Chapter 343: Love at First Sight?
"Sister~" Yukino-kun sighed helplessly as Sorano continued to aggressively rub her cheek against hers.
"Hehe~" After getting her fill of sibling affection, Sorano finally let go, looking thoroughly satisfied.
"Alright, I've registered your request information," Noah said, handing the approved job flyer back to Sorano. She took it and tucked it away.
"We'll be heading out then~" Sorano waved.
"Stay safe on the road," Noah told them.
"Got it~" Sorano turned, waved back at him, and grabbed Yukino-kun's hand, leading the way to the guild doors.
"Bye-bye, Brother Noah!" Yukino-kun called out, looking over her shoulder.
"Goodbye, Brother Noah!" Wendy-kun and Meredy-kun echoed in unison before jogging to catch up with the sisters.
Carla gave Noah a quick wave before following Wendy-kun.
"I'm leaving too~" Ultear said.
"Mhm. Be careful," Noah nodded.
Ultear smiled, left the counter, and followed the girls out.
Watching them leave the guild, Noah created a Thought Projection to handle the remaining paperwork while his main body headed to the training grounds for his daily workout.
With the more boisterous younger generation out on jobs, the guild hall felt noticeably quieter.
However, the atmosphere in Magnolia was rapidly doing the exact opposite. With the Harvest Festival just over a week away, the city was practically buzzing with anticipation as everyone prepared for the biggest annual celebration.
Shop owners were busy stocking up on festival goods—balloons, streamers, confetti poppers—and the local bakeries were already rolling out special festival-themed sweets.
Under the direction of the city council, citizens were decorating the streets. Colorful balloons, banners, and intricate lanterns were strung high above the main thoroughfares.
Fresh, vibrant flowers lined the walkways, and storefronts were adorned with elaborate, festive displays.
As the days passed, the festive spirit in Magnolia grew thicker. Children could already be seen running through the streets clutching colorful balloons, their laughter echoing through the city.
The number of tourists flooding into Magnolia was also increasing daily. Everyone was eager to secure a good spot to witness the continent-famous [Fantasia Parade].
To prepare for the parade, the entire Fairy Tail guild kicked into high gear. Members who had been out on long-term requests began returning in droves to help.
Natsu's group, the Strauss siblings, and Ultear's team all returned from their respective missions, instantly restoring the guild hall to its usual, chaotic vibrancy.
"Natsu. The request was for [Demon Hunting], not 'Mountain Leveling'..." Noah sighed, massaging his temples as he spoke to the returning Dragon Slayer. "The Council already sent a warning letter stating that you completely obliterated a mountain peak."
"Haha! I didn't notice! But hey, the demon is gone, right?!" Natsu grinned, completely unbothered by the collateral damage.
"Most of the reward money went straight to paying for the damages... we barely got anything left..." Lucy sobbed dramatically, looking utterly heartbroken over her shriveled wallet.
"Aye! That's just how Natsu does things!" Happy raised a paw, sounding entirely too proud of this fact.
Hearing Happy's cheerful confirmation only made Lucy cry harder.
Noah shook his head. He was so used to this routine that he had actually preemptively written the apology letter before the Council's warning even arrived.
The power of habit was truly a terrifying thing.
"Gray. We received another complaint that you were wandering the streets shirtless again!" Noah scolded as Gray and Juvia approached the counter to submit their mission report. He then turned to Juvia. "Juvia, why didn't you remind him to put his clothes back on?"
Hearing Noah's question, Juvia's face instantly turned as red as a tomato. She covered her face with both hands, her mind screaming: I was too busy staring at Gray-sama's magnificent, sculpted chest to notice anything else! I completely forgot to tell him! Naturally, she was far too embarrassed to say that out loud.
Seeing Juvia's flustered reaction, Noah sighed again. He hadn't realized that pairing these two up would create an entirely different set of problems.
Ignoring Gray's frantic excuses of "I put them back on later! I wasn't shirtless the whole time!", Noah logged their mission report and swiftly dispatched them to help with the festival preparations, just as he had with Natsu and the others.
"Sorano, did you do something 'helpful' again?" Noah asked with a teasing smile as Ultear's group returned, holding up a piece of paper.
"No! I didn't do anything!" Sorano panicked upon seeing the paper, assuming it was a complaint letter. She vehemently denied any wrongdoing. "I merely... scared that little punk who dared to get too close to my sister! I swear I didn't do anything else!"
"That boy confessed his feelings to me, and my sister just chased him away," Yukino-kun explained softly, trying to defend Sorano.
Noah couldn't help but look at Yukino-kun with newfound respect for the unnamed boy. To confess to a girl right in front of her fiercely protective, overwhelmingly powerful older sister... that kid had guts of steel.
"Haha, this isn't a complaint letter. It's a letter of gratitude from the client," Noah laughed, seeing Sorano's nervous expression. "They expressed their sincere thanks for teaching the children so much about magic and for sparking such incredible enthusiasm for learning. Oh, and they also apologized profusely for the boy who harassed Yukino-kun."
