July 7, 777

The Fairy Tail guild has returned to its usual hustle and bustle.

That morning, the sun was shining brightly. Lucy, carrying a glass of juice, excitedly approached Wendy, her big eyes sparkling with curiosity.

Wendy, can I ask you something?

"Hmm? Lucy, go ahead and ask." Wendy put down her book and nodded obediently.

Lucy lowered her voice, as if she were sharing some earth-shattering secret.

"Were you raised by dragons like Natsu?"

Wendy smiled gently and nodded in agreement without hesitation.

"Yes! The dragon who raised me is named Grandine. She's so good to me, so gentle!"

"Grandine... the Sky Dragon," Lucy murmured to herself, then a crucial question came to mind.

"So, Natsu's Fire Dragon, and your Sky Dragon, both disappeared suddenly?" Lucy pressed.

"What day was it? Do you remember?"

This question made Wendy think back to the past. She tilted her head and thought about it seriously for a moment.

"Hmm... I remember it very clearly, it was July 7th, X777."

This date is like a pebble thrown into a calm lake.

Not far away, Natsu, who was playfully fighting with Gray, twitched his ears, immediately stopped what he was doing, and turned around abruptly, his face filled with shock.

"Oh! Igneel disappeared on that day too!"

"Bang!"

Gray punched him on the head. "You bastard, eavesdropping on girls isn't a good habit!"

"What eavesdropping? I was listening openly and honestly!" Natsu retorted, covering his head.

Just then, a deep, metallic voice rang out.

On the second floor of the guild, Gajeel, who had been leaning alone against the railing watching Happy and Carla seemingly lost in thought, finally spoke up.

"My Metalicana disappeared on that day too."

"Metalicana?" Lucy looked up in confusion.

Gajeel gave a cool snort.

"It's the Iron Dragon that raised me."

Now, Lucy was completely confused.

She counted on her fingers: Igneel, Grandine, Metalicana...

What happened?

Why did all the dragons seem to have conspired to disappear on the same day?

An outrageous idea instantly took hold of her mind.

"Could it be that... July 7th, 777 was a legally designated day for the Dragon Clan to go on an outing?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire room fell silent.

Wendy smiled awkwardly, unsure how to respond.

"Miss Lucy... sometimes she really says some strange things."

Jiang Bai, listening from the side, almost spat out his juice, inwardly cursing.

This thought process is definitely contagious; he's been spending too much time with Natsu and caught it.

He cleared his throat and said with a smile, "Maybe it's because I've been spending too much time with Natsu; our IQs have all been dragged down to the same level."

"Hahaha, that's right!" Natsu wasn't angry at all; instead, he stood with his hands on his hips and laughed triumphantly. "It's all because of me!"

A crossroads suddenly appeared on Lucy's forehead.

"You idiot! Is that something to brag about?!"

Watching the two bickering, Wendy wore an envious smile.

"Miss Lucy and Mr. Natsu have such a wonderful relationship."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the bar, a one-sided "pursuit" is unfolding.

Happy, holding a freshly grilled, steaming, plump fish, trotted over to Carla, proudly displaying it like a treasure.

"Carla, do you want to eat fish? We just caught this this morning, it's so fresh!"

Carla didn't even glance at the fish, haughtily turning her head to the other side and letting out a cold snort.

"Hmph! I don't want to, I don't like eating fish."

Happy's wings drooped, but he quickly perked up again.

"What do you like to eat? I'll go get it for you!"

"So annoying!" Carla suddenly stood up, as if a fuse had been lit.

Stop bothering me!

After saying that, she flapped her wings and flew out of the guild without looking back.

"Carla, this isn't right!" Wendy quickly spoke up to stop her.

But Carla's figure had already disappeared through the doorway.

"Carla, wait for us!" Happy hurriedly flapped his wings and chased after them.

Watching the two kittens fly away one after the other, Lucy couldn't help but sigh.

"I always felt that Carla really dislikes Happy," she said with some sympathy.

"If things continue like this, wouldn't it be better for Happy to give up?"

Jiang Bai shook his head, picked up a pastry, and took a bite.

"Lucy, you don't understand." His tone held a hint of mystery.

"Carla doesn't dislike Happy; she's just having something on her mind, which is why she seems irritable."

"I think Happy will definitely succeed in the end. Look at Juvia over there, she's still clinging to Gray. It's a sure thing that she'll win Gray over in the end."

Upon hearing this, Wendy began to reflect on herself.

Is something on Carla's mind?

I've been with her every day, so why didn't I notice anything?

Have you recently joined a new guild and met new friends, so you haven't been paying as much attention to Carla?

The little girl's face was immediately filled with self-reproach.

Jiang Bai saw through her thoughts and reached out to ruffle her hair.

"It's not a big problem, don't overthink it. Just remember to find an opportunity to have a good talk with Carla later."

"Yes! I will, Brother Jiang Bai." Wendy nodded vigorously, regaining her spirits.

"Speaking of which," Lucy said, resting her chin on her hand and looking at Jiang Bai with a scrutinizing gaze,

"How do you understand girls' minds so well? Did you win over Erza and Mira like this too?"

"What a joke!" Jiang Bai retorted righteously.

"My relationship with Erza, Mira, and the others has stood the test of time and weathered countless storms before finally blossoming into marriage!"

After saying that, he changed the subject and looked at Lucy with a pained expression.

"As for you, you single dog, I wonder when you'll finally find your own happiness."

"Hey! Jiang Bai, that's not fair!" Lucy was so angry she was jumping up and down.

While the guild was still making noise, the sky outside had quietly changed.

Large, thick rain clouds drifted in from the horizon, blocking out the sunlight and darkening the entire town of Magnolia.

"Boom--"

A deep rumble of thunder ripped through the sky.

Wendy looked out the window, a little worried about Carla who hadn't returned yet.

"Is it going to rain? I'll go bring Carla back." She said, and hurriedly ran out.

Soon, large raindrops began to fall from the sky, pattering against the roof and windows of the guild, forming a thick curtain of rain.

In this kind of weather, no one was in the mood to do quests, and they all stayed idly in the guild, enjoying this rare moment of leisure.

Surprisingly, Cana wasn't hugging the barrel today; instead, she sat quietly in the corner, chatting with Gildarts.

It seems that after Gildarts, Cana is also learning to take care of her unreliable old father.

Meanwhile, at the bar, Mirajane had somehow donned a thin jacket and was holding a folded umbrella.

She stood up and softly called to the two people not far away, "Xiao Bai, Elfman, it's time to go!"

"Oh! Here she comes, sister!" Elfman immediately ran over from the crowd.

Jiang Bai then stood up, walked to Mirajane's side, naturally took the umbrella from her hand, opened it, and held it above her head.

Psychokinesis shield is obviously more convenient than an umbrella, but on a rainy day like this, holding an umbrella for a loved one seems to have a stronger emotional impact.

Through the rain, the three walked side by side out of the guild gate.

In the original story, during this period, Mirajane would go to the town church on rainy days like this to pay respects to his sister Lisanna, whom he thought was dead.

But now, everything is different.

Jiang Bai had clearly told her that Lisanna was not dead, but had been drawn into another world.

Mirajane believed Jiang Bai without a doubt.

Therefore, today's visit to the church is not for a sorrowful memorial, but for a hopeful prayer.

She was going to pray for her sister, hoping she could return home safely soon.