefully roasted each other—mercilessly tearing apart every embarrassing detail.
By focusing on someone else, they hoped to distract attention from themselves!
Only when everyone had been roasted equally would this incident fade into obscurity forever.
"Natsu, Gajeel, Lucy, Juvia, Levy…" Jehfrit suddenly appeared at Natsu's table, grinning ear-to-ear. "Don't worry, even though you weren't selected this time, there will always be another chance."
"!!!" Lucy froze solid—she'd been blissfully spectating until now, thinking she was safe.
"WAAAAH!" Natsu and Gajeel frantically shook their heads, only to grimace in pain due to their injuries.
"Natsu, stop moving!" Lucy quickly massaged Natsu's neck.
Meanwhile…
Erza stood nearby, arms crossed, thoroughly enjoying the show.
"Erza," Jehfrit materialized beside her.
"So this is your magic trick?" Erza asked coolly.
"Yes, but it's not over yet. I need your help to finish it." Jehfrit extended a hand.
"What do you want me to do?"
"Follow me." With that, Jehfrit whisked Erza away quietly.
He repeated this process with Cana, Bisca, and the other girls, eliciting adorable shrieks of surprise before returning to the stage.
*TAP TAP*
Jehfrit tapped his cane against the floor. In this charged moment, even the slightest sound sent ripples of anticipation through the audience.
Gradually, the noise settled into silence.
"The magic show isn't finished yet," Jehfrit announced.
Everyone trembled visibly.
More?
No!
Jehfrit explained, "This is the third and final step of my act."
"Do you remember what I said earlier?"
"This trick is called Mind Reading. On one piece of paper, I wrote down everyone's innermost thoughts."
"So…" He paused dramatically. "No talking, please. Just listen carefully to my question: Does anyone want to see more content played on the screen?"
No!
That was everyone's immediate internal response.
But they didn't dare voice it aloud—not after Jehfrit explicitly told them to stay silent.
And just like that, they finally understood what "mind reading" truly meant.
The Magic trick is fake!
Embarrassing people is the real trick!
Using dance videos to force everyone into participating in his grand illusion!
Turning the entire audience into accomplices!
Jehfrit!
You went to such lengths for a mere magic trick!
It's absolutely—
Terrifying!
"Laxus," Jehfrit retrieved the first folded paper from Laxus and unfolded it.
Everyone could clearly read the word scrawled across it: "No!!"
"So… did I read your minds correctly?" Jehfrit cocked his head, wearing a sly grin.
"..." Dead silence.
Finally, Macao spoke up. "Correct."
"Correct," the rest of the guild echoed weakly.
"I wasn't thinking that," Laxus muttered under his breath.