Ember of the Starry Sky

Yukari was running out of time.

The week was almost up, and she still hadn't managed to ask Mirajane out. Every time she tried, the words either got stuck in her throat or came out as complete nonsense. At this point, she was convinced that asking Mirajane out was harder than learning fire magic.

And then Hinote ruined everything.

Or saved everything.

It depended on the perspective.

Because when Yukari returned home that afternoon, Hinote greeted her with a smug smile and said, "By the way, I invited Elfman and Mirajane for dinner tonight. Oh, and Cana too."

Yukari nearly choked on air.

"You what?!"

Hinote stretched, looking entirely too pleased with herself. "Well, since you were clearly never going to do it yourself, I figured I'd give you a little help."

Yukari's eye twitched.

"I was getting to it," she muttered.

Hinote grinned. "You've had a week."

Yukari groaned.

At this rate, she wasn't just going to die of embarrassment she was going to be buried in it , and it was all Hinote's fault.

Yukari stood in the kitchen, arms crossed, watching as Hinote casually chopped vegetables, completely unbothered by the utter disaster she had just set into motion.

"You're cooking like this is a normal day," Yukari grumbled.

Hinote glanced up with a smirk. "It is a normal day."

"No, it's not. You invited Mirajane."

Hinote shrugged. "And?"

"And I am not emotionally prepared for this!" Yukari snapped.

Hinote raised an eyebrow, then gestured at the cutting board. "Well, too bad. Now chop these onions."

Yukari grumbled but obeyed.

The next hour was a chaotic mix of chopping, frying, grilling, and an unfortunate incident where Yukari almost set the kitchen on fire because she got distracted thinking about Mirajane's smile.

Hinote had just raised an eyebrow at the flaming pan.

"…Do you want to talk about that?"

"No."

"Alright."

Eventually, the meal came together a lavish feast of grilled chicken, sautéed vegetables, a rich beef stew, perfectly steamed rice, and freshly baked bread. The entire house smelled heavenly, and Yukari had to admit… maybe this part wasn't so bad.

Until the guests arrived.

The first to arrive was Elfman ,and he arrived loudly.

"SISTER!!" Elfman boomed, stepping into the house like a walking earthquake. "IT IS MANLY TO ACCEPT AN INVITATION FOR DINNER!"

Yukari winced.

"Why is he screaming?" she muttered.

Mirajane followed right behind, offering an apologetic smile. "Sorry about him," she said, placing a gentle hand on Elfman's arm. "He gets excited about food."

Elfman nodded aggressively. "FOOD IS MANLY."

Hinote snorted, clearly entertained.

Mirajane, however, smiled warmly at Yukari. "Thanks for having us."

Yukari's brain shut down for a moment.

She quickly looked away, pretending to adjust the plates on the table. "Yeah. No problem."

Then, a few minutes later, the final disaster arrived.

Cana strolled in, a bottle of wine in hand, looking far too pleased with herself.

"Hope you don't mind me bringing a little… refreshment," Cana said, grinning.

Hinote grinned back. "As long as you don't get Yukari involved in your nonsense."

Cana gasped dramatically. "I would never!"

Everyone stared at her.

"…Okay, I totally would," Cana admitted.

Yukari groaned.

This dinner was going to be a disaster.

Surprisingly, dinner started out normal for about five minutes then Cana opened the wine , and everything descended into madness.

It started innocently enough just casual conversation, light teasing, and Elfman going on about the manliness of grilled chicken.

But then Cana slammed her cup down, grinning wildly.

"Alright! Let's make this fun," she declared. "We're doing challenges."

Yukari immediately narrowed her eyes. "No."

"Yes."

Hinote, fully entertained, leaned back. "I'm listening."

Cana smirked. "Simple. We take turns giving each other ridiculous challenges, and if you refuse… you have to drink."

Yukari glanced at the half-empty bottle of wine.

"…That's not much of a punishment for you," she pointed out.

Cana winked. "Exactly."

Mirajane giggled, clearly enjoying herself.

Elfman slammed his fist on the table. "CHALLENGES ARE MANLY!"

The first challenge?

Hinote challenged Elfman to eat an entire spoonful of wasabi.

Elfman did it without hesitation.

His face turned red, his eyes watered, and for a moment, Yukari thought he might actually die.

But then he just slammed his fist on the table and said, "SPICE IS MANLY!"

Everyone cheered.

The next challenge?

Cana dared Yukari to balance a spoon on her nose for one minute.

Yukari failed miserably.

Cana laughed so hard she almost fell out of her chair.

Then Elfman dared Cana to arm wrestle him.

Cana lost instantly.

Then Cana dared Mirajane to draw a mustache on Yukari's face using sauce.

Mirajane, to Yukari's horror, actually did it.

Yukari glared at her.

Mirajane just giggled.

Hinote was having the time of her life.

And then, finally, it was Mirajane's turn to give a challenge.

She smiled sweetly at Yukari.

"Yukari," she said, "I challenge you to tell us something you've been too nervous to say all night."

Yukari froze.

Cana gasped dramatically. "Ohoho?"

Hinote raised an eyebrow, amused.

Elfman clapped his hands. "CONFIDENCE IS MANLY."

Yukari, panicking, did the only thing she could do.

She grabbed Cana's wine bottle and took a sip , everyone booed her.

Yukari regretted everything.

Finally, after an exhausting night of challenges, food, and chaos, everyone started to leave.

Cana stumbled off, muttering about needing another drink.

Elfman followed, loudly proclaiming that manly dinners were the best dinners.

And then, suddenly it was just Yukari and Mirajane.

Alone.

The cool night air was quiet, the stars twinkling above them.

Mirajane looked at Yukari with a gentle smile. "Thanks for dinner."

Yukari took a deep breath.

Now or never she turned to Mirajane, trying not to mess this up.

"Hey, um…" Yukari rubbed the back of her neck. "Would you… want to go somewhere? With me?"

Mirajane blinked.

"…Like, on a mission?"

"No. Like… together."

Silence.

Then Mirajane started laughing.

Yukari panicked. "Wait, no! That's not—"

Mirajane reached up and gently touched her cheek.

"Yukari," she said softly, "was this what you've been trying to ask me all week?"

Yukari turned bright red.

"…Maybe."

Mirajane giggled.

Then, before Yukari could even process what was happening ,she leaned in and kissed Yukari's cheek.

Yukari short-circuited.

Mirajane pulled away, smiling. "Of course, I'll go. You just had to ask."

Yukari's brain completely shut down.