"Damn it! You scared me! I totally thought it was a complaint!" Sorano glared fiercely at Noah, though a relieved smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.
Hearing that it was a letter of gratitude, Ultear and the others also smiled happily. Having their hard work acknowledged and appreciated was always a wonderful feeling.
Seeing their interest, Noah handed the letter over. They huddled around to read it together.
"Hehe! See? I told you we did a great job! They even wrote us a thank you letter!" Sorano boasted proudly.
"We did do very well this time. The children were very cooperative, and the teaching results were excellent," Ultear smiled warmly.
"My sister, Wendy-kun, Meredy-kun, and Carla all worked so hard! You guys did amazing!" Sorano crouched down and hugged Yukino-kun tightly, beaming with pride.
Yukino-kun didn't mind the sudden hug; she was entirely used to her sister's affection by now. She was currently deep in excited conversation with Wendy-kun and Meredy-kun about the contents of the letter.
Watching them, Carla's usually stern and serious expression softened considerably.
"Carla. Try to relax a bit more. You don't need to be so tense all the time. If anything happens, we are all here for you," Noah said softly to the white Exceed.
Ever since Noah had spoken to her about the Exceeds and the other world, Edolas, Carla had spent a long time lost in deep thought. While she seemed more relaxed than before, she still often wore a tense, guarded expression.
"Mhm. I know," Carla replied. Looking at Wendy-kun's bright, carefree smile, Carla felt her own tension melt away, and a genuine, warm smile graced her features.
After Noah registered their mission completion, Ultear and the girls immediately joined the frantic preparations for the [Fantasia Parade].
Building floats, planning the parade route, coordinating the performers, setting up decorations—everyone was incredibly busy.
Simon and Kagura also returned from their request. The moment they arrived, Kagura rushed straight over to Wendy-kun and the younger girls.
As she helped them with the decorations, Kagura enthusiastically recounted the exciting details of her and her brother's mission. Wendy-kun and the others listened with wide, admiring eyes, which naturally made Kagura even more excited to share.
When Kagura was with Ultear, Erza, and the older girls, she was treated as the beloved little sister. She cherished that feeling of being protected and doted on.
But when she was with Wendy-kun and the younger girls, she got to be the older sister. Having a protective older brother and being surrounded by caring older sisters in the guild, Kagura relished the opportunity to experience the 'big sister' role herself, which was why she loved spending time with Wendy-kun's group.
Simon watched his sister with a fond smile, shaking his head gently before walking over to the counter to submit their mission report.
"How did the mission go?" Noah asked.
"Very well. The situation was..." Simon gave a concise, detailed report, which Noah quickly logged.
Because Simon was a meticulous and cautious mage, his team rarely caused collateral damage. Both Makarov and Noah trusted him implicitly with requests.
"Alright, all logged." Noah handed the flyer back.
As Simon turned to leave and help with the floats, Noah called out, "By the way, the S-Class Promotion Trials are coming up soon. Are you planning to participate this year?"
Simon paused, then shook his head slightly. "I haven't decided yet."
"Haha, you better make up your mind soon. Natsu, Gray, and the others have gotten a lot stronger. If you wait too long, you'll be competing directly against them."
Simon's face darkened at Noah's teasing smile. This bastard is definitely mocking me for failing the trial multiple times.
Still, Noah's words held truth. Simon turned back, waved dismissively at Noah, and headed off to help with the preparations.
Lyon, who had been M.I.A. on a long-term solo request, finally returned as well.
After submitting his report to Noah, he turned around, intending to help construct the floats. But as he turned, his eyes landed squarely on Juvia, who was happily trailing behind Gray.
In that instant, to Lyon, Juvia looked like a literal beam of divine light piercing straight into his soul.
His heart gave a violent, uncontrollable lurch.
THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!
His heartbeat was so loud and frantic that he could hear it clearly over the deafening noise of the busy guild hall.
Moving with terrifying speed, Lyon crossed the room, stopped right in front of Juvia, and placed both hands firmly on her shoulders. His face was flushed bright red as he stared intensely into her eyes.
"Is... is this... love at first sight?!" he declared passionately.
Juvia, completely ambushed, froze in utter bewilderment. This was the very first time she had ever laid eyes on Lyon.
"Eh? Ah? What?!" Juvia blinked rapidly, her mind completely blanking as she voiced her profound confusion.
"Wow... he is incredibly direct!" Lucy, witnessing the entire exchange from nearby, covered her mouth, her face turning pink.
"Wah!" Wendy-kun and the younger girls gasped in unison, their faces also turning red as they watched the dramatic confession unfold.
"Oh god, things are about to get so incredibly annoying!" Gray broke out in a cold sweat, instantly visualizing the sheer magnitude of the headache this was going to cause him.
"My, my, my~" Mirajane narrowed her eyes, a delighted, mischievous smile spreading across her face.
"Ohhh! Nice! Very nice! This is fantastic!" Sorano, hearing the commotion, stopped painting her float and turned to watch, practically pulling up a chair to enjoy the drama.
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