Early morning, Fairy Tail Guild Hall.
Sunlight streamed through the stained glass windows into the Guild Hall, and the air was filled with the scent of bread and ale.
Levy was slumped over a long table, her forehead resting on a stack of blank manuscript paper, her glasses askew on the tip of her nose, and several unruly tufts of blue hair sticking up.
"...I can't write anything..." she murmured, her fingers weakly tapping the table. "The deadline is in three days, and I haven't even settled on an opening..."
Lucy walked over with a hot cocoa and gently placed it in front of her: "Levy, are you okay?"
Levy suddenly looked up, her dark circles clearly visible: "Lucy! I'm doomed! My editor said this new book has to break from my previous style, but my mind is completely blank!"
"I really miss EZ, he always has some strange adventure stories in his head. I hope he and Ikaruga come back soon."
"Uh..." Lucy blinked. "Why don't you drink something warm first?"
"Hot cocoa won't solve a literary crisis!" Levy grabbed Lucy's wrist. "Lucy! Didn't you say you were trying to write too! You understand, right? That feeling... where you have so many ideas, but as soon as you pick up a pen, they all turn to mush!"
Lucy gave a dry laugh: "Actually, I only write slice-of-life stories, which are quite different from your adventure biographies..."
"...Adventure... biography..." Levy's eyes glazed over. "Ahhh! Why do humans need to write such things!"
"Bang!"
A bubbling soda was suddenly slammed onto the table, and Cana clapped Levy on the shoulder heartily: "Can't write? Then don't! Have some soda to clear your head first!"
Levy stared at the furiously rising bubbles in the soda, and suddenly a light bulb went off: "...Bubbles... inspiration..."
"Ah!" She suddenly stood up. "Lucy! I need stimulation! Fresh stimulation!"
"St-stimulation?" Before Lucy could react, Levy had already dragged her by the wrist and rushed out.
"Let's go! We're going to town to find inspiration!"
Magnolia Town, Central Plaza
"So..." Lucy panted, hands on her knees. "Your idea of stimulation is... running around town?"
Levy gripped her notebook, her eyes shining: "It's not running around! It's fieldwork! Observing life! Look—"
She pointed to the uncle selling roasted chicken at the street corner. "That uncle's roasting technique is so wild! Maybe I can write it into a battle scene!"
No sooner had she spoken than Natsu's voice came from behind: "Roasted chicken?! Where?!"
"Whoa!" Lucy jumped, turning to see Natsu and Happy had appeared behind them at some point. Natsu's nose twitched like a hound's, his eyes fixed on the roasted chicken stall.
"Natsu! What are you doing here?"
"I smelled something good!" Natsu said self-righteously. "Gray said he was going to train today, but he went to take a bath instead! So I came out to forage!"
Happy, flying in the air, added: "Actually, he ate all the food in the Guild kitchen, and Mira kicked him out."
"Happy!" Natsu pinched Happy's tail.
Levy's eyes suddenly lit up: "Wait! Natsu! You know a lot about'stimulation,' right?"
"Huh?" Natsu tilted his head. "Stimulation?"
"Something that can make people's inspiration explode!"
Natsu thought for two seconds, then suddenly grinned: "That would definitely be—chasing after roasted chicken!"
"...Huh?"
Before Levy could react, Natsu had already grabbed her and Lucy's wrists and rushed towards the roasted chicken stall: "Boss! Three roasted chickens! The fast-running kind!"
"The fast-running kind?!" The roasted chicken boss looked bewildered.
"The kind that's caught and roasted fresh!" Natsu explained excitedly. "That way the meat is firm!"
The boss's mouth twitched: "...Customer, this is a legitimate roasted chicken shop, not a hunting ground."
Natsu "tsk"ed in disappointment, then suddenly had an idea: "Then how about this!"
He pulled out a few gold coins and slapped them on the table: "You run, we chase! If we catch you, we'll buy!"
Boss: "???" Are you even human?!
Five minutes later—
"Don't run! You haven't paid for your roasted chicken yet!" The roasted chicken boss panted, chasing after Natsu.
"Hahahaha! Now this is stimulation!" Natsu laughed, holding three roasted chickens in one hand and dragging Levy and Lucy with the other, dashing through the streets.
"Natsu! This is robbery?!" Lucy shouted as she ran.
