It had been two days since Astro agreed to take on the S-class job. Levy still hadn't returned, which left him with a lot of free time. So he had settled into a quiet corner of the bar table, sipping on tea from the bar and flipping through thick books on the history of Fiore.
He found himself pleasantly surprised that the guild bar served more than just alcohol—there were teas, snacks, even full meals, all at surprisingly affordable prices. Most guild members preferred drinking, of course, but Astro appreciated the calm of tea over the chaos of alcoholic drinks.
He had just reached a particularly interesting section about the founding of Fiore's smaller towns when a loud, familiar voice shattered the quiet:
"Astro! Fight me now!"
The door slammed open with a crash, and Natsu came barreling in, eyes blazing with excitement. Astro sighed. This had become a ritual over the past two days: Natsu challenged him first thing in the morning, every morning, without fail. Astro didn't mind fighting, but he did mind having his peaceful tea time interrupted.
Natsu grinned wildly as he flared up his fists with fire. "Here I come!" he shouted, his voice carrying that unshakable mix of determination and reckless enthusiasm.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Natsu's punch shot straight at Astro's face.
Astro didn't even flinch. With a calm flick of his wrist, he caught Natsu's fist midair, twisted slightly, and sent him flying with a punch from the other hand—right into the ceiling.
"Oh… I might have punched him a little too hard this time," Astro muttered under his breath, watching the ceiling groan and crack under Natsu's weight.
He glanced over at Mira, who had been buried in papers from the moment he arrived here, and decided to ask her. "Do I… have to pay for that?"
Mira tilted her head, looking confusedly at Astro. At first, she didn't even seem to notice the ceiling-shaking impact or Natsu dangling from it.
"Uh… do I have to pay for the damage?" Astro gestured upward again, his tone casual, like he was asking if he could borrow sugar.
Mira finally looked up, seemingly not surprised that Natsu was hanging there. Astro even had a crazy thought seeing her looks, that she would actually be surprised more if she saw Natsu somewhere else other than in the ceiling. Astro looked up again seeing Happy was fluttering around, prying Natsu loose from the ceiling with all the energy of a frantic blue cat.
'Happy seems to be an expert at getting Natsu out from the ceiling. What a weird skill to have for a talking and flying cat.' Astro speechlessly looked at the ceiling.
She chuckled softly. "Don't worry about it. Here in the guild, if someone starts a fight, the instigator is responsible for any damage. Simple as that."
Astro smirked, settling back into his chair and lifting his tea cup. "That's… actually a pretty decent rule. Natsu must be broke all the time, huh?"
Mira nodded absently, a small smile tugging at her lips as she glanced at the ceiling. "You have no idea," she said quietly. Her mind drifted for a moment, remembering the countless times their childhood had been spent running through the guild, wrecking it over and over, and somehow always surviving to do it again.
Astro took a slow sip of his tea, savoring the warmth. The quiet comfort of his cup reminded him why he preferred tea over alcohol any day.
"So, what's with that complicated expression?" Astro asked after finishing his tea, leaning against the edge of the counter. "For the last two days, you've just been buried in those papers. Are there any problems?"
Mira sighed, pushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Well… I'm not just the receptionist here. Master also asked me to manage the bar's finances and report them to him at the end of each month. And it's almost the end of this month… I'm just not used to handling all this math yet." She gave a tired smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
Astro's mind wandered for a moment. Huh… with how familiar she is with everyone and how popular she seems, I thought she'd been a guild member for ages. Was she a wizard before? So did she stop using magic recently and shift to receptionist duties?
"Do you want me to help?" he asked casually, tilting his head. "I'm actually pretty good with numbers and organizing stuff like this."
Mira's eyes flicked to him, a mix of surprise and relief crossing her face. "Really? That would be… incredibly helpful."
Astro glanced over at Master Makarov, who was dozing lightly in his chair. He could tell by the faint rise and fall of his breath that the old man had been woken up earlier by Natsu's morning chaos. "If this information is confidential, I don't want to overstep," Astro said politely.
Makarov waved a hand, already half-smiling despite his nap. "Nope, go for it. If you're confident, just help her with it. Mira's only been handling this for a month—it was originally my plan to have Levy to teach her anyway."
Astro finished the last sip of his tea and moved to the side of the bar, where Mira had stacked the piles of paper in a haphazard mess. Glancing at the disorganized sheets, he shook his head with a faint smile. "Well… this is more chaotic than I expected."
He asked for another stack of blank paper, then got to work, carefully reorganizing all the financial data, double-checking figures, and formatting the numbers so everything was easy to read. Mira hovered nearby, occasionally offering clarification about certain entries, while Astro methodically created a clear, concise report.
Nearly an hour later, he handed the finished report to Master Makarov, who immediately leaned forward to examine it. Mira watched, wide-eyed, as the old man's eyebrows rose in surprise.
"Are you secretly a noble?" Makarov asked, shaking his head in disbelief. "Did you get some kind of noble education? Anyone can handle basic arithmetic, but creating such a detailed and well-organized report… this is impressive."
