Mirajane's Day at the Guild

In the early morning, sunlight spilled across the quilt as Mirajane groggily woke up in bed.

She suddenly sat bolt upright, her eyes widening. I hope the villagers won't—

Huh? No, I'm not in the village anymore.

Then it's fine.

That's right, that's right. I've come to Magnolia and become a wizard. I don't have to see those awful villagers ever again.

Mirajane deflated and lay back down. Raising her right hand, she noticed that the "light" around her arm had become slightly distorted. It looked like she needed to see Aibo again to replenish the magic~

She had yet to fully master Take Over Magic. The Demons arm still could not be freely summoned and dismissed, so every couple of days, she had to ask Aibo to replenish the Illusion Magic concealing that ugly arm.

Mirajane was sincerely grateful to Aibo. Without the help of that Illusion Magic, if she had needed to show that ugly arm to everyone every day, she might have chosen to leave the guild on her own by now.

Mirajane would never allow her ugly self to affect Elfman and Lisanna. They had only just managed to begin new lives. She absolutely could not ruin everything because of herself.

Fortunately, that had not happened...

It was time to get up and make breakfast for her younger brother and sister.

Mirajane patted her cheeks to encourage herself, then got up to wash, make breakfast, wake her siblings...

Everything felt as familiar as the days before they had encountered Demons. Looking at the house their parents had left behind, Mirajane felt even more grateful to Aibo.

After breakfast, Mirajane spent several minutes dressing up in front of the mirror. She changed into her newly bought "Wild Tyrant" outfit, tied up her ponytail, picked up a small lunchbox, and headed out while humming a tune.

After walking for two minutes, she reached Little Garden. Before she could knock, the door opened, revealing a pink-haired, busty maid.

"Good morning, Virgo."

"Good morning, Miss Mira. If you are looking for the young master, he is in the study on the third floor."

"Got it. Thanks."

After joining Fairy Tail, Aibo had helped them settle into a home as well—he had moved the entire house out of some space and placed it at the edge of town. They had become each other's only neighbors.

The maid before her was a Celestial Spirit. Mirajane did not really understand what Celestial Spirits were, but she did not actually like Virgo very much.

Virgo always looked expressionless, making it impossible to tell what she was thinking. Communicating with her felt uncomfortable. She was the second person Mira disliked most after coming to Magnolia.

Still, for Aibo's sake, Mirajane would not show her dislike.

"Aibo~ Your magic is about to wear off. Top me up!"

Aibo stopped writing at his desk and sighed.

"Didn't I already modify that spell? You only need to add magic power to it every day. You don't need to come to me."

"No! What if I accidentally damage the magic circle? If this arm gets exposed, I'll die! You have to inspect it yourself!"

"Yes, yes, yes. Come here."

Aibo carefully finished charging the spell, then waved his hand.

"There. Now hurry up and go. Don't interrupt my reading."

"Hmph, you little bookworm! Here, I made too many pastries this morning. They would go to waste anyway, so I'm letting you have them."

"Virgo already made me breakfast."

"Eat them or don't. I'm leaving!"

"...Mira, stop dressing like some delinquent girl every day. You're seriously dragging down our guild's average fashion sense."

"None of your business! I like it!"

Mira huffed and left Aibo's house with her head held high.

Next, she had to take her younger brother and sister to the guild. Lately, they had been following the guild master to train in controlling Take Over Magic, while Elfman and Lisanna were learning new magic as well.

Honestly, Mirajane felt that she was close to mastering the trick. It should have been something worth celebrating, but for some reason, she was not anxious at all.

It was probably because she had Aibo's Illusion Magic. Whether she concealed it or not, nobody could see it anyway, so there really was no need to rush.

The moment she stepped into the guild, a pink-haired hedgehog head came flying toward her. Mirajane frowned and punched him.

"You bastard, Natsu! You almost crashed into Lisanna!"

"Ah! That hurts like hell! Damn it! It's you violent freak, Mira! Let's duel!"

"Bring it on! You think I'm scared?"

Mirajane ended the fight with a few punches and kicks. Heh, so this was all a Dragon Slayer was capable of. Did he think having pink hair made him Aibo?

After coming to the guild, Mirajane discovered that not everyone was as powerful as Aibo or knew as much as he did. And just as Aibo had said, she seemed to have quite a talent for magic.

