Bunny girl

Mira's arrival acted like a powerful catalyst, sending Fairy Tail's guild hall into an absolute frenzy.

That lively clamor already hinted at the "strongest guild" it would one day become. The young figures chasing and roughhousing between the tables and chairs also lent the booze-soaked hall the warmth of a family.

For once, nearly everyone in the guild was there that day.

Laxus leaned against a stone pillar at the edge of the hall as usual, his arms folded across his chest. His vacant gaze drifted over the noisy crowd as he spaced out in utter boredom.

In the middle of the long table, Airo danced wildly on the tabletop to a feverish beat. A ring of rough-looking men stood around it with drinks in hand, cheering like mad and turning broad daylight into a midnight party.

Macao and Wakaba were having their usual drinking contest. But as Macao watched Airo dance on the table, a grim, do-or-die resolve shone in his eyes, as though he had silently made some momentous decision.

In a corner, Reedus huddled behind an enormous easel, his brush scratching rapidly as he concentrated on capturing Airo's movements.

Droy stood with his hands behind his head, discussing something with Jet, who kept running in place.

At a small table on the other side, Cana and Levy sat neatly opposite each other, a game board between them. Both pairs of beautiful eyes were fixed intently on the board as they played, seemingly in a different world from the noisy hall.

As for Natsu and Gray, they were playing a childish game of "death glares" from opposite sides of the hall. They glared daggers at each other, neither daring to blink, as though whoever looked away first would lose.

Amid this peaceful scene of everyone enjoying themselves, a small white blur quietly slipped behind the counter.

Mira stretched up onto her tiptoes, her wicked little hand deftly reaching into the most concealed compartment behind the counter.

Got it!

Secretly delighted, she pulled out an exquisite little tray with practiced precision. Resting quietly on it was a small cake that still gave off an enticing milky fragrance.

Mira quickly turned sideways, using her slender back to block everyone's view. She viciously stabbed her fork into the cake, then devoured it at lightning speed.

Blanc, who had witnessed the whole thing, blinked. Just as he was wondering when Mira had become a sweets lover, a scene from the previous day suddenly flashed through his mind-

Erza had worn an expression of solemn reverence as she carefully tucked the cake away behind the counter, as though enshrining a sacred relic. She had even muttered that she would save it for her happiest moment.

Was she stealing someone else's cake?

Puzzled, Blanc walked over and asked, "Mira, isn't that Erza's cake?"

Mira didn't even look up at his voice, stuffing the last bite into her mouth in no time. She slapped the empty tray back into place with a sharp smack before leisurely turning her head. A vicious warning gleamed in her blue eyes as she shot Blanc a fierce glare.

Then she turned away haughtily. Her short silver-white hair swung in a defiant arc, and she swaggered off as though she had just won a battle.

Erza was going to blow her top...

Sure enough, when Erza pushed open the guild doors a while later, she radiated a rare air of happiness. The moment she entered, she hurried straight to the counter, her steps lighter than usual.

But when she eagerly opened the compartment behind the counter, ready to claim her own little piece of happiness-

All she saw was an empty tray with a pitiful smattering of cream left on it.

Erza's smile froze on her face. She stood stunned for a long moment, then her expression visibly darkened like storm clouds gathering overhead.

Boom!!

The volcano erupted.

"Who... was it-!! Who ate my cake?!"

The entire building seemed to tremble beneath her roar.

Erza's murderous gaze swept across the hall like radar before locking squarely onto the two idiots engaged in their staring contest. "Natsu! Gray! It was you two, wasn't it?!"

Natsu looked utterly baffled.

"Huh? Who'd eat something like that? Forget that-let's fight, Erza! I'm definitely beating you this time!" Natsu's eyes lit up as he excitedly clenched his fists and challenged her without hesitation.

"Hmph, count me in, Erza! I'm challenging you too!" Seeing Natsu steal the spotlight, Gray stripped off his clothes without hesitation and shouted, refusing to be outdone.

Erza's expression darkened further. "Fine. But not in the guild. Come outside!"

The two idiots, oblivious to the danger, exchanged a look and eagerly followed the grim-faced Erza outside.

Blanc hadn't noticed that little incident. He was busy watching Levy and Cana's match with the others.

Before long, however, Natsu and Gray's agonized screams rang out from outside, accompanied by Erza's furious roar. "Get up! Both of you, get up!"

The commotion was loud enough to catch Blanc's attention, and he couldn't help looking outside. Out on the street, Erza was delivering a one-sided beating with her iron fists, chasing the two bruised and battered boys as they scrambled all over the road. Even as she hit them, she kept demanding to know who had eaten her cake.

