The underground dragon graveyard was deathly silent and oppressive, a stark contrast to the bustling streets of Crocus aboveground.
Inside the tavern rented out by all of Fairy Tail, the atmosphere was heated to the extreme.
"Cheers!"
"To Fairy Tail's title as the strongest, and to today's great victory!"
Thunderous cheers and the crisp clinking of glasses nearly blew the roof off the entire tavern.
Everyone raised their glasses and drank heartily. Lisanna, Cana, Elfman, and the others sat around a long table, loudly discussing Natsu's incredible feat of taking on and crushing the Twin Dragons alone that day.
Lu Chongwei sat on the sofa with a glass of juice in hand. Watching his energetic companions, he smiled.
He gently took a gift box tied with an exquisite ribbon from his storage space.
"Erza, you worked hard. This is the royal limited-edition strawberry cake I specifically had the shopkeeper save for you."
Smiling, Lu Chongwei handed over the gift box.
Erza, who had been seriously discussing the upcoming matches with Mirajane, perked up her ears.
The moment she saw the royal golden shield emblem on the box, her eyes instantly lit up.
"Royal limited-edition strawberry cake?!"
Erza trembled with excitement, her cheeks flushing red.
Overwhelming joy washed away all her usual composure. She did not even have time to remove her heavy battle armor.
With a cheer, she lunged forward and crashed headfirst into Lu Chongwei's embrace.
"Zhongwei! You're simply the best companion in the whole world!"
Bang!
Hiss—!
Her hard steel breastplate slammed viciously into Lu Chongwei's chin with tremendous force.
Stars flashed before his eyes. His teeth ached so badly that he sucked in a sharp breath, his face filled with utter despair.
"Erza, it's fine to be excited, but could you take off your armor first...?"
Watching