The Addition of Three People

With the misunderstanding cleared up, the next steps followed naturally.

"Then, in the name of the third master of Fairy Tail, I approve your membership!"

Makarov waved his large hand and brought out the guild's stamp.

"Come, come! Choose a color and a spot you like!"

Lisanna was the first to rush forward.

"I want red! Stamp it on my left shoulder!"

"Thwack!"

Makarov stamped it down with practiced ease.

Lisanna looked at the red Fairy Tail emblem on her shoulder, spun around happily, and showed it to Lu Chongwei.

"Big Brother! Look! I'm a Fairy Tail mage now too!"

"It suits you well." Lu Chongwei smiled and patted her head.

Next was Elfman.

The big guy was so nervous his hands were shaking, and he stammered, "I, I want black... on, on my neck..."

After the stamp was applied, he touched his neck and grinned foolishly, as if he had gained infinite power.

Finally, it was Mirajane's turn.

She walked up to Makarov, glanced at her demonic right hand, took a deep breath, and set her gaze with determination.

"I want black, stamped on my left thigh."

As the stamp fell, the three wandering children finally had a home of their own.

"Alright! Since everyone is stamped, we're all family now!"

Makarov jumped onto the table and raised his mug.

"Listen up, brats! To celebrate our new members, let the banquet begin!!!"

"Ohhhhhhh!!!"

Cheers rang out to the heavens.

Immediately following was the traditional Fairy Tail "self-introduction" segment.

Lisanna stood on the table, not the least bit shy, and gave everyone a sweet smile and a bow.

"Hello everyone! My name is Lisanna! Please take care of me from now on!"

Her adorable appearance instantly captured the hearts of all the grown men in the guild.

"Oh! So cute!"

"She's an angel!"

"If anyone dares to bully Lisanna, I'll be the first to object!"

When it was Elfman's turn, the atmosphere shifted abruptly.

He stood there, at a loss, facing dozens of eyes. His face turned a deep shade of liver-red, and his mouth opened and closed for a long time without a word coming out.

"I... I am... that..."

Good-natured laughter erupted from below.

Elfman panicked even more and looked toward Lu Chongwei for help.

Lu Chongwei, sitting by the bar, raised his glass and shouted at him:

"Chest out! Elfman!"

"Since you've joined Fairy Tail, you're a man!"

"A man speaks with a loud voice!"

Hearing the word "man," it was as if a switch had been flipped inside Elfman.

He took a deep breath, suddenly straightened his back, closed his eyes, and roared:

"I am Elfman! I am a man!!!"

"Good!!!"

A burst of applause erupted in the guild.

"That's more like it!"

Finally, Mirajane simply stated her name, but the composure and confidence she displayed made her look like a completely different person from the shrinking girl who had first walked through the door.

The banquet officially reached its climax.

Beer barrels were emptied, and food flew through the air.

"Hey! Lu Chongwei!"

Cana hugged a barrel larger than her own head, swaying as she walked over and slammed it down heavily in front of Lu Chongwei.

"I heard you can really hold your liquor? Come on! If I don't drink you under the table today, my name isn't Cana!"

Following behind her were Macao and Wakaba, those two troublemakers who lived for chaos.

"Go for it, Cana! Show that S-Class what you're made of!"

"Don't you back down, Lu Chongwei!"

Lu Chongwei looked at the barrel before him and smiled helplessly.

"Competing with me in drinking? You're all a hundred years too early."

Without further ado, he picked up the barrel and began to chug it down like a whale.

Relying on a physique far beyond that of an ordinary person, this amount of alcohol was no different from water to him.

Ten minutes later.

"Ugh..."

Cana's eyes spun in circles, and she slid right under the table.

Macao and Wakaba didn't fare any better; they were already sprawled on the floor, babbling nonsense.

"Tch, not a single one of you can fight."

Lu Chongwei wiped his mouth, looking completely relaxed.

Just then, two figures flanked him from the left and right.

"Perfect chance! He's drunk!"

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

"Ice-Make: Lance!"

Natsu and Gray, those two rivals, were rarely in such perfect sync, hoping to take advantage of Lu Chongwei's "drunkenness" to launch a sneak attack and get their revenge.

However.

Lu Chongwei didn't even turn his head, extending both hands simultaneously.

"Snap! Snap!"

Two crisp sounds rang out.

Natsu's fist was caught firmly by his left hand, while Gray's ice lance was crushed between two fingers of his right hand.

"Sneak attacks aren't a good habit, boys."

Lu Chongwei turned around, a kind smile on his face.

"Since you have so much energy, I'll spar with you."

"Thud! Thud!"

After two muffled impacts, two more craters appeared in the floor, with Natsu and Gray planted neatly inside, bottoms facing the sky.

"Hahahaha!"

The guild was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

Mirajane sat in the corner, holding a glass of juice, quietly watching this chaotic yet heartwarming scene.

She watched Lu Chongwei chatting and laughing among the crowd, watched Lisanna being doted on by everyone in the center, and watched Elfman working hard to learn how to pose like a "real man" from a few of the older guys.

The corners of her mouth lifted unconsciously.

There was no fear here, no exclusion, only laughter and freedom.

Mirajane lowered her head, looking at the black emblem on her thigh, and gently stroked it with her finger.

"Fairy Tail..."

She whispered the name silently in her heart.

An unprecedented sense of belonging welled up within her.

She raised her head, her gaze fixed firmly on everything before her.

"I must become stronger."

"I will learn to control this power so I don't make anyone worry anymore."

"And then..."

Her gaze landed on the back of the man who was currently pulling Natsu out of the floor.

"I will protect this home, and I will protect everyone here."