Come On, Let's Go Home

"Wow--"

Overwhelmed by immense loss and grief, Wendy collapsed to her knees and burst into tears.

"Grandpa... everyone..."

Carla flew to her side and nuzzled her cheek with her little head, trying to comfort her, but her own eyes were already wet with tears.

Faced with this sudden turn of events, Natsu, Gray, and Lyon, these usually noisy guys, all fell silent.

They didn't know what to say.

Is it comforting?

How do you comfort a child who has just lost all their "family" and "home"?

Erza stepped forward, wanting to say something, but seeing Wendy's thin shoulders trembling violently from crying, she ultimately just sighed and stopped.

Just then, Jiang Bai made a move.

He walked slowly to Wendy, and under everyone's gaze, he knelt down to look the sobbing little girl in the eye.

Jiang Bai didn't say anything like "Don't cry" or "Please accept my condolences"—those bland, innocuous words.

He waited until Wendy's crying subsided a little before scratching his cheek and asking in a casual tone, as if inviting a friend to go somewhere fun tomorrow:

"Well... it was a bit sudden."

"The Cait Shelter no longer exists. What are your plans now?"

Wendy's body trembled, and her crying stopped abruptly.

Intend?

What could her plans be?

Her only relative was gone, her only home was gone, and she didn't know where she should go or where she could go.

Confusion and unease enveloped her again. She instinctively hugged Carla tightly, lowered her head, and tears began to fall again.

Seeing her like this, Jiang Bai smiled.

"Want to come to Fairy Tail?"

"Huh?"

Wendy suddenly looked up, her blue eyes wide with surprise, tears still streaming down her face, making her look exceptionally endearing.

Carla was also stunned.

Before Wendy could react, a hot head loomed close to her.

"Yeah! Come join our guild!" Natsu grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, and said in a carefree manner.

"Our guild is so much fun! We fight every single day!"

"Idiot! Don't make our guild sound like a barbarian enclave!"

Gray punched Natsu on the head, then gave Wendy a cool look.

"However, having another partner is not bad either."

"Yes, yes!" Lucy smiled and walked over, extending her hand to Wendy.

"Although they're all a bunch of troublesome idiots, they're all really nice people."

Erza walked up behind Wendy, gently placed her hand on her shoulder, and said in a soft but firm voice, "Fairy Tail always welcomes new family members."

Just then, the people from Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus also came up.

"Your Excellency Wendy," Jura, his hands clasped together, his expression solemn and sincere.

"We at Lamia Scale warmly welcome you to our guild. Your healing magic is a precious power that any guild craves."

Lyon nodded seriously, a rare occurrence for him. "That's right, come here. At least you won't find exhibitionists who take their clothes off every day."

A vein bulged on Gray's forehead. "Who are you talking about?!"

"My honey!"

A flamboyant voice rang out, and somehow, Yi Ye had moved closer to Wendy, kneeling on one knee and offering her a rose that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

"Come to our Blue Pegasus! There, you'll be surrounded by countless 'men' and enjoy the finest fragrances! Men~"

Faced with one invitation after another, Wendy was completely at a loss. She held Carla, like a frightened little rabbit, not knowing how to respond for a moment.

Seeing her like this, Jiang Bai spoke up.

"Wendy, look, everyone is so happy to see you." His voice was gentle, with a comforting quality.

"But don't feel pressured. You can join any guild you want. Choose the one you like best."

Hearing this, Wendy calmed down a little.

She looked at the sincere smiling faces before her, felt the warmth of their hands, and listened to the heartfelt invitations.

Finally, her gaze fell upon Jiang Bai's deep yet gentle eyes.

All the pent-up grievances, the grief of losing family members, and the anxiety and confusion about the future were transformed into tears of emotion at this moment, completely overflowing.

"I... can I really do it?" Her voice was trembling with tears, sounding very insecure.

"I'm so weak, I can't do anything, I only... I only cause trouble for everyone..."

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

Jiang Bai reached out his finger and gently flicked her forehead.

"Your healing magic is more powerful and gentler than anyone else's," Jiang Bai said with an undeniable certainty.

"We've all received a lot of help from you this time."

Wendy's body trembled slightly.

She raised her head, her eyes still streaked with tears, and looked earnestly at Jiang Bai. Mustering the greatest courage of her life, she spoke softly yet firmly:

"I... I want to go to Jiang Bai's guild with Carla."

"Great!" Natsu was the first to cheer.

"Welcome, Wendy!" Lucy happily took her hand.

"Tch, what a pity," Lyon scoffed, but his face held a congratulatory smile.

"Fairy Tail beat us to it again."

"My God! What a regrettable fragrance!" He exaggeratedly wiped away non-existent tears from the corners of his eyes.

"But that's youth too, man!"

Jiang Bai smiled, reached out, and gently ruffled Wendy's hair.

"Okay! From today onwards, Wendy will be my sister Jiang Bai's sister."

Behind him were Natsu, Gray, Erza, Lucy... all the Fairy Tail companions, a bond as warm and strong as family.

He faced the light from behind and gave a gentle smile to the little girl who had just found a new home.

"We are Fairy Tail."

His voice wasn't loud, but it seemed to possess a magical power to dispel all unease.

"Let's go, Wendy."

"Let's go home."