Natsu Dragneel

The guild hall fell awkwardly quiet for a moment.

Makarov stood on the bar with his hands on his hips. His mustache was bristling with fury, and his cloudy old eyes were fixed on Lu Chongwei, who had just returned.

"Four months! Four whole months!"

Makarov roared, spraying spittle everywhere.

"Do you think the guild is an inn? You come and go as you please? You didn't even send a letter! Were you trying to worry this old man to death?!"

Lu Chongwei hunched his shoulders and put on an ingratiating smile.

He knew the old man had a sharp tongue but a soft heart. Talking back now would only add fuel to the fire.

"Come on, Master, calm down."

Lu Chongwei stepped closer and skillfully began massaging Makarov's shoulders. His technique was impeccable.

"I ran into some unusual circumstances, and I wasn't just sitting around doing nothing. I brought back plenty of good stuff for the guild."

"Hmph! Don't try that on me!"

Makarov turned his head with a huff, but his body was all too happy to enjoy Lu Chongwei's massage.

"What could possibly make up for you skipping work for four months? I'll have you know, even if the King of Heaven himself showed up, I'd still dock your pay this time!"

Lu Chongwei chuckled and pulled a thick magazine from his robes as if performing a magic trick.

The cover featured a pinup that made anyone who glanced at it blush and their heart race. The model had a stunning figure and a provocative pose.

"Ta-da!"

Lu Chongwei lowered his voice and said mysteriously,

"Master, this is a limited-edition issue of Sorcerer Weekly. You can only get it through private channels in the capital. It features the top three contestants in this year's beauty pageant, and it's an unreleased swimsuit special..."

Before he could finish,

Makarov's eyes widened like saucers. His face, already red with anger, turned purple, and two utterly disloyal streams of blood trickled from his nose.

"Th-this is..."

Makarov took the magazine with trembling hands and stroked its cover as if it were a priceless treasure.

"Ahem!"

He quickly stuffed it inside his robe and cleared his throat with great dignity. His anger vanished in an instant, replaced by a kindly smile.

"Well... Lu Chongwei, you're young. It's good to get out and see the world. Reading ten thousand books can't compare to traveling ten thousand miles. I have high hopes for you!"

The entire guild collapsed.

"That's all it took to buy him off?!"

Wakaba was so shocked that he dropped his pipe.

Having dealt with his biggest problem, Lu Chongwei turned to the onlookers and clapped his hands.

"Alright, alright. There's something for everyone. I've got gifts for all of you!"

Like a benevolent gift-giver, he began pulling things out of a magical travel bag that seemed to have no end.

"Uncle Wakaba, this one's for you."

Lu Chongwei tossed him an elegant wooden box.

Wakaba caught it and took a look inside. His eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"Th-this is Golden Leaf, the royal family's exclusive tobacco?!"

Wakaba's hands trembled with excitement. This stuff was the finest of the finest, impossible to buy no matter how much you had. They said one puff could leave you feeling refreshed for three days.

"Lu Chongwei, you're my real dad!"

Wakaba clutched the tobacco box and wept with gratitude.

"Get out of here. I don't have a son as old as you."

Lu Chongwei waved him off in disgust, then turned to Erza, who stood nearby, looking both expectant and a little embarrassed.

"Erza."

Lu Chongwei beckoned her over.

Erza walked up, her usually sharp eyes sparkling.

"This is for you."

Lu Chongwei handed her a long sword with a simple, classical design.

Its scabbard was deep red, carved with delicate cherry blossom patterns.

Erza took the sword and drew it partway.

"Shing—"

A crisp ring echoed through the hall. A flash of cold light gleamed, and the temperature seemed to drop several degrees.

"What a fine sword!"

Erza knew her weapons. She could tell at a glance that this blade was no ordinary one.

"This sword is called Crimson Sakura. It's made from a special magical ore, which conducts magic extremely well. It should suit your Requip Magic perfectly."

Lu Chongwei explained with a smile.

Erza lovingly ran her fingers over the blade. A faint blush touched her cheeks, and she smiled radiantly.

"Thank you, Lu Chongwei. I love it."

That smile set the hearts of all the men around her racing.

Was this really the fearsome woman known as Titania? She looked more like the sweet girl next door!

Finally, Lu Chongwei went over to Gray.

Gray still had his usual cocky air, with his hands in his pockets—despite not wearing a shirt—and his gaze wandering off to the side.

"Hey, you don't have to get me anything. I wasn't expecting anything anyway..."

He said that, but the way his eyes kept darting toward Lu Chongwei's hands gave him away.

Suppressing a laugh, Lu Chongwei produced a blue necklace that gave off a faint chill.

"Just take it. You can stop pretending."

Lu Chongwei tossed him the necklace.

"It's an Ice Crystal Necklace. It'll help stabilize the flow of magic in your body and make your construct magic more durable. Maybe the next Ice Shield you make won't break so easily."

Gray caught the necklace. Feeling its coolness, he felt a warmth spread through his heart.

