Lucy Meets Lucy

Makarov sat on the edge of the bed, his short legs dangling over the edge.

"So, this is the future Lucy?!"

Riyao nodded.

Makarov looked at Lucy with a serious expression, his brows furrowed and his eyes sharpening.

This made her nervously swallow, a gurgling sound coming from her throat.

"By the way, what year are you from? How old are you this year? How are things going with Natsu? Do you have any children?"

Future Lucy froze, her mouth slightly agape, her mind completely blank.

What did the president just ask? It sounds so familiar. Is this correct? Am I actually the abnormal one? Is there something wrong with my brain?

Riyao gave Makarov a thumbs-up, the thumbs-up standing straight up.

Makarov raised an eyebrow, flicked it upwards, and slightly curled the corners of his mouth.

Future Lucy loudly complained, the sound bursting from her throat.

"You two planned this together, didn't you? You're the real grandfather and grandson, aren't you?!"

Laxus, alone in his empty room, sneezed, the sound echoing through the desolate space.

"Who's cricketing at me from behind? It must be that bastard Riyao."

Riyao patted Lucy's shoulder and pressed her shoulder twice with his palm.

"You don't understand. We're more interested in gossip about the future than dragons."

Makarov patted Lucy's other shoulder, but his hand couldn't reach it, so he had to stand on tiptoe to do so.

"Has my grandson Laxus found a wife? Has he had children yet?"

Lucy covered her face with her hands, her voice muffled as it escaped through her fingers.

Let the world just end.

"Alright, I'm done teasing you. You look so lifeless, it's no fun at all."

Riyao plopped down on the edge of Makarov's bed, causing the mattress to sag.

He took out some sunflower seeds, twirled them in his pocket, pulled out a handful, and started cracking them open.

Lucy then realized that Riyao was teasing her on purpose to keep her from being too upset.

She paused for a moment, her lips twitched, then she suppressed her urge to speak.

However, judging from Riyao's unreliable behavior, it just doesn't seem right.

No! These two guys are just gossiping.

Makarov coughed twice and cleared his throat.

We only did this to lighten the mood because you seemed really upset.

Lucy squinted at them, her eyes narrowed into slits, her gaze sweeping back and forth across their faces.

Riyao cracked sunflower seeds faster, and the cracking sound became more frequent.

Makarov glanced away, turned his head towards the window, and pretended to be looking at the scenery.

"You guys are just after the gossip, aren't you?"

"We're not those kinds of people..."

Riyao and Makarov spoke in unison, their voices overlapping perfectly.

They glanced at each other, then awkwardly looked away, one looking at the ceiling, the other at the floor.

"Well, let's find you a place to settle down for now."

Riyao switched to a serious demeanor, his expression changed, and he stopped eating sunflower seeds.

Makarov chimed in, rubbing his chin with his fingers.

"Aren't you quite familiar with Princess Hisui? Why don't you take a look..."

"No. Another person from the future has seen Princess Hisui, and this person may also have connections with other ministers in the palace. That would put Lucy in danger in the palace."

That makes sense.

Riyao clapped his hands together, bringing them together with a snap.

"Why don't you go home, Lucy?"

"Go home?"

Lucy didn't react for a moment and blinked.

"Yes, go home. Judging from the current situation, Princess Hisui hasn't mentioned your existence, so that person from the future probably doesn't know you exist. It's best to send you home directly, away from the capital."

Riyao spoke eloquently, gesturing with his fingers in the air.

Makarov touched his chin, rubbing his fingers around it twice.

"But what if that person from the future finds out? Lucy would be in danger. It's better if she stays with us."

Riyao forgot many details from the anime, and he couldn't remember whether Future Rogue knew about Future Lucy's existence.

He scratched the back of his head, his hair a mess.

Future Lucy hesitated for a moment, her fingers twisting nervously at the hem of her dress.

"I think I'll stay here. I'm afraid if I go back and see my mom, she'll recognize me."

