After returning the reluctant Asuka, whose big eyes were filled with longing, to Future Alzack and his wife, Chase headed alone to the inn arranged by the Grand Magic Games organizers for Team B.
Whether by coincidence or to prevent different teams from the same guild from coordinating, their inn was located far from Team A's, with virtually no chance of running into each other.
At the moment, the two Mirajanes were sitting by the bedside chatting about the various scenic spots in Crocus, the City of Flowers. When Chase walked in, they immediately ended their conversation.
"You're back a bit late, Chase," Mira said.
"I was discussing the detailed rules with the old man."
He sat down beside her and looked around the somewhat empty room. "Where are Laxus, Gajeel, and Juvia?"
Since they wanted to give Team A a little surprise, Makarov's plan was for Chase, as Team B's captain, to familiarize himself with the Grand Magic Games rules alongside the main group and then relay them to the other Team B members.
"They couldn't wait and went out to play," Future Mirajane explained.
"What a bunch of unruly guys. And here I thought the Laxus from this side had matured a bit."
Chase shook his head, putting on a troubled expression as he sighed. "Every single one of them is like a child. I'll have to contact them through the cards to tell them the rules."
"What if it had been Laxus who went to get the rules?" Mira asked with a wink.
"Well, in that case—"
Chase clenched his fist with mock solemnity. "How could a humble little inn possibly restrain the noble soul of a Card Nerd who longs for freedom!"
"Oh my, truly worthy of being my boyfriend~"
Hearing the answer she wanted, Mira's lips curled into a satisfied smile.
Future Mirajane: I feel a bit superfluous here...
"Speaking of which, me from over there—aren't you going to take Chase out for a walk around the city?" she said, a sly look in her eyes as she offered Mira an assist. "This is a rare opportunity for some alone time~"
"That's right! Erza is probably with her counterpart right now!" Mira's eyes lit up.
Before they had officially established their relationship, she might have hesitated, worried that it would be unfair to Erza. But now that both she and Erza were Chase's girlfriends, those concerns no longer existed.
After a brief moment of excitement, Mira showed a hint of guilt: "But won't that mean you can't go out?"
The rule that identical people couldn't appear at the same time had been established by the Master from the very beginning.
"It's fine. The Grand Magic Games last a whole week. I can go out another day."
Future Mirajane smiled understandingly. "Besides, I'm a bit tired right now. A nap sounds nice."
That last part was true—she was mentally exhausted.
"Then thank you!" Mira said, not holding back.
"Shouldn't someone ask for my opinion?" Chase raised his hand quietly.
"If you refuse, I'll get mad."
Mira planted her hands on her hips, puffed out her cheeks, and leaned right up to Chase's face. Her brownish-blue eyes stared straight at him as she pretended to be serious. "I. Really. Will. Get. Mad. You. Know."
"When you put it that way, how could I possibly refuse?" Chase said, standing up with a smile.
Watching the two of them leave, Future Mirajane let out a dazed sigh. "A boyfriend..."
In the past, all her energy had been devoted to Elfman, Lisanna, and the guild—she had hardly ever given romance a thought. But now, influenced by her counterpart from another world, she found herself suddenly wanting to fall in love.
"I was really surprised when we first arrived. I never imagined Crocus seven years later would be this developed."
Out on the street, Mira happily linked her arm through Chase's right arm, constantly taking in the towering buildings and the magical vehicles moving to and fro.
"So, Mira, is there anywhere you want to go?" Chase asked casually, unbothered by the soft sensation at his arm.
To be honest, he had little interest in shopping itself—he'd rather pick a fight with someone. But besides satisfying Mira's little desire to have him all to herself, he could also use the time to investigate the magical energy fluctuations around Crocus.
While confirming which timeline they were in would have to wait until the third day of the Grand Magic Games, when Future Rogue and Future Lucy would arrive, scouting ahead couldn't hurt.
What if this turned out to be another world not covered in the original story?
"Hmm, let me think... the bustling central shopping district, the super popular amusement park, the romantic date spot Locaster Garden—"
Mira had clearly done her homework on places to relax and unwind. She rattled off names one after another, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. "And of course, Mercurius Palace!"
