"Mira, a few more beers over here!" The shout pierced the lively hubbub of the Fairy Tail Guild, echoing amidst laughter and clinking glasses.
Mira simply smiled charmingly, her movements behind the counter swift, her hands deftly arranging empty glasses. "Alright, coming right up!"
"Mira, wanna go on a date with me sometime?" Wakaba, with his characteristic lewd grin and a puff of cigarette smoke between his fingers, tried his luck once more.
"Oh, but you..." Mira paused for a moment, then, with a dramatic "BANG!" her body transformed instantly. A voluptuous adult female silhouette now stood before Wakaba, and a dark, cold, and intimidating aura immediately enveloped him. Mira's voice deepened, heavy, filled with piercing questions, "Don't you have a wife?"
Wakaba flinched, his eyeballs bulging. He stumbled back a step, his face turning deathly pale, his cigarette smoke dissipating to who knows where. "D-don't be like that, Mira! Sometimes I just want to quietly enjoy a drink! Don't be so scary!" He pleaded, almost on his knees.
At that moment, Macao smirked from the side, his loud laughter erupting, filling the room and breaking the tension. "Wakaba, you've gotten brave, haven't you? Daring to flirt with Mira when Chen Fan isn't around, huh?!"
Wakaba's face grew even more terrified, he immediately knelt before Macao, begging desperately, "No, please! For the sake of our past! Don't tell Chen Fan! If he finds out, I don't know what he'll do to me!" Tears welled up in his eyes.
"He's just joking," Mira said softly, a smile returning to her face as she reverted to her normal form. Her dark aura vanished like morning mist. Seeing Wakaba's tear-streaked face filled with fear, everyone nearby began to laugh heartily, the atmosphere returning to lightness. It seemed Chen Fan was still quite formidable, even more terrifying than a hundred monsters, in the eyes of the guild members.
"It's time for us to go to work," Natsu said in a bored tone, resting his chin on the table. His fiery spirit, for a moment, seemed to dim.
"Yeah, otherwise, we won't have money for food, Aye!" Happy chimed in, gnawing on a fish beside him. The fish, somehow, was still wriggling, a strange sight that could only happen here.
"Oh my, 2 million Jewel just flew away, what a waste," Lucy complained, her expression turning serious as she thought about the pile of rent bills. "By the way, this month's rent is a bit risky!" After complaining, she rushed to the bulletin board, her eyes scanning each line carefully, looking for a task she could do. However, after searching for quite some time, not a single one felt suitable.
Just then, Mira spoke from behind the counter, "If there's a job you like, just let me know. The Master has gone to the regular meeting."
"Regular meeting?" Lucy asked, tilting her head slightly in curiosity.
"It's a guild meeting where local Masters gather. It's a bit different from the Council. The Council is there to maintain order in the magical world. Mages who commit crimes are also punished by this organization. Below it is the Guild Master Alliance, formed by the Guild Masters, who convey the Council's decisions to their subordinates." Before Mira could finish her explanation, Natsu interrupted dramatically, his eyes wide and sharp, "If you're not careful, those dark people will come out!"
Natsu's sudden outburst startled Lucy, making her jump, her heart pounding. "Don't scare me, you Fire Head!" Lucy snapped angrily.
Seeing that reaction, Mira's face also became somewhat serious. "Those dark people do exist. They are Dark Guilds, a threat to peace."
"Alright, alright, quick, Lucy! Tell us, what mission are we doing this time?!" Natsu said excitedly, ready for the next adventure, the fire within him blazing again.
"Why do I have to decide?" Lucy asked, a little confused, scratching her head.
"Last time we decided what the mission was, so this time it's Lucy's turn to decide, Aye!" Happy chimed in from the side, supporting Natsu, a fish still dangling from his mouth.
"Right, we're a team, aren't we?" Natsu grinned widely, showing his sharp teeth.
"What team?! Don't you just need a blonde helper?! Besides, that mission is over, so the team is disbanded, disbanded!" Lucy retorted, though her tone was slightly hesitant, a shadow of doubt crossing her mind about whether she could find teammates again.
"Of course not! We team up with Lucy because she's a good person!" Natsu exclaimed, honesty clearly radiating from his blue eyes.
Hearing that, Gray, who was sitting not far away, also chimed in, "What's the problem? You don't have to force yourself into a team. Many people will invite you soon."
"Gray, your clothes," Cana interjected, who was drinking beside him, then choked. "Ah, shoot!" She coughed, beer spilling from her barrel.
"Annoying," Natsu muttered, his tone full of disdain, his lips slightly pouted, like an irritated child.
"You just said annoying, didn't you, Fire Breath?!" Gray said fiercely, pressing his forehead against Natsu's, an icy aura beginning to form around him, making the air feel cold.
"You're so annoying, Perverted Bastard!" Natsu yelled, small flames beginning to dance in his hands.
"Bird Brain!" Gray retorted, ice enveloping his fists.
"Exhibitionist!" The two began to hurl insults at each other, their classic scene that everyone in the guild was accustomed to, an unavoidable ritual.
"Noisy couple! Lucy, how about we form a Love Squad? Just the two of us tonight. You're truly beautiful. I can see such beauty even through sunglasses. If I looked with my naked eyes, I would surely go blind," Loke appeared out of nowhere, taking advantage of Natsu and Gray's commotion, and uttered these sweet words to Lucy, words that Chen Fan had long abandoned for being too... cliché.
"Then you can go blind now," Lucy retorted, her eyes narrowing cynically, her lips forming a faint smile.