A few days ago, Magnolia had already begun its preparations, decorating the city and working feverishly to get everything ready.
After all, the annual Harvest Festival—the "Fairy Tail" Magical Parade—was about to begin. It was a grand event that stood above all others on the continent! By then, people from all over the kingdom, and even from many parts of the continent, would flock here to join the festivities and watch the celebration. As the host and organizer, the Fairy Tail guild naturally had to make every possible preparation and get this grand event ready.
Besides, this year's Harvest Festival was very different from previous years!
In addition to the usual entertainment—flower viewing, the magical parade, floats, food, lanterns, fireworks, and so on—there would be one especially important event this year:
The First Fairy Tail Martial Arts Tournament!
According to reliable sources, the tournament Fairy Tail was holding this time wouldn't be like an ordinary wizard tournament. This one would determine a single overall champion, and the winner could inherit the position of guild master of Fairy Tail, one of the kingdom's most prominent guilds, right then and there?
And so, in keeping with the spirit of not wanting to miss a spectacle, even some people from out of town who hadn't planned on visiting Magnolia started pouring in after hearing the news. Some even arrived days early, making the already bustling city of Magnolia instantly more crowded and noisy than ever.
But, well...
"..."
(￣~￣) Chew!
Annie didn't have much to do with any of that.
So, while certain people were happily taking part in the parade, she bought a whole pile of delicious food and headed off by herself to the seawall behind the guild hall. Sitting on the railing, she swung her legs and stared absently at