Chapter 427: Unaware

Chapter 427: Unaware

"Don't joke like that," Lucy felt a prickle down her spine.

"I'm not joking," Mira chuckled, "I think Gray has a special affection for Lucy."

"What...what's so special about it?"

"Let me think...like walking around naked in front of you, or barging into your house whenever he wants..."

"Gray does that in front of everyone! That's just weird behavior! And he does barge into my house all the time!"

Like a ghost, Juvia floated behind Lucy, half her face hidden in the shadows, and her voice echoed eerily, "Love rival."

"Yikes!" Lucy shuddered, turning around to defend herself loudly, "I told you, it's not like that!"

Juvia stared at Lucy for a moment before floating away like a specter.

"So, it's probably Natsu, right?" Mira continued her gossip, "Think about it, Natsu treats Lucy differently too. Ever since Lucy joined the guild, Natsu has been taking care of you."

"Didn't Master Makarov say that it's a guild tradition for senior mages to look after newcomers?"

Mira nodded, "Yes, when Master Makarov joined, I was the one taking care of him. And when Juvia joined, Gray was assigned to look after her. So, for Lucy..."

Mira deliberately ignored the fact that it was Totomaru and Gajeel who were assigned to Lucy.

Lucy was convinced by Mira's serious tone and began to recall various incidents after joining the guild, including all the times Natsu had taken advantage of her...

Her face flushed even more, "No, it can't be. Me and Natsu?"

This imaginative young lady even added a filter in her mind, transforming Natsu into the style of a shojo manga.

In a pink background adorned with flowers, Natsu coolly extended his hand towards her.

"No, no, no...that's impossible!" Lucy shook her head vigorously, forcing the bizarre image out of her mind.

"People who team up together often develop feelings for each other," Mira found Lucy's expression increasingly amusing.

So, she added fuel to the fire, "Look at Jet and Troy with Levy, Alzack with Bisca, and me with Master Makarov. As for the outcome..."

Aside from the first pair being a bit complicated, Lucy was aware of the other two pairs. She covered her head, "If things continue like this..."

"Lucy?" Natsu had a knack for timing his appearances, suddenly placing his hand on Lucy's shoulder, "I have something to tell you."

"No, no, no!" Lucy jumped as if she had been electrocuted, shouting 'No' as she ran off.

Natsu was baffled, "What's wrong with her?"

Mira smirked, "Maybe she's angry. Why don't you go after her and see?"

Natsu dashed out, with Happy hurrying to catch up.

Master Makarov returned from placing an order, handing the bill to Mira, "What's going on? I saw Natsu running towards Lucy's house, and it seems she's chasing after him?"

Mira was puzzled, "Isn't Natsu chasing after Lucy?"

Master Makarov carefully recalled the scene and confirmed, "Yes, Natsu ran ahead of her."

"How strange." Mira didn't understand why Natsu would run ahead, "Let's not talk about this now. What do you think I should perform tomorrow to increase my chances of winning?"

"It might be a bit challenging today." Master Makarov sat down, propping his chin on his hand, and the more he looked at Mira, the more he found her attractive. Too bad...

"Too bad it will decrease your popularity." Master Makarov winked at her, "If I propose a few days later, the situation might be better."

"Hmph, if I lose because of that, I won't regret it at all." Popularity didn't matter anymore, and Mira decided to have some fun tomorrow.

Master Makarov beamed and leaned closer, "You're so sweet, I'll reward you."

Mira pushed him away, "Stop it."

...

The next day was October 7th, the day of the Harvest Festival.

Master Makarov directed several guild members to set up the venue, while Mira led the waitresses in cleaning and hanging decorations.

As the guild master, Makarov strolled around the guild with his hands behind his back, realizing he had little to do.

Ever since the Council of Mages disbanded, he no longer had to write apology letters, and Makarov found himself with more free time.

Guild affairs hardly required his attention, and usually, he just gathered intelligence from various sources, including the Council, dark guilds, the Western Continent, and his troublesome son, Iwan.

