At a long wooden table in the square outside the Fairy Tail guild, Chase, Lucy, Natsu, and a few others gathered with drinks in hand, enjoying the breeze and the laughter that always filled the air around Fairy Tail.
"Huh? Seven hundred thousand J... just for a photo shoot?!" Lucy nearly dropped her glass in shock.
The Black Magician Girl nodded proudly as she swung her legs under the bench. "Yup! That's what Magic Weekly paid us. Isn't it great?"
Lucy's face twitched as her eyes sparkled with a mix of jealousy and despair.
She and Natsuhabi had slogged their way through that creepy castle just to destroy a bunch of cursed books. Between the weird ghosts, the ancient traps, and the near-death experience, they hadn't even received their reward yet. And the amount? Peanuts compared to this!
"My rent is seventy thousand J," she muttered under her breath. "That means just one photo shoot with Sister Mira would cover ten months…"
"True, it's safer than a monster subjugation request," Mira said as she approached, balancing a tray with a pitcher of beer and a stack of snacks. She set them down with a smile. "But that doesn't mean it's easy."
She sat down beside Chase, brushing her silver hair behind her ear. "Photo shoots take real energy. You're posing for hours under hot lights, trying to look natural the whole time."
Lucy slumped against the table. "Even so… it still sounds easier than getting chased by killer books."
Mira tilted her head and gave Lucy a kind smile. "If you're interested, I could recommend you for a modeling job. I think you'd be great."
Lucy sat up straight, flustered. "No way! No way, I couldn't possibly..."
Just thinking about it brought back haunting memories of that day in Harugeon.
She had tried every ounce of charm and feminine grace she had her smile, her poses, even a wink or two all to get a better price on the Canis Minor key. In the end, she only got a measly thousand-J discount.
The emotional damage was irreversible.
"You don't have to be so hard on yourself," Mira said warmly. "You're super cute, Lucy. And you've got an amazing figure."
Lucy's face went bright red.
Even Natsu, who was too busy stuffing his face with meat to follow the conversation, looked up with a muffled "Huh?"
Chase chuckled softly beside Mira as he watched Lucy curl into herself, practically steaming.
She wasn't sure what was worse being broke or being complimented by Fairy Tail's goddess of beauty in front of everyone.
Chase took a sip of his cold beer and chuckled. "Still, I get the feeling not many people would buy into Lucy's idea."
He grinned playfully as he added, "I mean, think about it. From that bald old man in the magic prop store to the gatekeeper at the Grand Magic Games, Lucy's charm never seems to quite… land."
"Please don't say that out loud next time, Brother Chase..." Lucy slumped in her seat, her face clouded with quiet despair.
"You know," Natsu added with a thoughtful expression, holding up a fork full of flaming noodles, "maybe Lucy's more suited to being an editor than a cover girl."
He tapped his chin, eyes drifting off. "After all, she writes secretly in pfft!!"
Before he could finish his sentence, Lucy's fist came down like a bolt of divine punishment.
"Don't say stuff like that!!"
With a loud crash, Natsu was sent flying across the hall, smashing into a wooden pillar. Flaming noodles and foam sprayed from his mouth like confetti.
"Lucy, that was scary…" Happy trembled under the table.
"Aww, I was just about to hear a juicy secret." Mira smiled softly, eyes gleaming with curiosity. She tapped her finger on her lips and murmured, "Editor, huh… so you write in secret, and no one is allowed to know. Which means… hmm…"
As Mira was just beginning to put the pieces together, Lucy clenched her fists, closed her eyes, and practically melted into the table.
Libby had once told her: if someone finds out about your secret novel, it's like they've seen your bare backside in public.
And right now, Lucy felt like the hem of her skirt had been yanked up and was inching dangerously close to full exposure.
"Wait…" Mira suddenly gasped, a look of mock horror on her face. "Lucy… are you secretly recording everyone's gossip?!"
"N-no! I'm just bad at huh? Gossip?" Lucy blinked, startled.
The imaginary skirt slipping down her dignity suddenly snapped back up tight and secured with a belt.
"Yeah, I heard from Happy that you even paid for the gossip about me and Chase, didn't you?"
Mira's lips curved into her signature soft smile as she spoke.
But to Lucy, that smile didn't feel gentle at all it felt like it hid something far more terrifying beneath the surface.
A flat core. Dead center. Bullseye.
Dead cat!!
He betrayed me!
What happened to basic business ethics?
What happened to trust between people or no, between people and cats?!
Lucy's bloodshot glare locked onto Happy, who was floating nearby looking far too smug. She looked like she was about to pounce and toss him into the river for a school of fish to nibble on.
Happy sensed danger immediately and zipped into the air at lightning speed, hovering a safe distance away as he shouted back, "Well, Mira treated me to grilled fish for free, so you can't blame me!"
So a single grilled fish was all it took to sell me out?!
Lucy's fists clenched tightly, her rage building to a boiling point. But then, her eyes met Mira's.
In an instant, all her fury was snuffed out, like a candle in the wind.
