Time passed, and we finally arrived back at the guild. Happy turned to Lucy with a big smile.
Happy: "Welcome to Fairy Tail!"
Lucy: "Wow…"
Lucy was clearly impressed by the building's design. Then, without hesitation, Natsu kicked open the doors.
Natsu & John: "We're back!"
Happy: "We're back!"
Everyone: "Welcome back!"
Lucy: "Wow…"
Natsu began scanning the room, and when he spotted someone, he marched over and delivered a swift kick.
Lucy: "Wait, why?!"
Natsu: "You lied to me about Salamander!"
Krov (a rat-toothed man): "Don't blame me! I just passed on some rumors I heard!"
John: "Well, even though the info was wrong, maybe thank him. If not for that lead, this girl here might've ended up as merchandise instead of our new member."
Lucy: "Hiih… No need to remind me of that."
Krov: "See? Even John appreciates me. You could learn something from him."
Natsu: "I know, but I'm still mad!"
Krov: "Not my problem. You started it."
They started fighting, and as usual, that set off a chain reaction. The whole guild joined in the chaos, furniture flying everywhere. Lucy just stood there, amazed.
John: "Hoh. I thought you'd be overwhelmed. Most people are on their first visit."
Lucy: "I heard this kind of thing is what makes Fairy Tail famous."
John (thought):She really does fit in here.
Suddenly, a voice called out:
???: "Oh? Natsu's back?!"
Lucy let out a small "eep" at the sight of the shirtless man.
John: "That's Gray Fullbuster. Ice magic user. Pretty skilled… but has a serious habit of stripping. He and Natsu fight a lot—fire and ice, you know."
Lucy: "So Natsu's a fire user?"
John: "Oh? He didn't tell you? Thought he would've bragged already."
Gray: "Hey, Natsu! Time to settle things from the other day!"
???: "Gray, your clothes."
Gray: "Whoops."
John: "I don't get why everyone's embarrassed. At least he's still got his boxers on. If he were a girl, sure, but…"
Lucy: "Still embarrassing."
John: "Fair enough. Anyway, that's Cana Alberona—our guild's fortune teller and heaviest drinker."
Cana (sipping from a whole barrel): "This is why I can't stand men here. No class at all."
John (thought):Says the one downing a barrel like it's nothing…
Gray: "Come on! Fight me!"
Natsu: "Put on some clothes first!"
???: "It's only noon and you're already crying and yelling? You're not kids."
John: "That's Elfman. Yeah, his name's Elfman, but don't let that fool you—he's not an elf. He's a Take Over wizard, Beast Soul type. Muscle-brained loudmouth who tries to solve everything with his fists. And he's always yelling 'MAN!' like it's his catchphrase."
Elfman: "REAL MEN SPEAK WITH THEIR FISTS!"
Lucy: "He's encouraging them to fight…"
Natsu & Gray: "Butt out!"
WHAM! Elfman was knocked out immediately.
Lucy: "And he's already down?!"
???: "Ugh. So noisy."
A brown-haired guy walked past, two girls clinging to him.
Girls: "Hey, Loke~"
John: "That's Loke. One of the top bachelor wizards. For some reason, he really dislikes Celestial Spirit mages."
Lucy: "Why?"
John: "No idea. Doesn't like talking about it. Honestly, he seems more scared than hateful."
Suddenly, a metal cup hit Loke square in the head, knocking him out.
Girls: "Loke!"
Loke (recovering): "I'll go join in! For you girls!"
Girls: "Good luck!"
Lucy (thought):Definitely off my list… Still, I wonder why he fears Celestial Spirit mages. I found out later…
Lucy: "But seriously… what is this place? Is anyone here normal? Actually… maybe you're the most normal one."
John: "Not sure how to feel about that—but I'll take it as a compliment."
Lucy: "Still, was it okay to tell me all that?"
John: "You'd learn it eventually. Better sooner than later, right?"
Lucy: "That's true."
???: "Oh? Are you new here?"
A soft, kind voice came from behind. Lucy turned—and her eyes sparkled with surprise.
Lucy: "Mirajane?! The Mirajane?!"
John: "Yep. Mirajane Strauss. She's been in Sorcerer Weekly more times than I can count. Strong wizard too—but now mostly helps out here."
Lucy: "Shouldn't we stop them?"
Mirajane: "They're always like this. Just let them be."
CRASH! Elfman came flying and landed directly at her.
Mirajane (smiling): "It's fun, don't you think?"
Mirajane was knocked out, causing Lucy to panic.
Lucy: "Mirajane!?"
Suddenly—BONK!—Lucy was hit by Gray, who was now completely naked, and Natsu spinning his boxers in the air like a victory flag.
Gray: "My boxers!"
Lucy: "KYAA!" She covered her face.
John: "Now that's the right reaction."
