Natsu Had Come a Long Way

"Bang--"

The pale golden Celestial Spirit summoning light dissipated, Riyao, dressed in a purple suit, landed steadily beside Mirajane.

The two stood side by side, and anyone who didn't know them would definitely think they were sisters.

The people drinking and playing cards in the guild hall glanced up, then calmly lowered their heads and continued. Cana swirled her wine glass, raised an eyebrow and smiled, Gray didn't even stop picking at the ice cubes. Elfman, munching on a steak, muttered, "Brother-in-law is dressed as a woman again."

After all, this isn't the first time this girl has dressed up as a woman to be the guild's mascot; last time she even wore a maid outfit to serve coffee to everyone.

Riyao familiarly put his arm around Mirajane's waist, nuzzled his head against her shoulder, his panda eyes barely visible under his makeup, and spoke in a sticky tone.

"Mira, did you miss me? Here, the sea breeze cake you ordered."

As he spoke, he took a box tied with a blue ribbon from his dress pocket and handed it to her.

Mirajane took the cake, gently poked his panda eye with her fingertip, and smiled tenderly like melting cream.

"What have you been up to again? Why are you dressed in women's clothes?"

No one knew that this gentleness was just a facade. Just a few days ago, she and Erza fought three hundred rounds in the guild's backyard for the title of "Fiore's Number One Girl" in the weekly magazine, and even tore down half a wall.

However, since becoming lovers with Riyao, she has indeed toned down her demonic aura quite a bit, but deep down she is still the ruthless character who can go toe-to-toe with Erza.

Riyao suddenly raised his voice, deliberately making sure the entire guild could hear him.

"I saw Natsu and Happy at Hargeon Port!"

Mirajane tilted her head, the smile in her eyes fading slightly, her tone tinged with helplessness.

"Did they bomb the town again? Or did they burn down someone's warehouse?"

Riyao pulled her to the sofa and sat her down, then deliberately let Mirajane sit on his lap, drawing out his voice.

"No way! Natsu's really made it big! He's out having a fancy dinner with a blonde, rich, and beautiful girl. That Natsu gets motion sickness even took a luxury cruise to a banquet for her! Right now, he's probably holding hands with some young lady and strolling under the moonlight."

Mirajane's eyes widened instantly, and she almost dropped the cake box in her hand.

"That can't be right, can it? That idiot Natsu can actually get it?"

The guild erupted in chaos.

Natsu? Dating?

The sun has risen in the west!

"Could it be that Riyao made it up?"

Discussions erupted, and everyone looked over with curiosity.

Lisanna's eyes widened in surprise.

"Natsu? Rich and beautiful? Dating? How are these three words connected?"

Cana put down her glass, crossed her arms, and looked suspicious.

"You're not lying again, are you? Natsu dating a rich and beautiful girl? That's even more absurd than the student council president suddenly growing to 1.85 meters tall!"

Riyao slapped his thigh, his voice louder than anyone else's.

"What I said is absolutely true! I saw it with my own eyes!"

"Smack!"

Mirajane reached out and slapped his thigh, gritting her teeth.

"Slap your thigh if you want, but why are you slapping mine? Want to sleep on the floor again tonight?! Change back now, I'll allow you to use your healing magic to get rid of your dark circles."

Riyao pursed his lips, a flash of light appeared on his body, and he used Requip Magic to change his purple suit into a loose black shirt, and his panda eyes disappeared.

Gray, with his arms bare, huddled together with Elfman and whispered amongst themselves.

"That Fire Dragon idiot can fall in love? It's impossible!"

Elfman patted him on the shoulder, quite seriously.

"Put your clothes on, Gray! I believe what your brother-in-law said; a man doesn't lie!"

The discussion grew increasingly heated, and even Makarov joined in, stroking his beard and imagining what was going on.

"What would Natsu be like in a relationship? Would he learn to send flowers to girls? Would he stop burning things indiscriminately?"

He started laughing so hard that wrinkles appeared on his face.

The moon hangs high in the sky.

The sun rises in the east.

Time flew by, and the next day arrived. The guild hall was even more bustling than on the day of the S-Class Exam. All the members who hadn't gone out on missions were crowded here. Potato chips and beer were laid out on the tables, and some people were even drawing "Natsu's Wedding" on their easels.

No one can say for sure how the rumors started, from "knowing a rich and beautiful woman" to "secret marriage partner," and finally to "Natsu bringing his wife back to the guild to meet his parents."

Bang!

The guild door was kicked open, Natsu stormed in carrying Happy, his hair a mess.

"Hey! I'm back!"

The hall fell silent instantly, and everyone's gaze skipped over Natsu and landed on Lucy, who was following behind him.

Blonde ✓

A large bunch of golden Celestial Spirit Keys at the waist = rich = wealthy ✓

Fair skin, pretty... delicate features✓

She perfectly meets all the criteria for a "rich, beautiful, and successful woman"!

The next second, the guild erupted in a deafening jeer!

"My God! Riyao wasn't lying!"

Natsu really brought home a beautiful and wealthy wife!

"This is even more unbelievable than when I received an S-Class commission!"

"That fire-breathing idiot has a wife?! I knew Natsu first!"

Natsu, Happy, and Lucy, along with their cat, stood bewildered at the door, at a loss for what to do.

The commotion was so loud that they couldn't hear what everyone was shouting at all, Lucy even wondered if she had joined the wrong guild.

On the second floor, by the railing, Riyao was munching on an apple, while Mirajane leaned on his shoulder, laughing so hard she couldn't straighten up.

"You deliberately didn't say everything yesterday, just so you could see what would happen today, right?"

Riyao chewed on an apple and mumbled, "I wasn't lying. Natsu did eat with Lucy, boarded the ship to save Lucy, and then ran away together under the moonlight. They just misunderstood; it has nothing to do with me."

