"Thud!"
With a dull impact, someone flew backward like a kite with its string cut, arcing through the air in anything but a graceful curve before crashing hard into the guild hall wall.
Dust billowed, and rubble tumbled down.
"Gray!"
Cana cried out, and the tarot cards in her hand scattered across the floor.
In the person-shaped dent in the wall, Gray rolled his eyes back and slowly slid down. A huge lump swelled on his head, and a white spirit puffed from his mouth.
Lu Chongwei drew back his fist, sighed helplessly, and blew at the nonexistent dust on his knuckles.
"I told you, your hand-to-hand combat skills still have a long way to go."
Lu Chongwei walked over to Gray and crouched beside him, poking his cheek with a finger.
"You still alive? If you are, make a sound."
"Eep..."
Gray let out a faint groan, twitched twice, and passed out completely.
The guild hall burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha! Gray got taken down in one hit again!"
"How many times has that been now? That kid just keeps bouncing back!"
Wakaba laughed so hard he nearly doubled over, his pipe still between his teeth.
Ever since Lu Chongwei had knocked him out with a single blow, Gray had seemed to take it as a personal challenge and trained like a madman. He had even shamelessly pestered Lu Chongwei to teach him hand-to-hand combat.
Lu Chongwei hadn't held back, and taught him a few basic techniques for generating power.
But after learning just a little, Gray's confidence had gone through the roof, and he'd turned around and challenged Erza.
As for how that ended...
Everyone glanced at the scarlet-haired figure in the corner, dressed in armor and elegantly polishing her blade, then looked in unison at Gray, sprawled motionless on the floor.
Brutal.
Absolutely brutal.
He'd been taken down in one hit again—and this time, Erza hadn't even drawn her sword. She'd knocked him out with the scabbard.
Lu Chongwei spent the day wandering around the guild hall.
He chatted with old hands like Macao and Wakaba, listening to their stories about their romantic escapades when they were young.
Every so often, his gaze drifted toward Erza in the corner.
The girl was still wrapped in that heavy armor, like an isolated island, keeping everyone at a distance.
Lu Chongwei tried striking up a conversation with her a few times.
"Erza, want to have some juice together?"
"No."
"Erza, you take good care of that sword."
"Mm."
"Erza..."
"I'm busy."
No matter what Lu Chongwei said, he always got a cold reply of one or two words.
She hardly spoke to anyone besides Lu Chongwei, either. Even Natsu, the outgoing sort who could make friends with anyone, got chased off by her fierce glare.
The sun set, bathing the whole town of Magnolia in orange-red light.
Lu Chongwei stretched, said goodbye to everyone at the guild, and walked out the door with an elegant cake box in hand.
He'd specially ordered a strawberry cake from the most famous pastry shop in town.
He'd heard that the shop's pastry chef had once been the royal palace's head cook. The cakes were sweet without being cloying, with a perfect texture.
"Hope it's to her taste."
Humming a little tune, Lu Chongwei strolled along the river through town on his way home.
The water shimmered in the setting sun. A breeze swept by, carrying the cool, damp scent of the river.
Suddenly, Lu Chongwei stopped.
A familiar figure sat on the riverbank up ahead.
Her scarlet hair fluttered softly in the breeze, and her silver armor reflected the glow of the setting sun.
It was Erza.
Unlike at the guild, she wasn't sitting ramrod straight. She had drawn her legs up and buried her face between her knees, curled into a tiny ball.
She looked utterly alone and helpless.
Lu Chongwei frowned slightly, softened his steps, and slowly approached.
As he drew closer, he made out the sound of muffled sobs.
"Erza?"
Lu Chongwei called softly.
The figure jolted.
Erza hastily raised her head and frantically wiped at her cheeks.
But even though she moved quickly, Lu Chongwei saw the tears filling her one eye and the redness around it.
What a look.
Lonely, helpless, vulnerable—nothing like the usually cold and powerful warrior.
"L-Lu Chongwei?"