She straightened up, bowed slightly, and stammered with a pitiful smile, "W-Well, Sister Mira… p-please let me explain..."
"It's nothing," Mira said lightly, tapping a finger against her cheek. "But if you want to know anything like that again, just come ask me directly."
Her gaze swept gently across the guild before settling back on Lucy. "I have far more information than Happy. And I don't charge."
She smiled again, angelic as ever.
Of course, she didn't actually mind that kind of thing. Pretending to be stern was just her playful way of teasing Lucy it was fun to watch the poor girl squirm.
After all, Mira's hidden dark side had never really gone away.
After Lucy confirmed again and again that Mira truly wasn't angry, she finally breathed a long sigh of relief and collapsed on the table like someone reborn from death.
She might've felt safe, but the same couldn't be said for Kana, Macao, and the others around her. As soon as Lucy's relieved gaze swept across the room, they all tensed up.
Everyone knew any dirt Mira had on someone was lethal.
In the past, they could still rely on brute force and bravado to dodge a bullet or two… but now?
Now they were facing Demon Mirajane, whose magical powers had fully returned!
Bang!
The guild doors swung open with a loud crash, shattering the tense silence.
Sunlight spilled into the hall, casting a long shadow behind the small figure standing in the doorway.
Wearing his usual top hat and looking uncharacteristically grim, Makarov strode in.
His sharp gaze locked onto Chase, who was seated in the middle of the guild, and he began walking toward him with heavy, deliberate steps.
Was that… murderous intent?!
Natsu and Gray instantly sensed something was off. Without saying a word, they slid to either side of Chase like synchronized bodyguards ready to protect him at a moment's notice.
They didn't know what Chase had done.
But running away definitely felt like a smart idea!
Lucy looked around nervously, frozen in place. Her instincts screamed at her to flee, but her body didn't listen.
In stark contrast, Mira remained perfectly calm. She stood up and greeted Makarov with a soft smile.
"Master, you're back from the Council meeting already?"
According to Loki and some of the others, Makarov had been summoned early that morning for an urgent conference.
But the expression on his face now…
"Chase…"
Makarov gave Mira a brief nod, then marched straight toward Chase. With a surprising burst of agility, he kicked off the floor and leapt onto the wine table.
"President, thank you for your hard work," Chase said calmly, unmoved by the old man's dramatic entrance.
From that angle, he caught the faint twitch at the corner of Makarov's mouth a barely contained grin.
Sure enough, just when Natsu and Gray braced themselves for another signature scolding…
Makarov, who had been wearing a strict expression just seconds ago, suddenly burst into a wide smile and threw a big thumbs-up at Chase.
"Great job this time!"
Then, like a dam breaking, the old man roared with laughter, completely reversing the guild's mood.
"Hahahaha! I haven't felt this proud in years!" he bellowed, his little frame trembling with joy.
"You should've seen their faces those stuck-up Council geezers looked like they swallowed a pile of dragon dung!"
The entire guild froze for a beat then erupted in cheers and laughter.
"Banquet!" Makarov shouted, arms raised triumphantly. "We're having a grand banquet tonight to celebrate! Drinks on me!"
It turned out that when he left for the Magic Council that morning, Makarov had prepared himself for the worst. He expected harsh criticism, sanctions, and endless lectures. He had even walked in with his head low, ready to beg if needed.
But reality had played out very differently.
Thanks to what happened on the Island of the Demonic Ruins yesterday, Makarov had walked out of that chamber with his head held high and a rare sense of pride swelling in his chest.
A flood of thank-you letters poured into the Magic Council, sent by grateful tourists who had been rescued from the Island of the Demonic Ruins. Many even visited the local branch offices in person, just to deliver their thanks and say, "Arigatou," hoping the Council would pass their words to Fairy Tail.
The wave of appreciation caught everyone off guard. The Council, usually quick to scold Fairy Tail, found themselves speechless in the face of overwhelming public gratitude. For Makarov, it was a moment of pure bliss.
The old man was so giddy that even a stray dog wagged its tail and ran up to lick his face on the way back to Magnolia.
Surrounded by cheers and laughter, the guild threw open its doors and kicked off a raucous celebration. Beer mugs clinked, tables overflowed with food, and members danced, shouted, and sang into the night.
At the same time, as newspaper hawkers ran through the towns and cities of Fiore shouting headlines, the name "Chase" spread like wildfire across the kingdom.
In the bustling wizard bar of Onibas City, the air buzzed with noise and chatter. Clinks of glass, magic crackles, and half-drunken laughter filled the air.
Sitting alone at the front counter was a striking woman clad in polished steel armor. Her long, crimson hair shimmered under the bar's lantern light. She calmly folded the newspaper in her hand, her fingers lingering for a moment on the front-page image of Chase.
"I really can't take my eyes off you, can I?" she said softly, smiling with quiet amusement.
"You just got back, and already you're making headlines."
Her eyes sparkled with a mix of pride and nostalgia. It had been almost a year since they last saw each other, but seeing Chase's face in print reignited a flame of anticipation.
"Chase…" she murmured, her voice filled with something unspoken, something just beginning to stir.
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