"That old pervert, upon hearing there would be many beautiful women to see, snuck back to the guild that very night, intending to use guild funds to buy tickets for the resort hotel."
"Then... he and Cana were caught red-handed by Mirajane, who was there to catch the 'wine-mouse'."
"To keep Mirajane and Cana quiet, the old man had no choice but to invite them to the resort as well. Of course, the money still came from the guild's account, since he and Mirajane were the ones managing the finances anyway."
"That's how it happened."
Outside the gates of Akane Resort, the most popular seaside vacation destination in the Fiore Kingdom, Hope continued to explain in a low voice to Lucy while queuing for tickets.
"Actually, the Master has been subsidizing the guild with his entire pension all these years, so there's really nothing to say about him spending a bit of the guild's money."
Although it made sense, Lucy's smile was strained. She glanced at the long line of companions behind them; besides themselves, Gray, Juvia, Gajeel, and Levy were also there.
"So... what's up with them?"
Hope shrugged; he didn't know either.
Just then, Erza walked over and said in a gossipy tone, "I found out. Gray was invited by Juvia for a romantic getaway."
"As for Levy, it's supposedly Gajeel's apology for attacking her last time. Juvia was the one who gave him the idea, but I feel like those two..."
Happy suddenly popped his head out: "Are getting frisky~" (with a rolled tongue)
Erza nodded, "Exactly."
Hope scratched his head, feeling that Erza seemed very invested in other people's relationships. How did this strange hobby of'shipping' come about? After queuing for another ten minutes, everyone finally entered the resort.
They first went to the luxury resort hotel to check into their rooms and drop off their luggage, then changed into beachwear or swimsuits and headed straight for the resort's beach.
As soon as they stepped onto the pristine white sand, saw the endless azure sea before them, and the many lightly dressed tourists playing on the beach, Natsu and Happy simultaneously let out gasps of awe, their eyes turning into stars.
After all, this was the first time in their lives, and cat-lives, that they had ever been to such a high-class place.
"This is Akane's beach! It's amazing!" Lucy instantly cleared her mind of all complaints and eagerly threw herself into the embrace of the sea.
Gray could finally take off his clothes openly without being stopped. Unfortunately, when he got to the point of taking off his pants, Makarov knocked him down with a punch... Seeing Gray's muscular upper body, Juvia's eyes immediately turned into hearts, and pink bubbles of love seemed to float around her. "Gray-sama~ Juvia can finally spend a romantic time with you..."
Their guild companions around them: Are we even human... Gajeel stood awkwardly with his hands in his pockets. Levy tried to ease his embarrassment, "Um, Mr. Gajeel, thank you for inviting me to such an expensive resort. You shouldn't have."
"Less talk, I used to be Phantom Lord's ace, do you think I'd be short on this much money?" Gajeel replied gruffly, but his gaze unconsciously darted elsewhere, not daring to look at Levy, who was dressed up.
Just then, an incredibly familiar and energetic voice echoed across the beach: "Since it's the beach, it has to be a beach volleyball showdown!"
"Gray! Gajeel! Come and challenge me to a match!"
Seeing the beach volleyball Natsu had gotten from who knows where, Gray and Gajeel were immediately ignited with fighting spirit, instantly starting their own chaotic three-way beach volleyball match.
The two abandoned female companions had different expressions.
Levy was fine, but Juvia had already deemed Natsu and Gajeel love rivals. One could only say that the thought process of a love-struck person was not something normal people could understand... Erza had already changed into a very beautiful blue two-piece swimsuit, still looking heroic and dashing. She watched the three in the distance, gradually escalating into a 'killer volleyball' game, and sighed helplessly, but for once, she indulged them.
"Honestly, they start this as soon as we get to the beach." Mirajane's voice was as gentle as ever. She wore an elegant white one-piece swimsuit, holding an iced fruit juice, smiling as she looked at everyone.
Cana, meanwhile, hugged the hotel-provided alcohol. "Indeed, the beach is only enjoyable with alcohol!"
Erza pulled over a beach chair and placed it next to Mirajane and Cana. It was then that she suddenly remembered not seeing a certain person since arriving at the beach.
"Have you seen Hope?"
Mirajane shook her head, but Cana provided an important piece of information, "I saw him go to the hotel's underground casino. He said he'd never been to a casino in his life, so he was a bit curious."
"Is that so...?"
Erza felt a little regretful; she had specifically worn her prettiest swimsuit. But then again, she felt that Cana and Mirajane had also put thought into their outfits today.
The three instinctively looked at each other. Immediately after, an inexplicable atmosphere gradually formed. To diffuse this strange mood, Mirajane smiled and said, "How about... we play some volleyball too?"
"But there are only three of us," Cana objected.
Erza, however, had a different idea, "Then let's learn Natsu and their three-way volleyball."
"Killer volleyball, huh... interesting."
Mirajane gave a charmingly evil smile, meeting Erza's battle-ready gaze. Their eyes seemed to spark in the air. Watching Erza and Mirajane's aura grow stronger, Cana suddenly sobered up.
Erza is one thing, but Mirajane, haven't you returned to being a normal person? What's with this aura... If I play volleyball with them, I might actually die!
Cowardly Cana secretly got up. Just as she turned around, she was simultaneously held by two hands on her shoulders, and dragged by Mirajane and Erza, one on each side, towards the beach... At the same time, Hope, who had been wandering alone in the hotel's underground casino, finally decided to play a few rounds after watching a gambling table for a long time.
It wasn't that he was particularly keen on gambling; it was mainly because the dark-skinned male dealer was quite interesting.
The dark-skinned dealer saw Hope sit down. Just as he was about to deal the cards, he was drawn by the guild emblem on Hope's left forearm. "Excuse me, are you a Fairy Tail Mage?"
Hope nodded, "Yes, I am. Is there a problem?"
"Haha, there is indeed a problem."
The dealer named Hugh's expression became somewhat distorted. "Can you tell me, where is Erza-nee-san...?"
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