"That's not a dragon egg."
Staring at the egg in front of them, Carla spoke.
This immediately made Natsu pull the egg back into his arms, looking at the white Exceed with full alertness, practically baring his teeth.
"She's right, Natsu."
Before Natsu could explode, Makarov—sitting at the bar—cut in. He had been waiting for a chance to tell the truth, and now was undoubtedly the perfect moment.
"Ah?!"
Natsu was stunned, staring at Makarov in disbelief.
Crack-crack-crack!
Before Natsu could make a fuss, the egg suddenly changed. It started shaking violently, and the shell began to crack.
"It's hatching."
Moen stared at the egg, already sensing what was about to happen.
Crack-crack-crack!
As the eggshell shattered, everyone gathered around in excitement.
For the past few days, Natsu had been carrying that egg everywhere, hugging it whether he was walking or sitting. Everyone in the guild was already familiar with it—many had even held it themselves. Naturally, everyone was eager to see what would come out of it.
As for a dragon… almost no one really believed that.
Buzz!
When the shell split open, a blue sphere of light shot up toward the ceiling.
"Whoa!"
Everyone gasped. The glowing orb wasn't very big—it was clearly a small creature, even smaller than the egg had been.
As the light faded, a small blue cat with wings appeared.
"A cat?!"
The entire guild stared, stunned. Everyone except Carla and Moen gaped in disbelief.
After all, before seeing the truth firsthand, who could have imagined that the egg would hatch into a cat? Was that even reasonable?
"It has wings!"
At first, Natsu looked disappointed that it wasn't a dragon, but seeing the winged cat instantly swept that disappointment away. He looked curiously at the cat flying shakily in the air.
"A blue cat!"
Under everyone's gaze, the little blue cat flapped its wings and wobbled down onto Natsu's head. It was quite small—just the right size to lie down perfectly on top of his hair.
"Eye!"
Its white wings disappeared, and the small cat suddenly sat upright and cried out. It wasn't a "meow"—it was an "Ai!" (Love!). The adorable sight made everyone in the guild melt. A whole crowd rushed forward wanting to hug it.
"This little thing is really cute~"
The adults of the guild pushed forward, reaching out to poke and pat it. A creature everyone had watched hatch together felt strangely meaningful, making everyone even more interested.
"Hey, it looks kind of like Carla!"
Someone pointed out the obvious. Indeed, the blue cat looked somewhat similar to Carla—clearly the same species.
"Carla, is he the same species as you?"
Wendy asked curiously. When she first met Carla, Carla was already in her current form, so Wendy actually didn't know that Carla had hatched from an egg.
"Yes…"
Carla responded helplessly. She really didn't want to admit that this male Exceed was her kind, but facts could not be denied.
"That's wonderful! Now Carla will have a playmate!"
Wendy said happily, completely unaware of Carla's dislike toward the male Exceed.
"I don't need that kind of playmate. He looks like an idiot."
Carla muttered under her breath. She genuinely thought he was dumb—she had understood many things the moment she was born, but this guy only seemed to know how to yell "Ai."
"Give him a name."
Watching the harmonious scene of everyone crowding around the newborn, Moen smiled and made a suggestion. The idea was immediately welcomed, and the guild members began throwing out name ideas in chaotic unison.
"Call him Blue Cat!"
"Why not just call him Cat then?"
"How about Little Blue?"
"Name him Blue Dragon! Natsu kept hoping he'd be a dragon, right?"
They were all spouting nonsense—not a single reasonable suggestion in sight.
"Ahem. How about Happy?"
Seeing the names getting weirder, Moen quickly cut in. Happy's name was not something he could let them change. Looking at the tiny blue cat still sleeping with its eyes closed, Moen decided to grant him the name he should rightfully have.
"Happy?"
Everyone looked confused, unsure why Moen suddenly suggested that name.
"Because his birth made everyone happy. Isn't that a fitting name? It sounds cheerful too."
Moen blinked, giving his explanation.
And thanks to his supreme intellect, he had come up with a solid excuse—otherwise he really didn't know what reason he could've used to guide them.
"Ai!"
Before the others could react, the quietly resting Happy suddenly cried out—as if approving Moen's suggestion.
"Great! Then Happy it is! Happiness! Joy!"
Hearing Happy's approval, Natsu confirmed the name immediately.
Since he found the egg and hatched it, he naturally had naming priority. If he didn't agree, no one else could force another name.
"Happy! Happy! It's the dragon Happy!"
Natsu lifted Happy high into the air, shouting joyfully, and Happy echoed him with continuous cries of "Ai." The scene was warm and full of affection.
Reedus, wearing his wizard hat, held his sketchpad and pencil, capturing the beautiful moment—though with plenty of artistic liberty.
Happy, lifted high by Natsu, was drawn as a small blue dragon, and Natsu was drawn riding on the fierce-looking dragon's back.
"Nice. I guess you helped Natsu fulfill his dream."
Moen walked up beside Reedus, commenting.
"Well, art always needs a bit of creative expression."
Reedus laughed. With his curly hair and wizard hat, he looked very artistic. Without using his magic, he had returned to his thin, normal appearance—much better than the inflated balloon version.
Moen glanced at the drawing. Everyone in the guild was included, and all their faces had smiles.
Well… except Laxus.
Even in the artwork, Laxus stood off to the side with a stern face, totally uninterested in the scene.
"Next time, make sure you draw him with a smile, Reedus."
Moen pointed at the Laxus in the corner of the picture and laughed. Everyone else was smiling—Laxus being the only one scowling made him look like he didn't belong.
"Uh… wouldn't that be taking artistic expression too far?"
Reedus froze, hesitating.
"…."
Moen went speechless, staring at him in disbelief. Was that even a human response?
Drawing a smile on Laxus's face was more unrealistic than turning Happy into a blue dragon?!
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