"No way! This is an advance payment!" Natsu said self-righteously. "Besides, didn't Levy say she needed inspiration!"
Levy was being pulled every which way, her notebook almost flying out, but her eyes grew brighter and brighter: "...Running... chasing... chaos..."
She suddenly shouted, "Stop!"
"Huh?" Natsu slammed on the brakes, almost sending Lucy flying.
Levy quickly opened her notebook and scribbled a few lines: "'He swept through the street like a whirlwind, behind him angry vendors and flying bills...' This is a good opening!"
Lucy: "...Are you sure you want to write about this kind of protagonist?"
Natsu took a bite of roasted chicken and mumbled: "Of course! How cool is that!"
The roasted chicken boss finally caught up, leaning on his knees and gasping for breath: "You... you... lunatics..."
Natsu grinned and handed over the gold coins: "Here! For the roasted chicken!"
The boss stared at the gold coins, then at Natsu's bright smile. Everyone in town basically knew the Fairy Tail members, especially someone as distinctive as Natsu; they were all old acquaintances. He finally sighed: "...Don't do this again next time."
Afternoon, Ice Lake on the outskirts of town
"So... Natsu's plan failed?" Gray leaned against a tree trunk, arms crossed, looking calm.
"Not a failure!" Levy flipped through her notebook. "At least I wrote down three scene descriptions!"
Lucy slumped by the lake: "But the price is that my legs are about to break..."
Gray shrugged: "Then try my plan."
"What's your plan?"
Gray clapped his hands together, activating his Ice-Make magic. An exquisite ice sculpture instantly formed on the lake surface—it was a life-sized statue of Levy, holding an open book.
"Wow!" Levy exclaimed, leaning closer. "That's amazing!"
"You can think while looking at your own ice sculpture," Gray said. "Artists do that."
Lucy retorted: "Are you sure it's not narcissism?"
Gray ignored her and continued to explain: "Or—"
He activated his magic again, and ice crystals condensed into words in the air, forming the beginning of a story.
"'Deep in the snow-covered forest, a silent swordsman awaits the arrival of his fated enemy...'" Levy read aloud, her eyes lighting up. "This atmosphere is great!"
Gray smirked proudly: "Of course, I am—"
"Gray!" Erza's voice suddenly came from behind them. "You're not wearing any clothes again!"
"What?" Gray looked down and found that he had indeed unconsciously taken off his shirt again. "...It's a habit."
Erza rubbed her forehead: "And you're using magic to create ice sculptures in public, the mayor will complain."
"What's wrong with that?" Gray said dismissively. "It's not bothering—"
Crack.
The arm of the ice sculpture of Levy suddenly broke off, falling to the ground and shattering.
Everyone: "..."
Gray: "...Maybe the sun was too strong."
Levy gave a dry laugh: "Uh... it's okay! At least I wrote down the description method for ice crystal words!"
Erza sighed: "What exactly are you all doing?"
Lucy raised her hand: "We're helping Levy find writing inspiration!"
Erza thought for two seconds, then suddenly clapped her hands: "Then use my method!"
Evening, Guild Rooftop
"This is... your method?" Levy looked up at the huge banner hanging on the Guild rooftop, her mouth twitching.
The banner read, in crooked letters: "Levy! You are the best writer!"
—The handwriting was charred as if burned by fire, and the edges still had a few pieces of un-melted ice stuck to them.
"Natsu was in charge of writing with fire," Erza said, hands on her hips, looking proud. "Gray used ice to fix the fabric, Marcus outlined it with gold sand, and Cana provided soda bottles as decoration!"
Levy stared at the banner, then suddenly fell silent.
Lucy was a little worried: "Levy? Are you okay?"
Levy took a deep breath, and when she looked up, her eyes were a little red: "...Everyone..."
Natsu grinned: "How is it? Stimulating enough?"
Gray added: "Although my ice melted, it lasted for at least five minutes."
Cana raised a soda bottle: "Want to drink something to celebrate?"
Levy suddenly laughed, but tears fell: "Thank you all..."
She opened her notebook and quickly wrote down the last line:
"Perhaps inspiration is never far away, but found in those who are willing to be silly with you."
[I really can't write any more daily life stories, I'm especially afraid of messing up the character settings with these daily routines, please understand. I'll write a little more daily content at most, then immediately move on to the main plot, and the battle parts that I'm good at.]
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