"Miss Fairy? Is that your guild's beauty contest?"
Kagura turned her head curiously, wanting to ask more about this strange event Mirajane had mentioned.
But being still young and rather short, when she turned, her view was immediately obstructed.
It was completely filled with Mirajane's stunning.... S-Class bustline.
Kagura's face immediately darkened.
She slowly lowered her head, looking at her own flat chest, lost in unknown, gloomy thoughts.
'The difference in combat power... is too vast,' she thought despairingly.
Mirajane, oblivious to the girl's sudden crisis of confidence, wagged her finger playfully while explaining.
"That's right! Many lovely girls from our guild participate. It's a tradition! The winner receives a 500,000 Jewel prize."
Five hundred thousand!
Even the secretly distressed Kagura couldn't help gasping at this amount.
Her eyes widened.
'Truly worthy of being the strongest Magic Guild in Fiore', Kagura thought.
Their resources were substantial indeed.
For an internal beauty contest to offer such generous prize money...
From this perspective, Fairy Tail's Mages must be incredibly diligent to accumulate so much wealth for their guild.
Achoo!
Standing to the side, Ankh, the leader of the "Most Hardworking" team, suddenly sneezed violently.
Lisanna beside him couldn't help but twitch the corner of her mouth.
The financial income of Fiore's top guild was indeed substantial, but... it couldn't withstand the flood-like outflow of compensation payments for destroyed property.
If Ankh didn't work so hard, they'd be broke.
Kagura scratched her head and said somewhat awkwardly, "But this is your guild's event. Wouldn't it be inappropriate for an outsider like me to participate? I'm not a member."
Erza affectionately patted Kagura's head and smiled. "It's fine. You can join as my family member. No one will mind!"
Kagura thought for a moment, then nodded.
Since she had nothing better to do while waiting for Simon and the others to arrive for the parade, it wouldn't hurt to treat this as entertainment.
Though at her age Kagura didn't care much about dressing up, as a young girl she still had confidence in her appearance.
She was cute!
Who knows, she might even win some prize money to help her brother when he arrived!
However... She looked up.
Looking at the highly motivated Erza beside her, radiating confidence, and the first-class Mirajane with her outstanding figure and "Ara Ara" energy not far away... Kagura suddenly felt tremendous pressure.
'Can I really beat them?'
Her discouragement lasted only a moment before she quickly clenched her small fists and regained her fighting spirit.
'No! Though all the girls in Fairy Tail were beautiful and ambitious... I am the youthful type! I still have a chance to win! Justice will prevail!'
Watching Kagura and Erza wearing identical determined expressions over a beauty pageant, Ankh smiled wryly and thought to himself.
'Women's competitive spirit in these matters is truly terrifying...'
...
Meanwhile, in Magnolia Town.
In Lucy's rented apartment Natsu had unsurprisingly managed to sneak in again.
"Yo, Lucy!"
"Get out!"
However, after learning about the Miss Fairy Tail competition news that Natsu casually brought up while eating her food, Lucy immediately shifted her attention from kicking him out.
"Wait... how much?"
"500,000 Jewels," Natsu mumbled through a mouthful of food.
Lucy's eyes turned into symbols of jewels.
Five hundred thousand! That was seven months' rent!
She looked in the mirror.
'Though Mirajane and Erza were also participating... and they are monsters... I am the youthful type! I have appeal!'
After going through the exact same mental struggle and delusion as Kagura, Lucy-sama decisively decided to fight for her rent money!
Thus, the days leading up to the Fairy Tail parade quickly passed by through the discreet efforts of several girls preparing their outfits and talents.
...
The day finally arrived.
The Magnolia Harvest Festival and Fairy Tail's evening parade were happening today!
Ankh went out early and gathered with the agreed members of the "Strongest Team" to explore the festival before the events started.
"Aye! Natsu, look! It looks really lively over there!" Happy shouted, flying overhead.
"Alright! I'm fired up! I'm going to eat my way from one end of this street to the other!"
Upon entering the main district of Magnolia, the atmosphere of the entire street became completely different from usual.
Exquisite stalls, colorful banners, and shops lined both sides of the road, crowded with tourists.
The moment Natsu and Happy stepped onto the street, they became like unleashed wild dogs.
