Return

Magnolia Station

A train roared into the station, trailing a long plume of black smoke. As its doors opened, crowds of people carrying bags of all sizes filed out.

Yuri and his companions drew plenty of attention as they walked back to the guild, just as they always did.

This time, however, it wasn't because of Erza's enormous luggage cart, but the four boys and girls of similar ages and identical hair color.

The boy leading the group was still young, but his extraordinary good looks were already beginning to take shape.

Although he looked somewhat lazy, the roguish air he gave off drew plenty of attention from girls.

The girl behind him wore a pitch-black cloak. With her delicate features and tall figure, it wasn't hard to tell that she would grow into a rare beauty.

The next girl was a little younger, but she looked lively and adorable, the type who could make people feel better with a single glance. She, too, was a beauty in the making.

The last boy looked a little old for his age and somewhat timid, but as long as he improved his bearing, he would most likely become a man who could stand tall and proud.

They seemed just like four siblings...

The Fairy Tail guild.

The group of five finally arrived at the doors of the three-story building.

"This is... Fairy Tail!"

Mirajane looked at the sign hanging above the doors and the flag flying at the top, her eyes showing a hint of interest.

This was the place Yuri had described to her that night, and it would be their home from now on.

Maybe... we really can start a new life here.

As Mirajane thought this, Yuri kicked the doors open.

"Go on in. I'm sure you'll like it here," Erza said to the three beside her, stepping into the guild right behind Yuri.

Mirajane, Lisanna, and Elfman followed them inside, full of anticipation.

But what greeted them was not the peaceful, lovely scene they had imagined. Instead...

"Underwear pervert!"

"Fire trash bastard!"

Two boys were shouting crude nicknames at each other as they fought fiercely inside the guild. Oh... and one of them was a pervert.

"Come on, come on, just try it. This stuff is really good."

"Yeah, exactly. Look at Yuri. Didn't he start drinking when he was ten?"

It was one thing for these strange old men to be drunks themselves, but they were even trying to coax an underage girl into drinking.

On top of that, tables, chairs, stools, beer bottles, and people... and things like that were flying everywhere.

Harsh curses, pained howls, unrestrained laughter, and all kinds of noisy shouting filled the room.

All in all, it was hard to believe this was a legitimate wizard guild.

"This is... Fairy Tail?" Mirajane asked with deep suspicion, the corner of her mouth twitching. "It really is exactly as you described..."

"Told you," Yuri said, spreading his hands and shrugging.

"Oh, Erza and Yuri are back..." Macao was the first to notice them. He gave them a drunken greeting, then turned back to his drink.

But suddenly, he seemed to realize something was wrong. A moment later, he said, "Huh? Why did I think I just saw four Yuris?"

"What kind of joke is that? One Yuri is enough trouble. How could there be four... There really are four Yuris!" Wakaba, the friend drinking with Macao, exclaimed as well.

Their shouts immediately drew everyone's attention. Everyone instinctively clutched their wallets before turning toward the entrance.

Once they got a good look at the so-called "four Yuris," they realized the two men had simply drunk too much and were seeing things. They all breathed a sigh of relief.

But soon, they remembered a rumor that had once circulated around the guild before being dismissed as a joke, and a chill ran through them...

"Why does it feel like they're all scared of you?" Mirajane asked, puzzled.

"They're not scared of me. They're scared of Erza." Yuri casually pinned the blame on Erza, whose anger was building beside him, and led the three away ahead of her. "Come on, I'll take you to meet the master."

What he said wasn't entirely wrong.

As Erza had grown more familiar with the guild members, she was no longer the withdrawn girl who rejected companionship.

Instead, she had begun to show signs of becoming a disciplinarian, and her strict, rigid rules often drew complaints from everyone.

But even if they grumbled to themselves, none of them dared say anything.

After all, whenever it came to this, Erza always exuded the air of a queen, making it impossible to argue with her.

"All of you, stop right now!!!"

Erza stomped on the guild floor with tremendous force, her monstrous strength smashing it to splinters.

"Gray! Natsu! How many times have I told you not to fight inside the guild!"

"Wakaba! Macao! How dare you coax an underage girl into drinking!"

"Cana, you're not old enough to drink yet!"

"And Lidas..."

Everyone had already broken into a cold sweat over Yuri. They had barely breathed a sigh of relief before Erza seized them again.

Yuri made his way through the crowd, correcting the people Erza called out one by one.

He knocked Natsu and Gray to the floor with a punch each.

He reached out and confiscated the evidence of Macao and Wakaba coaxing an underage girl into drinking.

Then he used himself as an example to give Cana a good scolding, telling her to learn more from him and pick up fewer bad habits.

What? He had started drinking when he was ten?

How was that the same? He still had more than ten years of memories from Griffon!

By the time Erza had called out everyone in the guild, Yuri and the others had finally reached the master.

"Forget it. I'll let you all off for today," Erza said with a sigh and a wave of her hand.

Everyone: "..."

"Oh, how did the job go?" Makarov, who was drinking, asked when he saw Yuri return.

"It failed..." Yuri glumly pulled out a chair and plopped down.

"Failed? That's rare. So even you fail sometimes, brat." Makarov spoke with interest, glancing at the three youngsters who had come with Yuri.

"Yeah, it's a real headache. What am I going to do about next month's rent? Master, how about lending me a little?" Yuri subtly set his sights on Makarov.

"Sure... like hell! You brat, you're up to no good again!" The slightly tipsy Makarov was about to agree, but immediately caught himself and shouted.

"Tch... you saw through me? Stingy old geezer." Yuri curled his lip.

Makarov put down his glass and composed himself. "So, what happened?"

Yuri picked up the drink he had swiped earlier and took a sip to moisten his throat. "Here's what happened..."

After hearing Yuri's account, Makarov focused his gaze on Mirajane.

A kindly smile spread across his usually unserious face, and he said gently, "May I take a look at your arm?"