The lively banquet didn't end with the two Natsus' premature exit. On the contrary, the Fairy Tail members from the future world were extremely curious about Lucy's S-Class rank, surrounding her and bombarding her with questions.
It wasn't until sunset, when night had draped itself over Magnolia seven years into the future, that everyone gradually dispersed.
According to Makarov's plan, the best place for them "travelers" to rest was Chase's Card Space—staying inside would save them a lot of trouble. There wasn't anything particularly problematic about being out in the open, but if the Magic Council found out, they would inevitably have to deal with investigations and interrogations and all that annoying nonsense.
However, Lucy and the others, having learned that the two worlds' developmental paths were not entirely the same, asked him if they could have some time alone with their counterparts.
To encounter another version of oneself from another world—such an experience might never come again in a lifetime. They clearly had many "little secrets" they wanted to share with each other.
The two Makarovs thought it over carefully and eventually agreed to their request. Like looking into a mirror, they could learn from and complement each other, which might help the kids better understand their own weaknesses and become stronger.
But agreement was agreement. Once Chase and Dark Magician completed the preparations for their return, these people would ultimately have to go back to their own world. Therefore, certain basic restrictions still had to be put in place.
First, during this period, they were not to cause trouble or easily incite disturbances (with special emphasis on Natsu and Gray).
Second, aside from private time together and within the guild itself, they were not to appear in front of outsiders at the same time.
Third, they needed to remain contactable at all times, which would be achieved through Chase's Card Magic (also serving as a means of supervision).
Naturally, no one had any objections to this.
By the riverbank, the two-story rental apartment.
After nervously locking the doors and windows and drawing the curtains tight, the two Lucys, fresh from their baths, finally let out sighs of relief and sat down on the soft bed.
"Good. It looks like Natsu and the others won't be showing up tonight."
"Exactly the same miserable treatment as me..."
On the matter of Natsu and the gang "breaking and entering," the two Lucys somehow felt a sense of shared suffering.
"Well then, let's get started now!"
Lucy pulled out the Celestial Spirit keys she had brought with her through the journey.
The moment Chase had suggested they fight each other, she had realized a critical question: since the keys of the Twelve Golden Gates overlapped in this world—including those possessed by Future Lucy—would she still be able to summon Virgo and the others? Or rather, which world's Virgo would answer the call?
"Alright, I'll go first."
Future Lucy took out her own set of Twelve Golden Keys. "Open! Gate of the Maiden, Virgo!"
Ding-dong. The Celestial Spirit magic circle rotated, and Virgo, dressed in her maid uniform, stepped out. "Princess, calling for me so late—why are there two princesses?"
She blinked in her usual dazed manner, completely confused about the situation.
"I'll explain later."
Lucy traced a golden key through the air, repeating Future Lucy's action. "Open! Gate of the Maiden, Virgo!"
After another chime, the Virgo who had been standing beside Future Lucy now appeared at Lucy's right side.
"Huh? Princess, what exactly is going on—" The already confused Virgo grew even more bewildered.
It was still the same room, still the same two princesses—but her perspective had suddenly shifted in a subtle way. No, that wasn't right. The gate had closed and reopened in an instant?!
"So it's not possible to summon the same Celestial Spirit at the same time, after all."
Lucy roughly guessed the reason and looked up at Virgo. "Virgo, do you know Chase?"
"Chase...?"
Virgo tilted her head in thought, then grew excited. "Is this some new type of punishment that requires two princesses to carry out?"
"I see. I understand now. Please, use it on me to your heart's content!"
With that, she unhesitatingly raised her rear end, her face full of eager anticipation.
Understand nothing!
"...Just go back already." x2
Both Lucys made the closing gesture almost simultaneously.
The result was clear: the Celestial Spirit World of Lucy's dimension did not connect to the future world's. And because the keys, contractor, and contract terms were identical to this Lucy's, she could still open and close the gates normally—somewhat similar to Gemini.