Her magic power was immense. She had learned the technique of reinforcing her body with magic power almost immediately, and the Demons fist she could not retract became absurdly powerful when enhanced with magic. Few people her age in the guild could withstand a single punch from her.

Although she hated this Demons power, when she thought about it, Aibo had not been wrong. Power itself was neither good nor evil. It depended on the person wielding it.

If this power could help her protect Elfman and Lisanna, then even becoming a Demon did not seem so ba—huh?

Mirajane froze and reached for her Demons arm. It was smooth—wait, had she... already mastered Take Over Magic?!

"Mirajane! You're bullying Natsu again! Let him go."

That unpleasant voice made Mirajane's brows rise sharply. She kicked Natsu, who was beneath her feet, and folded her arms.

"You again! Erza, I'm warning you not to meddle in other people's business. Today, I'm not the same as I was yesterday. If you make me angry, you won't be able to bear the consequences!"

Erza! The person Mirajane hated most after joining the guild, without question.

Two days ago, Mirajane had seen Natsu bullying Elfman and stepped in to beat him up. Then Erza, who had just returned to the guild, saw it. That gorilla woman with freakish strength started shouting about how she was not allowed to bully guildmates and punched her without bothering to find out what had happened.

When Mirajane woke up, she was already lying at home. She had actually been knocked unconscious with one punch! That bastard who only knew how to sneak attack!

Yesterday, Mirajane had refused to accept it and gone to reason with Erza. But without fully mastering her magic, she had been no match for Erza and was defeated head-on once more.

What made it even worse was that after winning, that woman had apologized with a lofty look on her face: "Yesterday, I didn't know you were a new guildmate. I hit too hard, sorry. I'm Aibo's older sister, Erza. Please take care of me from now on."

Humiliation! Utter humiliation!

Mirajane swore that she had never hated anyone this much. Violent! Arrogant! Pretending to be righteous! And Aibo's older sister? As if you deserved that title!

Mirajane swore that she would make Erza pay!

"Stop bullying your guildmates in the guild!"

"Hah?! Who do you think you are? Don't tell me what to do!"

A small hand trembled as it rose.

"E-Erza, this is a duel between Mira and me. Don't interfere!"

"Shut up! Nobody asked you!"

The two beautiful girls confronted each other, the tension ready to explode. Meanwhile, a group of shameless older men watched the show while eating sunflower seeds.

"Hohoho! That new girl is really brave, and she's got plenty of spirit. Does Erza finally have a challenger among the new generation?"

"When it comes to courage, I only acknowledge Natsu. That kid's the real hardhead."

"Place your bets! Mirajane versus Erza! Erza at 1.4, Mirajane at 3.1, draw at 4.0! No changes after placing bets!"

Erza sensed Mirajane's surging fighting spirit. Her opponent's magic power was no weaker than her own. She was an opponent worth taking seriously.

"Erza, I've completely mastered my magic. Want to have a match?"

"I never refuse a challenge!"

"Hehe! Let me show you what real strength is!"

Mirajane licked her lips excitedly. As long as she could defeat Erza here, she did not care even if she had to use this power she hated!

"Ha! Hah!"

Mirajane drew upon the magic power within her, preparing to perform her first Take Over. Even the magic power stirred during the preparatory stage whipped up a whirlwind through the guild.

Erza did not back down either. She summoned her strongest Heaven's Wheel Armor, her presence no less imposing.

"Damn! You've got to be kidding me! Such violent magic power?"

"Should kids this age even have this much magic power? Why are the newcomers of this generation more outrageous than the last?"

"You two idiots! Both of you—stop!"

Two enormous arms stretched out from the guild's second floor. Two giant palms slammed the girls into the ground, instantly ending the conflict.

Makarov had been sleeping peacefully, and he had not even changed out of his pajamas before leaping down from upstairs, blowing his beard and glaring.

"Are you two trying to tear down the guild?!"

"Sorry, Master. I failed to think it through."

Erza bowed in apology with a serious expression, but Mirajane was not so easily placated. Not only did she refuse to yield, she even tried to challenge the guild master's authority.

"You old bastard! What right do you have to hit me?! Don't interfere in my duel with Erza! Bastard! This isn't over!"

