"Is it really all right, Lord Achill...?" Yukino bit her lip and looked up at Achill timidly. "I... I'm not sure..."
"It's fine. Just think of it as a way to pass the time," Achill said calmly, shaking his head. "Believe in yourself."
"O-okay." Yukino nodded hesitantly.
"My, my~ There's no need to put so much pressure on yourself, Yukino." Mira stepped forward and gently ruffled Yukino's hair with one slender hand, holding Angel in her other arm. Smiling, she said, "Just as Achill said, think of it as a game to pass the time. Whatever happens, no one can surpass Fairy Tail as we are now, because we're a family."
"A family... I understand." Yukino clenched her hands. After a brief moment of distraction, her expression finally grew resolute. "I'll show everyone the strength of our family! Because I'm a member of Fairy Tail—"
"I won't let Lord Achill down!"
Seeing that Yukino had finally let go of her anxiety and misgivings, everyone exchanged smiles. Makarov nodded in satisfaction, too.
They all knew that although Achill had brought Yukino into Fairy Tail, she still felt a little uncomfortable, as though something continued to weigh on her heart. Lucy often talked her through it, but that had only eased the feeling considerably, not erased it completely.
That lingering pain came from the harm Sabertooth had done to her. Their callousness had deeply wounded the hopes she had held for a guild.
Thankfully, she had finally rediscovered those hopes—
"All right, that concludes the organizers' announcement! Now let's get straight to today's exciting showdown—" As Chapati's voice rang out, the referee, Pumpkin Man, made his dazzling entrance in the middle of the arena.
"Our first event will, of course, be today's competitive round—or rather, the final competitive round of these Grand