The Fairy Tail banquet started almost the mont they returned. Tables were crowded with food and drinks, mugs clinked loudly, songs broke out, and people danced on the tables as if no ti had passed at all. After hours of chaotic revelry, the noise settled into small clusters of chatter, each group trading questions and stories.
As always, Rhodes and Mira drifted toward the counter. Sohow, without even planning it, they naturally ended up with Laki and Kinana at their side.
Rhodes looked the two won up and down in surprise. "You two have changed a lot, haven't you?"
Before, they had seed so much younger, especially Kinana. Now, standing there, they almost felt older than Mira herself.
"Do you really have the right to say that?" Laki shot back dryly, narrowing her eyes at Rhode's waist-length hair. "Your hair practically drags on the floor now."
"…"
That familiar tone made Rhodes laugh softly. Yes, this was definitely still Laki. Turning to Mira, he asked half-jokingly, "Should I cut it off?"
Mira smiled sweetly. "No, I like it this way. But I'll trim it for you later."
"Alright then," Rhodes said with a shrug. Truthfully, it wasn't like he had many options in Summoner's Rift, there weren't exactly barbers among the monsters. The best he had managed was hacking off pieces whenever it got too long.
Mira then looked at Laki. "I heard you've been running the bar all these years. How was it?"
Laki sighed bitterly. "Well, calling it 'running the bar' might be a stretch. At first, it was chaotic… but eventually, there just wasn't much to manage anymore."
Kinana nodded and explained softly, "Magnolia gained all kinds of new bars and dance halls. Compared to those, our old Guild bar hardly got visitors anymore. The staff grew idle. So left to take requests, so just left the Guild entirely. Miss Sally and Miss Iz… they both resigned over two years ago."
"I see…" Mira's chest tightened. Back then, they had been so overwheld they even dragged Lucy into part-ti work just to cover the counter. To hear that it had co to this…
Rhodes quickly changed the subject. "I rember you wanted to learn magic, Kinana. How did that go? Did you ever decide what to specialize in?"
Kinana shifted uneasily. "Originally, I wanted to learn Take Over Magic. But after everything that happened, the sorrow… the chaos… I only managed to study the basics."
Laki glanced at her quietly, choosing not to expose the whole truth. She rembered well, Kinana had finally found a place she belonged, only for the Tenrou tragedy to strike. In such a ti, it was miracle enough that she returned to normal life at all, much less had the focus to pursue advanced magic.
Instead, Laki put on her old playful voice and teased, "You know, Kinana's verbal tic is gone."
Kinana flushed. "Stop it! I've already grown up!"
"Oh, right, Mira-nee…" Laki suddenly hesitated. "Can I still call you that? Are you… nineteen or twenty-five now?"
For a mont, she really didn't know how to place Mira's age.
"Call whatever you like," Mira said with a gentle laugh. "And if you're curious, you can always ask Freed. He's got that spell that can asure soone's true age."
"Let's just keep it the way it was," Laki said quickly, unwilling to change what felt so natural. Then her tone turned sly. "Speaking of which, Mira-nee, what about you and Rhode? Weren't you two planning to get married right after the exam? How's that going?"
Mira blinked and turned to Rhodes. That had been the plan, after the S-Class Exam, they would wait until the New Year and then hold the wedding. But now… this wasn't the sa New Year anymore.
Before Rhodes could reply, Laki added mischievously, "Alzack and Bisca already beat you to it. And guess what, they even have a child."
Both Rhodes and Mira's eyes widened in surprise. With all the things they'd heard on the way back, sohow that little detail hadn't co up.
"A...A child?!" Erza, who had been talking to Alzack and Bisca, froze in shock. "You, you're already married?"
Alzack's face lit up with pride. "Yes, it's a daughter. Her na is Asuka."
Bisca added with a gentle smile, "We've already been married for five years."
"Con...Congratulations," Erza stamred, her cheeks burning red as she bowed her head, awkwardly offering words of congratulations that sounded suspiciously like a bride's blessing.
Mira glanced over with a knowing smile. "Erza hasn't changed at all."
Rhodes slid his arm around Mira's waist, teasing warmly, "How about we deliver her another blow in a few days, Miss Demon?"
Mira flushed, but kept her composure, "Alright. I'm really looking forward to seeing Erza's expression then."
"Oooooh~"
Laki and Kinana covered their mouths, giggling. "You two decided that so quickly?"
Rhodes said matter-of-factly, "Didn't we already decide long ago?"
If it weren't for Acnologia, their child might already have been playing with Asuka.
Laki suddenly leaned closer, as if recalling sothing. "Ah, Mira-nee, don't tell you two are the sa as Bisca?"
Mira blinked in confusion. "What do you an?"
"That," Laki lowered her voice, her face flushing red. "When Asuka was born, Alzack and Bisca had only been married for half a year."
Kinana whispered, cheeks also crimson, "I heard about that too… Bisca sotis stayed out all night."
"Could it be..."
The implication hit Mira like a lightning bolt. Was Bisca already pregnant before the wedding? Mira's own face turned bright red.
Back then, she and Rhodes also… many tis.
Her hand instinctively rested on her stomach, a swirl of nervousness and anticipation rising in her chest. Was it too early to tell?
One thing was certain, after they settled down, they couldn't delay any longer.
Before Mira could say more, soone shouted, "Hey, you two! Get over here for the group drawing!"
Everyone looked over and saw the others already gathered, waiting for them to line up so Reedus could sketch.
"Coming! How should we stand?"
"Of course, the Guild Master goes in the middle!"
Macao puffed out his chest, grinning smugly. "Oh? That'd be , right?"
"Out of the way, you're just a stand-in!" Wakaba shoved him aside without hesitation. "Now that everyone's back, the Guild Master is obviously the real one."
Macao huffed but shot back, "If I can't keep acting as Guild Master, then you, the acting assistant, are out of a job too!"
Wakaba smirked, puffing out smoke from his pipe. "Out of a job? Fine by . The Guild Master's real assistant is back anyway!"
"You bastard!"
Macao and Wakaba butted heads right over Makarov, who was stuck between them, while the rest of the Guild laughed and even cheered them on like it was a sporting match.
Reedus' eyes sparkled as he shouted, "Perfect! Stay just like that, don't move!"
His paintbrush flew across the canvas, recording this noisy, chaotic, but deeply heartwarming mont Fairy Tail had missed for six long years.
Just then, a knock sounded at the Guild's door.
A tall figure stepped inside with a smile. "Looks like I ca at the perfect ti. I'm not interrupting, am I?"
Everyone turned toward the door. Many couldn't place his face right away. Rhodes found him oddly familiar, but the na wouldn't co.
Only Erza's lips trembled as she whispered in shock, "You… you're Simon?!"
The man standing there was indeed Simon, Erza's comrade from the Tower of Heaven.
"Who??" Lucy, Mira, Natsu, Gray, Rhodes, and the others who rembered Simon all cried out in disbelief.
Because the man before them looked completely different.
Back then, Simon had only one eye, a steel jaw, and a rough headscarf, no one could have called him handso.
Now, his eye was restored, the iron jaw gone, and his hair neatly styled. Compared to six years ago, he was practically a new person.
And most striking of all, he wore a sharp shirt and suit with polished shoes, a familiar Guild emblem proudly marked on his chest.
"Blue Pegasus?!"
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