Veins bulged on Makarov's forehead. He immediately grabbed Mirajane with one large hand and hurled her into the sky.

"Idiot! Reflect on yourself properly!!!"

"S-Sis?!"

"Master! The guild wall is broken!"

"Erza! You're responsible for fixing it!"

"Yes, Master!"

The Mirajane who had been thrown out could no longer hear the commotion in the guild. She soared over half the town before landing precisely in the courtyard of Little Garden.

"Ow, ow, ow... Damn it! Did that old bastard really want to kill me?!"

Mirajane crawled to her feet, covered in dust, only to find that she was not as badly hurt as she had expected. Her body seemed to have been strengthened to an unbelievable degree.

"So this magic is that strong? I didn't even fully Take Over, and I'm completely fine..."

Mirajane stared at her body in astonishment, gaining a new understanding of her current strength.

"Yo, Mira. You look pretty miserable."

When she looked up, she saw Aibo descending from the sky and hovering in front of her, mocking her.

"The first lesson in becoming a qualified wizard is knowing your own strength. You can't even beat Erza, yet you dared to fight the guild master? Do you really think he's just a kind old man? He's one of the Ten Wizard Saints. He could crush you to death with one finger. How did you dare act so arrogantly in front of him?"

For some reason, Mirajane had not felt wronged when Erza bullied her, and being thrown out of the guild by the master had not seemed like a big deal. But after Aibo coldly said a few words to her, she felt as though she could no longer control her tears.

"Y-You! Why are you taking their side?! I'm the one who got beaten up!"

"Because you were the one in the wrong. The guild master asked me to teach you a lesson."

"Hah? You're just an eight-year-old brat! What right do you have to teach me anything?!"

"Because I brought you out of that ignorant village, and I vouched for you to join the guild. So I have to take responsibility for your words and actions. Is that reason enough?"

Mirajane felt a rush of heat surge up through her body, making her head spin until she did not even know what she was saying.

"W-Who asked you to take responsibility for me?! Idiot! So annoying! You're driving me crazy!"

Aibo sighed, descended from where he was floating, and stood in front of Mirajane, refusing to let her avert her gaze.

"Mira, I know you're a kind girl at heart. You've just become accustomed to putting on a tough shell, making yourself look like a little hedgehog.

"But what I want to say is that you no longer need that hard shell. Everyone in the guild is your family. No one there will hurt you, so don't use your strength against your family, okay?"

Mirajane timidly lowered her head. She realized that she had gone too far. She had only gained a little power and was already getting carried away. Wasn't that turning her into the kind of person she hated most?

"Y-You... call me... big sister..."

"What did you say?"

Blushing, Mirajane forced herself to close her eyes and said,

"If we're family, then you're my little brother too. If you call me big sister, I'll listen to you!"

"..."

"This is your punishment! Who told you to trick me into calling you big brother?"

"..."

"Are you going to say it or not?! If you don't, I'll go back and make trouble!"

A very heavy sigh.

"Big sister."

"Hmm?"

"Big Sis Mira."

"I didn't hear you!"

"Big Sister Mira."

"R-Really, there's nothing I can do about you~ Since you're begging me so sincerely, Aibo, I suppose I'll reluctantly go easier on them from now on~"

"You're not allowed to use magic in the guild."

"Hm?!"

"...Big Sister Mira, you're not allowed to use magic in the guild from now on."

"Okay~"

"Big Sister Mira, don't defy the guild master in the guild."

"No problem~"

"Big Sister Mira, get out of my house now. Go apologize to the guild master and Erza, then learn to control your Take Over Magic."

"I don't want to apologize to Erza!"

"Biiig Sister Mira?"

"I'll listen to you~~~"

Mirajane left Little Garden humming a song.

Mirajane cheerfully apologized to Makarov.

Mirajane apologized to Erza with a blank expression.

Mirajane began practicing magic.

Mirajane suddenly realized something was wrong! Had Aibo just used mind-control magic on her?! Why did she seem possessed?! She was not that easy a woman!!!

Mirajane remembered what Aibo had called her.

Forget it. He had called her big sister. What else could she do? She could only listen to him.

Mirajane completely mastered Take Over Magic, bringing her pleasant day to an end.