On the outskirts of Magnolia Town, right at the familiar entrance road—
"I haven't been back in so long… it really has been a while."
Rain gazed at the town he knew by heart, a rare, gentle smile appearing on his face.
No matter what happened out in the world, the moment he returned here, his heart always grew calm. It was a warm, grounding feeling—like finally coming home.
"It's been half a year since we left, after all."
Erza glanced at Rain, a faint note of resentment in her voice.
Even she hadn't expected to travel with him for half a year. It was true that her strength had improved tremendously, but… in the process, she felt like she'd lost a part of her usual rhythm.
In a way, it almost felt like a bad bargain.
"Thank you, Erza."
Rain immediately caught the meaning behind her tone. He reached out and gently held her hand.
"Thank you for coming with me back then. If you hadn't been there… I don't know what it would've been like traveling alone. I probably would've been unbearably lonely."
"Hmph. At least you know how important I am."
Erza lifted her chin with a proud expression, though a hint of warmth softened her eyes.
"Alright, alright, can we go in already?"
Watching Rain and Erza's intimate exchange, Brandish finally cut in, unable to take it anymore.
After spending so long on the road, all she wanted was a proper bath, a soft bed, and uninterrupted rest.
"Yeah, let's head inside."
Rain chuckled. Together with Dimaria, Brandish, and Erza, he entered Magnolia Town.
After parting ways with Erza, Rain didn't head straight to the Fairy Tail guild. Instead, he brought Brandish and Dimaria back to his house first.
Even if nothing had been officially defined yet, the fact that Brandish and Dimaria were willing to follow him—leaving the Alvarez Empire behind to come to a small town in Ishgar—already said more than enough.
Making things official felt like only a matter of time.
Even the tsundere Brandish privately felt this situation was starting to resemble Mirajane's position more than she wanted to admit.
"Wait… we're going straight to your house?"
The moment they realized Rain's intention, both Brandish and Dimaria tensed.
They had assumed they'd check into a hotel first. Neither of them had prepared themselves to walk directly into Rain's home and meet Mirajane face-to-face.
And yet here Rain was, casually leading them straight to the main battlefield.
"Relax. Mira's a really kind person."
Rain smiled reassuringly at the two of them.
At worst, Mirajane would direct her temper at him. Brandish and Dimaria themselves shouldn't have any problems.
"…Are you sure about that?"
Brandish asked, her voice slightly uneasy.
"Rain," Dimaria said quietly, her gaze steady, "as long as I can stay by your side, I don't care about anything else."
"Don't worry. Leave everything to me."
Rain gave them a confident smile, signaling them to trust him.
"…Okay."
Seeing his expression, both Dimaria and Brandish finally relaxed, deciding to entrust the situation entirely to Rain.
Meanwhile, back at the house—
Mirajane lay sprawled across Rain's bed, staring blankly at the ceiling in boredom.
"This is so dull… I miss Rain. He's been gone for half a year. When is he coming back?"
If he stayed away much longer, she honestly felt like going out to drag him home herself.
"Seriously… leaving for so long right after we got together…"
A trace of resentment flickered in Mirajane's eyes.
Because of the demonic magic she'd been using on recent missions, the restless energy inside her had been building up. If Rain didn't come back soon, she worried it might start affecting her mood.
"…I guess I'll just calm down on my own."
Muttering to herself, Mirajane shifted on the empty bed. Since no one else was home, the quiet house wrapped around her as she tried to ease her pent-up tension and boredom in her own way.
About half an hour later, Rain finally arrived home with Brandish and Dimaria.
"Hah!"
Seeing how cautiously Rain was moving, Brandish couldn't help laughing.
"You spent half an hour walking such a short distance? So much for being calm."
"Quiet, Brandish."
Rain shot her a look, then subtly activated his Command T magic, tweaking her body just enough to silence her teasing.
"…Mm!"
Feeling the sudden, impossible sensation, Brandish instantly froze and shut her mouth.
She still couldn't believe how refined Rain's control over Command T magic had become. He could influence her body without even touching her. Even trying to block it with her own magic did nothing.
How is he this talented at something like that…?
Brandish felt a mix of frustration and disbelief.
Rain exhaled slowly, steadying himself before pushing open the door.
"…No one's here?"
Seeing the empty entryway, he felt a wave of relief.
At least he had a little more time to prepare himself.
Right now his nerves were stretched tight enough that his brain wasn't exactly functioning at full capacity. Using detection magic never even crossed his mind.
And even if he had...
With Mirajane's sharp senses, the moment he tried, she would've noticed. That would just be announcing his return ahead of time.
Walking in unprepared felt like marching straight into danger.
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