Sting hurriedly stopped Yukino, who was trying to leave, and explained in an urgent tone, "I'm sorry. I know that after what we did to you, there's no reason for you to forgive us."
"But we've decided to rebuild Sabertooth and turn it into a guild that knows how to cherish its companions."
Yukino hesitated and stopped walking.
She turned around and looked at the members of Sabertooth, who no longer seemed arrogant the way they had in the past.
Sting bowed deeply. His eyes were filled with guilt, but also with determination.
"I know this is asking too much, but I still want to ask you to come back to the guild!"
"Please. Even if it's only to witness it, will you come back and witness our change?"
Yukino's expression wavered, but she did not immediately agree.
What had happened back then… If Angel-onee-san and everyone from Fairy Tail had not helped her, it would have been a disastrous humiliation for any girl.
Rogue decisively bowed along with Sting.
Behind them, Rufus took off his hat and lowered his head, while Orga nearly dropped flat onto the floor.
To put it plainly, these young people were not exactly wicked villains.
They were simply ignorant, foolish in a very straightforward way, and had never understood how a guild should truly operate.
Before this, they had believed Jiemma's way of management could make the guild stronger, so they had not cared about his violent rule.
But after realizing the true meaning of a guild, they naturally became willing to openly admit their mistakes.
Yukino's beautiful eyes grew moist.
She had loved Sabertooth ever since she was little, just like Lucy loved Fairy Tail.
So when she saw that everyone truly wanted to change, her simple-hearted nature, without too many complicated thoughts, soon began leaning toward accepting.
However, as the older-sister types, naturally, they still had to help her check things properly!
"Wait! Her life belongs to me! If she joins any guild, it should be mine!"
"Nani?!"
The moment Sting heard that, he immediately bristled and turned toward the voice.
It was Kagura, who had changed out of her military-style uniform and into a sexy formal dress, speaking in a cold tone to stop them.
Sting angrily rushed in front of her and said, "Did you drink too much? Don't think you can do whatever you want just because you won one match!"
Kagura smiled disdainfully and snorted. "Stop talking nonsense! She isn't a member of your guild right now."
Sting gritted his teeth, but before he could say anything, more voices rang out from around them.
"And us!"
"Nani?!"
Seeing the big shots from various guilds popping out one after another, the members of Sabertooth all broke down and shouted in despair.
Ichiya of Blue Pegasus arrived with his host squad, declaring that such a beautiful young lady absolutely could not go wrong by joining their guild.
Lyon from Lamia Scale stylishly brushed up his bangs and smiled.
"Lamia Scale is the guild with the brightest future!"
The men of Quatro Puppy also came over to join the fun, saying something about how wonderful it would be if a gorgeous flower bloomed among a pile of weeds.
Then there was Erza, who loved joining in on commotions, bringing Gray and Lucy with her to argue fiercely.
Lucy's reasoning was even flawless.
According to plot development, unaffiliated mages either ended up with Team Ram, or they were supposed to join their guild…
Even the old guild masters began fighting fiercely with tremendous momentum.
Among them, Makarov, old yet still full of fire, was especially fierce.
...
The battle for Yukino quickly turned into a massive brawl.
Watching Sabertooth and the others lose their tempers and fight the other guilds, Ankh and Mirajane, who had not joined the chaos, stayed by Yukino's side and comforted her as she cried.
Fortunately, the brawl soon ended with Sabertooth being overwhelmed by sheer numbers and knocked down.
Yukino then smiled through her tears and said that she still wanted to join Sabertooth.
Only then did everyone, who had expected this result from the start, reveal smiles.
Their chaos earlier had actually been meant to give Yukino a stronger sense of security, while also telling everyone in Sabertooth that Yukino was very popular and they had better feel a little sense of crisis.
Seeing Sting, Rufus, and the others, all bruised and swollen, still grumbling stubbornly at Gray, Gajeel, and the rest, only to get beaten up again, Yukino could not help smiling.