Gray (noticing Lucy): "Miss… Can I borrow your underwear?"
Lucy: "YEAH, RIGHT!"
WHACK! A baseball bat came out of nowhere and hit Gray. Classic anime logic.
Loke swooped in and caught Lucy mid-reaction.
Loke: "I simply can't stand these insensitive fools."
Then BAM! Elfman came and knocked Loke away.
Elfman: "REAL MEN SPEAK WITH THEIR FISTS!"
Natsu followed up by knocking Elfman again.
Natsu: "I said—BUTT OUT!"
Happy: "Aye!"
John (thought):Man, this really feels like something straight out of a show. Still, I really want to get back to training... but I guess showing the new members around is part of the job sometimes. Let's just call it a break from training—for now.
Cana: "Ugh, how annoying. I can't even enjoy a nice, relaxing drink."
She began activating her magic.
Cana: "You guys better knock it off!"
Gray: "Now I'm mad!"
Elfman: "ORAAA!"
Loke: "What a nuisance you people are."
Natsu: "Bring it on!"
As soon as Cana flared her magic, the rest followed—magic sparked across the guild. Everyone was ready to throw down.
Lucy: "A magic-powered fistfight?!"
Happy: "Aye!"
Lucy: "Don't give me 'Aye!'"
John: "Relax. It's not like they're gonna kill each other."
Lucy: "I get that, but... won't the whole guild be destroyed at this rate?!"
John: "Well, that's Father's problem."
Lucy: "Father?"
???:"That's enough, you fools!"
John: "And speaking of him—he's here."
A towering figure entered the guild. Instantly, the room fell silent. Everyone froze like statues.
Lucy: "He's huge! That's your father?!"
John: "Yup."
Mirajane: "Oh, you're still here, Master?"
Makarov: "Yeah."
Lucy: "Wait—Master?! Your father is the master of Fairy Tail?!"
John: "Yup."
Lucy: "...I guess you're not normal after all."
John: "I'll take that as a compliment. Again."
Natsu (laughing): "What a bunch of wimps! Looks like I win this—"
SPLOT! Before he could finish, Makarov stomped him into the floor. Lucy flinched.
Makarov: "You new here?"
Lucy: "Y-Yes!"
Suddenly, Makarov began shrinking—his massive form reducing to a tiny, elderly man.
Lucy (dumbstruck): "Tiny?!"
Mirajane: "This is Makarov, Fairy Tail's master!"
Makarov: "You guys have really done it this time! Just look at this mountain of complaints from the Magic Council!"
He held up a thick stack of documents, shaking with what Lucy thought was fury.
Makarov: "However… TO HELL WITH THE COUNCIL!"
He set the papers ablaze and flung them in the air.
Lucy: "WHAT?!"
Natsu (grinning): "Mmm! Spicy!"He started eating the burning pages.
Lucy (even more shocked): "He's… eating fire?!"
Makarov: "Listen up! Power that surpasses reason must be born from reason! Magic isn't some miracle—it's the result of harmony between the energy inside us and the energy of the natural world!"
"Magic comes from mental strength and focus—no, from your entire soul! Fear the judgmental eyes above, and you'll never grow!"
"Don't let the fools on the council scare you! Follow the path you believe in! That's what it means to be a Fairy Tail wizard!"
We all raised our fingers in unison—forming an "L" or pistol pose with pride.
Makarov: "Well… except one person."
He tossed a paper at me—it was an official commendation from the council.
Makarov: "They sent this for your achievement yesterday. What are you gonna do with it?"
I pulled a lighter from my coat and lit the paper without hesitation.
John: "Don't need it. Never cared about this recognition anyway."
Makarov: "Haha! That's my son!"
Some time passed. We all pitched in to clean up the guild after the chaos. I still wanted to train, but… let's call today a holiday—for our new member's sake.
Later, Mirajane prepared the magic stamp to officially welcome Lucy into Fairy Tail.
Mirajane: "Where do you want your guild mark?"
Lucy: "On the back of my right hand, please."
Mirajane: "Alright then—your arm, please."
Lucy held out her right hand, and Mirajane carefully stamped the symbol onto it.
Mirajane: "There! You're officially a member of Fairy Tail!"
Lucy: "Look, Natsu! John! I got the Fairy Tail mark!"
John: "Congratulations, Lucy."
Lucy: "Thanks!"
Natsu (still looking at the request board): "Oh yeah? That's great, Luigi."
Lucy: "It's Lucy!"
John: "This is the request board. Wizards pick jobs from the ones posted here—whatever suits their skill level."
Happy: "Choose a good-paying one, okay?!"
John: "More like... choose a job that pays well and matches your ability. Use your head."
Happy: "Aye!"
Natsu: "Ooh! 160,000 Jewel to take down some thieves!"
