Kael Vane looked over—
—and saw a familiar figure crawling out from under a girl's skirt.
Pink hair. A dragon-scale scarf.
It was Natsu… with his little blue cat, Happy, right beside him.
For half a second, Natsu's eyes shone like a child's.
"Igneel…?"
Then he focused.
The man in front of him wasn't Igneel.
Natsu froze. Heat rushed to his face. A bead of sweat slid down his temple.
"...Who are you?"
"I'm the Fire Dragon. You've heard of me, right?"
The man struck what he clearly thought was a cool pose—chin up, chest out, one hand lifted like he was blessing the crowd.
But before he could even finish enjoying it, Natsu and Happy had already turned around and started walking away.
No words.
Just disappointment.
"They left so fast!"
The girls saw their idol being ignored and reacted instantly—hands shooting out to grab Natsu's scarf, yanking him back like he weighed nothing.
"Why are you two so rude?!"
"Yeah! The Fire Dragon is an amazing wizard!"
"Apologize to him!"
Natsu blinked, dragged along, completely lost. "What are you doing?"
The man waved a hand, looking generous. "It's fine. He didn't mean any harm."
"Ah! He's so nice!" the girls swooned, eyes sparkling like he'd just saved the world.
The man took out a card and, with a flourish, signed:
Fire Dragon.
He handed it to Natsu like it was a treasure. "Here's my autograph. You can show it off to your friends."
"Ah! I'm so jealous!"
Natsu stared at the card.
Then looked up.
"I don't want it."
The air went quiet for one dangerous beat.
Then—
"What did you say?!"
"Get out of here!"
The girls grabbed him, lifted him, and threw him like a sack.
Natsu yelped mid-flight.
The man snapped his fingers.
A ball of red fire appeared under his feet and lifted him into the air as if the flame itself were a platform.
He waved down at them, basking in the screaming admiration.
"Thank you all for the warm welcome! I have to get to the port, but I'll be having a party on my boat tonight. You're all invited!"
He shot off, riding his fire into the night.
"Aaaah!"
"We'll be there!"
The girls cheered, hopping and waving their signs like they'd been blessed.
Natsu landed in a heap, scarf twisted, dignity somewhere back in the crowd.
He pushed himself up, scowling. "What's that guy's problem?"
Just then, Kael Vane's voice cut through the noise.
"Natsu. Happy."
"That voice!"
Natsu and Happy turned—
—and saw Kael standing nearby, smiling like he'd just walked into a familiar mess.
"Kael!"
Both of them lit up. In the past six months, they'd become close. Natsu and Happy were at Kael's house so often it practically counted as a second home.
"Kael, you're back!" Happy zipped over in the air.
"Yeah. I'm back."
Natsu sprinted in and latched onto Kael's leg like his life depended on it. "Kael! Save me! Please buy me food! I'm starving!"
Kael stared down at him. "...You've been causing trouble again, haven't you?"
Natsu opened his mouth—
Happy answered for him with perfect cheer. "Aye! We lost all our money again."
Kael exhaled through his nose, already resigned. "Come on. I'm hungry too. I know a good, cheap place nearby."
"Alright!" Natsu and Happy jumped like they'd just won a prize.
Then—
a voice came from behind them, light and polite.
"If you don't mind… please let me treat you."
They turned.
A cute girl stood there, hands clasped in front of her like she'd gathered the courage to step in.
Bright blonde hair. A blue ribbon tying up one side. A white-and-blue top and a blue skirt—simple, neat, and unmistakable.
Kael froze for a fraction of a second.
He recognized her immediately.
Lucy Heartfilia.
"Thank you for your help back there!" Lucy smiled and waved.
"Huh?" Natsu and Happy blinked. They didn't remember doing anything.
Lucy explained, "That man—'Fire Dragon'—was using a Charm magic. It's illegal. Using it to trick girls… he's such a creep."
Her smile faded for a moment, replaced by genuine disgust.
"Because you two burst in, the spell broke. So please—let me buy you dinner to say thank you."
Natsu and Happy looked at each other.
"Oh, really? Well, that's okay." Natsu turned, grinning like this was the easiest decision in the world. "Kael is paying."
He slapped Kael on the back.
"Aye! Kael's paying!" Happy chimed in, delighted.
They knew Kael was loaded. He made more on one S-Rank mission than they made all year. And if he'd just gotten back from one? Even better.
Kael rolled his eyes. "When do you two not get free food from me?"
He didn't really mind. He liked feeding his friends.
"No, please, I insist!" Lucy said quickly. "I have to thank you properly, or I'll feel bad."
She looked so sincere that even Natsu hesitated.
Since she insisted, they didn't refuse. The four of them walked toward the restaurant together, the harbor noise fading behind them.
"My name is Lucy. What are your names?"
"Kael Vane."
"Natsu."
"Happy."
"Kael, Natsu, and Happy…" Lucy repeated, smiling to herself like she was filing it away. "Oh, by the way—I'm a wizard too! I just haven't joined a guild yet."
She took a breath—
and once she started, the words poured out like she'd been holding them back for years.
"You know, a guild is a place where wizards get together. They help you find jobs and stuff. You can't really call yourself a real wizard if you're not in one."
"But! There are lots of guilds, and the famous ones are super hard to get into!"
"The one I want to join has so many amazing wizards!"
"Ah! What am I going to do? I want to join, but I'm sure it's super strict!"
"Oh! I'm sorry!" She laughed nervously, then kept going anyway. "I'm talking about wizard stuff. You probably don't understand."
"But I have to join that guild. I know I can get good jobs there."
Kael, Natsu, and Happy all stared at her.
Then, in perfect unison:
"You sure talk a lot!"
Lucy froze mid-step, cheeks turning pink as the three of them kept walking like nothing had happened.
She hadn't stopped talking since they met.