Shane turned back, his gaze sweeping over the shadow at the corner of the street.
For that brief instant, he really had felt someone watching him—but there was no malice in that stare. If anything, it carried a hint of panic and… curiosity?
"Just my imagination?"
He shook his head and didn't dwell on it.
After all, today's main mission was to take little Lucy around and let her properly experience the sights of Magnolia.
And since they were here, there was one place they absolutely couldn't skip—the city's most famous, noisiest wizard guild.
"Wow! So this is a wizard guild?!"
The moment she stepped through the wooden doors—tall to her—little Lucy couldn't wait to look around.
The hall in front of her wasn't nearly as spacious or grand as the storybooks described. If anything, it was old and a bit cramped.
But in the little girl's sparkling eyes, this place was practically sacred ground.
She stared in fascination at the request board packed with quests, at the uncles raising cups and drinking loud, at the corners where magic lights flickered now and then. Her face was full of longing and wonder.
"In this world, about ninety percent of people are ordinary," Shane said gently, holding her small hand like a tour guide. "Only about ten percent are mages."
"Mages use their power to solve problems. Ordinary people pay and place their trust in them."
"And all that trust, piled up over time, becomes the most basic rule of this world. A guild is the gathering place for that rule."
"Trust…"
Little Lucy nodded like she sort of understood, but her eyes only shone brighter.
"Then when I become an amazing mage, I'm joining a guild too!"
She swung Shane's hand excitedly.
"Yeah—Fairy Tail! Because… I'm going to help you, Shane! I'm going to repay you!"
"Haha. Then I'll look forward to it."
Smiling, Shane was about to take her deeper inside—maybe to the bar to ask Makarov for a cup of milk—
when suddenly—
"Move, move!"
"I'm going too!"
Two whirlwind figures rushed in from the side, nearly flipping a nearby table.
"Hm?"
Shane stopped and quickly pulled Lucy aside.
A black-haired boy wearing nothing but boxers and a pink-haired boy with a scarf were shoving each other in a messy tangle.
"Shane? Who's this tiny thing with you?" a still-youthful but already cocky voice snarked before the speaker even fully came into view. "She's so small—like Levy."
Young Gray had both hands in his pockets, staring at Lucy with curiosity.
"Gray! Don't worry about that!"
Natsu didn't care at all. He clenched his fists, eyes blazing.
"Today I'm definitely beating Mira!"
"And after we beat her, we'll go challenge Erza! I already came up with my ultimate move!"
"Oh?"
A voice oozing danger drifted out.
"I can't exactly pretend I didn't hear that…"
A white-haired girl stepped out from behind a pillar.
"What do you mean 'challenge Mira first, then challenge Erza'? I'm that easy to deal with, huh?"
She wore a black, skin-tight cropped tank top and matching super-short hot pants, with a studded choker around her neck.
Her body hadn't fully matured yet, but the punk outfit made her look wild and rebellious—visually aggressive in every way.
Seeing Mira dressed like that, Shane's mouth twitched.
He had to admit… her taste was abstract in the worst way.
It was the textbook delinquent-girl look—pretty much on par with Erza's bizarre collection of "treasures."
Still, even if he was her teacher, it wasn't really his place to comment on a teenage girl's fashion.
Besides, when it came to clothing choices, this guild had the highest mountain and the longest river.
As long as she didn't evolve into Gray—wearing nothing—everything was negotiable.
"Anyway…"
Mira put her hands on her hips, wearing a terrifyingly "kind" smile that made your spine go cold.
"Since you're so confident, both of you come at me together. Don't waste my time."
"Don't look down on me! I can do it alone!"
"That's what I was going to say!"
Natsu and Gray instantly flared like firecrackers, ready to charge.
Seeing they were about to brawl right in the hall, little Lucy—thinking they really didn't get along—nervously grabbed Shane's shirt and hid behind him.
"Um… they're not going to get hurt, are they?"
"It's fine. Just daily communication."
Shane sighed, already developing a headache.
"You three. We've got a guest today."
"If you're going to fight, take it outside. Don't break the tables!"
"Like I'm gonna listen to you!" Natsu shouted stubbornly.
"Tch."
Shane didn't argue. He stepped forward, grabbed Natsu by the back of the collar like a chick, and casually flung him.
"Whoosh—"
The pink-haired boy, still baring his teeth and flailing, instantly became a shooting star and flew straight out the front door.
Then Shane turned calmly to Gray.
"…"
Remembering some not-so-great memories, young Gray shuddered and immediately dropped his stance.
"Tch. Fine. Outside then."
Grumbling, hands in pockets, he obediently walked out.
That left only Mira.
She didn't leave right away. Instead, she studied Lucy—about the same age as her little sister—with a thoughtful look.
"Such a small kid…"
She muttered to herself.