Astro shrugged, settling back into his chair with a small smile. "I didn't have a formal education either, but someone took the time to teach me most of this stuff." He picked up his book again,
It's not that he does not trust them, but he would like to keep his previous life as much of a secret as possible from everyone.
Master Makarov leaned back in his chair. After a moment of thought, he decided to bring Astro up to his private office. He rarely spent much time here—he preferred watching the guild's chaos unfold rather than sitting in a quiet, lonely room.
"Can you help me with these documents too?" Makarov asked, his voice trembling slightly, a hint of exhaustion and worry in his eyes.
Astro looked at the mountain of papers spread across the old wooden desk. One pile was dedicated to management, another to finances, but the largest—and most intimidating—stack was filled with complaint letters.
Astro stared at the old man, blinking. "Master… I mean… I can do finance, maybe… but the guild managements? And the complaint letters… Master, I've only been in the guild a few days. Are you sure you want to trust me with all of this?"
Makarov gave a small, reassuring smile, his eyes twinkling despite the fatigue. "Haha… don't worry, Astro. I have a good eye for people. Besides, you're Arthur's son—I trust you. As for the complaints, just reply politely and compensate where it is necessary.. If there's anything you're unsure of, or if a document needs my signature, just find me at the bar."
Before Astro could respond, Makarov practically bolted from the room, leaving him alone with the towering piles of paperwork.
Astro let out a slow sigh, leaning against the desk. I didn't come to Fairy Tail to do office work… But looking at the mountain of papers, he couldn't bring himself to leave it all for the old man.
He rubbed his temples and thought, 'Dear Miss Maria… you always hoped I'd find a good job so that I can marry a good wife. So you taught me so much advanced stuff while I was at the hospital… but sis. did you think I'd be stuck doing office work in another world?'
Stretching his arms, Astro put down his cloak, rolled up his sleeves and got to work. Hours passed as he sorted, read, and organized the documents. By the end of the noon, he realized just how much Makarov had been neglecting—some of these complaints and mission logs hadn't been touched in over three months. Sure, almost none of them are emergency matters. Master probably took care of them on time.
Astro shook his head slightly, understanding why the old man had let these pile up though. The sheer number of complaint letters alone could make anyone cry.
With a methodical approach, he replied to each letter politely, addressing concerns, providing clarifications, and compensating where needed. For the letters that were clearly empty complaints or trivial grievances, he set them aside for further investigation if necessary.
By the time he finished in the evening, the room was neat, the piles reduced to nothing, and the old desk looked almost pristine. Astro leaned back in his chair, exhausted.
'I miss Natsu. I really hoped he would just barge in and give me an excuse to not do any more work.'
But it was not without gains. From the notes he had gathered so far, he could confirm that two of the main protagonists hadn't joined the guild yet. One of them, he remembered, was Lucy—though he does not remember the other member's name. Judging by the cover photo he had seen, she was a blue-haired girl who looked younger than the rest of the protagonists. And she most likely joined a lot later. That's probably why she was missing in the first few cover photos.
Also while looking through the complaint letters, three complaint letters caught his attention. They all mentioned the eldest of the three Strauss siblings, accusing Mirajane Strauss of causing huge damage during missions. In one of them, she even destroyed a small mountain. But–
Astro tapped the desk lazily with his fingers, pondering. "So… what happened to the third sibling?" he muttered to himself.
Curious, he rose and made his way to the bookshelf, scanning the rows of dusty registry books until he finally located the book he was looking for. The book contained a long list of fairy tail members —no photos, no information on what type of magic each member wielded, just names.
He traced his finger along the top of the list. The guild founders:
Mavis Vermillion
Yuri Dreyar
Precht Gaebolg
Warrod Sequen
Astro paused. If I recall correctly, Master's last name is Dreyar too… could Yuri be a relative? Perhaps his father?
He didn't search directly for Mira's missing sibling but instead scanned the list carefully. His gaze landed on one name—his father, written clearly as Arthur Verina. A small smile tugged at Astro's lips. So, my dad really was a member of this guild too…
His mind drifted for a moment, thinking about how his memories of both his previous life as Liam and his current life as Astro had merged three years ago, blending experiences from two lifetimes into one. It feels like he lived two lives side by side. Astro shook his head, not bothering to think about it any more.
Then, something unusual caught his eye. Just below his father's name was a name that had been deliberately obscured, completely cut off with ink marks. No other name in the registry had ever been erased like this. Astro frowned, intrigued.
This person… must have done something extremely bad, he thought. So bad that not only were they kicked out of the guild, but they were erased from the records entirely.
He reflected on the warm, kind-hearted Master Makarov. He's kind, yes, maybe even a little unreliable at times, but I can't imagine him kicking someone out without a very serious reason…
Astro leaned closer to the page, recalling the complaint letters and Mira's calm reaction at Natsu's antics .This person must have been an even greater troublemaker than Natsu—or something far worse…
The image of a warm guild contrasted sharply with the mysterious shadow of the erased name, and Astro felt a chill of curiosity. Who could have committed such serious crimes to deserve being completely cut from the guild's history?
