The Day After Erza's Test...
The early sun warmed the wooden floors of the Fairy Tail guild hall as Makarov stood atop his usual barrel, arms crossed, his wrinkled eyes watching the room carefully. It was quieter than usual—no table-throwing, no brawls—just that hum of *potential*. Something new was brewing.
Shinra had changed something.
Not with declarations or flashy magic—but with presence. The way he *existed* in the room now, not just as a guest or a curiosity, but as someone who belonged.
And it was time, Makarov thought, to make that official.
He clapped his hands loudly. "Team Natsu, front and center!"
Natsu leapt over a bench, Happy zipped through the air, Gray yawned as he pulled on a shirt, and Lucy stumbled in with her keys jangling at her hip. Erza arrived last, already in armor, calm and composed as always.
Then Shinra strolled over casually, twirling a spoon he'd borrowed from the kitchen.
"You too, Shinra," Makarov said, grinning. "You're joining them."
Shinra raised a brow. "Formally?"
"Formally," Makarov nodded. "You've proven yourself. Time to see if you can survive a real mission with these lunatics."
Erza glanced at him but said nothing.
Gray smirked. "You sure he can keep up?"
"I'm more worried if *we* can keep up," Lucy muttered.
Natsu cracked his knuckles. "I'm gonna make him fight me after this."
"Of course you are," Shinra said, slipping the spoon into his coat pocket.
---
Makarov's Office
The team stood around a large table where Makarov laid out a hand-drawn map with coffee stains and torn edges. He pointed to a small valley nestled between two cliffs.
"Village called Cloverfall," he said. "Peaceful little place, famous for its silk exports. Problem is, the local *Butterfly Grove* has been overrun by a cursed magic—poisoning the land. Creatures have mutated. Wildlife's aggressive. Locals can't even get to their spring."
Erza folded her arms. "Has any dark guild been sighted?"
"No signs yet," Makarov said, "but I wouldn't rule it out."
Shinra leaned over the map, eyes tracing the routes. "Butterfly-based corrupted magic," he muttered. "Sounds like an infection—something unstable. Wild. Maybe parasitic."
Lucy blinked. "You got all that just from a rumor?"
"I'm good at pattern recognition."
Erza's gaze lingered on him again. "We leave at first light."
---
Later That Evening — Packing Up
Lucy was struggling to fit her book into her bag. It was a common sight by now—her things were always either too many or too heavy.
Shinra approached and crouched beside her silently.
"Need a hand?" he asked.
"No, I've got it—actually, wait, yes, I absolutely do," she groaned.
He tapped the side of the bag, and *Infinity* softened the fabric, causing it to stretch slightly without tearing. The book slid in like butter.
Lucy stared.
"…That was kind of amazing."
"I specialize in low-key miracles."
She grinned. "You're weird, but I think I'm getting used to it."
Shinra stood and offered her a hand. "That's the nicest thing anyone's said to me all day."
From across the room, Mira watched the exchange with a faint smile, polishing a glass absently. Erza, standing nearby, said nothing—but her fingers tapped her armored arm slowly, thoughtfully.
---
Cloverfall...
Team Natsu walked along the forest road, birds chirping overhead and light filtering through the trees. It would take a day and a half to reach the valley, so there was time.
Naturally, Natsu started things off with, "Gray, you smell like dead socks."
"I swear to—" Gray flared, pulling off his jacket instinctively. "Do you want a fight right here—"
"Don't make me throw you both into a lake," Erza said flatly.
Lucy sighed. "Day one and we're already back to normal."
Shinra walked beside Erza, quiet at first, then spoke low enough for her to hear alone.
"You run this team," he said. "Even if they don't say it."
Erza glanced at him, surprised. "It's not about control. It's about trust."
He nodded. "That's why they follow you. And it's why I will too."
She didn't respond immediately.
Then, after a pause: "You read people too well."
He smiled. "Only the ones worth reading."
They walked in silence after that—but it wasn't awkward. It was peaceful. Settled.
---
Night Camp — Fireside Bonds
Later that night, their campfire crackled gently under a navy sky dusted with stars. Natsu was already snoring under a tree. Gray and Happy were roasting fish. Lucy scribbled in her journal, humming softly.
Shinra sat beside Mira's old harp—strangely left in the guild's storage and borrowed for the trip by Lucy. He ran a finger across the strings, not playing, just… listening.
Erza sat near him, polishing her sword. "You're quiet tonight."
"So are you."
"That's rare for me."
"Maybe we're syncing," he said.
She looked up at him. The firelight danced in her eyes.
"You're hard to predict," she said.
"I try."
She looked back down. "It's not a compliment."
"I'll take it anyway."
Another silence. Then, she set the sword down.
"You're different. Not just strong—*unfamiliar*. But familiar, too. That bothers me."
He tilted his head. "Because you've seen people like me?"
"No," she said. "Because I haven't."
She didn't smile. Neither did he.
But something shifted in that moment. Respect. Curiosity. The earliest threads of something deeper, unnamed.