After landing on Natsu's head, the little blue cat curled up comfortably. The white wings on his back faded away, and Natsu looked up with a bright, delighted smile.
Suddenly, the cat rolled over, sat upright, and spoke his very first word.
"Like!"
"So cute!"
Lisanna and many of the guild members melted instantly, their faces lighting up with fondness.
Everyone crowded around to look at the newborn blue kitten, filling the guild with warmth and laughter. The atmosphere turned cheerful and peaceful in an instant.
"Natsu, look."
"Huh?"
Lisanna pointed at the guild members gathered around the cat and said softly,
"Everyone was so angry just a little while ago, but now they're smiling so happily."
Natsu glanced at the laughing faces around him and nodded.
"He's like a blue bird that brings happiness."
"Happy?"
Natsu looked up, grinning wide.
"Then his name will be Happy."
"Like!"
"Baby Dragon Happy!"
"Like!"
Natsu lifted Happy into the air with a big smile, and Happy responded cheerfully.
"It's not a dragon!!"
"Hey, let's draw him as one anyway."
Lidas, a new member who had joined the guild recently, overheard the conversation. He used his painting magic to sketch the moment of Happy's hatching but in his drawing, Happy appeared as a dragon.
Lidas loved painting, though his magic was still rough and unpolished.
"Will my egg hatch a cute cat like that too?"
Wendy, watching Natsu run around the guild cradling Happy, couldn't help but ask enviously.
"Of course. They're all the same kind of eggs after all."
Ultear gently reassured her. Wendy immediately began to imagine her own egg hatching, picturing a cat just like Happy.
"Natsu, bring Happy here so I can take a look."
Noah had been watching for a while, and finally called him over.
"What's up?"
Natsu came over, tilting his head curiously. Noah reached out, took Happy into his arms, and began casting a series of inspection spells.
"Of course I'm checking Happy to make sure there's nothing wrong."
Natsu grew nervous the moment he heard that and asked quickly,
"Is there a problem?"
"Of course not," Noah replied calmly. "He absorbed the nutrients very well. He's healthier and stronger than expected. His potential has also grown considerably far beyond what I first anticipated."
"That's great."
Natsu let out a long sigh of relief. After finishing the inspection, Noah handed Happy back to him.
"But remember to come see me every day. I'll prepare special potions to help him grow stronger."
"Yeah, got it."
Natsu nodded quickly. But as soon as he turned, he froze.
"So… what do we feed Happy?"
"For cats, fish is best but not too large. Small fry are enough. Forget it, I'll take you to feed him for the first time."
Noah worried that if Natsu tried on his own, the reckless boy might feed Happy something dangerous. Hearing Noah offer to help, Natsu nodded eagerly.
Noah gave a few words of instruction to Ultear, Wendy, and the others, then took Natsu and Happy along with him.
Natsu hugged Happy tightly as they followed Noah into the market.
When they arrived, Noah realized there weren't any small fish for sale. He simply bought several large fish, asked the shopkeeper to cut them into pieces, then used Ice-Make magic to freeze them solid.
The block of ice floated behind Noah as he carried it back to his cabin, with Natsu trailing behind.
After storing the fish in the kitchen, Noah chipped off one frozen piece and handed it to Natsu. Happy's eyes lit up he had been drooling ever since the fish stall.
"One portion like this is enough for Happy in a single meal. When it's time to feed him, melt the ice with your flames, but make sure you use low heat. Don't burn it. Let's try now."
"Okay."
Following Noah's instructions, Natsu carefully melted the ice with a gentle flame, revealing the fish inside.
Noah nodded with approval. Natsu's flames were controlled well and hadn't harmed the fish.
"But shouldn't we cook it first?" Natsu asked.
"Why don't you just give it to him now and see?"
Natsu handed the fish over. Happy grabbed it with both paws and immediately began gobbling it down.
"See? He's enjoying it."
"Yeah."
"Then remember to feed him on time every day. And don't forget to stop by my place daily."
"I will."
"Good. Then I'll leave you to it."
"Goodbye, Noah!"
With that, Noah left Natsu's house, planning to train a while before heading home.
Two days passed since Happy's birth. After seeing him hatch, Wendy became even more diligent, checking on her egg constantly.
That night, the indicator light on Wendy's incubator changed from green to orange.
With Natsu's experience fresh in her mind, Wendy immediately knew what the orange light meant the egg was about to hatch.
She quickly went to find Noah, who checked it carefully and confirmed that the egg would hatch within a day.
From that moment on, Wendy refused to leave its side. She sat in front of the incubator constantly, and even when she ate, she placed her little bowl in her lap so she could keep watching the egg.
At night, Noah noticed her head nodding as she fought off sleep. Each time she dozed off, she would jerk awake and immediately glance at the egg, only relaxing once she saw there was no change.
"Alright, Wendy, it's time for bed. Don't stay up all night. It's bad for your health. Look at you you're already half-asleep while sitting there."
Erza had just stepped out of the bath when she saw Wendy's state. Her voice was gentle but firm as she tried to persuade her.
"But "
Wendy straightened up at the sound of Erza's voice, forcing herself awake. Her eyes lingered on the egg with deep reluctance.
"If you're worried, then sleep on the sofa in the living room. I'll make sure you're woken up as soon as the egg hatches."
Noah offered a simple solution. Wendy finally sighed in relief. She hurried to her room to grab her small quilt, then curled up on the living room sofa. The moment she lay down, she fell fast asleep.
"Wendy really cares about this egg."
Erza looked at the sleeping girl fondly and sighed softly.
"Of course. Wendy has such a gentle heart. After caring for it these past days, it's no wonder she's grown so attached."
"But Noah," Erza added as she turned her gaze on him, "it sounds like you plan to stay up all night again. Didn't you promise us you wouldn't overwork yourself anymore?"
She narrowed her eyes at him. In the past, Noah had spent days buried in research without rest, and Erza had stormed into his lab to drag him out. They had made him promise not to stay up late anymore and to take care of his health.
"Of course, I haven't forgotten my promise," Noah said with a calm smile. "I'm leaving the night watch to him."
As he spoke, another Noah stepped out of his body.
Erza blinked in surprise.
"A Thought Body!"
"That's right," Noah nodded. "It's perfect for keeping an eye on the egg while I get some rest."
"Then that's fine."
Erza finally nodded in approval.
...
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