"I've been wanting to ask, who exactly are you? And why are you with Team B?"
"I was wondering the same thing earlier.
So you really don't know me."
Rhodes finally realized he might have stumbled into some kind of plot event.
If so, then whatever was about to happen was something he should be able to resolve.
Which meant this shouldn't escalate into history collapsing, or Fairy Tail vanishing.
Rhodes' nerves eased considerably.
"I…"
Future Lucy faltered.
Things already felt different from what she expected. She even suspected the Eclipse Gate might have sent her to the wrong world entirely.
"We're here," Rhodes said.
Future Lucy looked at the inn sign, her anxiety deepening.
"The location is the same, the name is the same, but the building is completely different."
Ignoring her reaction for now, Rhodes moved to Team A's window and tapped lightly.
Inside, Erza instantly sat upright.
She approached the window with full caution.
"Rhodes?"
"Erza!"
Future Lucy's eyes brimmed with emotion, nearly crying.
Erza opened the window, and under the streetlamp's glow, she saw Rhodes, Ultear, Cobra, and, "Lucy? When did you..."
She stopped abruptly.
If Lucy was outside, who was in her bed right now?
"It's a little complicated. Let's talk inside."
Rhodes slipped through the window with practiced ease.
Erza showed no intention of stopping him. Instead, she simply turned on the lights.
Erik gestured that he could hear everything fine from outside.Ultear stepped in after Rhodes, and Future Lucy climbed through the window with some difficulty.
Inside, Cana, who had drunk far too much, was snoring loudly, one leg tangled inside the blankets and the other hanging off the bed.
At least she was wearing pajamas. Which was more than she wore when awake.
Rhodes suspected someone else had dressed her.
Natsu, of course, was snoring like a thunderstorm.
Sleeping surrounded by his friends, and sensing no hostile intent, he remained unconscious.
Happy sprawled spread-eagled beside Natsu, mirroring his posture perfectly.
On second thought, Rhodes wondered if it wasn't technically against the rules for non-participants to sleep in the contestants' room.
Well, knowing these two, it definitely wasn't intentional. They probably didn't even know the rule existed.
Gray had awakened the moment the lights came on. He blinked at the group in confusion.
"Ultear? How did you...Rhodes? And, Lucy? What's going on?"
Ultear offered him a gentle smile and raised a hand, signaling him to stay calm.
Lucy (the present one) blinked sleepily in the light. She rubbed her eyes and sat up.
The blanket slipped off naturally, revealing her pink pajamas.
Unfortunately, the buttons were either never fastened properly or had come undone as she moved, leaving the right side of her collar hanging open.
Future Lucy, who had been excited moments ago, froze mid-emotion.
Seeing her own barely-dressed, half-asleep doppelgänger, she felt a sudden urge to bury her face in her hands.
She compromised by covering "her" chest instead:
"Even if we're all friends, we're still sharing a room with boys, you should be a little more careful!"
"Ah!"
Present Lucy finally realized she was half-exposed. She quickly clutched her collar shut and buttoned it up in a panic.
Then, embarrassed, she turned to her future self.
"Th-thank you, Me…??"
A second later, Lucy slapped her palm.
"That's right, it must be a dream!"
She lay back down with satisfaction, pulled the covers up, and closed her eyes as if that solved everything.
Future Lucy: "…"
She looked helpless for a moment, then smiled gently.
After everything she had gone through, she finally understood how protected her younger self had always been.
Only under that kind of protection could she remain so carefree.
Rhodes walked over without ceremony and flicked Lucy on the forehead.
"Still think it's a dream now?"
"Ow!" Lucy sat up clutching her forehead.
"It's not a dream. There's really another me?"
Hesitantly, she pushed her blanket aside, got out of bed, and carefully examined Future Lucy.
"Are you the Edolas me? Did you finally find a way to come here?"
'It seems I have a really good relationship with Mr. Rhodes.'
Future Lucy shook her head.
"No. I'm not the Edolas version. I'm you from the future."
Lucy went stiff and turned to Rhodes.
"Is that true?"
Future Lucy secretly observed him.
'It seems I trust Mr. Rhodes a lot, maybe even more than Erza. But just who is he in this timeline?'
Rhodes shrugged.
"I'm not certain myself. That's why I brought her to you."
"I get it!"
Lucy puffed up with confidence.
"Then leave it to me to tell us apart! First question, what's the name of the protagonist in the novel I wrote?"
Future Lucy flushed but answered.
Lucy nodded.
"Correct… but Levy read part of it, and Natsu and Happy peeked, so that's not conclusive enough."
She crossed her arms.
"Next question: what did I write in the diary entry I least wanted anyone to see?"
Future Lucy paled.
"Do… do I really have to say that?"
"…"
Lucy froze too.
That was WAY too embarrassing to share aloud, but unless she asked something only she would know, how else could they prove it?
Rhodes sighed.
"I said to summon Gemini."
"A-Ah—!"
Lucy's cheeks turned bright red.
Of course. She must have still been half-asleep to forget something so obvious.
Future Lucy also realized it then, Gemini could verify her identity instantly.
She looked gratefully at Rhodes.
'He really does seem like a good person… and very reliable.'
Meanwhile Rhodes was quietly amused. He was very curious about Lucy's diary himself. Watching two Lucys panic over their own embarrassing secrets was honestly entertaining.
If Mira were here, he would definitely join her in spectating a little longer.
But Mira wasn't here, and the truth needed confirming.
Just another day of being a good person.
"Open, Gate of the Twin! Gemini!"
To escape the embarrassment, Lucy summoned them immediately.
Gemini appeared, and instantly froze upon seeing two Lucys.After Future Lucy allowed them to make contact, Gemini transformed.
Now there were three Lucys in the room.
It felt nostalgic, like the chaos back in Edolas.
If four Lucys were gathered, that might be quite a show.
If Mira were here, she might even shapeshift into Lucy just for fun—which would make it five Lucys.
Lucy asked, "So? Gemini, can you tell? Is she really me?"
Normally, when Gemini transformed into Lucy, they would immediately start pranking people, offering "benefits," or teasing everyone with a mischievous "Piri Piri~!"
But this time… they were dead silent.
In Future Lucy's form, Gemini simply nodded.
And then, without warning, tears streamed down their face uncontrollably.