Happy: "Then it's decided!"
Suddenly, a young boy walked up, visibly upset.
???:"Is my dad still not back yet?"
Makarov: "You're getting on my nerves, Romeo. If you're a wizard's son, have faith in your father and wait quietly at home!"
Romeo: "But he said he'd be back in three days, and it's already been a week!"
Makarov: "If I remember right, it was a job up on Mt. Hakobe..."
Romeo: "That's not even far! Go look for him!"
Makarov: "Your dad's a wizard. There's no one in Fairy Tail who can't handle themselves! Go home and drink some milk or something."
Romeo: "Stupidhead!"
Romeo punched Makarov in the face—not that it did much—and then ran off.
Lucy: "That was kind of harsh..."
Mirajane: "Despite how he acts, the Master really is worried."
Suddenly—BANG!—a loud crash echoed through the guild. Natsu had punched part of the request board in frustration.
John (thought): "Thank god he didn't break the whole thing..."
Nab: "Hey! Natsu! Don't break the board!"
Makarov sighed, watching Natsu storm off with Happy followed him.
Nab: "I don't know about this, Master. He's going to try and save Macao."
Krov: "He's just a kid..."
Nab: "He'll just hurt Macao's pride doing that."
Makarov: "No one has the right to choose the path others take. Let him go."
Lucy: "What's going on with him, anyway?"
Mirajane: "Natsu's a lot like Romeo. I think he sees himself in him. We all have our issues in Fairy Tail—scars, pain, regrets... everyone has something."
John: "I'm going too."
Nab: "You too?"
John: "Let me ask you something—what's more important: pride or life?"
Nab: "Well... sometimes, a man values pride more than life."
John: "Okay. Then one more—pride or family?"
Nab: "That..."
John: "Thought so. If someone has no one waiting for them, then sure—pride might matter more. But if they have family, I guarantee you they want to survive."
John: "Even if their pride is shattered, they'll think, 'I can't die—my child's waiting for me. I'll crawl if I have to.' But if someone throws their family away just to protect their pride… they're trash."
John (thought):Well, unless their kid's evil or something... but Romeo's a good kid.
John: "I bet Macao would agree—his son is his real pride. If he died, what would happen to Romeo? I know you told me to trust him, but since I wasn't busy, I figured I'd check on him anyway."
He paused, then added with a small shrug:
John: "I'm going. It'll be a good experience, too."
Hearing that, Nab fell silent—then nodded in quiet agreement.
John turned to leave but stopped for a moment.
John: "Besides... I hate seeing a kid cry. But what's worse? Hearing it and doing nothing when I could've helped—that'd make me the real trash. And besides, we're not strangers."
John turned to leave again but stopped when he heard a familiar voice behind him.
Makarov: "Son."
John paused, turning his head slightly when he heard Makarov call out again.
Makarov: "Good luck."
John gave a simple nod in response, then turned and continued on, catching up to Natsu, who had just started down the road.
John: "Wait for me!"
Natsu stopped and looked over.
Natsu: "You're coming too?"
John: "Of course. Macao's been with Fairy Tail for a long time. We're guildmates—we look out for each other. Besides, it's not like we're strangers. I know him pretty well. Even though I think you're more than capable of handling it on your own—you're stronger than both of us—well, two's better than one, right?"
Natsu(grinning): "Heh, you know your stuff. That's right."
Happy: "Aye! Don't forget me—that makes three!"
John(chuckling): "Haha, you're right."
Just as we were about to set off, we heard a familiar voice behind us.
Lucy: "How about we make it four?"
We turned to see Lucy jogging up, determined expression on her face.
Natsu: "Huh? Why are you here?"
Lucy: "Well… after hearing everything John said, I guess I couldn't just walk away. I'm coming too."
John: "Wait, you're going because of my speech? Man… I shouldn't have gone on so long. Felt kinda cringe."
John (thought):Maybe I've been in this world too long… I'm starting to sound like one of those shounen characters—always preaching about friendship, pride, and bonds. And that's exactly what I just did… Sigh. Oh well, guess I'll just have to deal with it.
Lucy: "Cringe? I don't know what you mean by that. But even without your speech, I think I would've joined anyway. Like you said—we're guildmates. And I want to repay you both for saving me."
Natsu: "I thought we already called it even. Besides, it was John and Happy who did most of the work."
John: "Just let her come. It'll be a good experience for her anyway. Let's call this your first official quest as a guild member."
Lucy: "Hmm… If you put it that way, I like the sound of it."
Natsu: "Alright then—let's go!"
John & Lucy: "Okay!"
Happy: "Aye!"
We hopped into a carriage and set off. The moment the carriage move, Natsu was already nauseous. I sighed, and Lucy glanced at him, surprised at first—but then smiled at the determined look on his face.