My Landlord

Natsu heard this at the request board and immediately smashed it to pieces with one punch before heading outside with Happy.

Lucy could not help showing a saddened expression as she watched what had happened.

"The master is so strict."

"And what's wrong with Natsu?"

Mirajane explained, "Maybe it reminded him of his father."

Ye Yang looked at the battered Makarov and said, "Old Man, you're really not honest with yourself."

"You were clearly worried sick, yet you had to act like that."

"Why bother? No job is more important than a life."

Makarov sighed helplessly.

"Brat, you're right. No job is more important than a life."

Just as Makarov was about to say something, Ye Yang spoke first. "Don't worry, Natsu has already gone after him."

"Oh, right, Lucy, you should go too."

Hearing Ye Yang tell her to go, Lucy immediately asked in confusion, "Huh? Why?"

"You need to get familiar with the guild's procedures eventually. Consider this your first guild job."

Since Ye Yang had put it that way, Lucy could not really refuse.

"Alright, then~"

Makarov looked at the unusually helpful Ye Yang and asked, "Brat, why are you so concerned about this Lucy? Don't tell me you saw her figure and wanted to..."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk..."

The moment the master finished speaking, Mirajane stood there holding a knife and smiling.

"I'd like to know too~"

Seeing this situation, Ye Yang immediately panicked. He could hardly say that it was because the story went this way.

"You're overthinking it. With a great beauty like you by my side, Mirajane, how could I have the time to look at other girls?"

"Right, my beautiful Snow White~"

Mirajane immediately blushed and covered her cheeks.

Seeing that his scheme had failed, Makarov grumpily began drinking.

"Oh, right, Old Man. Put the payment for Lucy's request on your tab."

∑(??д??lll) "Pfft--!!!"

"What?!!"

Ye Yang immediately covered his ears and kept saying that he could not hear him.

Meanwhile, Makarov was talking so furiously that his spit was practically spraying onto Ye Yang.

By evening, Natsu and Lucy returned to the guild supporting Macao, and the matter was more or less resolved perfectly.

That night, Lucy returned to the house she had rented. It had cost her 70,000 J, which was a little expensive, but she loved every bit of its decor, so she had decided to rent it almost immediately.

Just after Lucy finished bathing and came out wrapped in a towel, she saw Natsu, Happy, and Ye Yang in her room, sitting on the sofa and eating her snacks.

"Hi!"

"Yo~"

"Ahhhhh!!!"

Lucy sprang up and kicked Natsu flying. As for Ye Yang, her foot passed straight through his body, causing Lucy to lose her balance and fall to the floor.

The scene shifted. Lucy sat by the bed while Natsu and Happy returned to the sofa.

"Y-you... Why are you in my house?!"

"Even if we're close, this is a complete invasion of my privacy! This is trespassing! It's a crime!"

Natsu rubbed his kicked cheek and said, "Louise, that was way too harsh."

(Angry glare) "I told you, my name is Lucy! And you're the ones being too much!"

"Don't tell me you're after my beauty and want to... I know I was born beautiful, and I have a fatal attraction for men like you. Is all of this really my fault because heaven bestowed such beauty upon me..."

The moment Natsu, Happy, and Ye Yang heard Lucy starting to admire herself, they were instantly speechless.

So Natsu decisively cut off the rest of Lucy's speech.

"You're thinking too much. I just wanted to see what your new house looked like."

Only then did Lucy react. "How did you get into my room? Did you pick my lock?"

"Huh? How could we possibly pick someone else's lock? We used a key to open the door."

(?˙▽˙?) "Haha, so you used a key. That's what I thought..."

"..."

Σ(°Д°; "Why do you have a key to my house?!"

Happy answered, "Lucy, didn't you know? The house you rented belongs to my boss."

"Huh?" Lucy stared blankly at Ye Yang.

"Isn't he... a wizard?"

After taking a sip of tea, Ye Yang said, "Who says a wizard can't rent houses out to people?"

"Love! My boss is a man who wants to become the strongest landlord!"

"The... strongest landlord?" Lucy could not help twitching her mouth when she heard that.

"Every time my boss finishes a job, he uses the money he earned to buy houses in Magnolia Town. Boss owns more properties in Magnolia than anyone else!"

After hearing about this whole operation, Lucy became even more bewildered.

"Do jobs to make money—use the money to buy houses—rent out the houses to collect money."

"What kind of logic is that?"

Ye Yang looked indignant. "You people have no vision. Real estate prices will definitely keep rising in the future."

"Isn't 70,000 J a little too low for rent? Should I raise it next month~?"

Lucy immediately panicked when she heard that.

"Don't raise it, it's already expensive enough! If it goes any higher, I won't be able to afford it (????ε???)."

"Haha, I'm joking. I just heard someone rented a place around here, so I came by to show my face. I happened to run into these two at the door."

"Since you treated me to dinner yesterday, I'll waive your rent next month."

Lucy immediately stood up in delight, and her towel fell straight down, revealing her perfect figure before the two men and one cat.

Ye Yang hurriedly covered his ears. Yes, his ears.

"Ahhhhhhh!!!"

Just as Natsu was about to cover his ears, Lucy kicked him flying.

She then swiftly picked up her towel and headed into the bathroom.

("Mom, I'm not clean anymore...") (Tears streaming down her face)

The scene shifted.

After getting dressed, Lucy returned to the living room and found that the two of them still had not left.

"Why haven't you left yet?!"

Natsu said with a smile, "We're not leaving. We came to play with you."

Ye Yang said, "I heard from Natsu that you had something fun here, so I stayed."

Lucy thought for a long time but could not figure out what fun thing she had.

"I just moved in. I don't have anything here, okay?"

Natsu suddenly thought of something.

"Right! Lucy, don't you summon things?!"

"Let us see your keys!"

"Huh? Keys? You mean Celestial Spirits!"

"That's right, that's right. Let us see those."

Lucy looked helplessly at the excited Natsu and Happy.

Then Lucy took out all of her keys: three gold keys and three silver keys.

"These silver keys can basically all be bought in stores. These three belong to Horologium, the Southern Cross Crocus, and Lyra."

"As for these three gold keys, there are only twelve of them in the entire world. They are keys that can open the Golden Twelve Palaces, making them extremely precious."

"They are Taurus, Aquarius, and Cancer."