With that, she bowed deeply.
After a brief silence, the construction site erupted!
"Oh! It's Juvia!" Natsu was the first to break into a grin, greeting her warmly.
"A familiar face. You were a great help at the Tower of Heaven. Welcome aboard!" Erza stepped forward with a friendly smile.
"We may have been on opposite sides before, but now you're a comrade who's fought alongside us!"
"Awesome! Another beauty in the guild!"
"Haha! So you really did join!" Gray also walked over with a cheerful laugh to welcome her.
"It's all thanks to everyone... Juvia will work twice as hard!!"
Faced with everyone's kindness and warm welcome, the unease in Juvia's eyes finally vanished, replaced by a smile brimming with happiness.
Lucy, who had completely put the earlier misunderstanding behind her, suddenly realized she was now a "senior member" of the guild too. She excitedly joined the others:
"We're all guildmates from now on! Looking forward to getting along with you, Juvia!"
Yet Juvia's gentle smile instantly collapsed, and she once again stared bleakly at Lucy with lifeless eyes.
"Love rival..."
"Uh, I told you, you've definitely got the wrong idea..." Lucy's smile froze, the corner of her mouth twitching.
Just then, Mira walked over with a bright smile, having produced the Guild Mark stamp at some point. "Welcome, Juvia. What color would you like your Guild Mark, and where should I put it?"
Juvia stole a glance at the mark on Gray's chest. Her pretty face flushed, and her voice grew as faint as a mosquito's hum:
"W-well... I'd like aqua blue. As for where..."
She lifted the hem of her skirt and pointed to the outside of her left thigh.
"Please put it here."
Noticing Juvia's painfully obvious gaze, Mira let out an "Oh my," her smile