The next day at dusk, beside the steps of the street.
Romeo hurriedly finished his last bite of lunch in the afternoon and arrived here early to wait.
He looked across the street with hope, because he had heard from his older brother Zorn that Natsu and Macao would be back today.
The moment the three people and the cat appeared around the corner, the light of hope in Romeo's eyes shone even brighter, as if the sun were shining down. His eyes widened, filled with surprise, and tears of joy welled up in his eyes.
Romeo!
Natsu, supporting Macao who was scratching his head somewhat shyly, waved and shouted happily to Romeo.
"Haha! Dad!"
"A sudden sound"
Romeo wiped the tears from his cheeks, ran over, tackled Macao to the ground, and hugged his father's neck tightly.
"Dad, I'm sorry, I... I shouldn't have..."
"I'm sorry to have worried you, Romeo, Simane."
"It doesn't matter. I'm the son of Mage, and Brother Zorn also told me not to care about what others think. I believe Dad will definitely be the most powerful Mage."
Romeo looked up, his eyes still glistening with tears, but his gaze was firm as he looked at his father. The proud and trusting smile on his face warmed Macao's heart. He couldn't help but gently pat Romeo's head and say, "Next time you can proudly tell them, 'Dad is really strong! He took down more than a dozen Monsters all by himself!'"
Romeo grinned, beaming with delight.
Zorn, Cana, Lucy, Natsu, Happy, and the others watched this touching scene unfold before them. Knowing they should give the two some space, they exchanged a happy glance and slowly left with smiles on their faces.
"Natsu, Happy, thank you, and Lucy, thank you so much for bringing Father back."
"And also, Brother Zorn, thank you for your words, I'll remember them."
"Finally, Sister Cana, your cooking is delicious, so delicious. Thank you all."
Finally, in the glow of the setting sun, their shadows stretched long, eventually settling on each person's smile.
--Separator--
A few days later, inside the Fairy Tail Fairy Tail...
"Lisanna, I'd like two or three beers."
"We also need some here."
"Okay, okay, please wait a moment."
Lisanna quickly filled a few glasses of beer at the bar, placed them on a tray, and greeted the Fairy Tail members.
On the other side Natsu was...
"Ah, looks like I need to find a job soon," Natsu sighed listlessly, slumped on the table.
"Yeah, Natsu, otherwise we won't have any food," Happy said nonchalantly, munching on a fish.
"Ah, if only Zorn were here, I could borrow some money from him," Natsu muttered regretfully, drawing circles on the table.
Upon hearing this, Lucy immediately remembered that she herself was also short of money and hadn't settled her rent.
In the previous commission, "Sunrise," due to various reasons, no commission fee was collected, leaving the trio of Natsu, Happy, and Lucy short of funds. They need to find jobs quickly, or they won't be able to afford any expenses next month.
Thinking of this, Lucy quickly went to the task posting board and scanned it. Looking at the numerous task lists, she felt overwhelmed. "What tasks do I need to do? There are so many kinds!"
"Sure!" Cana and Levy chuckled when they heard Natsu's murmur while they were chatting nearby. They immediately sat down opposite Natsu, propped their heads up with their hands, and looked at Natsu with a smile.
"Yes, Natsu, Cana and Zorn live together, and Cana manages all the money in the house now. It's the same if we go to Cana." Happy immediately stood up, raised his hand, and said loudly to Natsu.
The sound was so loud that the entire Fairy Tail could hear it, and Lucy was also startled.
"Hey, what? I didn't expect Zorn to be henpecked!" Lucy was stunned when she heard the news. She rushed to the table and looked at Cana in shock to confirm.
"Yes, that's already the Fairy Tail's default decision," Levy confirmed from the side, and even brought up the sweet times that Cana and Zorn had shared back then.
"They really are a perfect match," Lucy remarked, looking at Cana's genuinely happy smile as she mentioned Zorn.
"Thank you. Have you chosen your mission? The Guild Master and Zorn went to the Guild Masters' Meeting. If you have any questions, I can help you answer them!"
"Regular meeting?"
"It's like the guild Guild Master of each Fairy Tail regularly get together for a report meeting to convey some of the Magic Council's decisions. That doesn't quite make it clear, Reedus, could I borrow your light pen?"
Cana took the various Magic pens from Reedus (painting Magic) who was sitting to the side, and could conjure words in the air.
"... Then there's managing us Mages; the guild leader and his Guild Master have a really tough job."
"I didn't know that there was cooperation among Fairy Tail members until you told me."
Lucy looked at the hierarchical relationship diagram of the Magic Council and various Fairy Tail in front of her with surprise.
"Yes, cooperation among Fairy Tail members is very important. If we don't do that..."
"The Dark Guilds might come looking for us," Cana whispered menacingly in Lucy's ear before she could finish her sentence.
"Huh?" Lucy was so startled that she immediately stood up from her seat.
"Hahaha," Natsu was indeed laughing heartily, mocking Lucy's reaction.
"Childish!" Gray suddenly chimed in, criticizing Natsu's behavior.
"Gray, clothes."
"Huh? When?" Gray was shocked, not knowing when he had taken his clothes off.
"Exhibitionist," Natsu quipped sarcastically.
"What did you say"
"I'm talking about you, so what?"
Nazgray and the other person started arguing again...
"However, some Dark Guilds do still exist. Although many were wiped out by Zorn, some dark Mages still gather and commit crimes. But don't worry, the Magic Council is continuing to crack down on them."
Cana emphasized from the side.
"Bang!" Loke hurriedly pushed open the Fairy Tail door.
"Erza, she's back!" Loke rushed in and announced, then quickly ran to hide behind the table next to Lucy. He had been chatting happily with the girl outside when Erza seemed to have seen him, so why not hide?
Just as he crouched down, he saw the Celestial Spirit Key on Lucy's waist and froze for a moment. Fortunately, he quickly recovered and resumed his carefree demeanor. After running to the bar, he stared at Lucy with a serious expression.
"Hey everyone, what's going on?"
Lucy looked at the Fairy Tail, which was usually bustling with activity, but then noticed how everyone seemed so afraid at the mere mention of Erza's name. Seeing Natsu and Gray acting like best buddies only fueled her curiosity about Erza.
Although she had gained some understanding of Erza's appearance from Natsu and Gray's explanations, seeing everyone's reaction now, it seems her imagination was still too simplistic.
--The Guild Master and Zorn's side--
"Master, you really know how to enjoy life. Be careful when Erza comes back; I'll tell on you."
Zorn looked helplessly at the Guild Master, who was lying in the back seat, drinking beer in large gulps.
Zorn was driving his Magic Power- powered Power Car to the location of the Guild Masters' Meeting. He had been conscripted by the Guild Master, who said that he had plenty of Magic Power and could replenish Magic Power light energy at any time, so it wouldn't be a waste to use him for free.
"Whatever, Erza's not here anyway, I can still enjoy myself." The Guild Master waved his hand dismissively and gulped down a few more mouthfuls of wine.
"Glug glug, it tastes so good!"
"Bang!" Zorn immediately condensed a fist made of light in the air and knocked the Guild Master over the head. The Guild Master fell to the ground, but he still held the bottle tightly in his hand.
"Hopefully, things won't change." Zorn's thoughts drifted away, unconsciously wondering what the original plot was like.
"Pah, pah, pah, what am I thinking?" Zorn shook his head, clearing his mind, then suddenly accelerated, causing the car to shake and spill the wine in the Guild Master's hand.
To be continued~