After a round of playful teasing, the sky gradually darkened. Everyone finally ended the topic about Lucy and the Heartfilia Group, leaving the construction site one after another to head home.
Since they lived close by, Lucy caught up with Chase and suggested they walk back together.
Of course, that was just an excuse.
Night had fallen over the wide street near the city canal.
The blonde girl stretched out her arms to keep her balance as she wobbled along the riverbank, with the sickly little Canis Minor, Plue, trailing behind.
"Hey, little miss, be careful there~"
The local fishermen, who made their living on the water, passed by in their boats right on schedule like NPCs from a game, never forgetting to call out a reminder.
"I know, kind old man!"
The Dark Magician Girl flashed her signature peace sign, waving both arms at the man with a grin.
Then she slipped, lost her balance, and nearly tumbled into the canal.
Fortunately, she reacted just in time, transforming into a pink streak of light and reappearing safely back on the riverbank.
The kindly fisherman was left dumbfounded.
"This idiot…"
Chase, walking behind, sighed in embarrassment before glancing at Lucy, who had been unusually quiet. "Lucy, you didn't just want to walk back with me for no reason, did you?"
Lucy seemed distracted. After a short pause, she nodded. "Huh? Yes!"
The truth was, she had been puzzling over what on earth Chase had done to make her usually stubborn father, Jude, change so drastically.
No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't find a reasonable explanation… Could it be that Chase actually beat him up?
"So, Brother Chase… did you go to the Heartfilia mansion today?" Lucy asked cautiously.
"That's right. Even if he's your father, doing something like that to the guild means he owes us an explanation!"
Chase waved a fist as he admitted, "From what Natsu and Erza told me, it sounds like that Jude guy must have listened to my words."
Since Lucy had asked, it was obvious Jude must have mentioned something to her.
"Your words? Brother Chase, what exactly did you say to my father?" Lucy pressed.
"Well… let's just say we talked. After all, he's the richest man in Fiore. We can't just settle things with our fists, right?"
At that, Lucy suddenly lifted her gaze and stared straight into Chase's eyes.
Her large, beautiful eyes were filled with doubt, as if to say: I don't believe you for a second.
After all, the old Jude never cared about his own daughter's feelings. How could a man like that be swayed by a few casual words from Chase enough to change his personality and temper completely?
However, this wasn't what Lucy had truly been wrestling with along the way, and she didn't want to dig too deeply into the details.
But
"There was clearly a much simpler way to handle things, Brother Chase. Why go through all that trouble "
Lucy stopped walking, lowering her head so far that her chin almost touched her chest. Her gaze fell on the neatly laid tiles beneath her feet, studying them as if they were the most interesting thing in the world.
After spending this much time together, she knew Chase's personality well. He was the kind of person who wouldn't waste time arguing if he didn't agree with someone, he'd just fight it out.
Even if the opponent was the Heartfilia Group, one of the most influential families in all of Fiore.
In truth, Lucy already knew the answer in her heart. But having lost her mother when she was young and growing up in a cold, unfeeling household, she had no idea how to deal with the warm, unfamiliar happiness that kept welling up inside her.
In the silence, Lucy suddenly felt a warm, steady hand rest on her head.
"Silly girl. It's because we're family."
"Beating Jude up might be the most straightforward solution, but that would force you to choose between Fairy Tail and Heartfilia."
Chase gently ruffled her hair, smiling. "That kind of choice would hurt too much, wouldn't it?"
Although she had already guessed his answer, hearing Chase say it aloud made Lucy's nose sting. Her eyes immediately grew moist.
Noticing this, Chase quickly pulled his hand away and called out toward the Dark Magician Girl up ahead. "Dark Magician Girl, you're up!"
"Got it!"
The Dark Magician Girl, who had been quietly observing from a distance, instantly understood and bounded over with a grin.
Before Lucy could react, the girl's slender, pale hands reached straight for her sides, mercilessly tickling her.
"W-wait! Dark Magician Girl, what are you doing? Ahaha! That tickles! Ahahaha stop it!"
Caught completely off guard by the sudden "attack," Lucy twisted and squirmed, laughing uncontrollably as she tried to escape.
Whether her tears spilled from happiness or sadness, she didn't know but they glistened as they slipped from the corners of her squinting eyes.
"Hahaha! That's more like it. A happy ending should leave you laughing out loud."
Chase folded his arms, watching the two adorable blonde girls playfully pushing and wrestling with each other.
Compared to even the fiercest, most dangerous enemy, a girl's tears were far more difficult to handle.
For Lucy, today was destined to be unforgettable.
The next day
Fairy Tail's reconstruction continued at its usual bustling pace.
Thanks to the efficiency of magical construction, in just two or three days the first floor of the new guild building had already taken shape.
The core load-bearing walls and pillars were already standing tall, and neatly arranged scaffolding surrounded them, ready for the next stage of construction.
After a good night's rest, Chase woke up early, spending some time practicing his God-Slaying Magic inside the deck space before heading to the worksite with a light step.
Even before he arrived, the familiar sound of Natsu and Gray's bickering could be heard from far away, echoing from inside the fence.
In an unremarkable, shadowed corner along the fence, Chase noticed someone moving in a strange, fidgety way.
"Ahhh… it looks like Juvia's forehead will soon be touching Gray-sama's!"
There, crouched low and dressed in her usual blue attire, Juvia clutched a lunch box in her hands, peeking at Gray through a narrow gap in the fence. Her eyes sparkled with lovestruck obsession.
"Oh yeah? And then?" Chase asked, raising an eyebrow.
"And at such a close distance, their lips will inevitably meet… and then Juvia can… stick out her tongue, right?!"
Lost in her scandalous daydream, Juvia suddenly froze as the sound of her own voice seemed to pull her back to reality. She turned and the moment she saw Chase standing there, her entire body jolted.
In an instant, she retreated several steps with lightning speed.
"You… you're Chase! The one who fought Master Jose?!"
The dreamy gaze vanished, replaced with sharp wariness: I can't win against someone that strong…
"Don't be so tense. We're not enemies now."
Seeing her still on guard, Chase waved a hand in a casual, friendly manner and smiled. "Relax. Since you're Gray's girlfriend, that makes you part of Fairy Tail too."
"G-Girlfriend? Lover? Wife? Mother of thirty children?!!"
The moment the word "girlfriend" left his mouth, Juvia's tension evaporated. Her face turned crimson, steaming like a kettle as a giddy smile spread across her lips.
Then thump! she collapsed to the ground, fainting with a blissful, love-struck expression.
"…?" Chase's mouth twitched twice.
This reaction was even more over the top than he had imagined.
....
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