Chapter 338: You're Already Beautiful
"Ah!!! Weekly Sorcerer?! Isn't that the super famous magazine dedicated to reporting on all things magic?" Lucy asked Noah, her eyes wide with astonishment.
"Yes, that's the one," Noah nodded.
Weekly Sorcerer, published every Wednesday, was a wildly popular, specialized magic magazine. It featured articles on newly released magical items, profiles on trending guilds, swimsuit photoshoots of beautiful mages, and much more.
"That magazine is incredibly famous! I used to read it all the time. I can't believe they're actually coming here for an interview!" Lucy was practically vibrating with excitement.
She was a loyal fan of Weekly Sorcerer and bought almost every issue. In fact, much of what she knew about Fairy Tail before joining came from reading articles in that very magazine. While Noah had mentioned his guild to her in the past, he hadn't gone into great detail.
The thought of being interviewed by a reporter from her favorite magazine thrilled her to the core.
"Noah, why didn't you tell us sooner?! We need time to prepare!" Mirajane scolded him playfully.
Erza nodded solemnly beside her. "Indeed. We must prepare ourselves thoroughly."
"Huh? Is that really necessary? Just act like you normally do. Well, maybe just make sure they don't see the guild hall looking like a war zone," Noah said, looking genuinely confused as he swept the floor.
"Idiot. We have to dress up! We're going to be in a magazine! Of course we need to look our best," Sorano said, helping with the cleanup.
Ultear nodded in strong agreement.
"But I think you all look beautiful just the way you are. There's no need to go out of your way to dress up," Noah stated directly, his confusion evident. He truly didn't understand their thought process.
Hearing his blunt, uncalculated words, Sorano, Mirajane, Erza, and Ultear all blushed deeply, a surge of joy blooming in their hearts.
What woman wouldn't want to be beautiful in the eyes of the man she loves? The fact that Noah said it so casually, without a second thought, proved that he genuinely believed it.
Their gazes softened significantly as they looked at him, their eyes overflowing with affection.
"Wow! So bold! So smooth!" Lucy, Wendy-kun, and the younger girls gasped softly, their own faces turning slightly pink as they witnessed the exchange.
"Damn it! Is this how Noah charmed Ultear and the others? With sweet-talking nonsense like that?!"
Macao and Wakaba, who had recovered enough to sit up but were still too battered to move much, glared at Noah with profound irritation.
Noah and the girls had just unexpectedly shoved a massive spoonful of romantic dog food down their throats, and they were choking on it. Unable to beat Noah in a fight, they resorted to glaring daggers at him.
"Juvia wants Gray-sama to say things like that to her too," Juvia murmured, turning her intense gaze toward Gray.
Gray jumped in fright, nearly leaping out of his skin. Only when he realized Juvia wasn't making any sudden moves toward him did he let out a shaky sigh of relief.
"Still, we need to dress up properly. We want to look our absolute best on camera, after all," Ultear smiled warmly at Noah.
Sorano's eyes darted around as she hatched a plan. "The reporter is coming tomorrow, right?"
"Yeah. If I remember correctly, the appointment is scheduled for tomorrow morning."
"Perfect. We'll leave the rest of the cleaning to you. We're going to go prepare for tomorrow's interview!"
Without waiting for Noah's response, Sorano grabbed Ultear and Erza by the hands and sprinted toward the guild doors.
"We'll leave it in your capable hands," Mirajane giggled, following right behind them and exiting the guild.
"Ah... well..." Noah could only smile helplessly and return to his sweeping.
Lucy, Wendy-kun, and the younger girls watched them leave with envy. They didn't have anyone they could dump their cleaning chores on.
However, since the guild members were so accustomed to cleaning up after brawls, the hall was spotless in record time, even with four people missing.
Once the cleaning was finished, Lucy, Wendy-kun, and the others also hurried out of the guild. They, too, wanted to look their absolute best for the reporter tomorrow.
Watching them leave, Noah shook his head in amusement and went back behind the bar to handle the guild's paperwork.
That evening, after the guild closed, Noah returned home to find it completely empty.
Not feeling like cooking for one, he went out to grab dinner. When he returned, he found Ultear and the others had finally come back.
"Where have you all been all day? I didn't see you when I got back earlier, so I went out to eat. Have you guys eaten yet?" Noah asked.
"We ate. First, we went to a boutique to buy some new clothes. Then we found Lucy and had her help us pick out new hairstyles. It took a really long time to get everything sorted, so we just had dinner out with Lucy before coming back," Ultear explained.
"Lucy helped you pick out hairstyles? Oh, you mean you used her Cancer spirit," Noah realized.
He knew Lucy's Celestial Spirit, Cancer the Giant Crab, was far more skilled as a master hairdresser than he was as a combatant. He could give anyone a flawless new hairstyle in seconds. He could even magically restore hair to the bald, though Noah wasn't sure how long that effect lasted.