Although she felt a bit down about not being able to fight alongside the Celestial Spirits she knew for the time being, at least their personalities hadn't changed, so getting reacquainted wouldn't be difficult.
Lucy thought for a moment, then asked apologetically, "Um, I'm really sorry, but if there's ever a need for battle, could I ask your Celestial Spirit friends to help me out?"
According to Chase, they would need about two to three months before they could return to their original world. During that time, there was no guarantee they wouldn't need to fight.
This was the greatest weakness of Holder-Type mages. Once they lost their magical tools, their combat ability would drop drastically—or even turn them into complete weaklings.
The old Lucy couldn't even use Celestial Spirit Magic properly. Now, she felt she should find an opportunity to ask Chase for advice on what support-type magic might suit her to learn. As a fellow Holder-Type mage, her brother was definitely an exceptional monster!
Future Lucy's lips curved into a sweet smile as she took Lucy's hand and said matter-of-factly, "Of course you can! After all, me is me!"
As expected, the Lucy over there also deeply loved her Celestial Spirits!
"Thank you~!" Lucy said gratefully.
With Future Lucy's approval, she began summoning the Celestial Spirits one by one to explain the current situation.
Upon learning the full story, the Celestial Spirits were equally shocked. Loke and Taurus, however, were unusually excited—one taking the liberty of deciding to have a special "date" with both Lucys, while the other kept shouting "Awesome!" and "Both Lucys have such great bodies!"
Scoundrels and perverts clearly had a much higher tolerance for novel situations than ordinary Celestial Spirits.
After all that commotion, and after receiving a friendly greeting through the wall from the neighbor, the rental apartment finally returned to peace.
The two Lucys lay on the bed like guilty thieves.
"Celestial Spirit Dress... I never imagined that Celestial Spirit Magic could have an effect similar to Erza's Requip..."
Future Lucy murmured softly, a flicker of loss and dejection in her eyes.
While greeting the Celestial Spirits, Lucy had demonstrated the use of the Celestial Spirit Dress for her. The principle behind it was to channel part of a Celestial Spirit's power into oneself while the gate was open. The decisive factor lay with the Celestial Spirit Mage themselves, not the strength of the spirit, so it could be used normally.
"Although I only learned it through incredibly difficult training, if it's me, I'm sure you can do it too!" Lucy cheered her on from the side.
Under her guidance, Future Lucy tried several times, all ending in failure. She couldn't even fully materialize the Canis Minor Celestial Spirit Dress.
"You're right! I'll keep trying!" Future Lucy's fighting spirit was instantly reignited. Surrounded by a bunch of monsters, she naturally longed to become stronger. "Could you tell me about the specific training methods?"
"Ah, well... about that..."
Lucy's lips twitched, and a certain memory flashed before her eyes: the time in Bondari Forest, when Chase had forced her into hellish training—fighting ferocious magical beasts, running out of magic power, getting healed back up, and repeating endlessly.
Even now, just thinking about that brief but agonizing period made her legs go weak.
Upon learning that such brutal training was required for "rapid results," Future Lucy suddenly felt that taking things step by step might suit her better.
In any case, she now had the basic methods and theory. She would probably master the Celestial Spirit Dress faster than in the original timeline.
"That demon—I mean, that seemingly reliable Chase... what kind of person is he?" Future Lucy asked curiously.
"Him? He's just a Card Nerd who loves messing with people, a battle maniac who can even go all out against his cute little sister!"
Following the traditional formula of "praise through criticism," Lucy felt she should first talk down Chase.
But before she could get to the "praise" part, something suddenly struck her, and she froze in place.
If this world had no Chase...
"Um... is your relationship with your father here still as strained as before?"
At those words, Future Lucy's expression dimmed as she shrank back, her eyes instantly growing wet.
"Father... he passed away a year ago from overwork."
***
Dive deeper into the story with 30+ advance chapters, available now on Patreon!
patreon.com/CNBLUE
If you're enjoying the novel, please consider leaving a review. Your support is crucial and helps the story grow immensely. Thank you!