One of the Plays

The Strongest Team, consisting of Natsu, Happy, Gray, Lucy, and Erza, has been officially established; there had been no clear intention to form a team before.

They call it the Strongest Team, but it's really just four troublemakers plus a cat.

Makarov knew from the beginning that if this group went out to take on a commission, either half of the town would be demolished, or a mountain of complaints would pile up in the Magic Council; most likely, it would be both.

The four of them and the cat excitedly rushed out of the guild gate. Natsu was breathing fire, Gray was shirtless, Erza was fully armed, Happy was flying in front with a fish in his mouth, and Lucy quickly followed, calling out, "Wait for me!"

Their silhouettes were particularly magnificent in the setting sun, like a herd of wild horses.

The remaining members of the guild watched them disappear into the distance, silently praying for that small town.

That evening, Makarov sat alone on the guild wall, his legs dangling in the air, a cup of warm tea in his hand, his brow furrowed like a crumpled piece of paper.

He is considering candidates for the next president.

This problem has been bothering him for a long time, and he gets a headache every time he thinks about it.

Gildarts' strength is beyond doubt; his Crush Magic is unstoppable, and few in the entire guild can withstand a single blow from him.

That's just his personality; he can't stay in the guild at all. He's always out doing quests (living a carefree life), and he's gone for years at a time. What's the difference between having him as guild leader and not having one at all? Sigh.

Mystogan is quite strong, and it's okay that he's a bit withdrawn; the guild leader doesn't need to be too outgoing anyway.

It's a pity I'm not from Earth-land. I'll have to go back to Edolas someday. What if the guild leader suddenly disappears then? Sigh.

Laxus is strong, but he has a terrible personality, looks down on the weak, and has strained relationships with guild members. If he becomes the guild leader, the guild will fall apart sooner or later. Sigh.

Riyao is currently the best candidate. Just the title of the kingdom's number one healing mage alone will earn him some respect from the Magic Council, and he'll also have an advantage when cleaning up messes for guild members later.

Moreover, Riyao is quick-witted, handles problems tactfully, and is well-liked within the guild.

But there was already an agreement that he couldn't be forced to become the president, and Riyao himself had explicitly refused. Sigh.

Mirajane has the support of Riyao, making her a good choice; she's S-Class Mage with enough prestige within the guild. Unfortunately, we can't force her. Sigh.

Erza's words...

Just as Makarov was thinking this, a head suddenly popped up from under the wall.

Riyao had climbed up at some point and squatted down next to Makarov, waving a piece of paper stamped with the Magic Council's wax seal in his hand, a gloating smile on his face.

"Hey, old man, Erza and the others went out on a quest and destroyed half the town."

Makarov's brow furrowed even more, and his heart skipped a beat.

Riyao waved the paper in front of Makarov, speaking in a light and cheerful tone, as if he were reading a menu.

The Magic Council requires you to write a letter of repentance.

Makarov took the letter of repentance, glanced at its contents, and his entire demeanor began to fade.

Starting with his face, it was deathly pale, as if all the blood had been drained from it.

Then it spread to the body, turning the skin as white as paper, and even the robes of the Ten Wizard Saints lost their color.

A gust of wind blew, Makarov's body floated up lightly in the wind, like a newspaper blown away by the wind, tumbling a few times in the air and drifting further and further away.

Riyao watched Makarov's figure drift away, waved, and muttered to himself, "Whoever becomes the chairman knows; he has to report to the Magic Council every day."

He jumped down from the wall, flicked off the remaining sunflower seed shells in his hand, and walked away humming a little tune.

A few days later, Lucy dragged her exhausted body back to the guild, plopped down at the bar, and groaned on the table.

"This commission has cost us all again! The repairs cost more than the commission fee!"

Mirajane placed a cup of hot Coco in front of Lucy and said with a smile, "Lucy, I've got a great job for you, guaranteed to be profitable."

Lucy looked up, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. "What request?"

Mirajane produced a request form that read "The theater urgently needs actors," with a fairly generous reward.

She highly recommended it, praising it to the skies, saying things like "all you have to do is act," "there's no fighting involved," and "Lucy, you're so pretty, you'd be perfect for it."

Lucy was persuaded and accepted the request.

When Lucy and her friends arrived at the theater, they discovered that only the director remained, all by himself.

The entire theater was deserted, with no one cleaning. Dust danced in the sunlight, and the stage curtains were faded.

When the headmaster saw them arrive, he was so excited he almost cried, and he grabbed Erza's hand and wouldn't let go.

Erza stared at the empty stage, her eyes suddenly lighting up. A dangerous glint flashed in her brown eyes—a glint that only appeared in battle, but now it shone on a theatrical stage.

