Raizel had secretly visited the tailor shop yesterday at noon.
The tailor granny had looked at his designs with a gaze that clearly said, "This guy's an idiot. Who in the world would wear clothes like this?"
"It's for training," Raizel had insisted.
Seeing that the outfit clearly wasn't for Raizel himself—perhaps it was for a clown or a strange theater play—she eventually became less conflicted and commissioned the outfit.
Raizel believed that being a man meant starting from scratch, and that included changing one's image.
Elfman's little blue suit was too flashy; it had to go.
...
Today, everyone came to watch the show.
Besides Ultear, Erza, Kagura, and Wendy, even Natsu and Gray had heard the rumors.
They skipped their own training to come to Raizel's house, genuinely curious about what kind of hellish plan Raizel had devised.
They even went so far as to ask Mira not to interfere.
"We promise it's for his own good," they said.
Raizel felt things were about to go south, but then he thought that the more people witnessed this, the better the effect would be.
"Elfman, come in." Raizel crooked his index finger, signaling for the boy to enter the bedroom.
...
Five minutes later.
Shame.
That was Elfman's only thought.
"Do I... do I really have to wear this?" Elfman's voice trembled from behind the changing screen.
"Yes. Put it on," Raizel commanded.
After dragging his feet for a long time, the screen folded back.
"PFFT—HAHAHAHA!!!"
Gray, who had somehow lost his shirt in anticipation, clutched his stomach, laughing uncontrollably.
"BWAHAHA—HIC!"
Natsu was rolling on the floor, laughing so hard he started hiccupping smoke.
Ultear and Erza were biting their lips, their shoulders shaking as they stifled their laughter.
Each of them was holding one of Mira's hands tightly.
They could feel Mira's hands clenched into fists. Those closest to her could hear the audible grind of her teeth.
'This must be what 'gnashing one's teeth in anger' means', Kagura thought, learning a new idiom.
However, Mira wasn't angry.
She was merely holding back her own laughter. She knew if she laughed, Elfman might retreat into his shell forever.
Elfman stood in the center of the room.
His hair had been styled into a spiky "Sea Urchin" cut.
The clothes themselves were... unique.
He wore a tight black T-shirt and loose pants. Printed boldly on the chest of the shirt was a single, large kanji character: [MAN].
He wore black overcoat draped over his shoulders like a delinquent's cape.
Embroidered on the back of the coat in bright, golden thread were eight large characters:
[IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH, I ALONE AM THE HONORED ONE]
It was a phrase originating from Buddhist texts—Yuiga Dokuson.
It was the verse chanted by the Buddha at his birth, signifying supreme enlightenment and individuality.
It was also the same phrase embroidered on the coat of BanchouLeomon (a Digimon Raizel admired).
Raizel had ordered the characters to be extra large.
'If you're going to be embarrassed, you might as well go all out.'
Of course, on a warrior with imposing aura, this would look badass. But on the currently slouching, blushing Elfman, it looked ridiculous.
"I am the supreme being of this world," Raizel explained the meaning of the golden text to the group.
He walked over to Elfman and straightened the collar.
"This isn't just a costume. These words are for you. You need to believe that you are the protagonist of your own life. Only then can you protect your sisters."
Elfman looked down at the "MAN" on his chest.
He hated it.
But he admitted... he liked the meaning behind the words on his back. That was the kind of strength he craved.
"Let's go. We're heading out," Raizel said, patting Elfman's back.
"Where to?" Elfman squeaked.
"The Market," Raizel grinned. "It's grocery shopping time."
...
It was noon and the market was packed.
Walking through the streets, Raizel usually attracted attention as the famous S-Class Mage.
But today, all eyes were glued to the hulking boy beside him.
The contrast was stark. The eccentric, delinquent-style clothing clashed violently with Elfman's flushed face and hunched posture.
He looked like a tough guy who was terrified of his own shadow.
