The search and rescue team led by Erza successfully found the old man who had gotten lost in the back mountains (and was too excited about finding a rare herb to notice the time).
The old couple was incredibly grateful, and although the reward wasn't much, Fairy Tail's reputation subtly increased by another notch.
The guild was filled with a relaxed atmosphere of "having done another good deed."
Of course, this was assuming one ignored Lord Makarov's increasingly deep sighs as he looked at the new entries in the financial ledger: "Door Frame Repair Fee," "Bar Counter Repair Fee," and "New Long Table Purchase Fee."
The morning sun once again graced the guild, and Mira, like a diligent gardener, had already begun cleaning up the "battlefield" from last night's revelry.
The air still carried a faint scent of ale and a hint of... newly painted lacquer?
Everyone followed the scent and saw the guild's main door completely renewed; the door frame that Natsu had broken was not only repaired but also painted with a striking... ice-blue paint?
"Lord Gray! Look!" Juvia excitedly pointed at the door, her cheeks flushed, and pink heart-shaped steam began uncontrollably rising around her.
"Juvia specially chose this color for you! It symbolizes your noble and cool temperament! Like the glaciers of the polar regions! Deep! Charming!"
Gray had just walked into the guild, and seeing the ice-blue door, his steps faltered, and his face instantly turned as dark as the bottom of a pot: "...Juvia! Who told you to arbitrarily..."
"Juvia just wanted to do her part for the guild! Does Lord Gray like it?" Juvia clasped her hands over her heart, her eyes full of anticipation.
Gray: "..."
He just wanted to tear the door down.
"Pfft... an ice-blue door... It's... quite unique?" Lucy walked up from behind, arm in arm with Cana, trying hard to suppress her laughter, her shoulders subtly shaking.
"Hmm... it suits Gray," Cana commented seriously, holding her coffee cup.
"Aye—! A new door!" Happy cheered from Natsu's shoulder.
"You're too loud!" Gray, embarrassed and angry, unleashed a burst of cold air, instantly freezing a small patch of ground beneath his feet into ice.
"Wow! Lord Gray is so handsome! Even when he's angry, he's so charming!" Juvia's heart-shaped steam grew even thicker, almost forming tangible pink bubbles.
"Enough!" Gray, unable to bear it any longer, turned and walked away, trying to distance himself from this "source of disaster."
"Lord Gray! Wait for Juvia!" Juvia immediately transformed into a little shadow, following him step by step.
"Juvia," Mirajane gently called out to her, a professional smile on her face, "The cost of the door paint, and the repair fee for the floor you damaged yesterday when you knocked over the bucket, totals..."
Juvia immediately stood still, her expression serious: "Miss Mira! Please deduct it from Juvia's reward! For Lord Gray! Juvia is willing to give everything!"
Mira smiled and nodded: "Alright, I'll make a note of it."
Gray's back visibly stiffened, and his steps quickened.
Juvia's initiative clearly didn't stop there.
After lunch, the guild members were surprised to find the guild hall walls, at some point, covered with... posters?
The subject of every poster, without exception, was Gray Fullbuster.
There was his cool profile during battle, which Juvia must have secretly photographed at some point.
There was his heroic stance when using Ice Make magic, with the image of the ice bird shattering cleverly cropped out.
There was even a "precious" image of him sitting quietly in a corner reading a book while wearing clothes; Gray himself almost froze the poster into ice shards when he saw this one.
Below each poster, a prominent slogan was printed:
"Lord Gray! Ice Prince! Unlimited Charm!"
"Support Lord Gray! Please vote for Juvia!"
"Juvia's Fan Club! Recruiting Now!"
"..."
The entire guild hall fell into an eerie silence.
Natsu, chewing on a fishbone, was dumbfounded: "Gray... when did you get so popular?"
Gajeel, chewing on an iron plate, scoffed: "Someone likes an icicle?"
Lucy covered her face: "Juvia... this is just too..."
Levy pushed up her glasses, a scholarly glint in her eyes: "From a psychological perspective, this is a strong form of idol worship and projection..."
Wendy looked at the posters curiously: "Brother Gray... so handsome..."
Carla: "Hmph, foolish human aesthetics."
Cana, holding her drink, watched with interest: "Good artwork, and the angles are well-captured. Juvia, you have potential."
Cana gave a thumbs up.
Ezreal sipped his tea, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Our guild's culture is becoming increasingly diverse."
Gray himself was completely petrified. He stood in front of a giant poster emblazoned with his title "Ice Prince," and cold air uncontrollably spread, the ice layer beneath his feet rapidly expanding.
"Ju... vi... a..." His voice sounded like it came from the depths of hell.
"Yes! Lord Gray! Do you have any commands?" Juvia appeared before him as if energized, holding a stack of freshly printed "Membership Application Forms."
"These... things..." Gray pointed at the wall full of posters, enunciating each word, "Immediately! Right now! Tear them down!"
"Eh? Lord Gray doesn't like them?" The light in Juvia's eyes instantly dimmed, her pink bubbles deflated, and her voice became tearful, "Juvia... Juvia just wanted everyone to understand Lord Gray's charm better..."
"No need!" Gray said decisively.
"But..."
"No buts! Tear them down!"
"Yes... yes! Lord Gray!" Juvia began tearing down the posters, looking wronged, her movements careful, as if she were tearing up some rare treasure.
Everyone watched this scene, wanting to laugh but not daring to, stifling themselves with great difficulty.
Lord Makarov looked at the traces of the extremely sticky glue left on the wall from the torn-off posters, and the continuously expanding ice surface beneath Gray's feet, and once again painfully covered his forehead: "...Wall cleaning fee... Floor de-icing fee..."
Just as the "Gray Fan Club" commotion temporarily subsided, Wendy's surprised cry came from another corner of the guild.
"Wow! So pretty!"
Everyone looked over and saw Wendy wearing a brand-new dress!
The dress was a soft sky blue, with white cloud embroidery adorning the hem, delicate lace trim sewn on the cuffs and collar, and a silver ribbon tied around the waist, making her look fresh and adorable, like a little princess from a fairy tale.
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