Let's act in it!

Her voice was firm and excited, her hands clenched into fists and placed in front of her chest, like a warrior about to go into battle.

Gray leaned coolly against the wall, hands in his pockets, pretending to be nonchalant, but the slight upturn at the corners of his mouth betrayed him.

"Looks like we have no choice but to take action; we're seasoned actors, after all."

Natsu clenched his fist, and flames erupted from his palm.

"Wow! It's getting exciting!"

Lucy stood aside, watching her overly excited teammates with concern.

"Won't there be any problems?"

Happy flew around in the air, his little wings fluttering, looking very confident.

"Don't worry, everyone in the guild has been influenced by Riyao and is quite good at acting."

Lucy covered her face and sighed helplessly.

"As expected, it's Riyao."

Riyao, far away in the guild, sneezed, rubbed his nose, and muttered, "Who's talking about me?"

After several days of rehearsals, Erza was the most enthusiastic one.

No wonder Erza can awaken her own Requip Magic; she's a natural performer.

Natsu, watching from the side, was dumbfounded. "Erza, aren't you getting a little too into the role?"

Dressed as a prince, Erza replied with a serious expression, "An actor must be responsible to the stage! This is a matter of respect for art!"

Lucy muttered to herself from the side: You just want to Requip, don't you?

The day before the performance, Riyao and Mirajane came to see the play.

Mirajane rubbed her little hands together, her eyes sparkling with anticipation, her demonic nature unmistakable.

"Hehehe, today we'll see Erza make a fool of herself."

Mirajane grinned like a villain waiting for a good show to begin, his mouth almost reaching his ears.

There were also many familiar faces, such as Makarov, Goldmine, Bob, the fake Fire Dragon Bora, and the village chief of the Demon Village.

Erza clutched her chest behind the door, panting heavily, her face flushed red, not from nervousness, but from excitement.

"I must be in top form today!"

Lucy watched from the sidelines, thinking, "Are you going to the battlefield or to the stage?"

Just then, Lucy caught a glimpse of a familiar figure out of the corner of her eye, turned around abruptly, pointed at Bora, and shouted, "What are you doing here?!"

Bora stood up, clasped her hands in front of her chest, and looked utterly captivated, her voice as tender as if she were reciting poetry.

"I've been thoroughly woken up by my brother's fiery punches. I'm never again a talent scout or forcing people to debut."

As he spoke, he wiped away non-existent tears from the corners of his eyes, his expression so sincere that it was hard to tell whether he was being genuine or not.

Steam rose from Lucy's head, and her lips twitched.

"Ah, so that's how it is."

Happy flew over at just the right moment to deliver a scathing critique.

"Lucy is definitely thinking something bad."

Lucy slapped Happy.

"Shut up!"

The village chief of the Demon Village appeared out of nowhere, tugged at Lucy's sleeve, and asked with a serious expression.

"When will you help me destroy the moon?"

Lucy looked at the serious face of the village chief and didn't know where to start.

Does he/she have Alzheimer's disease?

"Should I criticize him now?" Lucy was speechless.

Riyao munched on sunflower seeds, looking on with an expression of anticipation, showing absolutely no intention of helping.

The Heimei, formerly under the Phantom Lord of Gajeel, emerged from the corner, holding a piece of raw meat wrapped in cloth, her face as red as a ripe tomato.

She shoved the meat in front of Natsu, her voice both fierce and soft.

"I only came to deliver lunch to him, not for you."

Natsu smelled the aroma of meat, his eyes lit up, and he leaned closer to take it.

Oh! I'm so sorry!

The Heimei kicked Natsu, sending Natsu flying in an arc as he crashed into the wall, leaving a human-shaped crater.

"It's not for you! It's for that little red dog!" She pointed at Happy, her face turning even redder.

Happy was really going all out for the meat, even mimicking Canis Minor's bark. "Ooh-poof!"

Lucy looked at Happy's adorable expression, then glanced in the direction the Heimei was pointing, and sighed helplessly, "It's blue, and it's a cat."

Lucy vented her frustrations and collapsed onto the floor, feeling more exhausted than if she had fought a war.

"Why are you already so tired before the show even starts?"

Riyao walked over from the side, cracking sunflower seeds, his tone as relaxed as if he were chatting about the weather.

"It's okay, the performance will be even more tiring."

Lucy was already speechless, but upon hearing Riyao's words, her body reacted instinctively. She abruptly raised her head and shouted at Riyao, "Shut up, you scheming man!"

Riyao shrugged, continued eating sunflower seeds, and wore a smug smile.

Mirajane was laughing so hard she almost spilled her sunflower seeds.