However, none of these matters were particularly urgent or noteworthy at the moment.

So...he was quite idle.

This eccentric old man now had his mind occupied with the upcoming Miss Fairy Tail Contest.

The guild was quickly cleaned up and decorated festively.

The small stage was also ready, serving as a platform for the contestants to showcase their talents.

"Isn't Rachel participating this year?" Rod asked, looking at Rachel, who seemed unbothered, "With your new short haircut and your natural 'megane' charm, you might become quite popular."

Rachel teased, "Are you sure you want to praise me in front of Mira? She's right here."

She was eager to see Mira's domestic violence against Rod.

Rod retorted, "Why can't I be the one gathering intelligence on the competition for her?"

"Hmph, no need for that. I'm not participating. Let me tell you, neither Sally nor Erza plans to join," Rachel added after some thought.

"Last year's participant, Miki, didn't sign up either. She suggested the guild hold a bare-handed fighting competition."

"Bare-handed fighting... She's got quite an imagination."

This was the usual chaos, but they wanted to make it seem reasonable and even earn some bonus money.

As the last of the guild's preparations were completed, Rod checked the time, clapped his hands, and announced, "Alright, the competition officially starts in an hour! Those of you who are free can go ahead and enjoy the festival!"

"Oh yeah!" The crowd cheered and rushed out, leaving behind seven contestants, the host Marcus, and their supporters.

One by one, they went to Marcus to draw lots, receive their number plates, and then they were free to roam.

Kana held a bottle of alcohol, looking conflicted. Last year, she had gotten drunk and passed out on stage before she could perform.

This year, she wanted to win the 500,000J prize money for alcohol, but she hesitated to drink the bottle in her hand.

"I'm the first to perform, so I'll hold off a little longer." Kana left the guild to stroll outside and distract herself.

Erza wanted to go out with her best friend Biska, but Alzack had already pulled Biska by the hand, his face flushed, and was leading her out.

This was the awkward part of having a best friend with a boyfriend while being single herself.

Juvia, on the other hand, didn't hesitate and sprinted out to find Gray.

She had recently heard a rumor that if you shopped with your loved one during the Harvest Festival, you could become their partner in the future.

This rumor was spreading within the guild, and it seemed to originate from Mira.

Rod himself didn't realize that he was partly responsible for this rumor's circulation.

He was talking to Mira, "What number did you draw?"

"Number 3," Mira showed Rod a round number plate.

"It seems a bit early, but this position is crucial for continuity. It's perfect for you."

"You're such a charmer," Mira said, sticking the number plate on Rod's chest.

This tiny number plate was also a magical item, sticking to any surface it touched.

However, the adhesion wasn't strong, and it could be easily removed.

Rod didn't bother removing it and, imitating Marcus's hosting style, exclaimed, "Now, presenting the Fairy Tail Miss Contest's third contestant, Rod!"

Mira played along, clapping her hands, "Go for it, Miss Rod!"

Rod blew her a kiss, "Thank you, Mr. Mira! Please cast your precious vote for me, love ya!"

He made a small fist and pounded his chest, causing Rod to cough.

Meanwhile, Jet and Troy were still arguing over who should invite Levy out.

Levy didn't mind, "Why don't we just go together like usual?"

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Jet and Troy spoke in unison, "Today is different!"

Neither of them was willing to back down, and their foreheads touched, followed by their hands, leading to a physical struggle that turned into a fight.

No one bothered to stop them.

Levy looked around and decided to go with Lucy, "Lucy, let's go out together?"

"Sure!" Lucy had assumed Levy would join her team members, and she was considering whether to catch up with Erza.

Just then, the couple stopped their scuffle, and Mira walked out with Rod, her arm linked with his.

She asked curiously, "Isn't Lucy with Natsu?"

Lucy sighed, "Please, no more talk about Natsu."

"Didn't he come looking for you later? Did you two have a fight?"

"It's more complicated than a fight," Lucy sighed.

Due to Mira's teasing, Lucy had started to believe that Natsu might have feelings for her. This made her nervous, and she couldn't help but think about Natsu in that way whenever she saw him.

