"Welcome! Have you decided on your order yet?" Lucy asked with an awkward smile, a pen and notepad in her hand. Across from her, two guests, whose faces still held a strange flush from the earlier commotion, responded with hesitation.
"Um, I'll have the Heavenly Soda Bolognese and a Holly."
"I'll take the orc curry," the other guest added.
"Thank you for coming. Would you like to have dessert after your meal?" Lucy asked, trying to sound professional.
"I'll take a ruby sundae," one of them said.
"Me too."
"Great, your order will be right out!" Lucy turned briskly. Just as she was about to step away, a customer at a nearby table reached out.
"I'd like to order too."
"Alright..." Lucy replied automatically. A second later, she was fully aware of what she had just done. She threw the notepad in her hand to the floor as if it were on fire. "What am I doing..."
"Lucy!" Natsu shouted from the side.
"What are you doing?" Lucy turned to see Natsu in a waiter's uniform, a very strange sight, carrying a tray of food.
"This is part of the job!" Natsu replied, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
"This is completely different from a wizard's job..." Lucy muttered, her eyes scanning the room. "Look at these people, they're wizards too, but why is the difference so huge?" She pointed to her own waiter's uniform, then looked toward a corner of the room.
There, Chen Fan was sitting in the best spot, near a window overlooking the busy street. He was eating and drinking heartily, completely unconcerned with the others. As if he could hear Lucy's complaints, Chen Fan turned, a cynical smile etched on his face.
"No need to ask, the answer is, 'I have money'."
As he said this, he pulled out several banknotes from his pocket and stacked them on the table, his expression as arrogant as a nouveau riche slob.
"Damn it, money grubber! Stingy! Greedy!" Lucy turned her back on Chen Fan, clenching her fists at her sides, cursing under her breath.
"Hey, hey, Miss," Chen Fan's voice came from behind. "I can hear everything you're saying. Be careful, or I'll cut your wages. Don't forget, I'm half-owner of this restaurant."
Lucy turned around in a flash. A bright, fake smile bloomed on her face again. "Enjoy your meal, sir!" Then, she turned back, returning to her silent curses with clenched fists.
"Stop complaining," Happy said, approaching her, also in a waiter's uniform. "If he hears you, you'll be fined."
Suddenly, Gray appeared between them. He was only wearing shorts and a bow tie wrapped around his neck. He said in a flat tone, as if it were normal, "Well, it's not bad to dress like a waiter once in a while."
"Bang!"
A fierce kick from Lucy sent Gray flying. "Put your clothes on first! Don't talk when you're naked!"
Gray got up with a scowl. "Hey, for whose rent are we doing all this?"
Lucy suddenly fell silent. A feeling of embarrassment came over her. "Oh, sorry."
"And... look," Gray said, pointing toward Erza who had just walked past them.
Lucy turned and her jaw immediately dropped. Erza walked gracefully, wearing a maid uniform that fit her perfectly, as if she were a professional maid. "I-it's nothing," Lucy muttered in a panic, scratching her hair.
Erza suddenly sat down at the same table as the guests, staring at them with an intimidating glare. "Tell me your orders. What do you want? Come on, tell me," her voice sounded very enticing, but with a tone that made one's hair stand on end.
"Um... what we want, of course... for all the food to be served!"
"I see! That's very helpful! Thank you very much!" Erza replied, making the guests at the table surprised and confused.
"We?!" Lucy and Gray muttered.
Seeing the mess Erza had made, Gray finally sighed. "There are people having fun. Let's do our best too."
"Hah..." Lucy could only sigh.
The day passed quickly. Unlike in the anime, Chen Fan was full to the point of a bloated stomach. He let out a loud burp, while Natsu could only look at him with envy, his stomach rumbling from fatigue and hunger.
"Ah... you all worked so hard. Kids these days are really amazing. You're always welcome back," said a short old man in a chef's jacket, Yajima, to them.
"It's nothing, this is what we have to do, hic..." Before the others could answer, Chen Fan burped again.
"What are you doing?! You were just eating over there!" Lucy yelled in annoyance. Only Lucy could still protest. Natsu, Gray, and the others were already used to Chen Fan's behavior. Not only was he lazy, but... extremely lazy.
Ignoring the small quarrel, Erza approached Yajima. "Thank you for your hospitality today, Grandpa Yajima."
Erza seemed to remember something. "By the way, Grandpa Yajima, what's the progress with the Magic Council?"
"Well... I've retired," Yajima said, rubbing the back of his head.
"Council?!" Natsu, who had been limp, suddenly jumped up, shouting in surprise along with Gray.
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