Neither had done it, so naturally neither would confess. As they fled for their lives, they kept blaming each other, insisting the other had stolen the cake. All they got in return was Erza's relentless pursuit.

"Tsk, tsk. Brutal."

Knowing the truth, Blanc clicked his tongue and leisurely began searching the hall for the real culprit.

But when he turned around, the sight before him nearly made him throw his back out.

The culprit, Mira, was brazenly standing with one foot on Macao's head and the other on Wakaba's. Striking a delinquent pose, she excitedly asked her younger siblings where Erza was.

"I've got a chance of beating Erza this time! But where did she go right when I needed her?"

"She went after Natsu and Gray just now," Elfman replied timidly.

"What? I went to all the trouble of eating that cake she'd been saving so I could make her angry and get her to leave an opening!" Mira gritted her teeth in annoyance.

"Huh? That's awful, Mira," Lisanna said, looking at her older sister with helplessness written all over her face.

"She ran away, huh? Then that means I win!" At that thought, Mira's anger instantly turned to delight. She planted her hands on her hips and burst into an utterly unladylike laugh.

"A fight? Mira, please stop fighting," Elfman said worriedly.

Having witnessed the entire spectacle, Blanc silently wiped away a cold sweat. He decided he would tell Erza when she returned. Natsu and Gray had been wrongly accused.

Over by the pillar, Laxus stood with his arms folded, spacing out for a while longer. He finally drew back his unfocused gaze and rubbed his stiff neck, his low voice carrying a rare hint of laziness.

"I'm so bored. Isn't there anything fun to do?" As he spoke, his gaze caught a scrap of paper tumbling across the floor in the breeze. For a moment, he seemed to have finally found something entertaining, and the corners of his mouth lifted.

"Hmm? I'll go mess with Natsu!"

Laxus strode forward on his long legs. As he passed Blanc, he tilted his head and casually asked, "Hey, Blanc! I'm pulling a prank. Want in?"

Blanc was a little surprised that Laxus had such a playful side, but he still gave him a somewhat speechless look. "Laxus, you're way too bored. That's pretty childish."

"The target's Natsu, you know."

"Right. Men stay childish till the day they die." Blanc turned his head expressionlessly, then adopted an exceedingly serious, low tone as he instantly changed his tune. "...If we're messing with Natsu, by all means, count me in!"

Laxus gave a soft snort, but he couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from rising, as though he had expected that all along.

Blanc fell into step beside Laxus, his eyes now shining with excitement and anticipation. Lowering his voice, he asked, "What are we doing?"

"How about making a ridiculous training list and getting Natsu to follow it?"

Blanc paused and turned to him, offering a rational analysis.

"Uh, it's a good idea, but how do we get him to follow it? Natsu might have a one-track mind, but he's not going to do whatever we tell him to, right?"

Laxus didn't answer immediately. A knowing smile appeared on his usually cool, unapproachable face. Then he leisurely pulled a blank booklet from behind the counter, picked up a pen, and wrote several large words firmly across the cover-

"A record of Gray's weaknesses"

Blanc looked closely. The moment he read the words, he froze, then stared in astonishment, unable to stop himself from grinning. "Laxus, you're a genius!"

"Let me write the first one!"

"Here." Laxus smiled too and generously handed the booklet straight over.

Blanc took it and eagerly flipped to the first page. What should I write?

Before "Gray's weaknesses" could make their debut, an exaggerated burst of noise and cheering suddenly came from the guild entrance.

"Oh-ho-ho! A bunny girl!" At some point, Guild Master Makarov had appeared by the guild doors. Holding a bottle of liquor, his old face flushed red, he stared with shining, lecherous eyes at the beautiful, curvy blonde girl beside him, who was wearing a sexy bunny outfit.

The rough-looking middle-aged men drinking in the guild instantly lit up at those words and swarmed over.

"Little bunny!"

"Come play with us!"

"Where'd you come from, young lady?"

"What brings you here? Posting a job?"

"Then I'll take it myself!"

The blonde bunny girl seemed exasperated and resistant, but the excited Guild Master Makarov still dragged her into the guild hall by force.

"Come on, over here, little bunny!"

"The Guild Master's getting a little too carried away."

Watching from a nearby corner, Blanc was utterly speechless. He had assumed she was merely a client with a strange taste in clothes.

But when his eyes happened to pass over the back of the bunny girl's hand as it flailed in her struggle, his gaze abruptly froze.

Clearly stamped there was Fairy Tail's guild mark.

A guild member? But I've never seen her before. Still, that snarky attitude, like she's ready to start swearing at any moment, feels familiar... Why does she seem a little like-Lucy?