The sun filtered through stained-glass windows, painting soft hues over wooden beams and the chaotic life inside **Fairy Tail**.
Cana was already sipping from her cask, Happy chased Natsu around with a fish, and Macao and Wakaba argued—again—about whose moustache was more attractive to women.
Shinra sat quietly at a side table, sipping green tea.
He wasn't invisible. In fact, quite the opposite.
But he had a way of *not disrupting* the flow of chaos. His presence was like a steady note in the background music—subtle, grounding.
Across from him sat **Levy**, animatedly flipping through a magical theory book, while Jet and Droy tried to act cool in the background.
"I've been reading about leyline harmonics," Levy said, eyes bright. "Your technique—Reversal Sleep—it doesn't *match* the normal wave structures of anything in Fiore."
Shinra smiled faintly. "It shouldn't. It's... from outside the system."
"You mean like cursed magic?"
"Exactly."
Levy leaned forward, elbows on the table. "But you refined it! That sleep wave didn't affect any of *us*, just the corrupted wolves."
"Selective waveform alignment."
She stared at him. Then laughed. "That's *so* cheating!"
"I prefer the term 'highly optimized.'"
Mirajane walked over, tray in hand. Her smile was bright, but Shinra's eyes caught the faint exhaustion behind it.
"You haven't eaten anything," he said as she placed a slice of cake in front of him.
She blinked. "I'm working."
"I know," he replied calmly. "But you're still you."
Her cheeks flushed slightly.
He pulled out a chair beside him. "Sit. Five minutes."
Mira hesitated.
Then slowly sat.
"Thank you," she murmured, fingers wrapped around a warm mug he'd quietly conjured with reversed cursed energy.
"You always take care of everyone. Let someone return the favor."
Levy smiled behind her book, watching the exchange. Jet whispered to Droy, "Is he flirting?"
"No," Droy muttered. "He's *helping*. Way scarier."
---
Later that afternoon, Shinra found Erza alone in the training yard, checking her armor straps.
"Perfect form," he said, standing at a distance.
She glanced over her shoulder. "I could say the same about your technique in the grove."
He approached slowly. "You'll be heading out again soon?"
"Lucy's getting her first official mission. Natsu's dragging me along."
Shinra nodded. "She's got potential."
Erza paused, then turned to him. "You always observe people. Quietly. Patiently."
He smiled. "Not everything needs a reaction. People tell you who they are if you let them speak enough."
Erza stepped closer, a rare softness in her voice. "That's what makes you dangerous, you know."
He tilted his head slightly. "Dangerous?"
She met his gaze. "You understand people too well."
He didn't look away. "I try to. Especially the ones I trust."
They stood in silence. This time, not tense. Not uncertain. Just… *close*.
---
That Evening —
At sundown, the guild was quieter.
Mira polished the bar. Gray arm-wrestled Elfman. Lucy scribbled notes in her journal, and Erza stood near the mission board.
Shinra stepped up beside her, quietly.
"Take the Daybreak one," he said, nodding at the modest flier.
She raised an eyebrow. "Why that one?"
"Something about that mission feels off. Lucy will need you."
She stared at the paper.
Then, without looking at him, she plucked it off the board.
"Coming with us?"
Shinra shook his head. "This one's yours. But if you need backup…"
Erza didn't reply immediately.
Then, softly: "I'll call for you."
He gave her a small bow and stepped away.
---
Later That Night — Rooftop
Shinra stood alone on a rooftop overlooking Magnolia, hands in his coat pockets. The stars, twinkled gently overhead.
"Pretty quiet," said a voice behind him.
Mira.
She wore a simple blue dress, no apron, no tray—just herself.
"You needed air too?" he asked, offering her a spot beside him.
She sat. "Sometimes being everyone's smile gets heavy."
He glanced at her. "I see it. Even when you hide it well."
For a long time, she didn't speak.
Then: "You don't push. You just… sit."
"I like giving people space to come forward."
Mira smiled. "That's rare."
They sat under the stars, two people who didn't need loud words or big drama. Just stillness. And a feeling that something, *maybe*, was slowly beginning.