"Exactly! Cancer is amazing. We spent ages trying out different styles until we found the perfect ones. Wendy-kun and the girls got new hairstyles too," Sorano said happily.
Wendy-kun and the others nodded enthusiastically.
"You spent ages? Was Lucy able to sustain her magic power for that long?" Noah asked, slightly concerned.
He knew Lucy could force a gate closed if needed, but keeping a Celestial Spirit summoned in the human world required a constant drain on the summoner's magic power. If maintained for too long, it could easily exhaust the mage.
"Don't worry about that. We kept a close eye on Lucy's condition. We wouldn't force her to overexert herself. Besides, Lucy's magical capacity is quite good. She kept Cancer summoned for a long time without showing any signs of strain," Mirajane reassured him with a smile.
"That's good to hear," Noah nodded, relieved that Ultear and the others hadn't accidentally pushed Lucy too hard.
Since that wasn't an issue, he moved on to his next question. "By the way, if you guys picked out new hairstyles, why do you all look exactly the same?"
He looked closely at Ultear, Wendy-kun, and the others. Their hair looked completely unchanged; there was no sign of these amazing new styles they had spent hours choosing.
"We're saving it for tomorrow, of course. We plan to all go over to Lucy's place tomorrow morning, get our hair done, and then head to the guild together," Erza explained.
"Mhm. Cancer's hairdressing skills are unbelievable. It makes us want to hire him to do our hair every day," Sorano added. Mirajane and Wendy-kun nodded in fervent agreement.
With a few snips of his scissors, Cancer could instantly create any hairstyle you desired flawlessly. It was incredibly convenient compared to the time and effort they usually spent styling their own hair.
"You'll have to see if Lucy agrees to that," Noah pointed out.
"True. We'll have to discuss it with her. Maybe we can all get together regularly to talk about fashion and styling," Sorano mused.
"You guys can discuss that amongst yourselves. I don't really need a new hairstyle," Noah said, running a hand through his short hair. It was simple, low-maintenance, and easy to manage.
"You boys just don't understand," Mirajane rolled her eyes playfully at Noah before turning back to Sorano and Ultear to continue their fashion discussion.
Noah scratched his head. He really didn't understand Mirajane and the girls' obsession with styling, but as long as they were happy, that was all that mattered.
The next morning, after breakfast, Ultear, Wendy-kun, and the girls left the house early to head to Lucy's apartment.
Noah finished his breakfast at a leisurely pace, locked the door, and walked to the guild at his normal speed.
When he arrived, he found that many members were already there, drinking and chatting.
After greeting everyone, Noah settled in behind the bar and began his administrative duties.
Not long after, Makarov arrived. He hopped onto the counter, poured himself a glass of the medicinal liquor Noah had brewed for him, and began sipping it slowly while watching the lively guild.
"When is the reporter arriving?" Makarov asked Noah.
"Should be soon. It's almost time for the appointment," Noah replied without looking up from his paperwork.
"Where are Ultear and the girls? Weren't they making a big fuss about preparing for this interview yesterday?"
"Oh, they went to gather at Lucy's place. They said they were going to have Lucy's spirit, Cancer, give them new hairstyles, and then they'd come over together," Noah explained.
"I see," Makarov nodded.
Ultear, Mirajane, and Erza were S-Class mages and some of the most famous members of the guild in the kingdom. If the magazine was doing a feature on Fairy Tail, they absolutely couldn't be absent.
"You idiots! Settle down a bit! The reporter will be here any minute!" Makarov yelled, noticing the noise level in the guild steadily rising.
Hearing the Master's warning, the guild members dialled back their usual rowdiness. The volume dropped to a manageable murmur, and the rough housing ceased.
Makarov nodded in satisfaction.
"Wow, this place is still unbelievably messy..."
Just then, Ultear, Lucy, Wendy-kun, and the rest of the girls walked into the guild. Lucy couldn't help but comment on the state of the hall.
"It's fine. This is what Fairy Tail is really like. Isn't it better this way? Besides, they seem to be holding back a lot compared to usual. It's not nearly as chaotic," Erza noted.
Lucy observed the room carefully and realized Erza was right. Compared to the massive brawls she had witnessed, this was practically peaceful.
"Wow! You girls look beautiful!"
"Amazing outfits!"
"Erza! Mirajane! The best!"
"Ultear and Sorano look stunning too!"
"Lucy looks great!"
"Wendy-kun, Yukino-kun, and Meredy-kun are so cute!"
Seeing the girls walk in, the guild members' eyes lit up. Having specifically dressed up and styled their hair for the occasion, they looked even more breathtakingly beautiful than usual.
~~~
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