Paxton wasn’t sure he liked the expression on Mirajane’s face when she granted his wish… or when she [i]claimed[/i] to grant his wish. There was a showy puff of smoke and even some festive confetti, but he didn’t feel any different. He was still as lanky and unmuscular as before, and he definitely didn’t feel like he could beat anyone in a game of table tennis, let alone a physically demanding sport like lacrosse. He looked up at the genie skeptically. Had she tricked him? It was true that she didn’t seem particularly happy to serve him, but that was her job, wasn’t it? As a genie, she was supposed to grant the wishes of the person who found her lamp. That was how it worked in all of the storybooks, so maybe the lack of a revelation was just part of the magic.

[color=fff79a][b]“Care to go see it for yourself?”[/b][/color] Mirajane asked.

“Well, yeah,” Paxton said, glancing at the digital clock on his desk. “But it’s almost six o’clock. By the time I get back to the school, practice will be over. I’ll just have to wait until tomorrow.” He got up from his desk chair and moved to sit more comfortably on his bed. “Earth must be pretty boring for you compared to a magical lamp, but if you’re not in a hurry, I think I’ll hold off on those other two wishes. I want to see how this one turns out first.” What he didn’t say was that he wanted to see if the first wish would be enough to win Emily over. If it was, then he could use the other two for more personal things; but if it wasn’t, then he would have to use the next one to try another angle at stealing Emily’s heart.

“So,” Paxton said, looking up at the floating genie on his desk. “Do you go back in there until I call you again, or what?” He pointed at the lamp to indicate what he was talking about.