"Um... excuse me... how much is..." Elfman whispered to a vegetable vendor.
"Louder!" Raizel barked, smacking Elfman's back with a small stick. "Speak faster! Don't drag your words!"
Elfman flinched.
He took a deep breath, squeezed his eyes shut, and yelled.
"HOW MUCH FOR THIS CABBAGE?!!"
The vendor jumped back, startled. "Whoa! Kid, you're buying a vegetable, not robbing a bank!"
"Look at people in the eyes when you speak!" Raizel corrected him. "Straighten your back! You have 'The Honored One' written on your back, act like it!"
"Y-Yes!"
Behind them, a strange procession followed.
Natsu and Gray were trailing ten meters back, still giggling.
Every time they laughed too loud, a red-haired demon (Erza) would bonk their heads together to silence them.
"Go for it, Big Brother," Lisanna whispered, hiding in the crowd.
She watched her brother struggle through a transaction for carrots, her heart aching but hopeful.
The morning session had mediocre results.
Elfman struggled with communication. He sweated, stammered, and failed to haggle.
In the end, Raizel had to step in and buy the food himself.
Raizel decided to take drastic measures.
He bought lunch for everyone—Ultear, Mira, Erza, Natsu, Gray. They sat on a bench in the square, eating delicious sandwiches.
Elfman stood there sinlently watching with his stomach growling.
"No lunch for you," Raizel said coldly, taking a bite of his sandwich. "Since you couldn't negotiate a deal, you don't eat. And because I'm your teacher, I won't eat dinner tonight if you fail again this afternoon."
Elfman froze.
He could endure hunger. But the thought of Raizel—his idol and mentor—going hungry because of his incompetence was unbearable.
"This afternoon," Raizel announced, wiping his mouth, "we are going to the Central Plaza. The busiest spot in town."
"W-Why?" Elfman asked, trembling.
"You will practice your boxing forms there," Raizel said. "No Take Over magic. And you cannot remove the outfit or the coat."
Natsu and Gray stopped eating.
Their jaws dropped.
Practicing kata in the middle of a crowd wearing THAT? That's social suicide!
"No negotiations," Raizel said, his tone cold.
Elfman looked utterly bewildered. Panic rose in his chest.
"Elfman," Mira called out softly.
She tilted her head, her eyes curving into gentle crescents.
"Do your best! I believe in you."
Those words were the ultimate buff for him.
"YES!" Elfman roared. "I WILL WORK HARD!"
...
Central Plaza
Hundreds of people walked by. Shoppers, tourists, children.
In the center of the fountain area stood a boy with a sea-urchin haircut and a coat that proclaimed him to be "The Honored One."
"Hah! Hah!"
Elfman threw punches at the air. His form was sloppy because he was so self-conscious.
Thwack.
"Put more strength into it!" Raizel tapped his arm with the stick. "Your punch is weak!"
"Didn't you eat lunch?!" Raizel shouted.
'He really didn't eat lunch...' Ultear and the others thought from the sidelines, feeling a bit of pity.
"Punch faster! Shout with every strike!"
"ORA! ORA!" Elfman yelled, his face burning redder than Erza's hair.
The residents stopped to watch. Some whispered. Some pointed. Some laughed.
It was humiliating. It was torture.
But Elfman didn't stop. He kept punching. He kept shouting.
Because every time he wanted to quit, he saw Raizel standing there with unwavering sternness, and he saw his sisters watching from the bench.
This wasn't training his muscles. This was training his Thick Skin.
Raizel watched closely.
He knew this couldn't succeed in one day. He planned to run this "Hell Week" for three months.
He needed to break the shell of timidity completely.
'I'm not sure if this will work,' Raizel admitted to himself.
'But we have to try. For the sake of the future.'
"AGAIN!" Raizel commanded.
"YES SIR!" Elfman screamed, tears of embarrassment in his eyes, punching the air with everything he had.
----
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