December, X779. Clear skies.
At the Fairy Tail guild...
"Haha! All right, everyone, let's have a party!"
"Oh~ yeah!"
Makarov stood atop the bar, laughing and raising his glass. The members below, their eyes shining just as brightly, happily raised their glasses and cheered with him.
The guild was lively once again.
"Master, the bills are finally all paid off." Erza stood nearby, smiling as she watched the lively scene and looked around the guild. Before the master could reply, the sound of two people arguing rang out.
"I completed more quests."
"The quests I completed were worth more in total."
"Damn it! Let's settle this, then!"
"Clack~" A glass hit the table.
"All right, that's exactly what I had in mind. Fire Dragon's Roar!"
"Ice-Make: Ice-Snow Cannon!"
As the two argued, Gray excitedly set his glass on the table and prepared to gather his magic power and use his magic. Natsu also took a deep breath.
"Natsu, maybe you shouldn't. Look over there..." Happy, sitting on Natsu, patted him on the head and tried to talk him out of it. Happy had spotted Erza walking toward them, her hair rising with her magic power and a murderous look on her face. Frightened, he flew shakily over to Lisanna at a nearby table.
Lisanna had also been about to get up and warn them, but Mirajane, who was grinning mischievously beside her, pulled her back down and stopped her. Lisanna could only pick up Happy, her face full of worry.
Mirajane also wanted to see Natsu and Gray make fools of themselves when they got taught a lesson. She had Elfman tucked under one arm with a hand over his mouth, leaving him to watch the two with a worried look on his face.
"Bang, bang~"
Just as the two were about to unleash their magic, Erza smashed them into the floor with two swift punches in succession, instantly interrupting their spells. Holding her arms in front of her chest, smoke still rising from her fists, she gritted her teeth and said, both angry and exasperated:
"You two, that's enough."
"Yes," they replied weakly from the floor.
"Hahahahaha!" Everyone in the guild burst out laughing at the sight, and the atmosphere grew even livelier.
"Haha, those two." Watching from the side, Zorn smiled helplessly and shook his head.
"What a pair of childish brats," Laxus said, folding his arms with an exasperated look. =_=
"Well, well, this is what makes things lively. Hic." Beside him, Macao spoke with a gratified look on his face, thoroughly drunk, and let out a boozy hiccup. Wakaba looked at him with disgust, and the two began arguing over it.
The guild party lasted until the afternoon. On his way back to his dorm, Zorn thought about the selection of the Ten Wizard Saints, which the master had mentioned to him and Laxus.
Laxus had looked disdainful and had no interest at all in getting involved. Zorn, however, had some ideas. He wanted to become one of the Ten Wizard Saints, take part in decisions on certain matters, and try to bring about some changes in the Magic Council.
"Zorn, what are you thinking about? Did you hear what I just said?" Cana pouted at the distracted Zorn, a little annoyed.
"Ah, haha, enough to buy it. Sorry, sorry, I was thinking about what the master said." Zorn scratched his head, apologizing sheepishly while gesturing for Cana to repeat what he had missed.
"I mean, I'm not quite ready to live with you yet. I'm still too young... and it's hard to explain things to Erza and Mirajane, too." As Cana spoke, she lowered her head shyly and tapped her index fingers together.
"Hahaha, Cana, what are you thinking? I'm just asking you to move in. There are two rooms; we won't do that sort of thing."
"No wonder you kept sneaking glances at me during the party. So that's what you were thinking about. Sorry, sorry, what a naughty mind you have. Haha."
Zorn burst out laughing when he heard this, laughing out loud at what Cana had been thinking. It was also his fault for not making himself clear.
Zorn explained it to Cana with a broad smile, while her face instantly turned bright red and steam rose from her head.
She channeled magic power and Armament Haki into her right hand and punched Zorn, who was still teasing her, in the stomach. He immediately flew into the sky, turned into a speck of light, and vanished.
"Baka, baka, idiot, idiot!" Cana shouted in embarrassment at the sky where Zorn had disappeared, venting her feelings.
At that moment, the master watched the two of them from the guild entrance, smiling as he reflected on how wonderful it was to be young.
The next day, Zorn, with a few minor injuries, and Cana, who was still a little angry, neatly brought their respective belongings to the newly purchased, already furnished house.
For the house, Zorn had chosen a small detached home with its own garden. Looking at what would be his and Cana's home from now on, he felt deeply satisfied, a goofy smile spreading across his face.
"Pfft." Looking at Zorn's goofy grin beside her, Cana felt the last trace of her shyness vanish without a trace. She giggled, wrapped her arms around his arm, and happily looked at the house with him.
Zorn was startled at first, but when he saw Cana leaning against him without doing anything else, he put an arm around her and let her rest in his embrace. Together, they quietly enjoyed the moment.
—Fairy Tail guild
"What? You're living together?" The guild members stared at the two in shock and cried out in unison.
"No, we just live in the same house. It doesn't count as living together." Zorn didn't know how to explain it either. By the standard of a man and a woman living under one roof, it did count, but they weren't going to do that sort of thing now...
The men and women in the guild split into two groups and surrounded them separately, curiously asking what was going on between them. The two were instantly at a loss and answered the questions in a fluster.
The master remained calmly seated at the bar, sipping his drink. Now and then, though, his gaze drifted meaningfully toward Laxus, who stood nearby, unmoved.
That persistent stare left Laxus uncomfortable whether he stood or sat. He simply turned his head and clicked his tongue to express how he felt.
After being surrounded and pressed with questions, Zorn and Cana finally managed to escape. They said they would hold a party at the new house and invite everyone over for a meal, then hurriedly dashed out of the guild to prepare food and drinks.
Everyone else was left thinking about what gifts to bring.