A few days later.
The weather in Magnolia suddenly became ridiculously hot.
The heatwave raged on the street, wave after wave, even the wind felt scorching.
The stone pavement was bleached white by the sun, the leaves on the trees were wilted, and the roadside stalls selling cold drinks were almost overflowing with people.
The Fairy Tail guild was no longer as bustling and lively as it used to be.
Lucy pushed open the door and walked in, feeling so hot that she was completely listless.
"Ugh--It's so hot..."
She dragged herself to the bar and collapsed onto it.
"Miss Mira, do you have any ice water?"
Mirajane stood behind the bar and pushed a glass of iced water in front of her, her smile still as gentle as ever.
"Give."
Lucy took it and drank most of the glass in one gulp before she could recover.
"This is terrible, how could it be so hot this year..."
After she finished speaking, she looked up and glanced around the guild, then suddenly paused in surprise.
Why are there so few people?
Normally, the guild would be in an uproar at this time.
But now, the hall is mostly empty.
Only Mirajane, Erza, Lisanna, and a few others remained, and even the sounds of fighting had diminished considerably.
Mirajane wiped the cups and said softly, "Everyone's been really busy lately."
"Busy?"
Lucy looked puzzled.
Just as she was about to ask another question, yesterday's events suddenly flashed through her mind.
Yesterday, Cana, holding a barrel of wine, calmly announced that she was leaving the guild.
At that time, she thought Cana was drunk.
Looking back now, Cana's expression at the time was quite serious.
Lucy quickly sat up straight.
"By the way, Miss Mira, Cana said yesterday that she's leaving the guild. What happened?"
Mirajane paused for a moment, then smiled.
"This one."
Lucy pressed, "She's not really going to leave, is she?"
Erza sat to the side drinking tea, her expression calm, and did not respond.
Lisanna sat beside her, clearly aware of some of the details, and smiled without saying a word.
Lucy was even more confused.
"Wait, why are you all reacting like this? Am I the only one who doesn't know?"
Mirajane couldn't help but chuckle softly at her anxious expression.
"Don't worry, it's not the kind of departure you're thinking of."
What is that?
" Cana says this every year around this time."
"Ah?"
Lucy was stunned.
"Each year?"
Mirajane nodded, deliberately keeping everyone in suspense.
You'll find out soon enough.
Lucy was speechless for a moment.
"Miss Mira, how come you've learned to tease people like this too..."
Mirajane smiled, pursing her lips, without offering any explanation.
Just then, the guild gate was kicked open with a bang.
Natsu and Happy rushed in.
"Where's the task sheet?!"
"Love! Hurry up!"
The two went straight to the notice board as soon as they entered, moving as if their lives depended on it.
Lucy was startled.
What are you two doing?
Natsu ripped off a mission sheet, his face beaming with excitement.
"Of course, it's about doing missions!"
Happy nodded repeatedly.
"Love! This is the time to make big money on your own!"
Lucy was taken aback.
"What does 'this period' mean?"
Natsu didn't have time to explain; he grabbed the mission sheet and rushed out.
"We'll talk about it when we get back!"
Happy followed behind, waving his paws.
" Lucy, we're going now!"
"Bang!"
The door closed again.
Lucy sat there, completely stunned.
"What's going on...?"
Before she could react, the door opened again.
Gray walked in from outside.
To be precise, it was Gray walked in shirtless.
Lucy glanced at it, and her forehead twitched.
"Why are you naked again!"
Gray calmly walked to the counter and slammed the mission request form on the table.
"Turn in the mission."
Mirajane skillfully took it and glanced at it.
"It was finished very quickly."
"Certainly."
Gray turned and went to the bulletin board, tearing down a new task list.
Lucy looked at him, completely bewildered.
"You just got back, right? Why are you answering again?"
Gray had already turned and walked out.
"There's no other way; we can't stop during this period."
Lucy pointed at him and shouted a reminder.
"At least put your clothes on!"
Gray paused, glancing down at himself.
"... oh."
He said that, but he had already walked out the door without turning back to get his clothes.
Lucy's eye twitched.
"This guy is hopeless."
She had barely finished speaking when the doors were pushed open again.
One Mage after another rushed in.
"I'll take this one!"
Don't try to take this one from me!
"Let's forget about forming a team, I can go by myself!"
"Don't push! I saw it first!"
The guild, which had been relatively quiet, suddenly erupted into chaos again.
Everyone rushed to the task list, their eyes shining, moving faster than the next, afraid of missing out big time if they were even a step behind.
Lucy was almost knocked over by the crowd.
"Wait, wait a minute--"
She had just reached out her hand when she was pushed aside by the people behind her.
Two more people started fighting fiercely over the same order.
"This is mine!"
"Bullshit! I bumped into it first!"
"Stop teaming up, let's all do our own thing!"
"Fine, let's call it a day!"
Lucy stood to the side, completely dumbfounded.
"Wait... why did even the team disband?"
She stared at the group of people who had suddenly started frantically scrambling for tasks, her mind reeling.
The guild argues all the time, but never to this extent.
These people are completely insane today.
Before long, most of the tasks on the taskbar were snapped up.
A group of people received the mission and ran away.
I'm leaving now!
"Let's drink when we get back!"
Don't hold me back!
"This time, nobody will beat me!"
Bang bang bang bang--
The door opened and closed, closed and opened again.
The number of people in the guild is decreasing.
By the time Lucy finally came to her senses from the chaos, the hall was empty.
It was a complete mess just a moment ago, but now it's eerily quiet.
Lucy stood there blankly, looking down at her empty hands and then at her quest log that had been completely looted.
"... So, am I the only one who knows nothing?"
Lisanna was trying not to laugh.
"That seems to be the case."
Lucy turned her head away with a look of utter despair.
Why didn't anyone tell me beforehand?
Mirajane smiled and handed her a fresh glass of iced water.
"Because it's easier to see these things with your own eyes."
Lucy took the cup, still looking resentful.
She took a sip, then suddenly remembered something and looked around.
"Oh, right."
"Where is Zhongwei?"
Lucy this question, Erza also looked up.
Mirajane wasn't surprised; she had expected her to ask.
" Zhongwei has gone to cultivate."
Lucy paused.
"... ah?"
He left two days ago.
"What?!"
Lucy screamed out loud, almost dropping her cup.
"He went to cultivate himself?!"
She looked at Mirajane with disbelief.
"No, Zhongwei is already so strong, what else does he need to cultivate?"
Mirajane looked at her, her voice very soft.
"Because he wants to become stronger."
"Want it to be even stronger?"
"Um."
Mirajane lowered her head to wipe the cup, her smile fading slightly, and her voice softening.
He said he had to protect everyone.