Fairy tail guild hall.
"So bored. Suddenly being this bored feels strange."
Lucy listlessly lay on the counter, unable to help sighing.
Even though she had just done a job with Natsu and Happy yesterday, and unusually, there had been no accidents, after deducting travel and food expenses, she had only a pitiful 7,000 Jewels left.
That worked out to one-tenth of her rent — and that didn't even include Natsu and Happy's share.
It felt like she had done the job for nothing.
"Then go work. Want me to help you find something?" Mira suggested, wiping the edges of the counter with a cloth.
"But Natsu said he wants to rest for a couple days." Lucy said.
"You could do a solo job or find someone else in the guild." Mira put down the cloth.
"Well, we're a team. Asking others feels a bit awkward."
Lucy sighed softly. She had thought about it, but no matter who she considered, they weren't as familiar as Natsu and Happy.
"You two get along so well. Like lovers." Mira sighed with a smile. Hearts appeared around her for effect.
"Huh? Again? Please have mercy, Mira-nee." Lucy begged, tears in her eyes.
Bickslow's rumor had just been cleared up. The glasses-wearing guy from the day before yesterday was still fresh in her mind. Now it was Natsu's turn?
"Hey, Lucy. Maybe Natsu really does like you. I've been here a long time, and I've never seen him care about any other girl as much as he does you!"
Seeing Mira lay it out so logically, Lucy turned back, half-believing.
Then she saw Natsu and Happy standing on a table, twisting their bodies in strange poses, making the surrounding comrades roar with laughter.
"...Even if it were true, I don't want that!" Lucy shook her head in Disgusting.
Mira leaned in closer, whispering in her ear. "But I really do think you two are well-matched~"
"W-Well-matched?" Lucy looked confused.
Even though she internally found Natsu utterly repulsive, she couldn't help but picture a handsome Natsu with the same special effects as Juvia.
Don't add such strange filters to that guy without permission! Herself!!
The two were like a couple in love, arms linked, strolling through a pink grassland with birds singing and flowers fragrant.
And don't paint such desirable pictures! Herself!!
Even as she said she hated it, once caught in her own fantasy, Lucy became agitated. Her heart raced. She flailed her arms, trying to dispel the images.
Mira, who saw everything, smiled and said nothing. This time, her judgment was definitely right!
"OOOOOH!"
Even louder cheers erupted from the table area.
Chase, arriving at the guild, unhesitatingly joined Natsu and Happy's group. Shamelessly shaking his rear, he struck even more flamboyant poses.
Fairy Tail's S-Class prestige felt very undignified at this moment.
Another S-Class, Erza standing nearby, sighed. "Natsu's daily craziness is one thing. But you too, Chase?"
She had been about to harshly scold Natsu.
"How about it, Erza? Want to join?" Chase smiled and invited.
Erza gave a cold glance at his raised rear. In an extremely serious tone, she said, "No. Too embarrassing."
"Don't be so serious. Even S-Class wizards need to balance work and rest." Chase continued to tempt her from on top of the table.
But the moment he said that, before Erza could answer, the surrounding members exploded.
"You're the one who had the Dark Magician working hard while you clown around! What right do you have to talk about balance?!"
"Exactly! We're all comrades! Why do we have to pay for training guides?!"
"If the training guide doesn't work, I won't let you go even as a ghost, you bastard Chase!"
Normally, they wouldn't have the courage to yell at Chase like this. But their wallets were another matter.
During the period after the civil war, the Dark Magician master and apprentice had completed training plans for everyone. Chase had delivered them to the respective members.
When they first heard they had to pay, broke members like Macao and Wakaba had outright refused and protested.
But after Laki was the first to pay and receive her plan, everyone's attitude changed.
For these guys, more than money for drinks, cigarettes, or chasing girls, the idea of their comrades becoming stronger was even harder to accept!
In short: they were afraid of their brothers suffering, but also afraid of their brothers driving Range Rovers.
A chain reaction had triggered. Everyone, unwilling to fall behind, had paid up, allowing Chase to harvest them ruthlessly.
That's why they had such resentment when this topic came up!
"You guys should be secretly happy you got professional, custom plans for that little money," Cana interrupted their criticism.
"No way! I didn't spend that money for nothing. I'm at least going to take this rare opportunity to yell at Chase!"
"Wait, Cana, why are you defending Chase?" Someone noticed the key point.
"Oh, this? Chase let me borrow the Book of Secret Arts for free to train."
Cana took a swig of her drink, spread her arms showing off. Cool cards floated around her. "I'm stronger than all of you now!"
"Damn it!!"
Macao and the others had seen Cana's improved card magic. Though unwilling, they had to admit it was true.
To regain the upper hand, wanting to show off their improvements like Cana, they suddenly burst out with rare motivation, running off to do their own magical training.
With them gone, the noisy guild finally quieted down a bit.
"I've been slacking off lately."
Chase brushed off his clothes, jumped off the table, and headed toward Mira. "Time to take an S-Class job and stretch my limbs."
S-Class job? Stretch his limbs?
The newbie Lucy was secretly amazed. She was nowhere near strong enough to connect those two unrelated words!
Thinking of S-Class job rewards usually starting at several hundred thousand Lucy drooled with envy.
"Speaking of which, I just got word this morning. An S-Class job was upgraded to SS-Class."
As if she had been ready, Mira pulled a job sheet from the chest of her wine-red dress and spread it before Chase.
The first thing that caught the eye was the crimson double-S, indicating the job's extreme danger.
Beside the double-S, an egg covered with strange markings emitted a thick black fog. The title read: "Investigate and resolve anomalies in an ancient magical egg."
Chase glanced roughly at the details. After a moment's thought, he reached out and took it. "Alright. I'll take this one."
Even in Fairy Tail, SS-Class jobs weren't always available. They require strict review by the Magic Council and Master Makarov.
Besides its rarity and having absolute confidence in completing it, there was another reason Chase was particularly interested.
The job location was from the movie Phoenix Priestess —
The Forest of Bondari!
***
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