"If nothing unexpected happens, if Layla sees you, she'll definitely recognize that you're from the future."

Riyao rolled his eyes, his eyeballs rolling upwards.

"So here's the question: what role will we assign you?"

The three began brainstorming.

Makarov crossed his arms, Riyao rested his chin on his hand, and Lucy lowered her head. The room was quiet for a long time.

I thought about it for a long time.

Riyao managed to utter a sentence, pointing his finger at Lucy, the tip almost poking her nose.

"Serves you right for not studying properly; you can't even do Transformation Magic!"

Lucy clutched her head, covering it with her hands, and curled up into a ball.

"Stop yelling, stop yelling."

"Fine, you just wait!"

Riyao climbed out of the window, braced himself against the windowsill, and with a push of his feet, flipped himself out.

His movements were so practiced that one might suspect he was climbing through windows every day.

"Go through the door, you brat!"

Makarov stomped his foot, making two loud thuds on the floor.

After a while, there was a noise outside the window.

Riyao climbed in through the window again, the corner of his clothes fluttering in the wind.

He also had a burlap sack slung over his shoulder; the sack was bulging and creaking.

"Who is it?! Let me go! I'm Fairy Tail mage."

Makarov and Future Lucy were both stunned when they heard that familiar voice.

The two of them froze on the spot, their expressions frozen.

Riyao put down the sack, which landed on the floor with a thud.

A blond head popped out of the sack, his hair a messy, sticky mess, his face filled with terror and anger.

That's Lucy) inside.

"Riyao! What are you doing here? Why did you put a sack over my head?"

"I saw a burlap sack by the roadside and couldn't help myself, hehe."

Riyao tilted his head, giving off an innocent look.

Lucy crawled out of the sack, using both hands and feet, and stood on the ground, patting her chest with a loud thud.

"You scared me to death! I thought it was someone else."

She turned her head and saw Lucy), but stopped halfway through turning her neck.

"Gemini, what are you doing out here?!"

The two Lucy met eyes, stared at each other, and both were stunned.

Lucy's mouth is slightly open now, while Lucy's eyes are still red. The two of them just stare at each other like that.

Riyao waved his hand, waving it between the two of them.

"Let me introduce you. This is Lucy Heartfilia, and this is also Lucy Heartfilia. One is the present one, and the other is the future one."

Lucy) asked blankly, her voice a little unsteady.

Which one is the future?

"I'm fine now."

Riyao was speechless, rolled his eyes so hard they almost popped out.

He explained the situation to Lucy again, briefly recounting the whole story from beginning to end.

Lucy's mouth was wide open, and her jaw almost dropped to the ground.

"My future self? How is that possible?"

"Oh ho, looks like Layla didn't tell you about the Heartfilia Family."

Riyao pursed his lips, pulling the corners of his mouth down.

The two Lucy lowered their heads at the same time, their movements synchronized, even the angles at which they lowered their heads were almost identical.

Makarov asked, puzzled, his gaze shifting back and forth between the two Lucy.

Why did you bring Lucy here?

"Let's disguise the Future Lucy as Gemini, so she can stand openly beside us. Hiding will always attract attention, right?"

"Great idea!"

When they heard Riyao's explanation, their eyes lit up, and a glint flashed in their pupils.

The four continued discussing what to do next, huddled together, and whispered.

Natsu's voice and the voices of others rang out from outside the door, a chaotic mix of footsteps and shouts.

Lucy is right here!

"Hey, isn't this the student council president's room?"

"Could the bad guy be the student council president?!"

"Could it be that the president has lost his bestial nature?!"

"What a tragedy!"

Makarov looked at Riyao with a gloomy gaze.

"How did you manage to bring Lucy here, kid?"

He grabbed a sack, put it over his head, and then turned and ran.

Riyao gestured, making a bag-slinging motion with his hands in the air.

"..."

The group was speechless.

Makarov sighed, Future Lucy's eyes twitched, and Lucy's mouth twisted with anger.