X774, Summer. Several days had passed since Erza, Kagura, and Simon joined the guild, and with the passage of time came Christmas.
That's right—today was Christmas. All of Magnolia was decorated with ribbons and Christmas trees, and a festive atmosphere filled the entire town.
Inside the Fairy Tail guild, Arlen and the others had arrived early. Since it was still quite early, not a single person besides them was there.
Sitting at the bar, Arlen rubbed his stomach helplessly. "Looks like we came a bit too early… I'm starving."
"Then I'll make a simple breakfast," Ur said, getting up and heading into the kitchen.
"I'll help, Mom," Ultear followed right behind.
"I'll help too."
"Me too."
"And me."
Like a chain reaction, not only Ultear but also Erza, Kagura, and Simon all joined in to help prepare breakfast.
Fortunately, Arlen still had Cana, Lyon, and Gray with him—otherwise, it would've made His Highness Arlen look like someone who only knew how to eat.
"Hey, Cana, aren't you going to help?" Gray asked, lying across the bar as he glanced sideways at her.
"There are already too many people helping. I'll pass. Also… where are your clothes?" Cana replied while sipping her juice.
"Huh? My clothes? Since when—?!" Gray jumped up in shock, only to realize he was standing there in nothing but his underwear.
"Perverted Gray, can you not act like a pervert first thing in the morning?" Lyon said irritably.
"What did you say, you bastard? Want to fight?" Gray snapped, slamming his hand on Lyon's table after hastily getting dressed.
"Tch. I'm starving—I'm not wasting energy fighting you," Lyon grumbled, rubbing his stomach.
"You two really are full of energy," Arlen couldn't help but remark.
"Well well, what are you kids doing here so early?" a hearty voice sounded from behind them.
"Good morning, Master. Have you eaten? Ur and the others are making breakfast in the kitchen," Arlen said, standing up and giving a refined noble bow.
"Morning, Master," Cana and Lyon waved.
"Morning, old man," Gray added.
"Ah, perfect—I haven't eaten yet either. I'll join you. But first… a drink," Makarov said as he poured himself a mug of beer and hopped onto the bar, sitting cross-legged.
"Master, drinking beer on an empty stomach isn't good for your health. I suggest you change that habit," Arlen advised.
"Alright, alright, I got it. Ahh, refreshing! Nothing beats a morning beer," Makarov said cheerfully.
Arlen could only sigh. He agreed out loud—but clearly had no intention of changing. Still… that was Fairy Tail.
"Breakfast's ready! Everyone, come eat!" Ur came out carrying a large pot, followed by Ultear and the others, each holding utensils or side dishes.
"Oh, Master, you're here too. Come join us. I just made some porridge and simple dishes—please make do," Ur greeted.
"Then I won't hold back," Makarov said, quickly filling a bowl to the brim before sitting down and enjoying his meal with a satisfied expression.
"We're digging in!" xN
Everyone was already starving, so there was no hesitation. They each filled their bowls and sat down together.
"By the way, since it's Christmas, how about we go shopping after breakfast and decorate the guild?" Arlen suggested.
"Sounds good! We can also buy cakes and desserts for tonight's party," Cana added.
Soon, everyone began enthusiastically sharing ideas. As time passed, more guild members arrived. Some who hadn't eaten breakfast simply joined in, and the crowd grew larger and larger. Thankfully, Ur had made plenty of food—otherwise it wouldn't have been enough. And now, at least, she didn't need to worry about washing dishes; the guild members took care of that.
"Wow, it's so beautiful—there are ribbons and Christmas decorations everywhere!" Ultear exclaimed as she walked beside Arlen, looking around at the decorated shops and houses.
Because there were so many of them, they split into groups. Ur took Gray and Lyon to buy dinner ingredients. Cana took Erza, Kagura, and Simon to buy desserts. Arlen, meanwhile, went with Ultear and Laxus to purchase Christmas trees, ribbons, and decorations. Oh—and Arlen also bought Christmas gifts for everyone along the way. Naturally, His Highness Arlen paid for everything.
"Hmm? Ultear, what are you looking at? And where's Laxus?" Arlen asked upon returning, noticing her standing at a stall.
"Ah, Arlen-sama! I was thinking about buying some balloons for decoration—it might look less plain. As for Laxus, he said he forgot something and asked me to wait here," Ultear replied with a bright smile.
"Alright, then buy more. If we don't use them all, we can save them for later," Arlen said, patting her head.
"Yo, kept you waiting," Laxus returned, carrying a pile of gift boxes.
"Wow, that's a lot of presents!" Ultear covered her mouth in surprise.
"Gifts," Laxus said. "We'll hand them out through a lottery—consider it guild福利."
"Not bad. In that case, I'll buy some too," Arlen said.
And just like that, the three of them went on a shopping spree. Some gifts were normal, others were downright ridiculous. In the end, one cart became two—one filled with decorations, the other piled high with gift boxes like a small mountain.
"Whoa… did you rob a store or something?" Ur and the others exclaimed when they met at an intersection.
Even passersby stared at Arlen and Laxus in shock as they pulled the overloaded carts.
"We bought extra for the guild lottery," Arlen explained.
"This is way too much. At this point, everyone could get one," Ur complained.
"That's true… but Erza, Cana—what's with all these desserts?" Arlen asked, eyeing the mountain of sweets.
"Uh… well…" Erza's eyes darted around awkwardly.
"I'll explain," Cana sighed, rubbing her forehead, before recounting what happened at the dessert shop.
Earlier, inside the shop, Erza, Kagura, and Cana had been staring at the display case with sparkling eyes.
"Wow—strawberry cake! And macarons! Oh, vanilla… chocolate… matcha!" Erza seemed to have flipped a switch, darting around the shop like she was teleporting.
"Go ahead, pick whatever you like," Cana said generously.
"Is it really okay if we just choose what we want?" Kagura asked hesitantly.
"Of course! Since we're the ones buying, we decide," Cana grinned.
Kagura and Simon exchanged glances, while Erza suddenly rushed to the counter.
"Boss! I'll take every kind of dessert and cake!"
"Of course—one of each?" the shopkeeper asked eagerly.
"No. Thirty—no, fifty of each," Erza declared, eyes shining.
"W-What?!" the shopkeeper nearly dropped his jaw.
"Did I hear correctly… fifty of each?"
"That's right," Erza said confidently.
"Wait, wait! Erza, that's way too much!" Cana quickly pulled her aside.
"Yes, it's too much!" Kagura added.
"Huh? Really? They look so small—I thought we could finish them quickly," Erza said, confused.
"Don't forget we're having a big dinner tonight," Simon pointed out.
"Then… maybe a little less…" Erza reluctantly agreed, though her eyes were full of regret.
"Alright, let's tell the boss," Cana sighed in relief.
"Boss, we've reconsidered. Fifty is too much—make it forty-nine each," Erza said.
"That's basically the same!!" Cana, Kagura, and Simon shouted.
In the end, Cana made the decision: twenty of each. Even so, with so many varieties, it was still an enormous amount. The shopkeeper kindly lent them a cart to carry everything.
Back in the present, everyone fell silent.
After a long pause, Ultear quietly said, "Erza… can be kind of terrifying sometimes."
"Yeah…" xN
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