Morning light fell silently on Shane's face through the gaps in the curtains.
His eyelids moved but didn't open immediately. Instead, he first carefully sensed the changes within his body.
A strange feeling of "lightness" and "activity" replaced the heaviness after meditation or Magic Power consumption in the past.
After learning Requip Magic, the Magic Power in his body seemed to have been released from some restraint, flowing spontaneously and slowly in his internal meridians.
Although the amplitude was subtle, that feeling of "moving" was incredibly clear.
"Magic Power—finally started to increase!"
Sensing this, Shane opened his eyes abruptly and sat up, the corners of his mouth curving up uncontrollably.
A long-lost sense of excitement surged in his heart. He immediately made up his mind: "Must take advantage of this momentum to work harder!
Since I don't need to go to the library to chew on theories anymore, I'll put the extra time into meditation."
Thinking of this, he couldn't help clenching his fist. "Set a small goal first, Magic Power E+!"
After making up his mind, he ran out of the room in a great mood, only to find the house unusually quiet.
Just as he was wondering, the door was pushed open with a creak. Erza walked in, waving a letter with elegant patterns in her hand.
"Jellal sent a letter again."
"What did he write?" Shane leaned over.
"Haven't opened it yet." Erza handed him the letter naturally.
"Then let's read it together." Shane took it and tore open the wax seal neatly.
As Magic Power light surged, Jellal's image condensed into form again.
Compared to last time, his brows were much more relaxed, no longer filled with tense emotions.
"Shane, news received." The image spoke. "Didn't expect you really solved Ultear's matter."
He first sighed, then said.
"Also, I understand Brain's situation. However, regarding the Tower of Heaven—I don't want to give it up for the time being, to avoid unnecessary accidents."
"In addition, the funds remaining before are almost used up. Recently I'm considering establishing a guild and am busy teaching Sho and Wally using the magic books left by Brain, so the reply is this late. Sorry."
Finally, Sho and Wally also appeared in the image, waving their fists and shouting, "We are improving very fast; be careful!"
""
After speaking, the image dissipated.
Shane held the letter paper, raising an eyebrow. "This guy Jellal really can't stay idle. Managing the tower, teaching students, and wanting to create a guild—where does he get so much energy?"
"Maybe he enjoys it," Erza took over the conversation.
Shane thought for a moment and nodded. "You are not a fish; how do you know the joy of fish? That makes sense."
Thinking of this, his thoughts drifted far away.
Everyone who came out of the Tower of Heaven seemed to have slowly found what they wanted to do. Wonder if Simon found his sister yet.
Chatting, the sun rose higher.
This day was New Year's Eve.
—
In this world, this was also an important day to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new. Since Erza was back, Shane naturally wouldn't let her mold at home.
The two went straight to the guild, meeting up with Cana, Gray, and others.
They played wildly, from the tabletop games in the guild to the food stalls on the street; the atmosphere was warm and relaxed.
When they had enough fun and returned to the small house, the night was deep, and the chill grew stronger.
Thinking about the hot spring in the backyard, Shane grabbed Gray, who wanted to sneak back to the boys' dormitory.
"Don't think about running; come help!" He dragged Gray to the backyard. "Create ice for me; I'll heat it."
"Huh? I've been tired all day—"
Gray complained about "troublesome" with his mouth, but his body honestly followed Shane to the backyard.
Cold air permeated. Cooperating with Shane's flames, melted water flowed into the newly dug pool pit with a splash.
The pool filled quickly, steaming with white warm mist.
Shane wanted to keep Gray to countdown to the New Year together, but this guy waved his hand. "No, no, there are activities in the boys' dormitory!"
Seeing Gray off, Shane looked at this steaming hot spring, his sense of accomplishment bursting.
He just cleared his throat, preparing to deliver a "completion speech," when a magic brilliance flashed beside him.
Light flashed on Erza's body, instantly changing into a black one-piece swimsuit. Completely ignoring the sub-zero temperature, she stared at the water surface with shining eyes.
"Wait! Agreed that I soak first!" Shane shouted hurriedly.