"Yukino."
Frosch hugged Yukino's leg, and Yukino gently bent down and patted his little head.
This little commotion soon came to an end.
Under everyone's attention, it was finally time for King Toma's grand entrance and speech.
But then…
When everyone in the ballroom raised their heads, they saw Natsu wearing the crown and laughing with bared teeth.
Beside him, a tiny old man was hopping around wildly.
Arcadios and the other knights' eyelids twitched.
As for Makarov, he felt the few remaining hairs on his head begin drifting away with the wind, and he closed his eyes in despair.
"Heh… so that's where Natsu disappeared to…"
"As expected of Natsu-san!"
Sting looked at Natsu making a fool of himself up there with a face full of worship.
Ankh stared at this brain-dead fanboy, completely speechless.
The lawless Natsu was eventually dragged back by Ankh and the others, and only then did the music and ball officially begin.
Wendy and Sherria, the two little girls…
No, counting Mavis, who outsiders could not see, the three little girls were greedily staring at jewel-like jelly desserts.
Juvia adjusted her long water-blue hair again, then excitedly hugged Gray and continued her passionate confession.
Cana started drinking against Bacchus from Quatro Puppy again, while Freed dutifully blocked the fans trying to approach Laxus.
Then there were the people who already had their own pairings, impatiently pulling their dance partners onto the floor.
For example, Elfman and Evergreen, who were acting sneaky while bickering and flirting.
There was also Ren and his fiancée Sherry, as well as Hibiki and his girlfriend Jenny.
Jet and Droy wanted to invite Levy, but after searching the hall for ages, they could not find her anywhere. Even Gajeel had disappeared.
Erza, meanwhile, found Millianna. Seeing her looking depressed, Erza pulled out three little cats to cheer her up, and only then did Millianna's mood improve.
Ankh looked toward Kagura in confusion and asked, "What happened with you and Millianna? Your moods seem off."
Kagura raised a bottle and took a mouthful of alcohol, her eyes sharp as she said, "I saw Jellal."
"That man tormented my brother and Millianna, yet he still dared show up here."
Ankh: …
Jellal had told him about this matter.
Apparently, while Team Ram was chatting, they accidentally exposed their identities, and Kagura happened to appear nearby.
Then both sides immediately started fighting.
After all, both Kagura and Millianna hated Jellal deeply, and both were connected to the Tower of Heaven as victims or family of victims.
Because of that, Jellal and his group had been so frightened that they did not even dare attend the ball today…
Ankh quietly said nothing and slipped away without a sound, only to see Mirajane suddenly sneak over and tug at him with a mischievous smile.
"Come on. I'll take you to see something fun!"
Ankh became interested and followed Mirajane as the two of them quietly slipped out to the balcony outside the palace.
There were not many people here.
From the balcony, they could see the forest outside and the round moon hanging in the sky.
The view was quite beautiful.
Then…
With his sharp senses, Ankh immediately saw what Mirajane wanted him to look at.
Ankh's astonishing eyesight and hearing began to work, and he instantly noticed the things Mirajane had not been able to make out clearly.
In the forest, there came a burst of rapid, blush-inducing breathing, accompanied by the rustling of clothes and…
The sound of clapping?
And the two people so passionate about "studying" were… (Gajeel and Levy).
"Hiss…"
Adhering to the principle of not looking at what he should not, Ankh withdrew his gaze.
He casually set up an isolation barrier for his good buddy, then coughed and said, "They had a little alcohol, their emotions are running high, and they're both young. It's normal… normal…"
Mirajane's eyes sparkled with the light of gossip, and she quickly asked, "Who is it? Who is it?"
She could only make out the general situation, which was why she had dragged Ankh over to act as a telescope and satisfy her hunger for gossip.
"Children don't need to ask so many questions."
"…Just you wait until we get back to Magnolia."
"Hm?"
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