Welcome Back, Bastard

Everyone burst into laughter again, the hall lively beyond words.

Lu Chongwei looked at the noisy scene before him, and the corners of his mouth rose before he knew it.

This was Fairy Tail.

No matter how long they had been apart, their reunion was still just as it had been in the beginning.

He lifted his eyes and swept them across the crowd, quickly locking onto the figure in the shadows.

Ultear.

She stood there quietly, not pushing forward into the crowd, only silently looking at him.

The night was hazy. Her eyes were red-rimmed, her lips trembling slightly, yet her face held a gentle smile.

Lu Chongwei stepped toward her.

The crowd parted on its own, opening a path.

Ultear watched him approach step by step, her heartbeat suddenly speeding up.

A thousand words were lodged in her throat, but she could not say a single one.

Lu Chongwei stopped in front of her and lowered his head, gazing at her.

"Seven years apart, and you've lost weight."

Ultear's tears broke free in an instant.

She lowered her head, unwilling to let him see her crying.

"You're the one who's lost weight. You look much more weathered than before."

"That's a man's maturity." Lu Chongwei smiled faintly.

Ultear looked up and glared at him, her eyes filled with grievance and longing, without the slightest trace of anger.

"Do you have any idea how worried I was about you these past seven years?"

Her voice trembled slightly.

"For seven whole years, there was no news of you. Every day, I was afraid—afraid I'd receive word of your deaths."

"That wouldn't happen." Lu Chongwei's tone was firm as he cut her off. "I promised you I would definitely come back."

"But—"

"And besides."

Lu Chongwei changed tack, his tone carrying