Soon, Levy, Wendy, and the others who had been staying at the girls' dormitory also arrived. The already noisy guild became even livelier in an instant.
Éclair and Momon stood among the crowd, looking somewhat out of place. Without counterparts in this world, they had been brought by Levy to stay at the girls' dormitory—there were plenty of empty rooms there.
The reason they hadn't appeared at the open-air bath last night was that Éclair had also realized that she had only joined Fairy Tail because of Chase's influence.
What was her future self doing in this world right now? Did she still believe that mages only brought misfortune? Had her memories of the Phoenix Stone fully awakened?
Questions like these had troubled her all night. They also reminded her of something she had subconsciously forgotten: she was immortal, burdened with the mission of sealing the monster Phoenix.
The noisy, passionate guild, the familiar and beloved comrades—one day, they would all disappear without a trace. Just like in her past experiences, they would become nothing but cold memories.
Just thinking about that scene filled Éclair with a fear she had never felt before.
She... could no longer leave Fairy Tail!
"Éclair, Momon! Over here, over here!" Lucy waved at them with a smile.
She had probably noticed the sorrowful emotions hidden deep within the 400-year-old girl's downcast eyes.
Éclair and Momon walked over and sat down quietly beside her.
"What's wrong, Éclair? You look like something's on your mind. Is it because there's no other Éclair here?" Lucy asked with concern.
She had been tricked by Chase into taking the SS-Class quest in Bondari Forest under the lure of a massive reward. Her future self had no such experience, so naturally, she would never have encountered this world's Éclair.
Éclair kept her head down, her expression gloomy. She didn't answer immediately, instead silently gripping her hands beneath the table.
"That's not entirely the reason. Éclair, she—"
Momon wanted to explain on Éclair's behalf but stopped halfway, worried that doing so might make Éclair angry.
"Lucy, I—" Fortunately, Éclair had already changed. After a brief pause, she spoke her vulnerability directly, without putting up a brave front. "I'm terrified of losing the guild, of losing everyone..."
She had long come to see Lucy as a very important comrade she could rely on and trust.
Hearing this, Lucy was momentarily stunned.
Just like with her future self last night, although she didn't know the specific reason behind that lost, helpless, and tormented expression, having just learned of her father's death in this world, she understood that feeling all too well.
If she were the one who had traveled to a world where her familiar comrades didn't recognize her, she would definitely feel incredibly uneasy too!
With that thought, Lucy moved closer and took Éclair's somewhat cold hand. "It's okay, Éclair. I'll always be with you!"
Through the touch of their skin, Éclair could clearly feel Lucy's heart.
"But I can't die, and I still have my duty as the Phoenix Priestess to fulfill—"
"The Master gets pissed off by Natsu and the others every day, and he's still bouncing around just fine. Don't worry, that kind of thing is still a long way off~" Lucy wrapped her fingers around Éclair's right hand and smiled confidently. "As for the priestess duty and the monster Phoenix—I'm an S-Class mage now, you know! You can leave it all to me!"
"If it really comes down to it, we can always drag Chase into it too. Helping each other is what Fairy Tail mages do!"
That last part was the real source of her confidence.
The girl's smile, set against the Fairy Tail emblem on the back of her hand, was incredibly infectious.
For some reason, Éclair's gloomy mood suddenly lifted, and tears of gratitude shimmered in her eyes.
No matter what future awaited her, at least for now, she was a Fairy Tail mage—and would be for the rest of her life!
"Thank you, Lu—"
"Lucy! Let's go! Let's take a job!!"
Before she could finish her thanks, Lucy was yanked away by Natsu, who had come charging over out of nowhere.
"Huh?! Natsu?! When did you even get here, you bastard?! AAAAAHH!!" Her shrill cries faded into the distance.
Watching Lucy being carried off like a rag doll in Natsu's grasp, Éclair was taken aback for a moment, then unconsciously curled the corners of her lips upward.
Momon noticed the change in her expression: That's wonderful, Éclair.
Over yonder.
Natsu bulldozed his way through with Lucy in tow, sending everyone in his path flying, trampling over fallen cakes as he stormed up to the guild's request board.
Arriving at the same time were Future Natsu and Future Lucy, who had also been dragged along.
"Hey, you two! Can you not just pop out of nowhere like that? It's really scary and super rude!!"
"And since when are you this enthusiastic about taking jobs?! You're never this motivated normally!!"
The moment they touched down, both Lucys unleashed a torrent of spit and fury at the Natsus beside them.
"Aye~ We did try to talk Natsu out of it, you know~"
Happy and Future Happy floated down from above, letting out helpless sighs.
After a night of brainstorming, both Natsus had reached the same conclusion: the missing Igneel must be hiding somewhere, and it was only because they weren't strong enough that he hadn't shown himself.
Eager to meet that bastard dad of theirs, they were acting so impatient because they wanted to prove themselves by completing high-difficulty quests.
"So why don't you two just team up by yourselves? Why drag me into this?"
Lucy could understand how Natsu was feeling after hearing the full story, but she couldn't figure out what any of it had to do with her.
"Because without Lucy, there's no way we can do it!" x2
"Without me, you can't do it?"
Seeing the signature bright grins on both Natsus' faces at the same time, Lucy was deeply moved, her heart inexplicably racing. "So that's how reliable I am in your eyes! Alright then! I suppose I'll graciously go along with you—"
"Hehe, Lucy's an S-Class mage now, so with her around, we can take any S-Class quest we want!"
"Mira, Erza, and that Cheese guy from your side all look like trouble, don't they?"
As the two Natsus' unconcealed discussion reached their ears, both Lucys' lips twitched, and their heart rates immediately dropped back to normal—calmer than a pool of stagnant water.
"Go. Die." x2
After delivering a Lucy Iron Fist to each Natsu's forehead, the fuming girls turned on their heels and stormed off, feeding all their earlier feelings of gratitude straight to the Happies by the roadside.
"Lucy, wait!"
Both Natsus reached out with pleading hands, but before they could give chase, they were surrounded by a group of fierce, burly men.
"Hey Natsu, about you knocking me flying just now—time to settle the score, don't you think?"
"Heheh. Daring to dirty my brand-new white suit? Pretty bold of you, you damn Fire Dragon!"
"That's what it means to be a man!!"
Behind the burly men stood a certain armored demon, her hair wildly billowing, eyes blazing crimson.
"The strawberry cake that Chase bought for me...!!"
***
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