"Lucy's such an interesting kid. Totally worth following her out here," Mirajane thought to herself.
"Ahh!!" A sudden voice made Lucy's skin crawl. She jumped like a startled rabbit, hopping to the side, her heart pounding like crazy.
"W-Why didn't I hear anything?!" she stammered, clutching her chest, still shaken.
"You mean footsteps?" Mirajane giggled, lifting her right foot and pointing to the black magic coating her heel. "If you're sneaking up on someone, footsteps would give you away instantly, right?"
She winked playfully. "So, I cover my shoes with a bit of magic. That way, no one hears me coming!"
"S-Sneaking up?!" Lucy's throat went dry, and she swallowed hard.
"Yep!" Mirajane sauntered over with a cat-like grace, her pale fingers gently brushing from Lucy's cheek down to her neck. The touch was soft, but it sent a shiver down Lucy's spine.
"One quick strike," Mirajane said, her voice light, "and an unprepared enemy drops instantly. Pretty handy, don't you think?"
This is way too creepy! Lucy thought, the hairs on her neck standing on end. Mirajane's fingers didn't feel like fingers anymore—they felt like a blade ready to slice her head off!
Forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace, Lucy's voice trembled. "Haha, yeah, super handy!"
Feeling Lucy's slight shaking, Mirajane's lips curled into a faint smirk. Yup, Lucy's definitely an interesting one. Glad I came along.
She placed a hand on Lucy's shoulder, pressing down gently. Just as expected, Lucy's trembling got worse.
"Oh my, Lucy, why're you shaking? Is it chilly out here?" Mirajane asked with mock concern.
"N-No, not at all!" Lucy said, trying to control her trembling body. Her inner thoughts screamed: It's the middle of summer! How could it be cold?! And I'm shaking because I'm terrified, okay?! Isn't that obvious?!
Ugh! Natsu and Happy didn't warn me Mirajane was coming! Lucy groaned internally. If I'd known these three were on this capture mission, I wouldn't have taken it, not even for three—no, one—Celestial Spirit Keys! QAQ
"Alright, Mira, let's get to business," Roger's voice called from ahead.
Mirajane grinned, raising her left hand. "Got it!"
Satisfied, she strolled back to Roger's side.
"Business?" Lucy asked, confused.
Erza, arms crossed, explained, "This S-Class mission has officially been taken over by Roger."
"What?!" Happy's jaw dropped, his cat ears shooting up. "We've already completed most of the mission! All that's left is getting the mastermind to tell us why the sky has a purple moon and how to fix it. Then the S-Class mission's done!"
"Oh?" Roger raised an eyebrow. "In that case, we won't step in yet. If you guys can finish it on your own, we'll count it as your S-Class mission. Sound good?"
"Seriously?!" Lucy and Happy's faces lit up with excitement.
Lucy cheered, "This is awesome! The reward's 7 million jewels! Even split up, that's over 2 million each—enough to cover my rent for years!"
Her earlier fear vanished, replaced by the dazzling glow of money.
"Don't get too excited," Erza said, arms still crossed, throwing cold water on their enthusiasm. "S-Class missions aren't as easy as you think."
"Now, tell us everything that's happened so far."
"Okay," Lucy said, standing up slowly. Her magic was recovering a bit, but she still felt weak.
Rubbing her shaky legs, she was about to speak when Happy pulled a magic recovery potion from his little backpack. "I meant to give this to you before the fight, but I kinda forgot."
He scratched his head sheepishly. "Natsu's already taken care of the enemies, so let's talk while we walk."
Lucy grabbed the potion and chugged it. A warm surge flowed through her, washing away her weakness instantly. She jumped up, flashing a victory sign. "I'm back, baby!"
Looking at the empty bottle, she sighed. "If I'd had this earlier, I wouldn't have been in such a pinch."
Erza's cold voice cut through. "If you'd started with D-Class missions and worked your way up, you wouldn't have been in a pinch at all."
Her piercing glare hit Lucy like a sword, and Lucy's excitement wilted. She drooped like a frostbitten eggplant. "Aye! I get it!"
Erza's so strict! she thought.
Lucy and Happy led the way, with Lucy explaining as they walked. "On Galuna Island, every night, the moon turns purple. It's got some kind of weird curse. When the moonlight hits the villagers, they turn into demons. But during the day, they go back to normal."
"The original mission was to destroy the moon, but thanks to my quick thinking and awesome adaptability…" Lucy puffed out her chest proudly. "I found the real culprit in the ruins behind the village!"
Happy tilted his head. "Uh, didn't we only find the enemy because Natsu stomped on the floor and we fell into the ruins?"
Lucy's mouth twitched, and she shot Happy an annoyed glare. "Quiet, you little furball! No one asked you! Besides, exploring the area was my idea. Otherwise, Natsu would've tried to blow up the moon!"
She crossed her arms, her blonde ponytail swaying as she huffed. Trying to salvage her dignity, she continued, "Anyway, the culprit in the ruins was named Zeref. They were trying to melt the ice sealing a demon under the ruins—a demon called Deliora, I think?"
"Deliora?!" Erza's eyes widened in shock. "That's the demon Gray's master sealed with her life!"
"Gray's master?" Happy tilted his head, his cat face full of confusion. "How come I don't know about this?"
Roger shook his head with a sigh. "Because you weren't born yet, obviously."
"Demons again, huh?" Mirajane giggled, tapping her lips lightly. "Feels like we've run into more demons lately than we did all last year."
Happy added lazily, "Besides Zeref, they had a bunch of goons with them. Natsu already took them all out, and he's probably interrogating them about the weird stuff happening to the villagers."
Just as he was about to say more, Natsu's angry voice boomed from ahead. "Hey, you! Spill it already! What's up with the purple moon?!"
The group exchanged glances and hurried toward the sound.
There was Natsu, roughly grabbing a white-haired man by the collar with his left hand, his right fist raised high, his face full of impatience.
The man was battered—his face bruised, eyes black like he hadn't slept in a week, and blood trickling from his mouth. When he saw the blonde girl approach, he looked at her like she was his savior. "Please, get this lunatic away from me! I swear I don't know anything about the purple moon!"
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