The next day at dusk, by the street and the steps.
Romeo, after hurriedly finishing his last bite of food that afternoon, came here early to wait.
He looked at the street opposite with hopeful eyes, because Big Brother Zorn told him that Natsu and Macao would be back today.
The moment the three people and one cat appeared from around the corner, the light of hope in Romeo's eyes became even more brilliant, shining like the sun. His eyes widened, filled with surprise, and joyful tears welled up.
"Romeo!"
Natsu, with one hand supporting a somewhat embarrassed Macao who was scratching his head, happily waved and shouted to Romeo.
"Haha! Dad!"
"Thud!"
Romeo wiped the tears from his cheeks and ran, tackling Macao to the ground, tightly hugging his father's neck.
"Dad, I'm sorry, I, I shouldn't have..."
"Made you worry, Romeo. I'm sorry."
"It's okay. I'm a Magician's son, and Big Brother Zorn also told me not to care about what others think. I believe Dad is definitely the strongest Magician."
Romeo looked up, his eyes still a little teary, but he looked at his father with determination. His proud and trusting smile warmed Macao's heart. He couldn't help but gently ruffle Romeo's hair and said, "Next time, you can proudly tell them that Dad is very strong; he defeated more than a dozen monsters by himself."
"Mhm, mhm," Romeo said, showing his white teeth, overjoyed.
Zorn, Cana, Lucy, Natsu, and Happy looked at the touching scene before them and knew they needed to give the two some space. They exchanged Happy glances, smiled, and slowly walked away.
"Big Brother Natsu, Happy, thank you. And Big Sister Lucy, thank you very much for bringing Father back."
"And, and, Big Brother Zorn, thank you for your words. I will remember them."
"Finally, Big Sister Cana, your cooking is delicious, very delicious. Thank you, Everyone."
Finally, under the glow of the setting sun, their figures lengthened, ultimately settling on Everyone's smiles.
----Separator----
A few days later, inside the Fairy Tail Guild...
"Lisanna, we need two or three beers here."
"And some here too."
"Okay, okay, please wait a moment."
Lisanna quickly poured several beers at the bar, placed them on a tray, and attended to the Guild Members.
Meanwhile, Natsu was...
"Ah, it seems I need to find a job quickly," Natsu sighed weakly, slumped over the table.
"Yes, Natsu, otherwise we won't have any food to eat," Happy said, nonchalantly gnawing on a fish.
"Sigh, if only Zorn were here, I could borrow some money from him." Natsu drew circles on the table, muttering regretfully.
Lucy, hearing this, instantly remembered that her rent hadn't been paid. She too was short on money.
In the previous request, "Sunrise," due to various reasons, no commission was received, leading to tight finances for the three-person team of Natsu, Happy, and Lucy. If they didn't find work quickly, they wouldn't have money for any expenses next month.
Thinking of this, Lucy hurried to the job board and scanned it. Seeing the numerous job requests posted, she felt helpless: "What kind of mission should I take? There are so many types!"
"You can!" Cana and Levy, while chatting nearby, heard Natsu's muttering and chuckled. They immediately sat across from Natsu, propped their heads on their hands, and looked at Natsu with smiles.
"That's right, Natsu. Cana lives with Zorn, and now Cana manages all the money at home. It's the same if we ask Cana." Happy immediately stood up and raised his hand, speaking loudly to Natsu.
His voice was so loud that the entire Guild could hear it, startling Lucy.
"Eh, what? I didn't expect Zorn to be so henpecked!" Lucy was stunned on the spot when she heard this news. She instantly rushed to the table and looked at Cana in shock, confirming.
"Yes, it's already a given in the Guild," Levy confirmed from the side, even mentioning Cana and Zorn's affectionate moments back then.
"They really are a perfect match," Lucy said, genuinely sighing as she saw the Happy smile on Cana's face when Zorn was mentioned.
"Thank you. Have you chosen a quest? The Master and Zorn went to attend the Master's regular meeting. If you have any questions, I can help answer them!"
"Regular meeting?"
"It's where the Masters of each Guild regularly gather for a report meeting to convey some decisions from the Council. That might not be clear enough. Loke, can I borrow your Light Pen?"
Cana took various magic pens from Loke (Painting Magic), which could materialize words in the air.
..."And then they manage us Magicians. The Master and the others work very hard."
"I didn't know until now that there's cooperation among Guild Members."
Lucy looked at the hierarchical relationship chart of the Council and various Guilds before her, expressing her surprise.
"Yes, cooperation among Guild Members is very important. If that's not done..."
"Dark Guilds will come looking for you," Cana said, leaning in and whispering menacingly into Lucy's ear before she could finish.
"Eek!" Lucy immediately jumped up from her seat in fright.
"Hahahaha!" Natsu, however, burst into laughter, mocking Lucy's reaction.
"Immature!" Gray suddenly appeared nearby, complaining about Natsu's behavior.
"Gray, your clothes!"
"Huh, when?" Gray was shocked, not knowing when he had taken off his clothes.
"Exhibitionist!" Natsu retorted, seizing the opportunity.
"What did you say?"
"I'm talking about you, what about it?"
Natsu and Gray started arguing again nearby...
"However, Dark Guilds do still exist. Although Zorn eliminated many of them back then, there are still some Dark Magicians continuously gathering and committing crimes. But don't worry, the Council is still cracking down on them."
Cana emphasized from the side.
"Bang!" The Guild doors were hastily pushed open by Loki...
"Erza, she's back!" Loki rushed in to announce, then quickly ran to a table next to Lucy and hid. He had been happily chatting with a girl outside and thought Erza had seen him, so he had to hide.
But the moment he crouched down, he saw the Celestial Spirit Key on Lucy's waist. His expression instantly froze, but he quickly adjusted, returning to his usual carefree demeanor. Only after he reached the bar did he intently stare at Lucy with a serious expression.
"Hey, hey, hey, what's wrong with Everyone?"
Lucy looked at the Guild's previously normal, lively scene. Just hearing Erza's name made Everyone so scared, and seeing Natsu and Gray acting like good brothers made her even more curious about Erza.
Although she had a slight understanding of Erza's image from Natsu and Gray's previous descriptions, seeing Everyone's reaction now, her imagined image might have been too mild.
----The Master and Zorn's side----
"Master, you really know how to enjoy yourself. Be careful when Erza comes back; I'll tell on you."
Zorn looked at the Master, who was lying in the back seat, chugging beer, and said helplessly.
Zorn was currently driving a magic-powered vehicle to the location of the Master's regular meeting. He had been roped in by the Master, who claimed he had ample magic power and constant light energy replenishment, so it was free labor.
"Suit yourself. Erza's not here now, so I can continue enjoying myself." The Master waved his hand dismissively and gulped down a few more mouthfuls of alcohol.
"Gulp, gulp, delicious!"
"Bang!" Zorn immediately condensed a fist of light in the air and flicked the Master's forehead, making the Master fall over, though he tightly clutched the beer bottle in his hand.
"I hope the situation doesn't change later." Zorn's thoughts drifted, involuntarily wondering what the original plot was like.
"Peh, peh, peh, what am I thinking?" Zorn shook his head, casting away the thoughts in his mind, then suddenly accelerated, causing the car to jolt and spill the alcohol in the Master's hand.
...
To be continued~
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