Chase was starting to feel a bit overwhelmed. "Isn't there anything a little more exciting? Like a card duel arena?"
"How could there possibly be a place like that!" Mira frowned slightly.
Who would go to such a seedy-sounding place for a date?
"But speaking of excitement, there is a haunted house that's popular in Weekly Sorcerer Magazine," she offered instead.
"A haunted house?"
For some reason, Chase suddenly pictured the kind of cliché scenes found in certain novels. "Would that even scare us?"
With her Satan Soul, Mira could just transform into Happy's head and stand inside—the staff would probably be the ones losing their jobs!
That would be terrifying enough.
"If you want to show off your boyfriend skills, I could try my best to play the part of a timid girl," Mira said, covering her mouth with a laugh.
"Then it'd just be an act. Let's go to the places you want to see," Chase said, shaking his head.
The shopping district and amusement park were secondary. They definitely had to visit Mercurius Palace, the King's residence in the city center.
If things went as expected, Wendy and Carla, who were heading that way, had likely already caught the attention of Raven Tail.
With that decided, the two of them walked and chatted along the bustling main street, drawing envious glances from many male passersby.
Not long after they set off, a scream caught their attention.
In a plaza by the roadside, a large group of girls had surrounded a man, with what looked like pink heart effects dancing in the air around them.
"Over there..." Mira only had to glance from afar before her body involuntarily reacted strangely.
Her magic power surged in response, dispelling that unpleasant sensation. As an S-Class mage, she was alert enough to recognize the threat.
"In a city full of mages like Crocus, someone actually dares to use forbidden charm magic," Mira said, her expression darkening.
"It looks like something more advanced than that."
Chase noticed that some of the girls in the group were mages themselves. "The development of magical items sure has progressed quickly in seven years. I wonder if there's anything really powerful out there."
With that, he cracked his knuckles and walked straight over.
He didn't care about the girls—passing up such a rare opportunity for a legitimate fight would be a waste!
"Wait, Chase!" Mira was startled.
The saying "a man's reputation precedes him" came to mind, but surprisingly, her first thought wasn't about Chase's safety—it was whether the surrounding buildings were sturdy enough...
Fortunately, the imagined battle scene never materialized.
Someone acted faster than Chase, knocking the lecherous man unconscious with a single punch.
"Though I don't know who you are, it's best not to do such boring things here."
A black coat fluttered in the wind, accompanied by the dull thud of wooden sandals stepping on cracked ground. A low voice slowly drifted over.
Amidst the commotion, a gleaming bald head appeared.
Seeing who it was, Chase let out a deep sigh of disappointment at being beaten to the punch.
Mira, who had rushed over, recognized the man: "Mr. Jura?"
"Mirajane?"
Future Jura was momentarily taken aback, then nodded in understanding. "So you've come to Crocus as well."
Unlike the tribal attire he had worn seven years ago, he now dressed in plain, casual clothes, with a long black beard and a steady, grounded presence.
"Indeed. Long time no see!" Mira said.
At that, a flicker of confusion passed through Future Jura's eyes.
When the Tenrou Island group had first returned, he had visited Fairy Tail along with Lyon and the others and had spoken with Future Makarov about the dark guild Crime Sorcière. Though some time had passed since then, surely it wasn't enough to warrant a "long time no see"?
Still, he didn't think much of it, simply taking it as an ordinary greeting.
After glancing at the girls, who had shaken off the charm magic and were now relentlessly beating the unconscious man, he turned back and asked, "Master Makarov came with you, I assume?"
"Yes, the Master is probably at the inn right now, studying the Grand Magic Games details," Mira said with a nod.
"I'll have to pay him a visit when I get the chance."
Future Jura held great respect for the senior Makarov. After a brief sigh, his gaze shifted to Chase, who was standing beside Mira looking visibly disappointed. His expression suddenly turned serious.
Only for an instant, but he had caught an overwhelming sense of pressure from this unfamiliar man. The feeling was hard to put into words—it was reminiscent of the four monsters ranked above him, the Four Heavenly Kings of Ishgar, who had long since transcended human limits!
Staring at the Fairy Tail emblem on Chase's right arm, Future Jura said slowly, "If I'm not mistaken, this must be your guild's newly registered S-Class Card Mage, correct?"
