Sabertooth Guild Hall—
A flash of red light appeared as Raizel arrived with Ultear and the others.
Their visit to Sabertooth was met with an enthusiastic welcome.
Raizel quickly explained why they had come. They wanted permission to enter the Sabertooth Grand Library and search its collection for information.
Ultear added,
"It's connected to the Hundred Years Quest we're currently undertaking."
"I'm sorry, but the Sabertooth Grand Library has never been open to outsiders," Minerva replied.
Natsu immediately leaned across the table with both hands planted on its surface, acting as though they were all lifelong friends.
"Come on, don't be so strict! We go way back, right?"
Then he paused.
"Actually... what even is a library?"
Sting sat nearby with one leg crossed over the other.
"Well, as the guild master, I could make an exception and let you in."
Before Raizel and the others had time to celebrate, Sting raised one finger and grinned.
"But letting you borrow our library for free would be boring. How about a contest?"
The moment Natsu heard the word contest, his eyes lit up.
"YES!!! I'M ALL FIRED UP! Sting, let's fight!"
"Nope. Just beating each other up would be boring."
Sting's rejection poured cold water all over Natsu's excitement.
Besides, if it were a straightforward battle, Sting knew perfectly well that he was not defeating Raizel, Erza, and the others.
At that point, they might as well simply hand over the library keys.
Raizel raised an eyebrow.
"So what kind of contest do you have in mind?"
Erza looked equally excited.
"Fairy Tail excels at all kinds of competitions!"
Sting held up one finger.
"We'll have a five-round game! The challenge changes every round."
"However... Sabertooth gets to decide both the games and their rules. If you manage to win three rounds, we'll grant you access to the Sabertooth Grand Library."
Erza rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
"Hmm... Those rules put us at quite a disadvantage. But since we're the ones asking for a favor, I suppose we can't complain."
"In exchange, you can choose anyone you like for each round," Sting added, relaxing the conditions slightly.
He was not particularly worried.
Sabertooth controlled the rules, after all.
All they had to do was create enough restrictions to keep Raizel out of certain rounds.
Something as simple as participants over 185 centimeters tall or 70 kilograms are forbidden would immediately disqualify both Raizel and Laxus.
Mira, Ultear, and Kagura exchanged glances before nodding.
"Works for us."
Raizel and Sting shook hands.
"Deal."
...
At Sting and Rogue's request, Raizel teleported everyone back to Fairy Tail's guild hall.
Once they arrived, Sting wasted no time announcing the first challenge.
"For Round One—an Exceed Popularity Contest!!!"
"Sabertooth chooses Frosch!"
He pointed dramatically toward the little green Exceed.
"Frosch, use your cleverness and cuteness to claim victory!"
Frosch rose onto tiptoe and raised one paw.
"Frosch will do their best!"
...
On Fairy Tail's side—
Wendy looked slightly nervous.
"They're restricting the first round to Exceeds right away?"
"I-I'm not doing it."
Carla sat on the table with her arms folded and immediately shook her head.
Lily hesitated.
"Hmm... I don't think 'cute' exactly suits me."
Raizel adjusted a pair of nonexistent glasses, wearing the expression of someone who had seen through everything.
"You're pretty cute when you're afraid of thunder."
Lily lowered his head awkwardly.
"Please don't bring that up..."
Happy, meanwhile, placed his paws proudly on his hips. Star-shaped sparkles practically appeared in his eyes as his tail swished behind him.
"If we're talking cuteness, I'm pretty confident!"
Natsu nodded enthusiastically.
"That's right! Happy's really strong!"
Lucy immediately snapped,
"This is a cuteness contest!"
"Still, Happy does seem like our only real option."
Everyone looked at one another before nodding.
"Then it's settled. Happy."
Happy strutted forward.
"I accept your challenge, Frosch!"
"Frosch thinks so too!"
Rogue immediately shouted from the sidelines,
"Frosch won't lose!!!"
Ultear looked puzzled.
"How are we deciding the winner? Surely we aren't voting among ourselves."
"The rules are simple. We'll interview people on the streets of Magnolia and ask which of them is cuter."
Lucy covered her mouth with one hand and smiled confidently.
"Magnolia is Happy's home turf, you know. Are you sure about this?"
Happy tilted his head back arrogantly and flicked his tail.
"Heh. Easy win."
Reality soon proved that the greater one's confidence, the more brutal the fall.
After interviewing several hundred residents and comparing the results...
Frosch won by an overwhelming landslide.
They actually ran out of room on Frosch's score board and had to attach another sheet of paper.
Happy, meanwhile, failed to receive even fifty votes.
Frosch's popularity was absurd.
Even Gray betrayed the revolution and voted for...
Frosch.
They happened to run into him on the street after the difference in votes had already become hopelessly large, so they casually counted him as another Magnolia resident.
Gray chose Frosch without a moment's hesitation.
And in doing so, he lost Happy forever.
The joys and sorrows of cats were not meant to be understood by one another.
Though they breathed the same air beneath the same sky, Happy stood slumped over with his ears drooping and misery written across his face.
Frosch, meanwhile, was being hugged and vigorously nuzzled by Rogue.
If anything, Rogue seemed even happier about the victory than Frosch did.
Minerva raised one finger toward Erza.
"And that makes it one-zero."
"Grrr..."
Erza puffed out her cheeks in frustration.
Happy crouched in a corner, drawing circles on the floor.
"Nobody likes me..."
Natsu patted him on the shoulder.
"Don't worry about it, Happy. If this were a contest for who's more childish, you'd definitely win."
Lucy's mouth twitched.
"Are you actually trying to comfort him?"
Sting pointed toward Rogue.
"For Round Two, you'll face Rogue in a shadow-stepping contest! Whoever steps on the other person's shadow first wins!"
Mira smiled with narrowed eyes.
"These really are going to be all sorts of games."
"Good luck, Rogue!"
Gray stretched his arms and shoulders, looking eager.
"Leave this one to me. I was great at this when I was a kid!"
After all, Gray and Natsu used to play games like this constantly when they were younger.
Though calling it playing was generous. Whenever they tried to step on each other's shadows, their feet moved so fast it looked like they were operating invisible sewing machines.
Juvia quietly reminded him from the side,
"Gray-sama... Rogue uses Shadow Magic."
"!"
Gray froze.
Only then did he remember that rather important detail.
Raizel shrugged.
"Too late now. You volunteered, Gray. Go for it."
Sting swept one hand downward.
"Begin!"
Rogue calmly waited for Gray to attack.
No matter how many times Gray tried to stomp on his shadow, he could never touch it. Rogue simply manipulated the shadow and moved it out of the way whenever Gray's foot came down.
"I'll take your shadow now."
After toying with Gray for a while, Rogue decided to end the game.
Gray's mind raced.
He immediately brought his hands together.
"Ice-Make: Frosch!"
A gigantic ice sculpture of Frosch appeared behind him, completely covering Gray's shadow.
"Whoa, that's cheating! I can't step on it at all!"
Rogue's foot hovered helplessly above the blocked shadow.
"Now!"
Gray immediately stomped on Rogue's shadow while he was distracted.
"Gray wins!"
Erza excitedly flashed Minerva a victory sign.
Sting could only rub his nose awkwardly.
"Well... that makes it one-one."