A New Life in Fairy Tail

Chapter 331 331: Harvest Festival

"How was it?"The moment Mirajane said goodbye to Noah, closed her suite door, and turned around, she heard Sorano's voice.

"It was quite nice~" Mirajane replied with a satisfied smile.

"Hmph!" Sorano's face suddenly turned red, clearly imagining something.

"Oh my, what did you just think of to make your face so red?" Mirajane stepped closer, observing Sorano's flustered state with amusement.

"Nothing." Sorano covered her mouth with one hand, shaking her head vigorously, while her other hand pushed Mirajane toward the bathroom. "Hurry up and take a shower! You smell like sweat."

"My, my~" Mirajane chuckled as she allowed herself to be pushed. "Did you really think of something naughty?"

"Just go take your shower!"

"Alright, alright, I'm going." Mirajane laughed as she was practically shoved into the bathroom.

Once the bathroom door clicked shut, Sorano leaned against the wall outside. She kept one hand over her mouth, her face burning red and her eyes shimmering with emotion.

Over the next few days, Noah and the group played to their hearts' content. They experienced almost every beach activity and theme park ride available.

They even dedicated one morning to waking up before dawn, heading down to the beach to watch the sunrise and marvel at the spectacular coastal scenery as the sun broke over the horizon.

After extending their stay for another three days, the group finally decided it was time to return to the guild.

On their final night, they were lucky enough to catch a grand fireworks display hosted by the theme park over the ocean. As the brilliant flashes of light illuminated the night sky, they also lit up the faces of Ultear, Mirajane, Erza, and Sorano, who were gathered closely around and in Noah's arms. Looking into their eyes one by one and seeing their radiant, blooming smiles, Noah's heart swelled with profound peace and happiness.

The following morning, after breakfast, they packed their things and checked out of the Holiday Inn.

"Huh, usually around this time, Juvia would have already materialized right next to you. Why isn't she here today?" Mirajane asked Gray curiously.

Over the past few days, without fail, Juvia would appear before them the moment they finished breakfast. Using the excuse that she "wanted to learn more about Fairy Tail," she would stick to Gray's side like glue.

While Gray grumbled and complained verbally, he made no actual move to push her away.

Noah and the others had watched this daily routine with immense amusement.

Through spending time together over these past few days, the group had also gotten to know Juvia much better.

Mirajane and the girls learned that Juvia's past isolation stemmed from her inability to control her magic, which caused it to rain constantly wherever she went, leading to her being ostracized. Master Jose of Phantom Lord was the first to extend a hand to her, which was why she had been so unwaveringly loyal to his orders.

Now that Phantom Lord was disbanded, Juvia felt she had done everything she could to repay Jose's so-called kindness. Her debt was settled, and she no longer had any obligation to follow his path.

Furthermore, after experiencing a true, all-out battle and tasting defeat, Juvia's control over her magic had improved drastically. The perpetual rain cloud that used to follow her was gone.

Given her strong, genuine desire to join Fairy Tail, the group naturally welcomed her with open arms.

So, when Juvia failed to show up for her daily Gray-stalking routine after breakfast, everyone was genuinely curious. Mirajane had simply voiced the question on all their minds.

"Ah... Juvia? She went back early. She said she wanted to officially join Fairy Tail as soon as possible, so she already headed back to ask the Master," Gray explained after a moment's pause.

"Is that so? That's great. If everything goes smoothly, we'll see her as an official member when we get back," Sorano smiled.

"Mhm. I highly doubt Gramps will refuse her. By the way, do you guys have any plans? Are we heading straight back, or is there somewhere else we need to go?" Noah asked the group.

"We do have plans. We've already agreed to go somewhere together," Ultear smiled at him.

"Where?"

"Did you forget? Based on the date, 'that' is coming up soon," Erza reminded him.

"What 'that'— Oh, you mean that. I see. Where do you want to go?" Noah calculated the date and immediately realized what Erza was referring to.

"We're going to the capital, Crocus. The shops there are larger and have better selections. It'll be easier for us to prepare," Mirajane told him.

"True. You'll definitely have more options there," Noah nodded in agreement.

"What's 'that'?" Lucy, being a relatively new member, was completely lost.

"Right, you wouldn't know. It's the Harvest Festival," Noah explained to her.

"Harvest Festival?" Lucy tilted her head.

"Yes, the Harvest Festival. It's Magnolia's annual grand celebration, held every October. It's the most important holiday in the entire city. It's a time to celebrate the year's harvest and pray for good fortune in the coming year. It's the biggest festival of the year, and Fairy Tail plays a massive part in it," Mirajane elaborated.

