With Great Power Comes Great Responsibilty

Chapter 17

Gray and Natsu couldn't take their eyes off the young woman helping Ur with the tea. Juvia was nothing like they'd imagined.

"I don't believe this," Natsu muttered. "That's Gajeel's sister?"

"Yep," Gray said, still staring.

"No way! There's no way she's related to that maniac. Look at her! She's almost hotter than Lucy."

"Who's Lucy?" Gray blinked, momentarily forgetting his crush on Lucy as he got distracted by Juvia's incredible beauty.

"This is against the laws of nature," Natsu said, shaking his head. "Like the platypus. How can someone that beautiful be related to Gajeel?"

Gray shrugged. "Maybe it's a gender thing. The men in his family are a little... rough around the edges, but the women are easy on the eyes."

"If that's true, then his mom must be a supermodel."

Here's a polished, natural version of this scene, smoothing the dialogue and adding subtle emotional touches:

⸻

"Here, Miss Milkovich, I'll help you carry that," Juvia offered, taking the tray of tea and cookies from Ur.

"Oh, you're so polite," Ur remarked with a smile.

They moved into the living room where the boys were sitting, and everyone settled in to chat over tea.

"So, tell us about yourself, Juvia," Ur prompted.

"Well, I'm in college studying acting," Juvia said.

"That's very interesting," Ur nodded.

"Have you always been into theatre?" Gray asked.

"Yes, ever since I was little. I started performing in school plays, and there's just something about being on stage that makes me feel special," she said, taking a small sip of her tea. "So, Gray, I hear you're working for my brother."

"Yeah... he's, uh... an interesting guy," Gray replied, choosing his words carefully.

"You don't have to pretend. I know my brother can be a real jerk sometimes—no one knows that better than me. I've lived with him most of my life. But once you get to know him, he's really sweet."

"What are your parents like?" Natsu asked gently.

Juvia's smile faltered as she looked down at her cup. "I don't really like to talk about them. They died when I was a little girl."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"It's okay," she reassured him.

"You know, I lost my parents when I was a kid too," Gray said softly. "Aunt Ur's pretty much the only family I have."

"I was brought up by my brother," Juvia said quietly. "Since we lost our parents, he's always looked out for me. It's sweet, but it does make dating kind of complicated."

"So, safe to assume you don't have a boyfriend?" Natsu asked.

"No, I've never really had a serious relationship with anyone," she replied.

"Neither has Gray,"

Juvia giggled.

"Well, I guess I have some qualities most women don't find attractive," Gray said shooting a pointed look at Natsu, "but I know some men with worse qualities—like producing the odor of raw sewage."

Natsu just quietly sipped his tea, clearly getting the message not to push his luck.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about, Gray," Juvia said kindly. "It just shows that, unlike most guys, you prefer hitting the books over goofing off with girls. Levy told me you're pretty gifted in science."

"Well, I wouldn't say gifted, but I'm good at it," Gray replied modestly.

"You know, I have an anatomy test next week for my theatre class," Juvia added.

"That's interesting—what does anatomy have to do with theatre?" Ur asked, curious.

"Actually, Aunt Ur, many acting teachers believe that understanding anatomy helps students know how far they can safely push their bodies during performances," Gray explained.

"Wow, I'm in the class and didn't even know that," Juvia said, impressed.

"Gray excelled in our anatomy class," Natsu chimed in. "There's no one in the whole city who knows more about it than him."

"Really? In that case, would you mind helping me study for the test?" Juvia asked. "I'm usually a good student, but science has never been my strong suit."

"I don't mind at all," Gray said with a smile. "Just let me know when and where."

"How about Monday at six?" Juvia asked.

"It's a date! No—wait! I mean not a date, date. I mean a date for our study session," Gray stammered, his face heating up.

"I'll be looking forward to it," she smiled.

They talked for hours, getting to know Juvia better. It quickly became clear she was not only talented in literature and theatre but also well-read, having devoured many classic books and written impressive essays. Both Ur and Natsu noticed something else: every time Gray spoke to her, Juvia's smile grew brighter—like his attention made her genuinely happy. It was something neither of them had seen in any other girl Gray had met.

At one o'clock, Juvia said her goodbyes and headed home. Ur was glowing, thrilled at how well things had gone.

"So, what did you think of her?" Ur asked once Juvia had left.

"She's really nice—and well-read," Gray said thoughtfully.

"Not to mention a total looker, huh?" Natsu teased, nudging Gray.

"I just knew you two would hit it off," Ur said with a knowing smile. "I have a feeling she really likes you."

"Nah..." Gray waved it off. "She's probably just interested in me helping her study for that test—like all the other pretty girls in my life."

"That could be," Ur said. "But funny thing—Levy told me the other day that Juvia got A+'s in all her science classes back in high school."

"What? She did?"

"According to Levy, yes."

"But she said science has never been her best subject. If she did so well in high school, why would she need my help with an anatomy test?"

"Who knows? Maybe she fell behind once she started acting. Or maybe she just needed an excuse to spend more time with you," Ur winked before slipping back into the kitchen.

Gray blushed hard, caught off guard by the possibility that a beautiful woman might actually like him.

"Wow... this is a new feeling," he murmured.

"You okay, bro?" Natsu asked.

"I'm fine. Just a little surprised."

"Well, hey, I've got an idea—let's go downtown and grab a burger. We missed lunch."

"Doesn't sound like a bad idea. Aunt Ur, we're heading out!" Gray called.

"All right, be careful you two," Ur called back.

"We will," they replied together.