Gift

In the spacious living room.

The girls sat together in small groups of two or three.

Lucy and Wendy squeezed onto a single armchair. Though it was meant for one person, Wendy was small, and Lucy was likewise a slender, graceful girl, so they did not look overly cramped. Sitting close together also made them seem intimate.

Back when Lucy was little, Feng Ye had brought Wendy along when he went to treat her mother Layla's Magic Deficiency Syndrome. During that time, Lucy and Wendy had become quite close. Thus, aside from Feng Ye, Wendy was naturally the person she knew best in Fairy Tail.

Blinking her eyes, Wendy asked curiously, "Why did you come to our guild to become a mage, Sister Lucy? I remember your family having a huge business, didn't it?"

Lucy smiled like a young girl and said, "Managing all those businesses would be so boring. I've always wanted to go on adventures, so I ran away this time. By the way, Wendy, you've grown quite a bit."

As she spoke, Lucy patted Wendy's little head.

A faint blush of embarrassment appeared on Wendy's face. "You've grown up too, Sister Lucy."

Lucy giggled. "I've been following news about all of you ever since then. I collected so, so many newspaper articles about you."

"Really? So Lucy had been paying attention to us from so early on. It seems we've all known about each other for a long time already."

Levy walked over carrying a tea tray and set it on the coffee table. There were three cups of hot tea on it. She picked up one for herself and gave Lucy an adorable smile.

Lucy was slightly surprised by Levy's affectionate use of "-chan," but rather than feeling any dislike, she immediately felt much fonder toward