The Fairy Tail Civil War Begins!

The market competition that warmed Harvest Festival has ended, and unsurprisingly, Lucy did not win any prize money.

Lucy dragged her tired body home, took a nice bath, wrapped herself in a bathrobe, and snuggled into bed.

She sank into the soft bed and let out a satisfied sigh.

Goodnight~

( ´▽` )

As soon as she finished speaking and closed her eyes, her hand touched something slippery under the covers. It felt like fabric, but it didn't feel like her own bed sheet.

She frowned, pulled the object out, and examined it. It was a scarf with a scale pattern, unfolded in the moonlight.

The more I look at it, the more familiar it seems.

Isn't that Natsu's precious scarf?!

Lucy instantly woke up, jumped out of bed, and yanked the covers off. Sure enough, she saw Natsu curled up on the other side of the bed, sleeping like a log, with drool at the corner of his mouth.

Happy was fast asleep, lying on Natsu's belly.

Lucy grabbed Natsu's scarf and pulled him off the bed, while Happy rolled onto the floor with a "gurgle gurgle".

Natsu stood up groggily, his eyes still closed, and waved unsteadily toward the wall, giving a mumbled greeting.

Good morning, Lucy.

"I'm here!"

Lucy stood behind him and shouted angrily, her voice so loud it shook the entire building.

(▼ヘ▼#)

"And this is my bed! Why are you here?!"

Lucy grabbed Natsu's scarf and swung it around forcefully, sending Natsu spinning twice like a top.

"Bang"

He collapsed onto Lucy's bed, buried his face in the pillow, and immediately started snoring again.

"I still really want to sleep... zzz..."

Lucy's forehead veins bulged, and her fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

"Hey! You weren't listening at all!"

Happy groggily got up, rubbing his eyes with his little paws.

"Um, give the scarf back to Natsu. It was left to Natsu by Igneel; he treasured it very much."

Lucy looked at the scarf in her hand, sighed, and handed it to Happy.

Happy took the scarf, folded it skillfully, and gently placed it next to Natsu's pillow, being careful not to crush it.

"Happy, why is Natsu so sleepy?"

Lucy sat down on the edge of the bed, looked at Natsu was fast asleep, and asked with some concern.

Happy tilted his head and thought for a moment, then tapped his chin with his little paw.

"Natsu experienced the same thing when he ate Laxus's lightning before; he would become drowsy afterward. But logically, Riyao gives Natsu fire, and Natsu is Fire Dragon Slayer Mage, so it shouldn't be a problem."

"Then why is he still so sleepy?"

Happy shook his head, indicating that he didn't know either.

Just then, a lazy voice came from behind them, drifting in from the direction of the window.

"That's because my fire is mixed with dark magic."

The person and the cat were so frightened that they huddled together.

Riyao leaned against the window, chin on the frame, smiling at them. The moonlight shone on him, making him look like a large cat that had sneaked in.

"During the battle at the Tower of Heaven, the flames I replenished for Natsu contained dark magic from my Demon Form. His body is still digesting and absorbing it, which is why he's feeling sleepy. It's similar to how a person feels sleepy after eating too much."

He paused, then added.

"But don't worry, digesting it will actually benefit him; it's a way of indirectly strengthening his resistance."

Lucy breathed a sigh of relief and patted her chest.

"Could you please stop making that noise all of a sudden? You scared me to death!"

Riyao chuckled.

"Mira and I were taking a walk when we saw Lucy's house was still lit up, so we jumped up to check it out. We figured we might have some fun."

"What kind of fun is this...?"

Happy's little bundle fell out in the chaos, its contents scattered all over the floor, and a flyer fluttered down and landed on Lucy's face.

Lucy ripped the flyer off her face, and when she looked at it in the moonlight, her eyes widened instantly.

Miss Fairy Tail Contest? Prize money 500,000 J!

Those large characters seemed to glow, shining directly into Lucy's heart.

500,000 J! That's enough for her to pay seven months' rent!

Happy slapped his head, and his little wings fluttered.

"Oh yeah! I came to give this to Lucy! I almost forgot!"

He pulled another flyer from the scattered bundle, handed it to Lucy, then tilted his head, his tone tinged with sympathy.

"Lucy can participate, but Mira, Erza, and Cana will also be participating, so Lucy are slim~"

Lucy clenched her fists, cheered herself up, straightened her chest, and looked confident.

"I'm young! I have a fresh charm! I can do it!"

Mirajane had somehow gotten onto the windowsill next to Riyao, resting her chin on her hands and speaking with a smile.

"Seventeen-year-old Lucy ~ is only two years younger than me~"

Lucy was startled again and almost fell off the bed, clutching her chest with one hand.

Wow! Where did Mira come from?!

Riyao looked at Lucy speechlessly and sighed.

"Didn't I say I was taking a walk with Mira? I told you not to forget the setup just to make fun of things. You always automatically ignore the foreshadowing whenever something surprising happens."

Mirajane covered her mouth and chuckled, Riyao then added insult to injury.

"And Lucy is three years younger than me~ Have you forgotten your zero success rate with your honey trap? You've never succeeded in using it, have you?"

Lucy's face flushed instantly, as if her Achilles' heel had been struck, and she clenched her fists and waved them in the air.

"That's because our opponents are abnormal! Who would have thought those guys are immune to honey traps!"

Riyao and Mirajane exchanged a glance and laughed simultaneously.

Poor Natsu was trampled underfoot by Lucy in the chaos, his soul practically spilling out of his mouth, a white blob floating in mid-air.

Happy frantically tried to stuff Natsu's soul back in, his little paws reaching out and grabbing, but he couldn't catch it no matter what he did.

"Natsu! Wake up! Your spirit has emerged!"

"Ugh... five minutes... just five more minutes of sleep..."

Seeing that there was nothing more to see, Riyao and Mirajane jumped down and continued their walk.

The two walked hand in hand along the canal. Moonlight shone on the water, making it sparkle, and the streetlights cast a warm yellow glow, stretching their shadows long.

The autumn night breeze carried a hint of coolness, but the hands we held were warm.

"Mira ~"

Riyao suddenly spoke, his tone tinged with a hint of mischief.

"What do you think about me participating in the Miss Fairy Tail Contest? Hehe..."

As he spoke, he thought of an interesting idea and laughed, but the smile looked anything but malicious.

Mirajane glanced at him sideways, a sly smile spreading across her face. She tapped her chin with her index finger, as if deep in thought.

"Then you need to change your look. I'm tired of seeing the blonde, mature woman style."

Riyao stroked his chin, his eyes darting around.

"How about a different look? What do you think of me as a female version of the Azure Dragon Form?"

"Hehe, I think it's a good idea."

( ˆoˆ)/(ˆoˆ )/

The two exchanged a smile, plotting how to infiltrate the selection competition. Their laughter echoed along the canal, startling several night birds perched on the riverbank.

Under the moonlight, their shadows intertwined as they slowly walked away.