Astro leaned back again slightly, scanning the names in the guild registry again. Some of the names were familiar, names he'd seen in guild activities after he joined. Astro then found one of the legendary S-Class wizards that Erza mentioned.
Gildarts Clive… he murmured to himself. So this S-Class wizard joined a long time ago. He must be at least as old as my father then.
His eyes landed on another name.
Laxus Dreyar.
That guy is related to the Master… Astro thought, narrowing his eyes. Judging by when he joined, he should be Master's grandson—unless Master had a child very late…
He paused, his thoughts drifting. But if he's Master's grandson, then what about his son? Was he not a mage? Or… His gaze flicked back to the ink-blotted name in the registry, and he frowned, shaking off the thought.
Refocusing, Astro turned his attention to the main reason he had opened the book. Three names appeared together:
Mirajane Strauss
Elfman Strauss
Lisanna Strauss
Astro looked at last name carefully. So her name was Lisanna.
All three siblings had joined at the same time, quite a long time ago. He skimmed through the rest of the registry, noting the newer members. Nothing else seemed surprising, just as he had suspected—Lucy had not joined the guild yet. The last few names on the list were:
Mystogan
Loke
Astro Blackmist
Astro noticed that the names ended with his own, confirming that the registry was still being updated with each new member. Master may not do all his paperwork perfectly, he thought, but he certainly doesn't neglect what he considers important.
He let out a quiet chuckle and collected the remaining complaint letters he couldn't decide on, along with a full report of all the documents he had sorted and completed today. Carefully, he made his way back to the bar table outside, where Makarov was dozing lightly, a soft snore escaping every now and then.
"Here you go," Astro said, placing the papers in front of Master Makarov, waking him up in the process.. "These complaint letters need your attention. I've gone through them, and they are not very detailed. Some of them seem suspicious—most likely the clients are trying to get compensation they don't deserve. You probably don't need to issue an apology or provide any reimbursement."
He paused, sliding another stack toward Makarov. "Also, here's a summary of all the documents and tasks I completed today. It's only seven pages long, so please read it carefully and let me know if you notice anything amiss."
Master Makarov took his time reading through the report, his brows furrowed as he examined each page. After a few minutes, he looked up at Astro, his expression a mix of surprise and admiration. "I have to say… you are more reliable than your father, Astro. No… actually, you're more reliable than almost everyone here," he said, his voice full of warmth and genuine praise. There was a spark in his eyes, a silent question lingering as if asking, Will you please continue helping this old man like this?
Astro understood what he was trying to say and let out a small sigh. "Alright, alright. I'll help with the documents every now and then when I have some free time, but I'm not doing this full time."
Master Makarov's grin widened, and he waved a hand dismissively. "That's fine. That's more than enough already."
Astro did not ask him about the questions he had regarding some guild members. He believes he will know when the time is right.
Astro instead asked for a snack and a cup of tea while sitting at the bar beside a blue-haired boy who was drinking alcohol casually. As Mira handed him his orders, Astro's gaze drifted mechanically to his side—and froze.
That's really a young boy drinking alcohol! he thought, incredulous.
He grabbed the drink in front of the kid without hesitation and looked up at Mira, his expression unusually serious. "Mira, how can you serve alcohol to such a young boy?"
Mira blinked, puzzled, first at Astro and then at the blue-haired 'boy,' who now looked equally confused at 'his' drink being taken away.
"Who did you just call a boy?" the blue-haired kid finally asked, 'his' voice sharp but tinged with surprise.
Astro jumped slightly, blinking at her. "Wait… you're a girl?" he asked cautiously. It wasn't his fault—she was wearing a gender-neutral outfit: a yellow tunic with pants. Also Astro had simply gotten used to seeing girls in the guild with… well, more obvious features on their chest area. His first instinct had been to assume this was a boy.
"But Mira… giving alcohol to a young girl is even more dangerous," he added quickly, covering his embarrassment with a mask of casual concern, making sure his tone betrayed none of his earlier assumptions.
"Who did you call young?" the girl finally snapped. She hopped down from the long bar stool, making herself even smaller than she already was.
Mira couldn't contain herself any longer and laughed aloud, while Astro tilted his head, utterly confused.
"I'll have you know," the girl said, cheeks puffed, "I'm already fifteen years old, and I am legally allowed to drink in Fiore."
"You're… fifteen?" Astro asked again, his tone mixed with surprise and disbelief. He still looked at her skeptically, clearly having a hard time reconciling her tiny stature with her confident declaration.
The girl's frustration deepened, and her eyes began to glisten. Mira realized it was enough teasing for now and decided to step in, finally clarifying.
"She's Levy McGarden, the leader of Team Shadow Gear," Mira said with a smile. "Yes, she's actually fifteen. And yes, she's legally allowed to drink here."
For some reason, Mira didn't feel like teasing the already crying Levy further in front of Astro, even though she usually would.
"Huh? She's Levy?" Astro said, still staring at the fuming girl who would barely reach his chest if both of them stood side by side.
Levy's eyes narrowed, and she pointed furiously at Astro's face. "Mira, who is he?"
Astro sighed, head slumping down on the bar table.
'Natsu, come and save me please. I will be gentler this time while punching you, i promise'