Chapter 10: Warmth, Happiness, and Love
Chapter 10: Warmth, Happiness, and Love
"Warum?"
"Yes, Warum. Because it feels warm when you hold it," Mira explained.
"Rod mentioned that Poro comes from a very cold place. I hope it always feels warm with you."
Rod thought about it. "That sounds good. What do you think?"
The little Poro's horn perked up, clearly delighted.
"Good to hear," Mira smiled. "Happy got his name the same way."
Happy was the blue, talking cat that always followed Natsu around. Mira had introduced him to Rod.
She said Happy could fly and even carry people with him, but unfortunately, Rod hadn't seen Happy fly yet.
"Then it's settled. From now on, you'll be called Warum, officially and rightfully so."
"Officially and rightfully isn't used that way," the Guild Master thought about whether to call back Hibiki for customer service.
"Ururu~" Warum pounced into Rod's arms, rubbing its head against his chest.
Rod held Warum, feeling its small horns poking him a bit.
"Mira, two beers over here!" Laki waved toward the counter.
"Coming up~" Mira took two wooden beer mugs, filled them, and placed them on a tray. "Rod, it's almost noon. We're about to get busy."
"Got it. I'll start right away." Rod set Warum down and picked up the tray.
Warum looked around and then followed Rod's feet as he went to serve the drinks.
The customer was a middle-aged man with a pipe in his mouth, a brown mohawk, a floral shirt, shorts, and flip-flops.
"Here's your beer."
"Ah~ Why didn't Mira bring it..." Wakaba complained offhandedly but still picked up his glass. "By the way, you're the one who's been sitting behind the counter these past few days, right?"
Rod felt a bit rejected, but it was normal; he'd prefer a beautiful woman to serve him too:
"My name is Rod. I just joined Fairy Tail and am currently working as a bartender. Please take care of me."
"Oh~ A new member! I'm Wakaba." Wakaba perked up, and a hand-like cloud of smoke emerged from his pipe, grasping another beer mug and offering it to Rod.
"As you can see, I use smoke magic. This beer is on me, welcome to Fairy Tail!"
"I—"
Bang! Before Rod could respond, the person sitting across from Wakaba slammed the table and stood up:
"Damn Wakaba, don't just give away my beer!"
This man had short purple hair, a sparse mustache, and a white trench coat. As he spoke, purple flames began to form in his hands.
The flames dispersed Wakaba's smoke hand and took its place, gripping the beer mug.
"I'll be the one to offer it!" He formally adjusted his collar. "Hello, I am—"
"Damn Makao!" Wakaba stood up, slamming his beer mug on the table and stepping on his stool, leaning forward. "Do you want to fight? Huh?"
"Who's afraid of you!" Makao also stepped on his stool and leaned forward.
The two men glared at each other, their foreheads almost touching, neither backing down.
Thick smoke gathered above Wakaba's pipe, and the purple flames swirled back, hovering over Makao's hand.
The beer mug, which had been held by the flames, fell, and Rod quickly caught it, spilling a few drops of beer. "Um—"
He wanted to mediate, but the two men had already ignored him, arguing and rolling up their sleeves, ready to fight.
Rod looked around for help, but the nearby people were all watching with eager expressions.
Some even cheered, shouting things like "Fight!" and "Give him a good lesson!"
Laki, still holding the empty beer mugs she had just collected, didn't bother going back to the counter but joined the crowd watching the spectacle.
She didn't forget to add, "Rod, if I were you, I'd hide far away right now."
"Wha—"
Zoom! A beer mug whizzed past Rod's ear.
Makao and Wakaba had already jumped onto the table, gripping each other's hands and starting a strength contest.
Rod rubbed his temple, decisively giving up on trying to mediate. He scooped up Poro (Warm), grabbed an innocent beer with his other hand, and tucked a tray under his arm, quickly retreating to the counter.
Master Makarov’s small but sturdy figure gave him a great sense of security.
"Master, don’t you need to do something about them?" Rod asked, eyeing the escalating chaos.
"Let them be," Makarov picked up the beer mug Rod had just set down and took a sip.
No one was meditating, so there was no one to disturb. A bit of noise was actually quite lively.
Not only that, but when someone opened a betting pool on whether Macao or Wakaba would fall off the table first, the old man even placed a 1000J bet.
"I thought the guild was chaotic those days only because the Master was away," Rod watched as the Master, who was now cheering on the fight, felt a sense of despair. "Is there no one normal in this guild?"
"Don’t say that," Mira chuckled, polishing a glass. "It’s quite entertaining, isn’t it?"
The place where Macao and Wakaba were fighting clanged and clattered. The long table was quickly smashed, and chairs were knocked over.
After a good tussle, the two finally separated, and the crowd soon lost interest and dispersed.
This scuffle was just a minor disturbance in Fairy Tail, as the two men were too controlled to cause any real trouble for others.
"Are they okay?" Rod watched the two men, who were now sitting at separate tables, fuming. He felt a bit responsible for their falling out.
"Don’t worry, they’re like that. They’ll be sitting together and drinking again in no time."
Mira wasn’t concerned at all. She turned to Makarov, "Master, that beer still counts on your tab, you know."
"What? That beer was clearly Macao’s!"
"You were the one who drank it secretly."
"It’s... true..." Makarov’s attempt to dodge the bill failed, and he looked dejected.
Rod’s image of the kind, wise, and reliable Master began to crumble.
This old man doesn’t seem to have it together either. No wonder the guild is like this—when the leader is off, the followers are sure to follow suit.
Just as he was about to ask about the broken table, he saw Laki walk over, making a peculiar gesture with her hands:
"Wood Make: Sincere Friendship Table!"
The shattered tabletop and broken legs seemed to come to life, bending and extending, then perfectly melding back together, reforming into the original long table.
A guy with buck teeth nearby grumbled, "Why does she always use such weird names?"
Laki, with her purple hair swept back, adjusted her glasses, "Oh, are you jealous of my magic and talent?"
"Who would be jealous of that stuff!"
Laki was lost in her own world, cupping her face, "I am such a sinful woman."
Rod: "..."
He had noticed a hint of this earlier, and now he was pretty sure—Laki was quite narcissistic.
But her magic was quite convenient, almost on par with the Wood Style jutsu from the neighboring series.
No wonder everyone was so reckless with their destruction.
---
Language Note:
In the world of Fairy Tail, they speak a language from a different world, not Japanese, English, or any other real-world language.
The reason the anime uses Japanese, English, and Chinese characters is to make it understandable for the audience.
This is a classic and old trope in crossover stories, so there’s no need to worry about it.
When naming Poro, I considered that Poro represents warmth, happiness, and love.
So Poro is named Warm, which fits well with Happy and his catchphrase "Love," aligning with the atmosphere of Fairy Tail.
In short, any puns or wordplay in the story should be seen as the result of translating the otherworldly language into something we can understand.
I specifically wrote about the protagonist learning the language at the beginning for a reason—those who get it will understand.
If you’re going to nitpick about this, the entire novel is in English anyway.
(End of Chapter)
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