"Where did Shane go and kidnap this one from?"
Something about this scene felt strangely familiar.
Then, thinking about how she and her siblings had been "kidnapped," Mira snorted and finally followed the boys outside.
…
Outside.
Thud!
Young Natsu landed hard on the street in front of the guild.
In the shadows, the "future group" watching the whole thing instantly perked up.
"It's happening, it's happening—more action!" Happy whispered excitedly.
When she saw the figure sprawled out, the Lucy hiding behind the crates clapped a hand over her mouth.
"It's Natsu! How did you—pfft…"
"Haha! Natsu's been lame since he was little!" adult Gray laughed cruelly, hands on hips, finishing what Lucy couldn't say.
"Wait, Gray… your kid self came out too," Happy pointed at young Gray following behind.
"Hmph. I walked out on my own," Gray said smugly, ignoring how panicked his younger self looked. He stared at Natsu like he'd won something.
"They really hated each other since childhood…" Lucy sighed, exasperated at the two manchildren.
"If only everyone's personality was as gentle as Mira's…"
And then—before her sentence even finished—she saw something that completely rewired her worldview.
"BOOM!"
With a loud blast, the white-haired girl sprang out after them, leaping straight above the two idiots.
"You two clueless morons! You actually put Erza after me?!"
"Die ten thousand times for me!!"
Purple magic exploded.
"Take-Over—Satan Soul!"
Mira entered her demon form. Her scaled claws slammed down, perfectly grabbing Natsu and Gray by the heads just as they tried to resist.
BAM!
Two heads got driven straight into the ground.
"Ahahaha! Too weak! Way too weak!"
Lucy froze into a statue.
She slowly turned her stiff neck to her companions.
"Th-th-that's Mira…?!"
This and the Mira she knew—the one in a long skirt behind the bar, gently wiping glasses and speaking softly—
were not even the same species.
"Eh, pretty much," Natsu shrugged like it was nothing.
"People grow up, you know," Gray said, equally unfazed.
"Your kid selves are getting pinned down and beaten into the dirt!" Lucy shook them by the shoulders in a meltdown. "Could you react a little?!"
And this wasn't a "growing up" issue! This was a genetic mutation!
"Mira at this stage… is actually kind of cute," Erza said suddenly, still quietly observing, a nostalgic look in her eyes.
Then her smile paused, and she puffed her cheeks in annoyance.
"If only she'd stayed like this!"
The random, contextless line left Lucy confused.
But before she could ask, Erza shoved the magic book—the one that had caused the time slip—into Lucy's arms.
"Lucy, you handle decoding this. With your skills, you should be able to find a way back."
Her expression turned strangely serious.
"I have something I must do. Right now."
"Huh? Wait—" Lucy fumbled to catch the heavy book.
Before Lucy could refuse, Erza vanished in a blur.
"If it's Lucy, there's no problem!"
Right after that, Gray and Natsu—like they'd planned it—grabbed Happy and bolted too.
"We're going to go look at our kid selves!"
In the blink of an eye, the once-crowded hiding spot was empty—except for Lucy, clutching the thick magic book, standing in the wind like a tragic monument.
"HUH?!"
She looked at the book, then at the empty space around her, and finally dropped to the ground in despair.
"Why did everyone run off?! That's so irresponsible!"
And yet—
whether it was Lucy herself or the companions who'd abandoned her, none of them seemed worried she wouldn't be able to decode it.
"When we get back, I'm asking Lisanna what was going on with Mira…" Lucy muttered as she opened the book, still stuck on what she'd just seen.
…
Meanwhile,
The red-haired girl couldn't be bothered with Natsu and Gray's chaos.
She moved like the wind, weaving through the streets and sprinting toward the eastern forest.
"Right now… I should be at home writing to Kagura," Erza thought as she ran, pressing a hand to her chest.
She remembered how excited she'd been back then after taking a disciple—practically living on sword practice and letters, desperate to pass every scrap of experience on to Kagura.
It had been such a pure, fulfilling time.
A soft, gentle smile tugged at her lips.
But it vanished just as quickly, replaced by regret.
"And it was exactly because of that…"
"I was so wrapped up in the joy of being a teacher that I gave Ultear that witch an opening!"
Erza's eyes sharpened.
She remembered clearly—around this exact time, Shane and Ultear's relationship started getting… subtle.
They developed secrets she didn't know about.
And back then, she'd noticed nothing at all.
"Not this time!"
Thinking of that bastard Shane, Erza clenched her fist, resolve burning bright.
"I'm going to warn my past self."
"Starting now, I'm going to be strict with that idiot."
"Absolutely… absolutely no more spoiling him like before!"
"And also—'no time for him'… that's forbidden too!"
The familiar yard was already in sight.
The Erza from the future took a deep breath, and made her decision—word by word—in her heart.