Gray sauntered over, hands in his pockets, a mischievous grin on his face. "What's this? You're not showing off that egg right away because you're scared it's another fake, aren't you? Just like last time—nothing but a dud!"
"No way!" Natsu jumped, fuming. "This one's totally different! The egg's as big as half my body! And it's warm to the touch! This time, it's definitely gonna hatch a dragon!" He clenched his fists, hyping himself up.
Gray's jaw dropped. "Wait, you actually know it needs to be incubated? Not just roasted over a fire?!"
A vein popped on Natsu's forehead. "I'm not an idiot! Last time, I cooked it too hard and got nothing. This time, I asked a ton of people before starting! I'm gonna hatch an awesome dragon for sure!"
He pointed at Gray, eyes blazing. "Just wait—you're gonna get flattened by me and my dragon!"
Erza, arms crossed, nodded with a smile as she approached. "Hmm… this is a great opportunity. Taking care of an egg, experiencing the miracle of life—it might help you ditch your reckless, destructive habits and learn to be more careful."
"Oh-ho! A 'miracle of life' opportunity, huh?" A snarky, drawn-out voice cut in. "Since when did you become a life coach, Erza?"
A white-haired girl in a crop top, arms crossed, strode up with a mocking smirk.
Erza's temple twitched. "Oh? Natsu asked me how to hatch an egg. Did he ask you, Mira~?"
"Of course he did!" Mirajane flicked her white hair confidently, tilting her chin up. "Lisanna successfully hatched a chick when she was little! The tips I gave Natsu are way better than your book-smart nonsense!"
Erza crossed her arms, tilting her head back defiantly. "Lisanna hatched it, not you! You think watching from the sidelines makes you an expert? That's hilarious!"
WHAM! Mirajane slammed her forehead against against Erza's, eyes sparking with challenge. "Still better than you! At least I've seen it happen! What about you? Never even seen a chick hatch, have you?"
Erza pushed back, their foreheads locked in a standoff. "Who says I haven't? I helped deliver stray puppies by the market!"
Zzt! Invisible sparks seemed to fly where their glares met. Crimson and deep purple magic leaked uncontrollably from them, swirling like twin whirlwinds, knocking over empty mugs on nearby tables.
"Mirajane?!" Laxus' eyes nearly popped out. He leaned toward Cana, whispering, "Weren't she and Erza getting along fine when she first joined? How'd they turn into… well, Natsu and Gray?"
Cana sidled up, her face screaming you're missing the juicy gossip. "Word is, they got heated during a sparring session a while back. Neither would back down, both dead-set on winning. They ended up chugging healing potions and brawling for a full day and night!"
"Plus, Mirajane's Take Over lets her absorb demon power. She's only taken in one or two, but with the magic she's gained from jobs, her power's basically neck-and-neck with Erza's now."
"And her demon magic clashes with Erza's knight magic. With their power levels so close, they can't stand each other. One look, and they're itching to settle who's stronger. So… this happened."
"That's…" Laxus' mouth twitched. "So that huge crater in the east forest training ground…"
"Yup!" Cana nodded vigorously, still shaken. "They caused it! Their destructive power makes Natsu and Gray look like amateurs!"
"Roger!!" Natsu's loud voice suddenly cut through.
At the mention of his name, Erza and Mirajane, who'd been locked in their standoff, instantly stepped back in sync, crossing their arms and turning away with matching haughty "Hmph!"s.
Roger walked over. "Natsu told you guys about the egg he found?"
"It's a dragon egg!" Natsu stressed, practically dancing with excitement. "And I can feel it's about to hatch! I'm gonna have my own dragon soon!!"
Cana stirred her "juice," skeptical. "How do you know it's about to hatch?"
Natsu puffed out his chest. "Last night, when I was sleeping with it, it went 'thump! thump!' and kicked my stomach twice! That's gotta mean it's ready to come out!"
He got more animated, already picturing a majestic dragon by his side, with everyone—especially that jerk Gray—gaping in awe.
"No way! I gotta show it to you guys!!" Before anyone could respond, he zoomed out of the guild like a gust of wind.
Cana's face darkened. "Kicked… his stomach? Isn't that something pregnant women feel? Who told him that?"
Levy timidly raised a hand, her face tomato-red. "Um… I think it was me. I gave Natsu a book on postpartum care."
Her voice shrank. "And… I think I gave him the wrong one."
"It was called Postpartum Care for Sows, but someone scratched out the 'Sows' part, so it got mixed up with regular postpartum books."
Levy hung her head in shame. "He was so excited… I didn't have the heart to tell him…"
"Argh!!" Cana let out a wail, clutching her head. "That book was with you?! I thought I threw it out!!"
"It's not just about pigs! Only the first chapter's about pigs! The rest covers cats, dogs, chickens, even humans!"
"No wonder he knows about stomach kicks!"
Cana was on the verge of a breakdown. "I tore off the title so I wouldn't forget to toss it! It's actually called The Ultimate Postpartum Care Guide!!"
Clinging to a shred of hope, she asked, "That book's thick as a brick! Natsu… probably only read a bit, right?"
Gray, grinning wickedly, twisted the knife. "Don't bet on it. A few days ago, I saw him sneaking around, buying a ton of stuff—a magical insulated box, a giant syringe, a big bottle of weird green liquid, and a huge bag of grass seeds…"
The guild fell dead silent. One thought echoed in everyone's minds: Is that egg even gonna make it to hatching?
"Look! The patterns on the egg! Don't they look like dragon claws?!" Natsu's excited shout came from the doorway.
Everyone turned in unison.
Natsu stood there, a massive, bulging backpack strapped to him, almost as tall as he was. In his arms, he carefully cradled a large wooden basin holding an egg half his size, its shell covered in strange blue patterns.
"Uh…" Cana pointed at the oversized backpack. "Natsu… what's all that stuff you're carrying?"