The girl jolted like a startled fawn when someone suddenly tapped her shoulder, whipping around in a panic.
She found herself facing a completely unfamiliar boy. Instinctively, she shuffled backward until her back nearly pressed against the cold guild doors, voice trembling. "W-what do you want?"
Shane watched her overreaction, then reflexively reached up to touch his own face.
Lately he'd felt like people just… disliked him. Erza, Ultear, and now this stranger.
A bit depressed, he turned his head and muttered, "Do I really look that scary?"
Isn't that obvious? Gray silently rolled his eyes, and as he remembered the 30,000 J extorted from him earlier, his mouth twitched.
Erza actually leaned in seriously.
She cupped Shane's face in both hands and studied him carefully.
They were very close. He could feel her warm, sweet breath brushing his skin, and he turned his head slightly on reflex.
After a long moment, she let go and gave her verdict with complete sincerity. "No. You don't look fierce."
Objectively speaking, his face had nothing to do with "menacing."
Messy black bangs fell over a faintly bloodless pale complexion. His half-lidded eyes had a lazy air, completely unlike the sharp, predatory look most mages carried.
"Uh… you didn't have to answer that seriously," Shane said, waving it off. He felt helpless against how earnest she was about everything.
The purple-haired girl, who'd been standing awkwardly to the side, watched their easy banter and the way the three seemed to match the "Fairy Tail" atmosphere perfectly. Her nerves eased a little.
She gathered her courage and asked softly, "A-are you… from Fairy Tail?"
Still nursing the sting of being flinched from, Shane stepped aside with a quiet sulk.
Erza bent slightly, her tone unusually gentle. "Yes. What brings you here? Do you have a request?"
The girl shook her head hard, shoulder-length purple hair bouncing. She lifted her gaze, eyes shining with a hint of longing. "My name is Laki Olietta! I—I want to join Fairy Tail!"
"You want to join Fairy Tail?" Gray cut in, puzzled. "Then why are you stuck outside the door?"
Without waiting, he strode forward and, like he owned the place, booted the heavy doors open with a loud bang.
"Brats! Gray-sama is back!" he hollered into the hall, trying to sound imposing.
Laki hadn't expected the sudden outburst. When the door flew open, it dragged her forward; she stumbled and almost went face-first onto the floor.
Shane's reflexes kicked in—he grabbed the back of her winter coat like a kitten by the scruff and hauled her upright, saving her from doing a flat fall at the guild's front entrance.
Inside, the guild was its usual chaos.
The smell of booze and food mixed with loud laughter and crass jokes. Warm air washed over them.
Most of the drunk mages barely glanced up at Gray's announcement before turning back to their drinking and bragging. Clearly, "Gray-sama" didn't impress them much.
Only Cana, sitting near the door playing cards alone, lifted her head.
She rubbed her forehead and sighed. "Since when are you '-sama' Gray? And 'brats'? Bit full of yourself, huh?"
Shane felt the same.
The moment Gray walked back in, it was like some seal had been lifted; he'd snapped right back to his pre-"training" level of punchable arrogance.
Cana's gaze drifted past him and spotted Shane and Erza.
A "you're back too" smile tugged at her lips—then froze when her eyes landed on Laki, still half-held by Shane…
And on the black-haired girl behind him, lashed up with long whips, expression utterly drained—Ultear.
Cana's eyes went huge. The cards in her hands spilled onto the table with a flutter.
She whipped her head toward the back of the hall and yelled, panicked, "Bad news! Everybody look!
"Shane—Shane kidnapped two girls and brought them back!"
The shout dropped into the room like cold water into hot oil. The guild went dead silent.
Then exploded.
"What? Kidnapped?"
"Two girls?! Has that kid finally gone criminal?"
"Where? Where? Let me see!"
"As expected of Shane—if he acts, it's gotta be outrageous!"
Dozens of eyes locked onto him, full of suspicion, curiosity, and gleeful anticipation.
Watching his guildmates instantly snap into "spectator mode," Shane felt a vein throb in his forehead. Exhausted from travel, his head pounded even harder.
He took a deep breath, hauled the still-confused Laki forward, and gently pushed her toward Cana. "This one is a new recruit who wants to join—Laki Olietta."
Then he yanked Ultear forward with much less gentleness. "And this one is a captive we brought back. An enemy."
Short and to the point. His eyes swept the crowd.
"Tch—"
"Oh. So it's not really kidnapping."
"Lame. Disperse, disperse."
"Thought there'd be something juicy."
Without actual scandal, the mages' interest evaporated. A chorus of bored boos and "ehhh" rose up and died as they drifted back to their drinks.
Shane shot Cana a flat glare. He really wanted to knock her on the head for that brainless yell.
But she was quick. She grabbed Laki's hand and cheerfully dragged her away, launching into an enthusiastic tour-guide spiel on the guild, leaving him no chance to "get even."
He could only sigh and gesture for Erza and Gray to follow as he marched Ultear toward the bar at the center of the hall.
First order of business after coming back: report to the master.
As expected, Makarov was sitting at the bar.
What Shane hadn't expected was the man seated beside him.
"Gildarts? You're back?" he said, surprised.
Gildarts turned with a booming grin and raised his glass. "Yo, Shane! I heard what you've been up to. You're too distant, kid—why didn't you wait for me so we could handle it together?"
Shane rolled his eyes and dropped onto a nearby stool. "How was I supposed to know when a ghost like you would show up?"
Gildarts scratched his mess of orange-red hair and laughed. "Well, I drop by for Christmas sometimes. This place is home too, you know."
As if remembering something, he bent and grabbed a bottle by his feet, tossing it to Shane. "Here, brought you a present!"
Shane caught it and looked it over.
It was a nicely made fruit wine bottle—but only about two-thirds full, stoppered sloppily.
And the bottle design… looked weirdly familiar.
Wordlessly, Shane tore open the gift box he'd just bought at the "tourist trap specialty shop" and pulled out his own pristine bottle.
He compared them. Identical.
His mouth twitched. He shoved the half-empty bottle back into Gildarts' hands. "You already drank from that and you still dare call it a gift? Drink this one."
"Oh?" Gildarts reached for it without hesitation.
"Who said it was for you?" Shane snapped his hand back and smoothly turned, placing the brand-new bottle reverently in front of Makarov, who'd been watching their back-and-forth with a smiling squint.
"Master, this is a little something for you."
~~~
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