September 6, X782.
The second day after joining Fairy Tail.
The bustling central street of Magnolia.
Noah now deeply regretted accepting Natsu's invitation to form a team.
"Help! Natsu! Noah!"
The blue kitten's eyes filled with tears as it crawled and rolled, chased by the "ferocious beast" behind it.
Responding to the kitten's cry, Natsu disappeared and Noah watched coldly — the ferocious beast was actually a big dog that looked rather silly.
The dog wanted to play with the kitten, but the cat was obviously frightened by the dog's size.
After the cat and dog ran in circles around Noah's feet more than twenty times and the kitten was out of breath while the big dog remained energetic, Noah reluctantly offered a hint.
"Happy, Happy, use your cute little head — you can fly."
"That's right!"
Thanks to Noah's reminder, Happy finally remembered his "Wings" magic. A pair of small wings opened behind him; flapping hard, he lifted off and landed shakily on Noah's shoulder.
Happy was so tired his tongue hung out. He lay down without hesitation and gradually melted into a purring strip on Noah's shoulder.
Nodding at the kitten, Noah looked at the lively big dog at his feet that kept getting up from excitement.
The big dog's ears were triangular, with dense, double-layered fur — gray-black outer fur and white inner fur. Its pair of ice-blue eyes betrayed its simple-mindedness.
"Be good, Erha, I'll take you home."
Noah grabbed the dog named Erha. Even though Erha struggled and twisted his 40-pound body, he couldn't avoid Noah's large hand.
Wearing a collar is the fate pet dogs must accept.
Noah took out a small bag of dried meat and broke it in two — one for Happy and one for the Husky. The client had said it was her dogs' favorite snack and might help lure them. It didn't work much, but it helped Happy a little.
Looking at the Husky finally calm, Noah felt helpless. If there was a Husky, there would be a bigger Husky — and that dog Natsu was chasing now.
This was what Natsu called a "good commission."
The reward for finding the client's two lost dogs, Daha and Erha, was 30,000.
Noah was a little disappointed; the commission was too bland.
In fact, half the guild's commissions come from ordinary people. With Fairy Tail's current fame, wealthy clients do appear, but combat commissions like monster extermination or bandit-fighting — dangerous and not always highly paid — account for less than a third.
For a pet-finding job like this, 30,000 split among three people and a cat was already generous compared to similar requests.
"Happy, if you've rested enough, let's fly up and look for Natsu."
"Aye!"
Happy flew into the sky and immediately landed again, his face full of embarrassed guilt. Before Noah could ask why, a clanging sound drew closer.
Looking toward the noise, Noah understood Happy's embarrassment.
A big dog of the same breed, slightly larger than Erha, was running and weaving through the crowd.
The cherry-haired boy chasing it was not as agile and knocked into many vendors' stalls along the way, which explained the clanging.
Is catching a dog worth this much chaos... Noah wondered, doubting whether 30,000 was enough compensation.
"Happy! Noah! Help me stop Daha!" Natsu's eyes lit when he saw his companions.
Noah pretended not to know Natsu, holding the cat in one hand and the dog in the other, and tried to pass by like a stranger.
However, Daha, having run two full laps around Magnolia, was exhausted and subconsciously stopped at Noah's feet when he saw Erha.
Natsu seized the moment and pounced on the tired dog, then turned and gave Noah a thumbs up.
"Well done, Noah!"
"It won't get better anytime soon... Natsu."
Noah grumbled as vendors who had suffered losses from Natsu's reckless dash surrounded them, clamoring for compensation.
Although Noah could have escaped physically, the guild emblem on his arm had already revealed he was with Natsu. Denial would be useless.
Noah hoped to resolve the matter peacefully — this was his first commission.
After talking with the vendors, Noah calculated the needed compensation: exactly 30,000, not a penny more.
Well, it was all in vain.
Now Noah understood why Natsu and Happy had been left starving — given Natsu's reckless nature, Noah was grateful he didn't have to pay the commission fee himself.
Looking at the silly, hot-blooded idiot, Noah realized his pockets were cleaner than Happy's face, so he had no choice but to pay.
Just as Noah was taking out the money, a calm yet majestic voice said,
"Natsu, you're in trouble again."
When Natsu heard it, his body trembled uncontrollably, which surprised Noah.
Who was this powerful person who could scare even tough Natsu?
The two dogs crawled to the ground at Noah's feet, as if sensing a breath that made them submit.
The crowd and the vendors parted to make way for the newcomers.
A figure slowly entered Noah's view.
She was a heroic girl with commanding presence.
Her upper body was covered in armor bearing the Fairy Tail emblem; below the neck it fitted snugly, and her lower attire combined a short skirt with black boots.
Long crimson hair flowed down her back, and a side bang covered her right eye but couldn't hide her sharp gaze.
"Erza."
The same temperament, the same bearing. Noah finally met a counterpart of someone he knew in his own world and subconsciously called her name.
The girl walked straight to Natsu. Hearing someone call her, she paused and looked at Noah — a stranger.
"Do you know me?"
"Of course. I'm the new member who joined the guild yesterday, and I've heard everyone mention you."
Noah revealed the emblem on his arm, extended his right hand, and continued, "My name is Noah."
The girl's tone softened at the sight of the guild mark. She took his hand with her right and said, "Welcome to Fairy Tail. I am Erza Scarlet."
Noah silently ran Erza's name through his mind — Scarlet... only the surname differed.
In Edras, the second commander of the royal army was "Erusa Nightwoka," Erza's counterpart and an ally of that world's Fairy Tail.
Noah hadn't expected Erza here to be a member of Fairy Tail.
What a wonderful coincidence.
He wondered if Erza in this world was also skilled in weapon combat.
Noah's eyes dropped, staring at Erza's sword.