At dusk, the setting sun dyed Magnolia's snow a warm orange-red.
Shane, Erza, and Ultear finally stepped out of the little chapel, trailed by a flock of chattering children reluctant to see them go.
In the end, Shane's earlier thought—"finish fast, grab the pay, and leave"—proved laughably naive.
Cana's money was not easy money.
Her casual "come help out" had translated into cleaning practically the entire chapel from top to bottom. The amount of work was way beyond what they expected.
Shane alone would've needed until tomorrow to finish.
Fortunately, Erza put her leadership to work. Not only did she help, she rallied the kids into turning cleaning into a loud, lively game.
Under her direction, they passed rags, took down streamers, and hauled light clutter around, working happily.
Only because of that did they manage to get everything done before dark.
"Bye, Erza-neechan!"
"Thank you for getting my ball, Ultear-neechan!"
"Shane-niisan, your hair is really funny!"
As they left, Erza was naturally the center of the kids' attention. She laughed and replied to them one by one, every inch the reliable big sister.
What surprised Shane was that Ultear also had a few little girls clustered around her, drawn to her cool, distant aura.
"Tch. Didn't think you'd be this popular with kids," Shane grumbled, rubbing his sore arms.
He thought of the brat who'd climbed onto his shoulders to pull his hair.
The difference in how boys and girls were treated was outrageous.
Griping aside, seeing the chapel bright and spotless—and thinking of the payment to come—he felt pretty pleased.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a "piece of loot."
It was a lollipop he'd "confiscated" from the hair-pulling "little nemesis." He unwrapped it without hesitation and popped it into his mouth.
Strawberry sweetness bloomed on his tongue, clearing his fatigue in an instant. Shane closed his eyes in contentment.
"Nothing tastes better than the spoils of victory."
His childish, smug expression was so over-the-top that even Erza, long used to his random behavior, couldn't hold back.
She covered her face and sighed. "Are you a child? Stealing candy from a kid?"
Shane, on the other hand, put on a deadly serious face, as if making some noble declaration. "You don't get it. He challenged me to an honest one-on-one warrior duel. I went all out. That's the greatest respect I can show."
He even raised a fist, gearing up to describe just how tense and dramatic that "battle" had been.
At that moment, Ultear—who'd been quietly walking alongside—suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong?" Erza picked up on it right away. Her tone carried a natural concern.
After learning Ultear had destroyed the Bureau, it hadn't even taken a day for Erza to begin treating her like one of their own.
Ultear didn't look at Erza. Her gaze slid to Shane. "Take the shackle off. I'm leaving."
"…Huh?"
The lollipop stick nearly slipped from Shane's mouth.
He'd actually softened his impression of her today, seeing how she behaved at the chapel.
He'd even been half-thinking of cooking something special that evening.
And now she suddenly wanted to leave? That fast?
Ultear didn't elaborate.
She couldn't exactly say she felt like staying any longer would let the wrong kind of softness creep into her heart.
That feeling was foreign and frightening. She was afraid that if she stayed, she'd stop being as sharp as she needed to be.
Someone like that wouldn't survive in "that guild."
So she had to go now.
Shane held her gaze for a few seconds. Seeing the resolve in her expression wasn't faked, he waved a hand—and the shackle disappeared from her ankle.
Free again, Ultear's eyes flickered with something complicated. She only said, "See you in a month."
Then she turned sharply on her heel and walked away in the opposite direction.
Maybe because she'd said "see you in a month," Erza's mood recovered quickly. Once Ultear's figure was gone, she sidled up to Shane and tilted her head. "Are you cooking tonight?"
Shane snorted. "It's not like I don't usually cook."
"Oh!" Erza didn't mind. Her eyes shone as she put in her request. "I want pan-seared steak!"
He gave her a pitying look. So easy to satisfy. Has she ever eaten anything decent?
"Fine, fine."
He shrugged, feeling oddly relaxed. "Come on. Let's hit the guild first and get Cana to pay up."
He still had a score to settle with her. She'd promised "just tidying up a small space," and it had turned into "full chapel deep-clean."
He was exhausted; felt like his stats were about to level up.
They chatted as they walked—mostly Erza describing which kid had been especially cute, with Shane occasionally chiming in to complain about the little hair-puller.
Before long, the familiar, looming silhouette of the Fairy Tail guild hall came into view.
Just as Shane was reaching for the door while plotting exactly how to "negotiate" with Cana—bang!
The door swung open from inside and a figure stormed out, anger radiating off him, slamming straight into Shane.
He staggered, the lollipop stick almost jabbing the back of his throat.
Once he regained his balance, he looked up.
The man was tall and lanky, dark hair messy and face still twisted with stormy emotion.
"Ivan Dreyar?"
"Move, brat."
Ivan's gloomy eyes flicked over Shane, voice dripping with impatience and barely controlled fury.
Through his clenched teeth, Shane could almost hear the muttered growl: "That stubborn old fool… How dare he do that to me!"
Shane frowned, a spark of fire flickering in his eyes—but out of respect for the master, he couldn't be bothered to argue with a man clearly raging.
He said nothing, just tugged Erza aside out of the way, and thought silently:
If that guy's walking out of the guild…
Ivan didn't spare them another glance and stalked away, a low-pressure storm moving down the street.
Shane and Erza exchanged a look, then pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The atmosphere was completely different from yesterday's party. Just as Shane had expected, the air was thick with tension.
He scanned the room and quickly spotted Cana in a corner.
He abandoned his plan to gripe at her for now and hurried over, lowering his voice. "What happened? Did the master and his son fight again?"
Cana looked up. The usual mischief and lightness were gone from her face, replaced by something heavy and complicated.
She shook her head. When she spoke, her voice was dry and rough. "No.
"The master… expelled Ivan from the guild."
~~~
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