And so, the day before, Natsu had somehow managed to get ahead of her and waited for her at home. Embarrassed, Lucy didn't get a chance to ask properly before she hurriedly shooed Natsu away.

But Natsu left her with a message, "I'll be waiting for you in the park later. I have something important to tell you, so you must come."

Lucy immediately misunderstood, and even though she thought about not going, she ended up taking a bath, choosing suitable clothes, and even asking Kasha to help style her hair.

She was completely prepared as if she were seriously going on a date.

However, when she arrived at the park, feeling shy and conflicted about how to refuse, she found Natsu digging with a shovel.

As Lucy wondered what was going on, Natsu confidently claimed that someone had buried a treasure under a tree and asked her to call Bargo to help with the digging.

Lucy, feeling dejected, shared her embarrassing story, receiving comfort from Reby.

Loke struggled to hold back his laughter and gently patted Mira's back. This mischief-maker had really played a good prank on Lucy.

Mira also found it hard to contain her laughter.

She had made countless jokes like 'Does so-and-so like you?' to others and heard them countless times herself.

But no one had ever reacted as amusingly as Lucy, and the situation was quite ironic.

Lucy sighed again, "I feel like such a fool."

Surprisingly, Mira nodded in agreement, "Yes, before running away, you should have asked clearly what treasure was hidden in the park."

Lucy helplessly said, "Is that the main point?"

Mira's focus was indeed peculiar, so Loke also asked, "So, what kind of treasure is it?"

"Even Mr. Loke is like this!"

"Lucy." Reby patted Lucy's back, feeling unlucky to be caught up with these two.

However, Lucy seriously recalled, "I think I heard Natsu mention something about an album, something the Guild Master hid there before, filled with embarrassing photos of many members."

Loke became interested, "Oh, in that case, we have to go dig it up."

"Ah!" Reby also remembered such a legend, "Absolutely don't go digging!"

Having grown up in the guild, if there were embarrassing photos, hers would definitely be among them.

"Then let's go take a look when we have time," Mira didn't seem to mind.

She had already shown Loke her childhood photos, so what was there to be embarrassed about?

She wanted to see what Loke looked like as a child, but it was clear that she wouldn't get the chance.

The topic strangely shifted from Lucy's embarrassment to photos and albums.

As they walked out of the guild, chatting, Lucy was quickly drawn to the bustling scene, putting the matter behind her.

Vendors shouted, people bustled, and it was easy to get separated in the crowd.

Loke held Mira tightly in his arms, and before they knew it, they lost sight of Lucy and Reby.

They watched street performances, tried various games, and soon found themselves surrounded by the aroma of food.

Loke kept his promise and summoned Worm, as he had promised to take him out for a feast during the Harvest Festival in return for his help.

Worm sniffed the various scents in the air, delighted like a 200-kilogram child.

Mira sighed, "Feeding Worm to his heart's content would be a significant monthly expense."

She had often fed him before but never calculated the cost, only thinking about it now because she needed to save money.

"In fact, if you consider his basic needs, he doesn't need to eat much. It's just that letting him eat to his heart's content seems like a bottomless pit."

Loke explained that Worm's food expenses were flexible, "Usually, just leaving him in the guild is enough, and everyone can feed him. It's just that he doesn't like coming over in the summer because of the heat."

If he was so averse to the heat that he didn't want to eat, it meant Worm wouldn't starve with less food.

Worm sniffed the air and pointed with his claws at a stall, and Loke eagerly went to pay and bought two ice creams.

One for Worm and one for Mira, and he watched her eat with longing eyes.

Mira enjoyed indulging his whims.

They walked forward, taking turns taking bites.

A person with green long hair flashed by the alley, and Loke thought the hairstyle looked familiar, "Wasn't that Freed?"

Mira looked around but didn't see him, "Maybe, it's been almost half a year since we last saw the Thunder God Tribe."

The two didn't find it strange; after all, it was the Harvest Festival, so it was normal for the Thunder God Tribe to return to participate.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end