Chapter 396: Preparations
"What about you? Aren't you coming with us?"
Ultear turned to look at Noah, and the rest of the group naturally followed her gaze. "Natsu, Gray, Elfman, and Alzack are all coming. Even Laxus and the Thunder Legion are tagging along. You're really not going to join?"
Hearing that, Noah glanced over at the growing cluster of guys waiting near the guild doors. Sure enough, exactly as Ultear had said, a large chunk of the male roster was standing there.
Laxus, being the tallest and most imposing of the bunch, was impossible to miss. Catching Noah's eye, the Lightning Dragon Slayer smirked and gave him a casual nod.
"Alright, if everyone else is going, I might as well tag along," Noah agreed. It was rare for this many of them to hang out outside of a mission or a drinking binge anyway. "But wait, if we all leave, who's going to stay behind to manage the guild's paperwork?"
With Laxus—the current designated paperwork victim—leaving, someone had to hold down the fort.
"My mother is taking over the counter duties for today," Ultear replied with a smile.
Noah turned back toward the bar. Sure enough, Ur was already standing behind the counter, wearing a comfortable apron. Seeing Noah looking her way, she offered him a warm, reassuring nod.
"Perfect. I have no objections then," Noah smiled. Since Ultear and the girls had clearly already coordinated everything perfectly, there was nothing left to worry about.
"ALRIGHT! Let's march!" Erza declared loudly, her eyes literally burning with a fierce, shopping-induced passion. She was absolutely desperate to get to the clothing stores.
"YEAH!"
The group cheered in unison. The girls excitedly surrounded Kinana, ushering her out the guild doors like a VIP, while the guys casually trailed behind them.
Sitting on his usual barrel, Makarov watched the massive, lively group leave with a brilliant, toothy grin.
Seeing Laxus casually chatting with Noah at the back of the pack made the Guild Master's heart swell with an indescribable warmth. His beloved grandson had finally, truly been accepted by the guild he had dedicated his life to. Seeing Laxus seamlessly blending in and acting like a proper older brother to the younger generation filled Makarov with absolute, unadulterated contentment.
Turning his attention back to the bar, Makarov looked at Ur.
"I thought you were incredibly worried about Kinana's recovery? Why didn't you go with them?" he asked curiously.
"Oh, I'll pass. This is a young people's outing. I shouldn't intrude on their fun," Ur chuckled softly, shaking her head.
When she found out that Ultear and the rest of the guild's younger generation had planned a massive shopping trip to help Kinana buy daily necessities, Ur had immediately decided to stay behind. The youth needed their own space to bond and create memories. As a mother, hovering over them would only ruin the carefree atmosphere.
"I see..." Makarov nodded in profound understanding.
While Noah, Erza, and the others often interacted with Makarov and Ur as equals—almost like close friends—the generational and authoritative gap was still ever-present. There were simply some jokes, complaints, and topics that the youth wouldn't feel comfortable bringing up in front of their parental figures.
Without the older generation there, they could completely let loose. And with powerhouses like Noah, Laxus, and Ultear watching over the group, Makarov knew absolutely nothing could possibly go wrong.
"I hope they have a wonderful time," Makarov smiled warmly.
"They absolutely will," Ur agreed, wearing an identical, affectionate smile as she watched the guild doors swing shut.
Stepping out onto the sunny streets of Magnolia, the massive group of Fairy Tail mages immediately drew the attention of the local townsfolk.
"Whoa, what's going on? Is the guild mobilizing for a massive mission?" a local merchant called out from his stall.
"Yeah, that's a lot of heavy hitters moving together!" another neighbor chimed in.
"Oh, no, it's nothing like that! We're just taking our newest member out to buy some daily necessities and new clothes. And since a bunch of us needed to go shopping anyway, we figured we'd make a big group trip out of it," Mirajane explained with her signature, angelic smile.
"Oh my! Is it that adorable little girl with the purple hair? My, she's absolutely precious," a middle-aged woman cooed, pointing at Kinana.
The townsfolk recognized practically every Fairy Tail mage present. Since Kinana was the only unfamiliar face, and she looked so incredibly young and innocent, it was easy to deduce she was the new recruit.
Hearing the sudden compliment from a complete stranger, Kinana's face flushed a deep, embarrassed red.
"Right?! You have fantastic eyes, ma'am! She's the cutest!" Sorano boasted proudly, puffing out her chest as if she had personally raised the girl.
"Hahaha! Well, you kids have a wonderful time shopping!" the woman laughed heartily.
"We will! Thanks!" Sorano waved brightly as the group continued down the bustling street.
