"Wow, that's amazing!" Levy exclaimed. "You have three Zodiac keys? There are only twelve in the whole world, right?"
"Only twelve in the world?" Cana leaned in, intrigued. "So, it's like Lucy's got three of the twelve ultra-rare golden cards!"
Lucy blinked. "== What's with the weird analogy?"
Kagura stepped closer. "I heard Celestial Spirit Mages need to form contracts with their spirits. How does that usually work?"
Lucy tapped her chin thoughtfully. "It's a bit tricky to explain, but I just bought a new key at Hargeon Port that I haven't contracted yet." She winked playfully. "I can show you guys the process!"
"From a shop?" Happy tilted his head, confused. "Aren't golden keys super rare? You can buy them at stores?"
"Not just golden keys," Lucy said, pulling three silver keys from her waist. "There are silver keys too—like Lyra, Crux, and Horologium."
"Non-combat silver keys can be bought in shops, but for combat-oriented ones, you need to earn the spirit's approval," she explained. "Also, unlike the unique Zodiac keys, there are lots of silver keys. The more common the spirit's ability, the more of them exist in the Spirit World, each with slightly different personalities and appearances."
"For my next contract," Lucy said, holding up a shiny new silver key, "I'll be summoning Nicola, the Canis Minor spirit."
She finished her explanation and looked up—only to jump in surprise! A crowd had gathered around her, all staring curiously.
"Why's everyone crowding around?!"
Natsu grinned. "'Cause none of us have ever seen a Celestial Spirit Mage make a contract, Louise!"
Lucy shouted, "It's Lucy! And hold on—weren't you just covered in bruises from fighting? How're you back to normal already?"
Gray, rubbing his reddened mouth, smirked. "That droopy-eyed punk's a cockroach. Even with one breath left, he's half-healed after a nap."
Lucy's eye twitched. "Your clothes!!"
Gray glanced down, realizing his shirt was gone. "When did that happen?!"
Lucy sighed deeply. What is wrong with this guild?
She raised the silver key, her expression turning serious.
[I am the one who connects to the path of the Celestial Spirit World.]
[Answer my call and pass through the gate!]
A glowing silver oval appeared beneath her feet, wisps of white mist drifting from it.
With a flick of her wrist, she turned the key as if unlocking a door.
[Open, Gate of Canis Minor—Nicola!]
Ding-dong~
A bell-like chime rang out, and a blue-white magic circle unfolded in front of the key.
Golden light poured from the circle like liquid, weaving together to form a round-headed, short-limbed, milky-white creature.
The guild went silent for a second.
Cana snapped out of it first, patting Lucy's shoulder with a sympathetic "there, there" look. "Don't sweat it."
"It's not a failure!!" Lucy scooped up Nicola, beaming. "It's so cute!"
Gray eyed the odd creature skeptically. "It's supposed to be Canis Minor, but it doesn't look like a dog. Shouldn't it at least resemble Little White?"
Lucy's mouth twitched. "←_← No, it's not that normal. All Canis Minor spirits look like this." She nuzzled the spirit with her cheek. "It's adorable, right, Plue?"
"Plue??" Happy blinked. "Isn't it called Nicola?"
"That's the general name," Lucy explained. "Canis Minor spirits don't need much magic to summon and are mostly ornamental, so there are lots of their keys. But the spirit I contract with deserves a cute name!"
She set Plue down, pulled out a small notebook and pen, and crouched, asking seriously, "So, Plue, let's make our contract. Can I summon you on Mondays?"
Plue shook its head.
"Tuesdays?"
Plue nodded.
Watching this utterly ordinary contract signing, a bead of sweat slid down Cana's forehead. She whispered to Kagura, "This is… so plain. It's like asking an employee their work schedule."
"I was expecting some dazzling effects or epic lines!" Cana added.
Kagura hushed her. "Don't let Lucy hear you!"
"I'm not that dumb—" Cana started, only to be cut off by Natsu's booming voice.
"So boring! Shouldn't a contract have a big boom of golden light or some dramatic 'My true name is XXX!' stuff? There's no flair at all!"
Cana and Kagura: "…"
The idiot said it out loud!
Lucy put her hands on her hips, explaining earnestly. "It might look simple, but Celestial Spirit Mages take contracts seriously. Promises mean everything to us."
"Huh," Gray said, eyeing the key curiously. "If a spirit doesn't want to fight, can you still summon it?"
Lucy wagged a finger. "We settle combat terms during the contract. If a spirit doesn't want to fight, it can refuse to sign."
Mirajane asked, "Do spirits ever get upset or disagree with their mage during battle?"
"Usually not, but there are exceptions," Lucy said, her eyes flicking to her Aquarius key. "Once contracted, spirits follow orders, but some have bad tempers and might accidentally affect their mage."
"Whoa!" Cana whispered again. "That's like your magic turning on you. That could get you killed in a fight!"
Natsu, arms behind his head, glanced away casually. "Celestial Spirit contracts sound way less cool than Rogue's contract magic."
"Contract magic?" Lucy's eyes widened. "That rumor's real?!"
"People who sign with Rogue might awaken special magic!" she gasped.
"It's more than that," Mirajane said with a sly smile, explaining the details.
Lucy stood frozen, steam practically rising from her head. After a moment, she blurted, "No way!! Beating enemies boosts your magic?! That's insane!"
"Why isn't that what people say outside?!"
Levy leaned in, whispering, "To keep Rogue safe, the Master spread a toned-down rumor—just that it 'might awaken special magic.' Big shots don't care about 'might,' and Rogue can handle the small fries himself."