Check out advanced chapters on P@treon: [email protected]/CosmicKaminari
----------
Bang!
The guild's door was violently kicked open by Natsu.
However, Natsu, with his short memory, completely forgot about the "disciplinary committee member" who was with him, and so, as expected, he was lectured by Erza.
"I'll definitely be back~~"
Leaving behind a line that sounded like a villain's, Natsu, who had been sent flying, streaked across the sky like a meteor.
Without a moment of mourning for Natsu, Noah and Gray feigned a salute, then slung their arms around each other's shoulders and sauntered into the guild.
Sure enough, they were greeted by the clamor in the hall.
Liveliness was Fairy Tail's eternal theme.
"Welcome back."
"You guys seem to have had a smooth trip this time, hic~"
Cana burped. By now she had basically become a full-time waitress, mainly because her tab was growing larger and larger, and she felt that selling herself to the guild was better than working hard on missions for rewards.
Not only did a waitress receive a decent monthly salary, but Cana could also use her position to sneak into the wine cellar and steal drinks whenever she wanted. She absolutely loved this job.
Cana finally understood why Noah liked to slack off.
Slacking off for a while is great, slacking off all the time is even greater.
However, some people wouldn't let Cana continue to enjoy herself. Erza and Mira, one on each side, hoisted the drunk woman and dragged her toward the bar, preparing to audit her tab.
Upon hearing about the audit, Cana sobered up by half. She wasn't afraid of the increasing amount of her wine debt, as it was already uncountable.
Cana was mainly afraid of being scolded by Erza, and Mira—that seemingly innocent but actually cunning person—was also extremely devious.
"Hey! Erza, Mira, let go of me."
"I really didn't steal any wine today."
Listening to Cana's protests, Erza and Mira exchanged glances and gave a sinister smile.
But that smile made Cana feel uneasy.
Erza curved her lips. "If you didn't steal wine today, doesn't that mean you secretly drank yesterday?"
Without giving Cana a chance to explain, Mira chuckled. "Even if not yesterday, then certainly the day before yesterday. She is Cana after all."
Oh no! They're coming for me!
Cana finally understood. These two were just trying to tease her by using the audit as an excuse, and she immediately looked eagerly at the white-haired young man nearby.
"Noah! Save me!"
It was Cana's plea for help. At this moment, the only one who could help her was Noah.
But Noah seemed not to have heard anything.
Are you kidding? That's the double demon lord combination of Erza and Mira. Even I have to avoid their sharp edges.
Noah's indifferent attitude made Cana completely give up hope.
Just as she was wondering what posture would be best to beg for mercy after being dragged behind the bar, a savior arrived.
An old yet powerful voice came from the stairs on the second floor. "Noah, Erza, and Mira, the three of you come up here."
Noah looked up at Makarov, who was not even as tall as the railing on the stairs. "Old man, when did you get back?"
"Just got back not long ago, you brat. Hurry up, I have something important to tell you."
After speaking, Makarov turned and returned to the second floor, which belonged to the Guild Master.
Since the Guild Master had spoken, Erza and Mira had no choice but to let Cana off the hook. Besides, they had only temporarily decided to tease Cana.
This drunkard had been getting bolder lately, so she needed to be reined in.
Entering the Guild Master's office, Noah saw Laxus and Mystogan already there.
Mystogan remained silent as always, but still nodded to Noah and the other two as a greeting.
Laxus, on the other hand, was scowling, as if someone had angered him greatly and he was holding back his temper.
"Yo, Laxus, so well-behaved today, huh?"
Hearing Noah's provocation, Laxus snorted coldly and turned his head away, surprisingly ignoring Noah—which was completely out of character for his arrogant nature.
This made Noah somewhat curious about what had happened.
While Noah was teasing Laxus, Mira noticed that besides them, there was an old man with skin as dry as an old tree and dark green hair, standing in front of the group photo of the first four founders.
The old man had a peculiar appearance. Mira felt like she had seen him somewhere before but couldn't recall it at the moment, but Erza instantly guessed the old man's identity.
Warrod Sequen, the oldest of the Ten Wizard Saints.
Erza, at a young age, was already an S-Class Mage. With such talent, she naturally aspired to one day become one of the Ten Wizard Saints, representing the continent's "strongest," so she had some understanding of the current Ten Wizard Saints.
With Erza's reminder, Mira immediately remembered that this great mage was also one of Fairy Tail's founders.
"Old man, you've brought back a great deity."
Noah sat on Makarov's desk. He had long speculated whom Makarov had gone to visit, and he was not surprised by Warrod's arrival at Fairy Tail.
After all, he was one of Fairy Tail's founders. Although he had left the guild for many years, if the old man wanted to come back and see, no one had the right to object.
"You must be Erza and Mira, right? Little Makarov has mentioned you two. You're truly two beautiful young ladies."
Warrod withdrew his gaze from the group photo and looked at Noah, Erza, and Mira, then suddenly laughed. "Young man, you're quite lucky to be admired by two great beauties at the same time."
At these words, several gazes focused on Noah and the two girls. Even Laxus, who was not interested in gossip, couldn't help but perk up his ears.
Mystogan stared intently at Noah, questioning him with his eyes about his relationship with Erza and Mira. As an older brother, he had to fully represent the elders in urging marriage.
Makarov was also somewhat curious about the relationship between Noah and the two girls. As someone with experience, he had actually noticed Mira and Erza's affection for Noah long ago.
However, this boy was... in terms of relationships... to describe him as slow-witted would be an overstatement. He was practically no different from a block of wood.
Playful, scrutinizing, sighing... Being stared at by these ambiguous gazes, Noah felt as if he were on trial, and he immediately slapped the table in annoyance.
"Oi, what kind of looks are those?"
"She and I are..."
The words caught in Noah's throat, and he suddenly couldn't be firm, because he and Mira were truly not innocent.
And Erza, who always followed the rules, surprisingly made no move this time. With her personality, she absolutely should have objected, unless... she also thought so.
Thinking of the occasional vulnerability Erza showed him, a strange flutter suddenly arose deep within Noah's heart. The last time he felt this was when Mira suddenly confessed to him.
His feelings for Erza were actually the same as for Mira.
Doesn't that mean...
As Noah fell silent, the atmosphere stalled for a moment.
Warrod scratched his broccoli-like hair and burst into laughter. "Hahaha, I was just joking, just joking. You guys didn't actually believe that, did you?"
"No way? No way?"
However, the terrible joke did not change the atmosphere in the slightest.
Because of Erza's silence, because of Mira's quietness, because of Noah's unspoken words... This made Makarov, Mystogan, and Laxus, who understood their personalities, all think of a great possibility.
Just as Laxus was considering whether to drop his cool demeanor and imitate Happy's rolled "r" to utter the blue cat's catchphrase—
Noah cleared his throat, stopping their wild thoughts.
"Master, let's talk about the important matters."