"We participate in it?"

"Of course. We are residents of Magnolia, after all. But more importantly, since we are the only mage guild in the city, we are responsible for putting on the Fantasia Parade on the night of the festival. That's why we need to start preparing early. The Fantasia Parade is a massive, spectacular event that our guild is famous for across the entire continent," Mirajane said proudly, then paused before adding, "And of course, preparing for the parade isn't the only thing we have to do."

"There's more to prepare for?" Lucy was stunned. Just organizing a massive magical parade for the city's biggest festival sounded incredibly exhausting. There was more?

"Naturally. This year, the guild is hosting another major event: the Miss Fairy Tail Contest," Sorano told her.

"Miss Fairy Tail Contest?"

"Yep. It's a beauty pageant for all the girls in Fairy Tail. The winner gets 1 million Jewel, and there's prize money for the runner-ups too," Sorano explained.

"Prize money?!" Hearing those magic words, Lucy's exhaustion vanished, instantly replaced by fiery determination. "The winner gets 1 million Jewel? And other places get money too? How much?!"

"Let me think... First place is 1 million Jewel. Second is 800,000. Third is 600,000. Fourth is 400,000. Fifth is 200,000. And sixth through tenth place all get 100,000 Jewel," Sorano recalled.

"That much?!" Lucy's eyes practically turned into jewel symbols. "Even if I only get sixth to tenth place, that's enough to cover my rent! I'm definitely entering!"

"Because the guild's income has been exceptionally good these past few years, the Master was able to set such generous prizes." Mirajane glanced at Noah; everyone knew the guild's overflowing coffers were largely thanks to him. She then turned back to Lucy. "We are all planning to enter the contest. That's why we want to go to the capital to buy some new clothes and dresses to prepare for both the pageant and the Fantasia Parade."

"Okay! I'm definitely coming with you!" Lucy declared eagerly.

"Of course. We planned on bringing you along anyway," Mirajane smiled, then looked down at Wendy-kun and the younger girls. "And we're going to buy some new outfits for Wendy-kun and the others too. They'll be performing in the Fantasia Parade as well."

"Wendy-kun and the girls are performing too?" Lucy asked.

"Naturally. My sister and her friends are already highly capable mages in their own right. Of course they'll be part of the Fantasia performance," Sorano nodded proudly.

"Oh, right. That makes sense," Lucy agreed. Because of their young age and cute appearances, she sometimes forgot that Wendy-kun and the others were genuinely strong mages.

"Oh, and you guys are coming too. We'll need someone to carry our bags," Erza said, turning her sharp gaze to Natsu and Gray.

Hearing this, Natsu and Gray's faces drained of color.

Accompanying Erza and the others on a shopping trip meant endless hours of walking and acting as human pack mules. It was a terrifying, torturous ordeal.

Knowing exactly what awaited them, Natsu and Gray wanted absolutely no part of it.

They locked eyes for a split second, then spun around in perfect synchronization and bolted.

BAM! BAM!

Erza materialized in front of them instantly, delivering a heavy blow to each of their heads. The two collapsed into her hands, and she casually dragged them back by their collars.

"Wow... Erza is terrifying," Lucy whispered, watching the brutal takedown.

"You think so too, huh?" Happy whispered back from his hiding spot behind Lucy's leg.

Hearing the faint whispers, Erza shot a sharp glare in their direction. Lucy and Happy instantly snapped to attention, standing perfectly straight and silent.

Seeing Lucy and Happy's terrified reactions, Wendy-kun and the younger girls couldn't help but cover their mouths and giggle.

"Are you planning to head to Crocus right now, or do you want to wait a bit?"

As their designated boyfriend—and knowing perfectly well he couldn't escape the shopping trip either—Noah didn't bother trying to run. He simply asked about their schedule.

"Let's go now. We've done everything we wanted to do here," Ultear decided after a moment's thought.

Akane Resort was relatively close to Magnolia, but it was a very long way from the capital, Crocus. To make a quick round trip, they had to rely on Noah's teleportation.

"Alright. Then let's head out," Noah nodded.

The group walked out of the Holiday Inn together. Noah raised his hand, and in a flash of golden light, they vanished from the spot.

The tourists and passersby who witnessed their sudden disappearance were slightly startled, but didn't react too strongly. Akane Resort was the most famous tourist destination in the kingdom, drawing massive crowds daily. Naturally, it attracted many mages as well. The regular patrons and staff were largely immune to strange magical occurrences and rarely made a fuss over sudden teleportations or unusual sights.

~~~

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