This guy might tease him all the time, but he sure came through when it mattered.

"Hmph. You didn't have to."

Gray grumbled, but he quickly slipped the necklace around his neck and checked it out in a mirror.

The guild was filled with laughter and cheer as everyone shared the joy of their gifts.

"BAM!!!"

The guild doors were violently kicked open once more.

A lively figure charged inside.

"Lu Chongwei!!! Where are you?!"

Everyone turned to look.

A boy stood in the doorway. He had cherry-blossom-colored hair and a white scarf made of scales around his neck.

His eyes blazed as he excitedly scanned the hall, then locked onto Lu Chongwei.

"I finally found you!"

The boy shouted and struck a fighting pose.

"I'm Natsu Dragneel! I challenge you!"

Lu Chongwei looked at the overexcited boy and raised an eyebrow.

So this was the protagonist of the original story, Natsu Dragneel, the Fire Dragon Slayer Mage?

He certainly looked full of energy.

Before Lu Chongwei could say anything, Gray stepped in, already annoyed.

He'd just gotten a gift and was in a good mood, only for that sudden bellow to ruin it.

"Hey, you wild brat! What's with all the shouting? Don't you know any manners?"

Gray walked up to Natsu, looking displeased.

Natsu turned and sized Gray up. When he saw Gray's bare chest, he looked disgusted.

"Huh? Are you some kind of pervert? Walking around without a shirt in broad daylight?"

"And what's wrong with your eyes? They droop so low they're practically on the ground. Are you half asleep, Droopy Eyes?"

The veins on Gray's forehead bulged.

"What did you say?! You weird-haired freak! Your eyes are the ones that stick up! Pinched Eyes!"

"Droopy Eyes!"

"Pinched Eyes!"

"Bastard! You want to fight?!"

"Bring it on! I'm not scared of you!"

They were natural enemies. Sparks flew the moment they met.

The next second,

they were rolling around in a brawl.

No magic—just old-fashioned hand-to-hand combat.

One grabbed the other's face, the other tugged at his hair. They rolled across the floor and knocked over several tables.

"Those two idiots..."

Lu Chongwei rubbed his forehead helplessly.

That was just an ordinary day at Fairy Tail.

Just as the two were locked in a fierce struggle,

a cold voice rang out above them.

"What are you two doing?"

Natsu and Gray froze in place.

They looked up mechanically and met Erza's utterly emotionless gaze.

Erza held the Crimson Sakura Lu Chongwei had just given her, and an suffocating murderous aura radiated from her.

"That was... a gift from Lu Chongwei..."

Erza pointed at the cake box the two had knocked to the floor—the dessert Lu Chongwei had picked up along the way. Her voice was terrifyingly low.

"You... crushed it."

"Uh..."

Natsu and Gray broke into a cold sweat and clung to each other, trembling.

"Um... Erza, it was a misunderstanding..."

"Whether it was a misunderstanding or not..."

Erza raised her fist, her armor glinting in the light.

"Destroying guild property, wasting food, and causing a disturbance."

"Death penalty!"

"Thud! Thud!"

Two dull impacts sounded.

Before Natsu or Gray could even scream, Erza punched them each once and smashed them straight into the floor.

The world fell silent.

With smoking lumps on their heads, they lay in the crater with their eyes rolled back, their bodies twitching now and then.

Even so, Natsu stubbornly raised one hand and pointed at Erza, trembling.

"I... I'll definitely... beat you..."

Then he passed out completely.

Watching this, Lu Chongwei couldn't help but marvel.

"So this is the future Titania. She really lives up to her reputation."

Still...

Looking at Erza's furious expression over the ruined cake, he couldn't help finding it funny.

This girl seemed to be heading in a rather strange direction.

A moment later,

thanks to the abnormal recovery of a Dragon Slayer Mage, Natsu came around, wobbling as he got to his feet.

He touched the lump on his head and grimaced in pain, but the fighting spirit in his eyes hadn't dimmed at all.

Ignoring the onlookers, he went straight to Lu Chongwei.

"Hey! Lu Chongwei!"

Natsu shouted.

"I heard you're the strongest Fire Mage in the guild. I don't buy it!"

"My fire is the strongest! I'll beat you!"

Lu Chongwei looked at the persistent boy and set down his glass of milk.

He could sense the restless magic inside Natsu—the power of a dragon.

It was still immature, but that pure heat was enough to catch his eye.

"You want to challenge me?"

Lu Chongwei smiled playfully.

"Sure."

He stood up and rolled his wrists.

"I just got back. A little exercise will do me good."

The moment Lu Chongwei accepted the challenge, the guild erupted with excitement.

"Ohhh! This is going to be good!"

"The new Fire Dragon Slayer Mage is challenging Lu Chongwei? That kid's got some nerve!"

"Hurry, hurry! Let's go outside! Don't wreck the guild hall!"

Everyone poured out of the guild hall and gathered in the open space outside.

A clash of fire against fire was about to unfold!