Erza, however, without explanation, grabbed his wrist and stepped directly into the warm pool water.
Splash.
Before Shane could finish his sentence, his wrist was grabbed firmly by a warm and soft hand.
Immediately after, the world spun, and water splashed.
Erza popped her head out of the water, wet scarlet long hair sticking to her fair cheeks.
"This counts as you being first too, right?"
She wiped the water droplets off her face, blinking at the wretched Shane, her eyes full of cunning success.
"You—" Shane was half immersed in water, clothes soaked through. Looking at the girl's smug appearance of a successful prank, he was both angry and amused.
He had to activate the still unskilled Requip Magic. Light flashed, and wet clothes turned into a dry white bathrobe.
Then he sighed, resignedly walking to the pool edge to sit down, continuously operating Heart Fire to maintain water temperature.
Originally envisioned as an elegant scene of "hot spring in snow, leisurely admiring the moon," but with Erza's disturbance, it now completely turned into an "open-air warm water swimming pool."
But watching her swim around happily in the water like a mermaid, Shane shook his head helplessly, yet a smile unconsciously appeared on the corner of his mouth.
Warm water wrapped around the body, dispelling the chill of the winter night.
Gradually, Erza also got tired of swimming. She leaned against the pool edge and quieted down.
The warm current wrapped around their bodies, driving away all cold and fatigue.
The two looked up at the starry sky blurred by steaming heat, chatting intermittently.
Chatting about interesting things in the guild, about who caused what trouble, about the Tower of Heaven in the past.
The atmosphere was peaceful; time was quiet and good.
When the clock hands quietly approached midnight, Shane seemed to remember something and stood up abruptly from the water.
"Mhm? What's wrong?" Erza looked at him doubtfully.
Shane turned back, making a "secret" gesture to her, a trace of mystery on his face. "You'll know in a while."
He ran out of the yard quickly.
A few minutes later, when Shane appeared again, Erza raised her eyebrows in surprise.
The bathrobe was gone.
Replacing it was that Heroic Spirit attire of Senji Muramasa.
"What are you up to?" Erza became even more curious.
Shane didn't explain, just walking to her side, looking up, counting down silently in his heart.
Three, two, one!
Just the moment the New Year's bell was about to ring in his heart—
"Look at the sky." Shane said softly.
Swoosh—!!
A blazing streamer accompanied by a sharp whistling sound shot up into the sky from outside the yard abruptly!
The next instant.
Bang—!!
Gorgeous flames exploded in the pitch-black night curtain like grand fireworks!
Those were not ordinary fireworks.
Gorgeous flames bloomed layer by layer like huge flowers, finally outlining a huge, burning Fairy Tail guild emblem incredibly clearly!
The huge guild emblem firework shone brightly, illuminating the entire backyard, along with the upturned faces of the two in the hot spring, completely red.
Shane looked at his masterpiece with satisfaction.
In his previous life, many places prohibited setting off fireworks, always feeling a lack of New Year flavor. Now in this world, with the convenient power of magic, he naturally wanted to make up for this regret.
Specially using highly compressed, delayed-trigger Heart Fire to set up this "firework array," just for this shocking appearance at the moment of the New Year.
"How is it, beautiful?" Shane looked at the girl beside him with a trace of small pride.
Erza looked up, her pitch-black pupils filled with sky-full brilliance, flashing with pure exclamation like a child.
Her mouth opened slightly, her voice so light it almost melted into the steam: "So beautiful—"
It was also at this moment when the sky-full fireworks froze, and the old year and the new year completed the transition—
Buzz!
In Shane's mind, the Book of Heroic Spirits turned silently, stopping at a certain page, emitting a soft glow.
[Trial: Initiation II — Complete]
[You, whose goal is to become a Heroic Spirit, possess a warm home and companions standing side by side in this world, witnessing the change of old and new years together.]
[This tangible stability and bond is the best proof that you have truly integrated into this world!]
The style of the text seemed to have changed, fitting the atmosphere and mood of this moment more.
"So that's it—need to truly spend a year, possess 'life,' to be considered 'Initiation'?"