Trouble After the Banquet and the Start of an Uproar

The grand celebration of Lisanna's return lasted until late at night.

After the last barrel of ale was finished and the last troublemaker was carried back to the dormitory, the noisy guild finally regained a moment of tranquility.

Lucy dragged her tired body and staggered back to her apartment.

Click.

I pushed open the door and tossed the keys onto the shoe cabinet.

"Haa--"

Lucy let out a long sigh and threw herself onto the soft sofa, sprawling out and not wanting to move at all.

"Ah! It's still most comfortable at home."

She closed her eyes, savoring this moment of peace.

"This place is really nice!"

A languid female voice suddenly came from the direction of the bathroom.

"Right!" Lucy replied instinctively.

Then...

Um?

Lucy suddenly jumped up from the sofa, wide awake.

Did someone just speak?

And it was a woman's voice!

She tiptoed to the bathroom door and cautiously peeked inside.

In her own bathtub, she saw a person comfortably soaking.

With long, wet, dark brown hair cascading down her back, who else could it be but Cana!

The important thing is, this guy wasn't wearing anything!

Cana leaned comfortably against the edge of the bathtub, holding a glass of red wine in her hand. When she saw Lucy at the door, she showed no panic whatsoever; instead, she raised her glass to her.

"Oh, you're back."

"Cana?!" Lucy exclaimed in surprise.

"How did you get here?! And, and you're naked!"

"Of course you have to be naked to take a bath," Cana said matter-of-factly, then her eyes lit up as if she had just thought of a great idea.

"By the way, Lucy, I think your place is pretty nice, why don't I move in with you?"

"Huh?! What are you talking about?!"

"Oh, right, Lucy," Cana said, completely ignoring her shock, and swirled her empty glass.

"Don't you have any more alcohol? I'd like to drink more."

Lucy held her forehead, feeling a throbbing pain in her temples.

Is this... really my home?

Finally, after much pleading and cajoling from Cana, Lucy also took off her clothes and squeezed into the bathtub with her.

The hot water enveloped my body, and the fatigue of the day seemed to dissipate considerably.

"Call..."

Cana suddenly let out a long sigh, and the smile on her face disappeared, replaced by a faint sadness.

"What's wrong?" Lucy noticed her change in mood and asked with concern.

"No, it's nothing," Cana shook her head, trying to hide her unease.

"It's just that taking a bath together doesn't feel quite right."

"It's even worse to break into someone else's house to take a bath!" Lucy retorted mercilessly.

After making her complaint, she moved closer and looked at Cana intently.

"If you have any worries, you can tell me. Maybe I can help."

Cana remained silent for a moment, but finally let go of her feigned strength.

"It's nothing really," she said, her voice lowering.

"I just feel... like I'm no longer worthy to be in the guild."

"Huh? Huh!--"

Lucy's gasp echoed in the small apartment.

Early the next morning.

Lucy arrived at the guild with dark circles under her eyes and a heavy heart.

She went straight to the bar and found Mirajane flirting with Jiang Bai.

"Sister Mira!"

Lucy told Mirajane everything that Cana had said the night before.

Jiang Bai, who had been listening nearby, raised an eyebrow. "Is it this time of year again?"

"Huh?" Lucy looked puzzled.

"It's alright, Lucy," Mirajane said calmly, as if she were used to it.

"Cana does this every year around this time."

"If you ask me, it's because she and her father don't communicate enough," Jiang Bai said lazily, leaning against the bar.

"Gildarts wouldn't care about such trivial matters."

Father and daughter? Gildarts?

Lucy felt even more questions swirling in her mind.

Just as she was about to ask more questions, the guild door was kicked open with a bang.

"Work! Work!"

Natsu dashed past Lucy like a gust of wind, carrying Happy along, shouting slogans with fervor.

"Hey!" Happy chimed in, raising his little fist.

Upon hearing the word "work," Lucy immediately perked up.

She's been with the guild for almost half a year, and she almost always teams up with Natsu for missions, so she's used to it.

"Wait, Natsu!" Lucy quickly chased after him.

"Take me along if you're looking for a job!"

"I'm sorry, Lucy," Natsu stopped and turned to look at her, his face unusually serious.

"I'll be going alone for a while."

After saying that, he rushed out again before Lucy could react.

"I'm back!"

Gray rushed into the guild in a hurry.

"Welcome back, Gray, your clothes."

Mirajane, standing by the bar, habitually reminded him, but this time Gray completely ignored the fact that he was shirtless again.

"I don't have time for that, I'm going to work!"

He grabbed a task sheet, didn't even glance at it, and rushed out again.

"Sister, brother-in-law, I'm off to do this mission!"

Elfman, also holding a mission sheet, greeted Jiang Bai and Mirajane before hurriedly leaving as well.

The entire guild seemed to fall into an unprecedented state of frenzy overnight.

"Work! Work!"

"Damn it! I was the one who wanted that mission first!"

"Who cares about you? What I get first is mine!"

"The Team Shadow Gear is temporarily disbanded starting today! Go for it!"

Everywhere was filled with the clamor of people scrambling for task orders; everyone was as energetic as if they'd been injected with adrenaline, their eyes burning with a flame called "fighting spirit."

Lucy stood there dumbfounded, staring at the chaotic scene before her, completely bewildered.

What... what happened?