"Levy, I just remembered… I think I'm going to have a stomachache tomorrow. Might not be able to invite you after all." "Same here. I've got to make a trip back home tomorrow… so I guess I can't invite you either."
They lost the girl, but they weren't about to lose face. Jet and Droy instantly came up with excuses so flimsy they practically begged to be ridiculed. Then, heads hanging low, they silently withdrew their invitations.
That instinctive urge to find a way out rather than admit defeat… it only made Levy even more disappointed in them.
"...You guys are so lame." She didn't even try to sugarcoat it.
Standing nearby, Wakaba couldn't help but comment after witnessing the whole sad display. Even he could see these two never stood a chance.
Cowardice at the crucial moment—what girl would go for that type? And they couldn't even admit they were backing down. Instead, they clung to pathetic excuses, trying to save their pride. Unknowingly, they were just digging themselves deeper. It made them look even worse.
Hearing Wakaba's blunt assessment, Jet and Droy let out helpless sighs.
"Come on, it's Su Mo we're talking about. Forget challenging him—even if it's just a friendly duel, we'd get wiped out in seconds."
At least they had some self-awareness.
"Fair enough," Wakaba admitted. He was a veteran A-rank mage of Fairy Tail, but he wasn't blind to the strength of the newer generation.
Su Mo wasn't just the strongest among the younger mages—he was a bona fide S-rank powerhouse. Forget Jet and Droy—even if Natsu and Gray teamed up, the result would still be a swift defeat.
The two of them had zero chance of winning a direct contest.
"So… are you guys giving up then?" Wakaba asked curiously.
"Of course not!"
"Not a chance!"
They shook their heads at once.
"Huh?" Wakaba blinked in confusion.
"Why not? You're not seriously thinking you can beat Su Mo, are you?"
Even Macao, Wakaba's drinking buddy and another of Fairy Tail's "uncle-tier" mages, turned to look. He was equally baffled—where were these two getting their confidence from?
With utterly misplaced pride, Jet and Droy puffed up their chests.
"As rivals in love, we've been studying Su Mo very closely." "And we've drawn some very solid conclusions."
"Whether it's Erza or Mirajane, both seem to have special feelings for him and are pretty close to him." "Not to mention Lisanna, who's always hanging around him like she's really into him."
"With that many girls chasing after him, there's no way Su Mo has the time or energy to go after Levy!"
Jet finished his "analysis" confidently, and Droy jumped in to back him up.
"We've kept track—Su Mo chats with Levy way less than he talks with Mirajane."
"He clearly prefers studying magic over making small talk with her."
"So there's no chance of romance. Tomorrow's meetup is definitely just a study session on letter magic. No way it's a date!"
They sounded absolutely convinced by their own "investigation."
Wakaba and Macao exchanged a look. Then, after a moment of hesitation, Wakaba decided to break it to them gently.
"I think… you guys might be missing something."
"You're right that Su Mo hasn't gone out of his way to chase Levy." "But… have you ever considered the other possibility? That Levy might be the one pursuing him?"
The moment he said it, Jet and Droy froze.
"Wh-what? That's impossible!"
"Levy would never take the initiative with a guy!"
She was their goddess. The idea that she would chase someone was too much for them to accept.
But just as they started to waver, Macao delivered the final blow:
"Actually, now that you mention it, while Su Mo doesn't talk to Levy much, Levy goes out of her way to talk to him a lot." "In fact, she's never accepted an invitation from either of you—not even once." "But Su Mo? She accepts every single time he asks. Without fail."
"And more often than not, she's the one initiating it—like this time, when she offered to help him study letter magic." "All signs point to her being the one who's into him."
As the truth hit them like a sledgehammer, Jet and Droy went pale—completely stone-faced.
"No way…!" "Levy wouldn't chase after a guy! That can't be real!"
They refused to accept it.
"Even if it's Su Mo, he's just a little more handsome, a little stronger, a little smarter…" "Okay, maybe a lot better in every possible way…"
They trailed off into muttering.
Macao couldn't help but roll his eyes. "You call that a small advantage?" "He's crushing you in every category!"
That jab pierced right through their desperate denial.
"No! Why'd you have to say it out loud?! I don't want to believe it! Waaahhh!"
"Levy! My sweet Levy-chan! Why would you go after Su Mo when he's already got so many girls around him?!"
The two of them clutched their heads in despair, sobbing like two tragic comrades in heartbreak.
Wakaba stroked his chin, watching the sad scene unfold.
"Damn… that's rough."
Macao just shook his head and added calmly:
"What did Su Mo say again? Right—'Simps never meet a good end.'"
"They should've realized that long ago."