Erza's voice was thick with tears. She awkwardly turned her face away, not wanting him to see her in such a sorry state.
"It's so late. What are you doing here?"
Lu Chongwei didn't answer. Instead, he walked right over and plopped down on the grass beside her.
He set the cake box down to one side and gazed at the flowing river as he spoke softly.
"I was passing by and happened to see you."
Erza fell silent.
She lowered her head and absentmindedly picked at the pattern on her armor, her voice barely more than a whisper.
"I... I just wanted to be alone for a little while."
"Everyone at the guild is so friendly, but... I don't know how to get along with them."
"Whenever I get close to people, I feel uneasy. Only when I wear this armor, only when I hide somewhere no one else is around, do I feel even a little safe."
As she spoke, the tears fell again.
Lu Chongwei turned to look at the girl, so strong that it hurt to see her like this.
He reached out and gently patted her cold shoulder plate.
"If you want to cry, go ahead and let it out. No one else is here."
Lu Chongwei's voice was gentle.
"Erza, you know, everyone at the guild really likes you."
Erza froze, then looked at him through tear-filled eyes.
"They... like me?"
"Of course."
Lu Chongwei smiled and nodded.
"Take Gray, for example. You beat him up until he's black and blue every time, but he still challenges you again and again. Do you really think he's trying to beat you?"
"Actually, he's just trying to get you to feel like part of the group, in his own clumsy way."
"At Fairy Tail, fighting is how we communicate. We meet through our fists and get to know each other through a good brawl."
"Because we're family."
Lu Chongwei pointed toward the guild.
"Family doesn't have to worry about so much. When we're happy, we laugh together. When we're sad, we cry together. And when trouble comes, we face it together."
"That's what Fairy Tail is."
As Erza listened, Gray's black-and-blue face flashed through her mind, still stubborn as ever. Then she pictured the sincere smiles of everyone at the guild.
"That idiot..."
Erza sniffled. She thought of the ridiculous way Gray had threatened to "win next time" even as she knocked him out with her scabbard, and couldn't help letting out a little laugh.
That smile chased the gloom from her face.
Lu Chongwei saw her smile and smiled along with her.
He picked up the cake box beside him and opened it.
A rich strawberry fragrance filled the air.
Inside were two delicate strawberry cakes, bright red berries arranged over snowy-white cream. They looked absolutely irresistible.
"Here."
Lu Chongwei picked one up and offered it to Erza.
"It's made by the best pastry chef in the kingdom. They used to make cakes exclusively for the royal family. I had to wait in line for ages to get one."
Erza looked at the cake, her throat bobbing slightly.
She took it carefully, picked up a fork, and scooped a small piece into her mouth.
The sweetness of the cream and the tang of the strawberries spread across her tongue.
The sweet flavor slid down her throat, seeming to turn into a warm current that chased away the chill in her heart.
"Is it good?" Lu Chongwei asked.
Erza looked up.
A little cream clung to the corner of her mouth, and a sweet, genuine smile appeared on her face.
"Mm! It's so sweet!"
In that moment, Erza let down all her defenses.
She was just an ordinary little girl who liked sweets.
Lu Chongwei saw her smiling face and felt relieved.
He stood up and brushed the grass off his pants.
"As long as you like it."
Lu Chongwei didn't stay any longer. He knew they'd talked enough for one day. Some knots in the heart needed time to work themselves loose.
"Try getting to know everyone, Erza."
With his back to her, Lu Chongwei waved.
"See you tomorrow. I hope I'll see a new Erza at the guild tomorrow—one who's ready to let everyone in."
With that, he carried off the remaining cake and walked away at an easy pace, gradually disappearing into the night.
Holding her cake, Erza watched Lu Chongwei's retreating figure for a long time.
She lowered her head and looked at the sweet cake in her hand, then at the cold armor she wore.
"Family...?"
She murmured softly, scooped up another big bite, and stuffed it into her mouth. A happy blush spread across her face.
Before you continue