The afternoon sun warmed the Fairy Tail Guild, and the air was filled with a lazy, comfortable atmosphere.
Elfman's "Manly Training Camp" had temporarily concluded, and the children sat in small groups around the newly repaired tables, sipping the honey milk Mira had specially prepared for them, chattering and exchanging the "insights" they had just learned, their faces flushed with excitement.
Elfman himself held a large glass of water, leaning against the bar, watching the children, a satisfied and steady smile on his tanned face.
Occasionally, a child would run up to ask him a question, and he would answer patiently, his reliable demeanor deepening the smile in Mira's eyes.
Over at the bar, Lucy seemed to have finally reached a temporary truce with those damned ledgers—or rather, she had unilaterally declared her surrender.
"Ah! I don't care anymore! Time to eat first!" she wailed, throwing down her quill and collapsing onto the bar, which made Wendy-chan next to her chuckle.
"Lucy-nee, just take your time," Wendy consoled, pushing her untouched small cake towards Lucy.
"Wuwuwu, Wendy-chan, you're truly an angel…" Lucy said, touched, as she picked up the cake and took a bite, then immediately made a bitter face, "But this month's expenses are really terrifying… Will the Master deduct my manuscript fees…?"
"Aye—! Is Lucy's manuscript fee going to be used to buy new fish?" Happy chimed in, asking innocently and annoyingly.
"Go eat your fish!" Lucy playfully poked Happy's head.
Carla elegantly licked her paw: "Hmph, it seems someone's novel sales can't save the Guild's finances after all."
Lucy was hit hard, "..."
At this moment, Natsu and Gajeel's attention had shifted from lunch to… uh… how to "spar" more effectively.
"Hey, Gajeel! That last one doesn't count! Let's go to the training ground and fight again!" Natsu's nose snorted tiny sparks, his fighting spirit soaring.
"Just what I wanted! You damn flame-brain! This time I'm definitely going to beat you down!" Gajeel clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking.
Their eyes met, almost sparking, and they were about to charge at each other again—
"You two—" Mira's gentle voice swept over them like a breeze, yet carried an invisible pressure, "The training ground is fine, but…"
She pulled out two densely written lists from somewhere, her smile so radiant it made one's scalp tingle: "These are the lists of public property damage and estimated repair costs from your last 'spar' and the one before that. If you cause more than… hmm, five thousand in damage this time, then for the next month…"
She deliberately drew out her words.
Natsu and Gajeel's movements instantly froze. They looked at the two lists that seemed to shimmer with demonic light, then at Mira's "kind" smile, and simultaneously swallowed hard.
"Uh… I suddenly feel… a bit full…" Natsu scratched his head.
"Hmm… I… I ate too many iron plates, need to digest them…" Gajeel uncharacteristically agreed.
The two sheepishly averted their gazes and each found a corner… to do push-ups?
As if they were expending their excess energy in this peculiar way.
Mira put away the lists with satisfaction and continued to wipe the wine glasses.
Laki was secretly chuckling nearby, casting an admiring gaze at Mira.
By the windowsill, Yuumi seemed disturbed by the commotion, stretched lazily, and shifted to a more comfortable position to continue napping, her tail tip unconsciously sweeping the windowsill, as if expressing disdain for the "childish" behavior below.
At the warehouse entrance, Laki and Max had finished enchanting the new tables.
Golden sand, like living patterns, was perfectly embedded in the wood, forming a stable protective magic circle, which then receded, appearing as mere ordinary wooden patterns.
"Done! This should last… hmm, a few more days?" Max clapped his hands, his tone a bit uncertain.
"Jinx!" Laki rolled her eyes at him, but looking at their collaborative work, she was still in a very good mood.
She lightly tapped her finger, a emerald green magic light flashed, and several small, delicate wooden rosebuds instantly grew on the tabletop as decoration, "This looks much better!"
"Wow! So pretty!" Wendy and a few other girls were drawn over.
"Laki-nee is amazing!"
Laki smiled a little shyly: "It's nothing."
Max looked at the wooden roses, stroking his chin: "Hmm… if only they could have flowing gold sand as stamens…"
"Don't even think about it! That would be a nightmare to clean!" Laki immediately interrupted his fantasy.
Max shrugged, not insisting, and instead used gold sand to sculpt a lifelike little cat in the air, rolling its eyes and bearing a striking resemblance to Carla, making the children burst into laughter.
Carla, however, cast a disdainful look at it.
In a relatively quiet corner of the Guild, Sorano closed a thick Celestial Spirit Magic book and gently rubbed her eyes.
"Rest if you're tired." Sorano handed her a cup of warm water, her tone gentle.
"Mm, thank you, big sister." Sorano took the water cup, showing a faint, relieved smile, "It's just that some theories still need to be digested. The world of Celestial Spirit Magic is truly vast."
Sorano looked at her sister's focused and serious profile, her heart filled with tenderness.
Mira checked the time and smiled: "It seems everyone's energy is pretty much spent. Afternoon tea time!"
As soon as she finished speaking, several older girls who worked as helpers in the Guild jointly pushed a trolley out of the kitchen, laden with freshly baked, fragrant cookies, soft small cakes, and a large pot of steaming hot tea.
"Oh oh oh! Afternoon tea!"
"Long live Miss Mira!"
The children immediately cheered and swarmed around, even Natsu and Gajeel instantly forgot their "sparring" and approached with shining eyes.
"There's enough for everyone, don't rush." Mira skillfully distributed the snacks and tea, ensuring every child received some.
Lucy also temporarily cast aside her worries, picked up a bear-shaped cookie, and her mood instantly improved significantly.
Wendy-chan sipped her tea, and a small dish of special cat milk paste was placed in front of Carla.
Yuumi had jumped down from the windowsill at some point, silently crouching at Mira's feet, rubbing her head against her leg and purring softly, clearly also begging for food.
Mira smiled and bent down, placing a small, unsweetened piece of cheese in her palm to feed it.
The entire Guild was filled with a sweet and warm aroma.
In this harmonious atmosphere, Mira's hand, distributing snacks, paused slightly.
Her peripheral vision caught the veins on the back of her hand, black as ink, slowly fading in color with her breathing.
She continued her actions without a change in expression, her smile unwavering, but an ineffable tremor surged within her.
She glanced at Elfman, who was laughing and playing with the children, and at her companions, who, though noisy, were full of vitality.
'Perhaps… it really… is time to try… to start anew?' This thought became increasingly clear in her heart.
Afternoon tea time passed in a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.
Afterward, the children were picked up by their parents one by one, and the Guild gradually quieted down.
Natsu and Happy curled up in a corner, dozing, Gajeel continued to chew on his iron plates, Lucy resignedly picked up the ledgers again, but her expression was much more relaxed.
Elfman helped Mira and Laki clear the dishes.
Max, meanwhile, started tinkering with his gold sand again, this time seemingly trying to sculpt a comical scene of Natsu and Gajeel fighting.
Sorano and Sorano quietly discussed a problem with Celestial Spirit Magic.
Wendy and Carla sat quietly nearby, reading a book—the Dragon Slayer Secret Art of Sky Dragon Magic that Granny Poluchka had given her a while ago.
The setting sun streamed through the windows, casting a warm golden glow over everything in the Guild.
Mira wiped the last cup clean, inverted it on the rack, and gazed at the setting sun outside the window, gently clenching her fist. Her bones made a subtle sound, and a dark magical light flickered silently.
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