Even though Laki's words were ridiculously chuunibyou and hard to parse, everyone still clearly heard the confession hidden in them.
After speaking, Laki didn't look at the one she'd confessed to—Kabe.
Instead, her eyes landed on the two "official" girlfriends, Erza and Mira.
In that gaze, there were nerves, guilt… and a hint of stubborn resolve.
Beside her, Levy covered her small mouth in shock, secretly admiring Laki's courage.
Cana lowered her head in silence, some dark, unreadable emotion flashing in her eyes.
Lisanna and Aries glanced nervously at Mira and Erza, terrified the two would blow up on the spot.
But to everyone's surprise, the two didn't explode.
After frowning and carefully scanning the anxious Laki from head to toe, Mira gently nudged Erza's arm, signaling for her to respond.
Erza thought for a couple of seconds, then actually smiled softly at Laki.
"We've all been together for four years now. We know each other inside and out.
So if it's you… Laki… we don't object."
"Haaah~~"
Laki let out a huge sigh of relief, then bowed deeply, voice full of gratitude:
"Thank you… Erza-sis, Captain."
The way the two of them accepted her so easily left the other girls utterly speechless.
But in truth, Erza and Mira had their own plans which they couldn't exactly spell out.
If they could, of course they wouldn't want to share their man with even more people.
The problem was that Kabe was just too monstrously "talented" in certain areas—
particularly that tireless, almost inhuman tail of his.
The two of them really couldn't keep up at night anymore.
They'd already been considering roping in one or two sisters to help "share the workload" for a while now.
Naturally, their first choices had always been their own guildmates, companions they already knew and trusted.
Originally, their target had been Cana.
But since Laki was the one who'd stepped out first… they didn't mind accepting her ahead of schedule.
Laki: "Big Sis, Eldest Sis!!"
Erza & Mira: "Third Sister!!"
Watching the three of them holding hands, looking like they were about to swear sisterhood under the moon with chicken blood and yellow talismans, Kabe immediately felt something was very wrong.
"Hey, what about me? I haven't even said anything yet! Who gave you permission to accept her for me?!"
The moment those words left his mouth, Erza and Mira's gazes snapped toward him in perfect sync—
ice-cold, sharp as blades.
"Warning you: don't push your luck."
"The sisters we recognize, you just obediently accept. If you dare complain… hmph."
Facing the naked threat in their eyes, Kabe flared up in "anger" for a whole one second.
"…Ahaha, what are you saying? I'm thrilled you can accept each other, how could I complain about something like that?"
Shamelessly surrendering, he scooted his butt over to join the three, then quite boldly opened his arms and pulled the flushed Laki into a hug, loudly declaring:
"To celebrate our little family welcoming another new member, I'll cook personally tonight—open-air barbecue party!"
Mira: "You? Barbecue? Try not to waste good food."
Erza: "But barbecue is a good idea. I approve."
Laki: "Mm! I'll listen to my big sisters."
With all the main parties in agreement, no one else could really say anything.
Applause, cheers, teasing whistles—everyone joined in one after another, happily accepting the plan.
Only, beneath all that laughter and noise…
exactly how many undercurrents and private schemes were quietly swirling—
that was something no one could say for sure.
"Guest, we've arrived at Magnolia.
Will you be getting off here, or coming back with me to our firm?"
On the road ahead, the bustling town was already in full view.
The coachman guided the horses steadily along the trade route and turned back toward the carriage, calling out to the passenger inside.
The tall woman in a black cloak lifted her head at his voice.
She pulled back the curtain, giving the street outside a glance—
gazing at the pedestrians and carriages passing by with a flicker of anticipation and quiet relief in her eyes.
"I'll get off here. I can handle the rest myself."
As she spoke, the woman pulled her hood a bit lower.
Before the carriage had even fully stopped, she'd already opened the door on her own and stepped lightly down to the road.
The coachman hurriedly tightened the reins and brought the carriage to a real halt, leaning out nervously to make sure she'd landed safely.
Once he confirmed his mysterious passenger hadn't so much as stumbled, he finally relaxed, smiling as he praised:
"Impressive agility, miss. You're a mage, right?
If you're coming to Magnolia as a mage… I bet you're here for Fairy Tail, aren't you?"
The woman didn't deny it. Instead, she followed his words and asked calmly:
"That's right. I've been wanting to see this 'Number One Guild of Fiore' for a long time.
If you don't mind, could you point me the way?
And… do you know where that famous 'God of Destruction' lives?"
The coachman scratched his chin thoughtfully, then pointed ahead.
"As for Fairy Tail, just keep going straight.
At the very northern edge of town by the lakeside—that big building is their guild hall.
As for that famous Destruction God's house… that I don't know.
You'd have to ask one of the locals about that."
"I see. That's more than enough. Thank you."
With that, the two exchanged their farewells and the coachman snapped the reins, driving the wagon away.
Once the carriage had rolled off into the distance, the woman tugged her cloak tighter around herself and turned toward the lively town.
Even with the hood pulled low, a lock of straight black hair still slipped free at her cheek,
swaying lightly against her pale face as she took her first steps into the town known across the kingdom.