It wasn't until Elfman rushed over holding a bunch of wildflowers and shouted, "Congratulations, Natsu!" that Natsu realized what was happening.

He instantly bristled, his voice even louder than the jeers.

"What wife! Louise is just a partner I found again!"

Lucy stood there, conflicted. Should she first complain about Natsu mispronouncing her name, or condemn the people spreading rumors?

She opened her mouth, but only managed to utter, "I... I'm not his wife!"

Natsu suddenly turned his head to look at the second floor, his eyes wide open.

"Riyao! You come down here and fight me one-on-one! You're the one who's talking nonsense, aren't you!"

Riyao and Mirajane strolled downstairs, Riyao shrugging his shoulders, his face completely calm.

"I never said you two were a couple; that's just their imagination. It has nothing to do with me."

Mirajane smiled, took Lucy's hand, and said gently, "Hello, I'm Mirajane, welcome to Fairy Tail."

Lucy gasped in surprise when she saw the gentle older sister in front of her who looked exactly like Riyao in women's clothing.

"You... you're Miss Mirajane from the weekly magazine!"

Gray stepped forward and angrily rebuked Riyao.

"You clearly said yesterday... yes... yes..."

The words were on the tip of his tongue when he realized that Riyao hadn't actually said "couple," but his tone was too easily misunderstood.

He scratched his head frantically, too angry to speak.

Cana crossed her arms and sneered.

"It's obvious that Riyao is deliberately misleading us! Let's beat him up!"

"Beat him up!"

Everyone echoed in unison, and a chaotic battle instantly ensued.

Riyao vs. Fairy Tail!

Please select your hero.

Riyao grabbed Fire Poker and rushed into the crowd.

"I have no interest in winning the battle, but I do intend to beat you bunch of idiots to a pulp!"

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Natsu was the first to rush forward, his fist wrapped in flames as he smashed towards him.

"Ice-Make - Lancer!" Gray clasped his hands together, and several ice spears shot towards the Riyao.

"Summon lightning! Summon wind!" Cana threw out two cards, and lightning and wind blades struck in a crisscrossing manner.

"Action Beam!" A short mage dressed in red shirt and yellow pants darted out from the crowd and fired a blinding laser beam.

"Are you bringing any party?!" The burly woman in the floral cotton-padded jacket kicked Riyao in the waist, her voice booming.

Just as everyone was locked in fierce combat, a dazzling white light flashed.

Just!

Makarov's giant form suddenly appeared, towering two stories high, with his enormous hands hovering above everyone's heads.

Everyone froze instantly, as if a pause button had been pressed, except for Natsu was still jumping around with his fist raised.

I am the one who will ultimately prevail!

"Smack!"

Makarov stomped on Natsu's back, pressing him flat against the ground.

"You little brats! You've been tearing the house apart again while I was away, haven't you?!"

Mirajane quickly pulled Lucy aside and explained with a smile.

"Don't be afraid, this is our chairman Makarov."

Makarov swayed, transforming back into a small old man, and landed on the ground. "Yo!"

Lucy stared wide-eyed at the giant who had suddenly shrunk before her, exclaiming in surprise, "Ah!?"

Makarov cleared his throat, intending to show off by doing a backflip onto the second-floor railing, but he misjudged the angle and slammed into the railing with a thud, wincing in pain.

That backflip gets zero points!

He quickly covered the back of his head and coughed twice, putting on a stern expression.

"Ahem! You little brats, you've caused me trouble again!"

"That idiot Natsu destroyed Hargeon Port! Gray, you stripped naked in the street again while doing a request! Cana, you drank all the wine your client had treasured for ten years..."

As he spoke, he pulled out a stack of complaint documents, which burst into flames with a "whoosh" and he threw them out, where Natsu and his husky pounced on them.

"To hell with all those councilors! Listen up!"

Makarov suddenly raised his voice, his eyes becoming incredibly determined.

"Power that transcends the ordinary is born from the ordinary. Magic is not a miraculous power at all; it only manifests itself when the wavelengths of the energy flowing within us perfectly match those of the energy flowing in nature!"

"Magic originates from mental strength and concentration—no, it requires infusing one's entire soul into it; that is magic!"

"If we care about the opinions of those high and mighty, the path of magic will never progress. So, don't be afraid of those fools, the council members. Advance on the path you believe in—that's what Fairy Tail mage is, and that will never change!"

The guild members were instantly ignited, all raising their hands, extending their index fingers and thumbs to make Fairy Tail's signature L-sign, and shouting in unison.

"Oh!!"

The sound was so loud that the windows were shaking.

Lucy stood there, her eyes slightly red, a surge of unprecedented passion and emotion welling up inside her. This was the Fairy Tail she had always longed for!

Riyao picked his nose and made a sound, his tone lazy.

"The old man is getting more and more skilled at this speech; he used the same approach with the new recruit last time."

Mirajane reached out and slapped his hand away, adding helplessly.

"After all, this set of lines has been used for almost five years."

The guild erupted in laughter.

"Riyao is sabotaging us again, haha!"

"The president's speech has been exposed again!"

Makarov was so angry that he puffed out his beard and glared, then jumped up and kicked at Riyao.

"You brat! Would it kill you to let this old man give me a proper performance?!"

Standing amidst the group of playful mages, watching the laughing crowd and Riyao being chased and beaten by Makarov, Lucy suddenly felt her eyes welling up with tears.

So this is what Fairy Tail is like: no rigid rules, no hypocritical formalities, everyone is like family, noisy yet warm, absurd yet sincere.

She gripped the Celestial Spirit Key tightly in her hand, secretly making up her mind: she must join this place and become a member of Fairy Tail.