Erza

X782, September 6.

The day after joining Fairy Tail.

The bustling central street of Magnolia.

Noah was now filled with regret for turning around and accepting Natsu's invitation to team up after all.

"Help! Natsu! Noah!"

The little blue cat was teary-eyed, scrambling and tumbling as he was chased by the "ferocious beast" behind him.

But when Happy called for help, Natsu was nowhere to be seen, and Noah merely watched with cool detachment. The ferocious beast in Happy's eyes was actually a somewhat goofy-looking big dog.

The dog wanted to play with Happy, but the cat was clearly scared by its size.

Only after the cat and dog had run around Noah's feet for more than twenty laps, with Happy panting heavily while the dog remained full of energy, did Noah finally speak up helplessly.

"Happy, Happy, use that cute little head of yours. You can fly."

"Oh, right!"

With Noah's reminder, Happy finally remembered his Aera magic, escaping the panic of being chased by a dog.

A tiny pair of wings opened on his back. Flapping hard, they carried the panting Happy off the ground, and he wobbled over to land on Noah's shoulder.

Exhausted, Happy stuck out his tongue and unceremoniously flopped down, gradually melting into a limp cat strip draped over Noah's shoulder.

After patting the little cat on the head, Noah looked down at the lively big dog, which kept excitedly rearing up on its hind legs.

The dog had triangular ears and thick, dense fur in two layers. The outer coat was gray-black, and the inner coat was white. Its pair of icy blue eyes brimmed with clear, vacant stupidity.

"Be a good boy, Erha. I'm taking you home."

Noah grabbed the dog named Erha. Though Erha kept tossing his head and twisting his forty-pound body, there was no way he could wriggle free of Noah's large hand.

Once the collar was on, he had to accept the fate of being a pet dog.

Noah took out a small packet of jerky and broke it in half, giving one piece to Happy and the other to Erha. Their client had given it to them, saying it was her dog's favorite treat and might help them find her two missing pets.

Noah had tested it. It hadn't helped at all, though Happy had managed to get a little out of it.

Looking at Erha, who had finally settled down, Noah could only feel exasperated. Having Erha meant there was also a Daha, and Natsu had gone after that dog.

So this was what Natsu had called "a decent job."

They were helping the client find her two missing pet dogs, Daha and Erha. The reward was thirty thousand.

Noah was a little disappointed with the job, because it was too uneventful.

In fact, half of the jobs accepted by a magic guild came from ordinary people. Of course, given Fairy Tail's current reputation, wealthy merchants also came to post jobs.

Jobs that required fighting to complete, such as exterminating monsters or suppressing bandits, made up less than a third of all the guild's jobs. They were not only fairly dangerous, but the reward wasn't necessarily very high, either.

With the job Noah was doing now, they could get thirty thousand just for finding two ordinary pet dogs. Divided between the two of them and one cat, that was just right. The reward was already quite high compared to other jobs to find missing pets.

"Happy, if you've had enough rest, fly up and look for Natsu."

"Aye!"

Happy flew into the air, then immediately landed again. His little cat face was impossible to hide his embarrassment. Before Noah could ask what was wrong, he heard a clattering noise that grew closer and closer.

Following the sound, Noah immediately understood why Happy was embarrassed.

A big dog of the same breed, just a little larger than Erha, was panting as he darted through the crowd.

The cherry-haired boy chasing him wasn't nearly as nimble as the dog. He'd knocked into plenty of vendors' stalls along the way, and that clattering was the result.

It was just a dog. Did he really have to go that far?

Noah was starting to wonder whether the thirty-thousand reward would be enough to cover the damages.

"Happy! Noah! Help me stop Daha!" Natsu spotted his companions, his eyes lighting up.

But Noah pretended not to know him. Holding the cat in one arm and the dog's leash in the other, he tried to make a getaway like any passerby.

However, the dog named Daha had been chased by Natsu around Magnolia for two whole laps and was already exhausted. When he saw Erha, he stopped at Noah's feet without thinking.

Natsu seized the opportunity to pounce and capture the tired dog, then turned to Noah and gave him a thumbs-up.

"Nice work, Noah!"

"This is about to get a whole lot worse, Natsu..."

Noah muttered under his breath. The vendors who'd suffered damage from Natsu's reckless charge had already surrounded them, demanding compensation.

Noah would have liked to say he didn't know Natsu, but the guild mark on his arm had already revealed that they were in the same guild. Denying it wouldn't do any good.

Though Noah could easily escape with his physical skills, the vendors' complaint letters would probably reach Makarov before long.

It was Noah's first job. He hoped they could settle things peacefully.

After talking with the vendors, Noah roughly calculated the amount they needed to pay in damages. Thirty thousand in total, not a coin more or less.

Well, so much for making a profit.

Noah finally understood why Natsu and Happy could end up starving at their house until they were too weak to move. With Natsu acting this recklessly, they were lucky if a job didn't cost them money.

Looking at the goofy, hot-blooded cherry-haired idiot, Noah knew his pockets were emptier than Happy's face. With a helpless sigh, he paid out of his own pocket.

Just as Noah was taking out the money, a calm yet imposing voice rang out.

"Natsu, you've caused trouble again."

At the sound of that voice, Natsu's body trembled uncontrollably. Noah was astonished.

What kind of powerhouse had shown up to frighten even the thick-skinned Natsu?

The two dogs at Noah's feet lay flat on the ground, as if they'd sensed a presence that frightened them and chosen to submit.

The onlookers and the vendors demanding compensation parted on their own, leaving a path for the newcomer.

A figure entered Noah's view, unhurried.

She was a spirited young woman with an unmistakable air of leadership.

Her upper body was encased in armor bearing the Fairy Tail emblem, covering her from the neck down. Her lower half, however, was clad in a short skirt and black thigh-high boots.

Her scarlet hair fell to her back. A lock of side-swept bangs covered her right eye, but couldn't hide her sharp gaze.

"Erza."

The same bearing, the same appearance, the same sense of pressure. Noah had finally encountered the counterpart of someone he knew in Earth-land, and the name slipped out before he could stop himself.

The girl heading straight toward Natsu heard the boy beside him call her name. She stopped and looked over at him. He was a stranger.

"You know me?"

"Of course. I joined the guild yesterday, and I've heard everyone talk about you."

Noah showed her the guild mark on his arm, then extended his right hand and continued, "My name is Noah."

Seeing his guild mark, the girl's tone softened. She took his hand. "Welcome to Fairy Tail. I'm Erza Scarlet."

Noah silently repeated Erza's name to himself. Scarlet... So only the surname was different.

In the world of Edolas, the commander of the Second Royal Army of the human kingdom was named Erza Knightwalker. She was Erza's counterpart, and she was on good terms with that world's Fairy Tail.

He hadn't expected the Erza of Earth-land to be a member of Fairy Tail.

What a curious coincidence.

He wondered whether Erza in this world was also skilled in fighting with weapons.

Noah's gaze lowered to the sword at Erza's side.