This information was no secret among their brother guilds. That very morning, on the way to Crocus, Master Babasaama had emphasized the matter, convinced that the cunning Makarov was definitely hiding some big move.
He just hadn't expected to run into him here.
"Oh my, I forgot to introduce him. He's my boyfriend, Chase," Mira said, realizing belatedly that this world's Jura didn't know Chase.
"B-Boyfriend?!" Future Jura's eyes widened in uncharacteristic shock.
Despite always looking like a steady middle-aged man, he was actually only 33 this year—26 seven years ago, which put him in the same age bracket as Chase and Laxus.
But as the years passed, Babasaama had been increasingly nagging him about marriage, much to his distress.
Strange as it seemed, as a high-ranking Ten Wizard Saint, he certainly didn't lack admirers and fans. Yet somehow, he still hadn't managed to find a partner.
Mira tilted her head in thought and added, "He's also Erza's boyfriend, you know~"
Though it might be a little unfair to her counterpart and Erza in this future world, since she was out with Chase, she didn't want to hide it. She would just have to ask the future Master to help clear things up after they left.
"He's also the Fairy Queen's boyfriend?!" Jura was utterly floored, doubting his own ears.
The shock was even greater than Chase's aura, which rivaled the Four Heavenly Kings of Ishgar!
"Haha, that's right," Chase said unashamedly, extending his hand toward Future Jura. "If we end up facing each other in the Grand Magic Games, I look forward to your guidance, Mr. Jura."
Looking at all the participants, Future Jura was probably the only one with the potential to drop a new card.
"Likewise, likewise." Future Jura shook his hand mechanically.
It wasn't until Chase and Mira had disappeared into the bustling street that he finally snapped out of the shock.
"This year's Grand Magic Games..."
"I can't afford to treat it like a fun festival anymore..."
While Chase and Mira were out on their date, the others were having their own encounters.
Gray and Juvia ran into Lyon and Sherria. Lyon fell for Juvia at first sight and made a bet that if he won the competition, Juvia would join Lamia Scale.
Lucy, Éclair, and Momon kept running into all sorts of strange people, much to their exhaustion.
Natsu and Happy, as expected, encountered Sting and Rogue from Sabertooth, learning from them that they had killed the dragons who raised them to become third-generation Dragon Slayers.
Back at the inn, the two Erzas were harassed by Ichiya and the others from Blue Pegasus, though they managed to avoid exposing their counterparts.
Time passed in a relaxed and leisurely manner, and soon night fell.
Bright lights illuminated all of Crocus, making it even livelier than during the day, with all sorts of nighttime activities springing up.
At Mercurius Palace, in the open front garden—
"Look, Carla! This is the King's castle! It's so beautiful!"
Wendy and Carla strolled along the quiet, flower-lined path, gazing in wonder at the magnificent palace ahead.
"It's certainly more impressive than the one in Edolas," Carla said, floating in the air, also immersed in the stunning view.
"There's no one else around. Do you want to switch out and take a look?" Wendy said considerately, pulling out Chase's card.
"Can we really?!" Future Wendy's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Of course~"
As the two Wendys and Carlas chatted through the card, none of them noticed the masked man with a tall hat lurking in the shadows of a dark corner nearby, watching them with malicious eyes.
He was Obra, a mage from Raven Tail, sent by Master Ivan to target and attack Fairy Tail.
Wandering into such an empty place without a care, talking to herself... heh. What a foolish fairy.
Obra sneered inwardly and signaled to the leaf-clad little demon perched on his shoulder.
The magic he used—more precisely, the demon's ability—could instantly drain a mage's magical power, plunging them into severe magic deficiency syndrome!
"Hehehe!"
The little demon let out a low, sharp cackle. Concealed by the grass, it crept toward Wendy like a ghost. Then it leaped out, its fanged maw wide open.
And then—
It landed squarely in a strong, powerful hand.
"To lay a hand on our guild's cutest mage—you must have prepared yourself for the consequences, haven't you?"
Like squeezing a mouse, Chase applied just a little pressure, and the demon let out a shrill howl of agony.
***
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