Hanging at the very back of the group, Noah nudged Laxus. "So, what's your excuse? Why'd you tag along?"
"What about you? Why are you here?" Laxus shot back with a raised eyebrow.
"Ultear and the girls were going. I figured I'd keep them company."
"Freed and the others wanted to go, so they dragged me out," Laxus sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Besides, it's pretty rare for all of us to actually walk around town together like this. Would feel weird to sit in the guild by myself."
"True," Noah chuckled, completely agreeing with the sentiment. "Since we rarely get the chance to just hang out as a massive group, we might as well use this to completely relax."
Laxus shot him a highly suspicious side-eye. "Speaking of relaxing... you constantly insisting that I stay at the guild and 'handle administrative duties'... you just didn't want to write those damn Council apology letters anymore, did you?"
During his time managing the paperwork, Laxus had come to a horrifying realization. While there were actual administrative duties to handle, 90% of his time was spent writing groveling incident reports for the Council. Thanks to the younger generation—spearheaded by Natsu—the guild received a barrage of furious warnings practically every single week.
Laxus had spent the last several days trapped in an endless loop of writing, revising, and submitting apologies.
He was incredibly suspicious that Noah had forced him into this role solely to escape the paperwork hell.
"Yep. I absolutely wanted you to suffer through the apology letters," Noah admitted without a single ounce of hesitation or shame.
Laxus choked. He had fully expected Noah to give some profound, philosophical excuse about 'learning responsibility' or 'building character'. Hearing him blatantly admit it left Laxus entirely speechless.
"Look, every single one of us who rotates through the administrative desk has suffered through that exact same torment. Why should you get to escape it?" Noah grinned, clapping the massive Dragon Slayer on the back. "You're an S-Class mage of Fairy Tail. It's time you properly shoulder the burdens of this guild—and that includes apologizing for Natsu's property damage."
"Tch!" Laxus scoffed, his face twisting into a scowl. He had been enjoying a perfectly free, unburdened life of training and taking high-level jobs, only to be dragged back and chained to a desk. No matter how he looked at it, it was a raw deal.
Noah completely ignored his grumbling. He had suffered through that exact same bureaucratic nightmare, and it was only fair that Laxus took his turn in the meat grinder.
More importantly, forcing Laxus to handle the guild's daily affairs was rapidly deepening his bond with the other members. As Makarov's grandson and a core pillar of Fairy Tail's future, Laxus needed to understand the weight of leadership. And clearly, the forced desk duty was working—Laxus had become significantly more grounded and mature over the last few weeks.
Noah fully intended to keep Laxus chained to that desk for as long as possible. Did Laxus think he could just quit? Not a chance.
"What are you guys whispering about back here? We're already here!" Sorano called out, skipping to the back of the line.
"Nothing, just discussing some guild business. Wow, we made it here already?" Noah blinked, looking up at the massive storefront before them.
It was the largest, most premium boutique in Magnolia. Ultear and Erza had clearly made this their primary target.
"That's because you two were gossiping like old men and completely spaced out," Sorano rolled her eyes.
Near the front, Erza had already practically kicked the doors open and was aggressively marching toward a rack of armor-themed dresses she had previously scouted out.
"Let's head inside before we block the street," Noah said, ushering Laxus and the Thunder Legion through the doors.
The moment they stepped inside, pure chaos ensued. Ultear, Lucy, Levy, and the others instantly descended upon the racks, pulling out dozens of different outfits and holding them up against a deeply overwhelmed Kinana.
Seeing the sheer volume of clothes the girls were intending to buy for her, Kinana panicked, waving her hands frantically and politely trying to refuse.
Seeing her distress, Ultear and the older girls compromised, carefully selecting four high-quality, practical outfits that suited her perfectly and purchasing them immediately.
With Kinana's wardrobe sorted, the girls seamlessly transitioned into shopping for themselves. Erza, true to form, had already purchased five different outfits and was currently eyeing a sixth.
The guys, meanwhile, had operated with military efficiency. They quickly picked out a few seasonal shirts and jackets, paid within ten minutes, and retreated to the comfortable lounge couches in the corner of the store to wait.
They knew exactly how these shopping trips went. They were in for a long wait.
However, their peace didn't last long. Ultear and Sorano quickly marched over and dragged Noah back into the fray, insisting on picking out outfits for him. Noah didn't mind; under their expertly coordinated direction, he tried on several sleek, stylish outfits. Satisfied with their choices, they happily paid for his clothes.