After howling excitedly, they quickly immersed themselves in the daily great cause of food consumption, disappearing into a cloud of grill smoke.
Watching Natsu instantly disappear, Gray instinctively mocked, sticking his hands in his pockets.
"Can that slanted-eyed guy only see food? What a child."
Juvia stood seriously beside him, nodding in fervent agreement. "Yes! Ordinary people simply don't possess Gray-sama's composure and maturity."
While the two were looking down on Natsu, Ankh was standing in front of a nearby merchandise stall.
He picked up a box and called out to Gray with novelty.
"Hey Gray! Look at this! They're selling 'Gray Beating Up Natsu' puzzles here!"
Gray walked over, sneering disdainfully. "Hah? Do they think a rational Ice-Make Mage would be interested in such vulgar, imaginative products?!"
"How ridiculous."
Five seconds later...
"I'll take all of this type," Gray said to the shopkeeper, slamming money on the counter.
"And the poster too."
"Aye, sir!"
Lucy's eye twitched as she watched this.
She couldn't help but mutter, "Your spending priorities are completely skewed..."
Juvia, full of admiration, wriggled shyly toward Gray's direction and exclaimed fervently, "Gray-sama is the best when he's being his true self! So decisive!"
Lucy: 'Talk about seeing through rose-colored glasses, i guess?'
"You all haven't changed a bit..."
Just then, a male voice sounded from behind them.
Everyone quickly turned to look.
Erza said in surprise, "Warren? You're back?"
Warren Rocko, a guild member with telepathy magic, stood there with his thick lips and side-swept bangs, carrying a large bundle on his back.
He smiled and said, "The Master called me back for the festival. The business over there has stabilized."
Lucy, who was keen on gossip magazines, also recognized this person.
She mused thoughtfully, "Warren... isn't he that famous Mage merchant? The one who handles the guild's commercial deals?"
Ankh nodded and explained, "Earlier, to develop the guild's industries and cover our... expenses... the Master sent Warren out to expand commerce."
Hearing this, Warren laughed proudly and said, "Thanks to your reputation Ankh, you made a comeback, which allowed me to seize the business opportunity. The merchandise is selling like crazy!"
"It seems you're also selling my figurines..." Ankh said with a face full of exasperation, pointing to a life-sized doll in Warren's bag.
Life-sized figurines of Ankh.
Even with removable parts to change outfits.
When he first found out, he was utterly stunned...
But just as he was about to lose his temper, a certain diligent agent young lady showed Ankh the net profits from the authorized figurine production...
Then... Ankh let it go.
Although, letting his guildmates know about this kind of business gave him an inexplicable sense of shame.
But under the cover of money and fame, social death? Nonexistent!
Amid the group's banter, they had unknowingly arrived back at the guild hall.
"It's time!"
Lucy, Juvia, Erza, and the other girls hurried to the backstage of the guild to prepare for the upcoming Miss Fairy Tail competition.
Meanwhile, the Fairy Tail main hall was already a scene of bustling excitement.
In the Fairy Queen competition, the most excited people were, of course, not the contestants but the male members of the guild.
From eighty-year-old elders to ten-year-old children, men always had an inexplicable excitement for beauty pageants...
After all, the charm of a lineup of stunning girls taking the stage one by one to showcase their most beautiful sides wasn't something just anyone could resist.
Even Ankh, who prided himself on being a gentleman, obediently took a seat in the audience, eagerly awaiting the start of the show.
Gray and Natsu, two straight-laced men (one obsessed with fighting, the other with stripping), sat on either side of him.
They looked completely uninterested in the performance, mostly just waiting for the food or the fighting to start.
"Welcome, everyone!"
Max acted as the host on stage as he passionately hyped up the event.
"Let the Miss Fairy Tail Contest begin!"
Ankh watched with great interest, all while subtly releasing his Magic Power to sense the surrounding magical energy signatures.
'They're here.'
Soon, a faint, anticipating smile tugged at the corner of Ankh's lips.
He sensed familiar, sharp magical signatures entering the city limits.
The Thunder God Tribe had arrived!
The "Civil War" plan he had discussed earlier with Laxus and Makarov... was finally about to begin!