Across the store, Juvia had securely latched onto Gray, forcibly dragging him through the men's section and picking out a mountain of clothes for him. Unable to escape her iron grip, Gray simply surrendered to his fate. Juvia happily paid for the massive pile of clothes, her face flushed with absolute delight.
Even Laxus wasn't spared. Freed and Bickslow practically forced him into the dressing rooms, insisting his wardrobe was too outdated. Despite Laxus's intense grumbling that his current clothes were 'fine', he eventually relented and let his team buy him a few new coats.
Once his own shopping was done, Noah returned to the lounge area.
Glancing across the room, he noticed Alzack staring longingly at Bisca, who was currently browsing a rack of dresses. Every few seconds, Bisca would peek over her shoulder at Alzack. The moment their eyes met, they both violently flinched and stared at the floor, their faces burning red.
It was glaringly obvious that they both wanted to talk to each other and pick out clothes together, but their terminal shyness was keeping them entirely paralyzed.
Noah let out a long, heavy sigh.
The entire guild knew they were desperately in love with each other. They knew they were in love with each other. But for some godforsaken reason, neither of them could muster the courage to actually confess.
In the beginning, the guild members had actively tried to set them up, creating countless 'accidental' romantic scenarios for them. But every single time, their mutual awkwardness caused the plan to crash and burn. Eventually, the guild simply gave up, deciding to just let nature take its painfully slow course.
Noah spent the next hour chatting with Laxus and Gray on the couches. Finally, Ultear and the girls returned, their arms laden with shopping bags and their faces glowing with absolute satisfaction.
"Finished?" Noah asked, standing up to help carry the bags.
"Yep! We got some amazing pieces," Erza declared proudly, looking immensely pleased with her haul.
"You guys still need to go buy daily necessities for Kinana, right?" Noah asked.
"Yes. She's going to be moving into Fairy Hills, so we need to buy toiletries, bedsheets, and room decorations for her," Ultear nodded.
"In that case, I'll be splitting off here. There's something important I need to order," Noah said. An upcoming event had just crossed his mind, and he needed to lay some groundwork immediately.
"Alright, we'll see you back at the guild," Ultear smiled, knowing Noah always had important matters to attend to.
"Hurry up and go! Don't interrupt our shopping momentum!" Sorano shooed him away playfully, while Mirajane nodded in dramatic agreement beside her.
Rolling his eyes at their antics, Noah waved goodbye to the group and stepped out onto the street.
Returning straight home, Noah pulled a communication Lacrima from his coat and dialed a highly encrypted frequency.
A moment later, Jude Heartfilia's dignified, energized face appeared in the crystal projection.
"Ah, Noah! Is there something you need?" Jude asked warmly. Having fully reclaimed his former glory and expanded his business empire, the man looked incredibly healthy and sharp.
"Uncle Jude, I need to place a custom order through your manufacturing division. I need a massive batch of standard-sized books. However, I don't want anything printed in them. I just need high-quality, blank, bound paper," Noah requested.
"A massive batch of entirely blank books?" Jude repeated, slightly bewildered by the bizarre request.
"Exactly. Just blank pages, properly bound with durable covers. Additionally, I need a secondary batch of textbooks. I need them to cover fundamental, non-magical knowledge—basic agriculture, mathematics, structural engineering, and basic sciences. I need a very large quantity of them," Noah continued.
"Consider it done. Those are incredibly simple requests; I can have the printing factories roll them out immediately," Jude agreed without a second thought. "Shall I have my men deliver them to Magnolia, or will you come collect them yourself?"
"I'll come pick them up myself via Spatial Magic. By the way, how is the material collection coming along? The list I sent you a while back," Noah asked.
"Ah, I actually just finished acquiring the final batch of materials yesterday. I was planning on contacting you this evening, but you beat me to it," Jude chuckled.
"Perfect. Once you have the books printed and packed, I'll head over and pick everything up at once," Noah nodded in satisfaction.
The materials Noah had requested were specifically for Layla Heartfilia.
Long ago, Noah had saved Layla's life. Now, she was actively preparing to train in Super Magic. However, practicing magic of that caliber required a highly specialized, magically reinforced training ground that could withstand apocalyptic levels of magical output.
Thanks to Jude's brilliant management of the newly reformed Heartfilia Conglomerate, he had managed to source and purchase the absurdly rare, highly durable magical metals and stones required for the construction in record time.
With business concluded, Jude's professional demeanor softened into that of a doting father. He naturally shifted the topic, eagerly asking about his daughter.
Naturally, Noah had nothing to hide. He happily filled Jude in on Lucy's recent escapades and her overall performance at the guild.
~~~
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