Lucy: (•ิ_•ิ)
What kind of normal person asks a girl such private questions the first time they meet?
"Don't use such a natural, calm, and polite tone to ask something that feels like harassment!"
"Hahaha, sorry sorry. Guess that was a bit abrupt."
Chase scratched his head, looking rather troubled. After a brief moment of thought, he said earnestly, "Then I'll tell you mine."
"ABSOLUTELY ZERO INTEREST! No one wants to know your damn measurements!"
Lucy completely shattered. Any trace of awe or admiration she'd held for the untouchable S-Class mage evaporated into thin air. Her voice shot up several octaves, profanities flying.
Spray from her outburst splattered across Chase's face.
But he didn't get angry. Instead, he chuckled and casually wiped it away.
"Haha, don't get so worked up. Just kidding."
"...Not even remotely funny!"
Lucy remained in a jagged-toothed, furious state.
"Compared to that timid, unfamiliar attitude from before—honestly, Lucy, I much prefer you like this, with your true feelings showing." Chase smiled, having achieved his goal.
"Well, thanks for—"
Lucy started to retort, but looking at the smile on Chase's face, she seemed to belatedly realize something and suddenly froze on the spot.
Could it be... all those seemingly rude actions were just to eliminate my instinctive fear of an S-Class mage?
"Laughing and joking together, cursing when you want to curse, fighting when you want to fight—that's the real state of being partners in our Fairy Tail guild!"
Chase's following words confirm the conjecture in Lucy's mind.
"Mr. Chase, you..." She was somewhat dazed.
The life he described was something the young lady, raised in a repressive, cold environment, wouldn't even dare imagine.
It was exactly the life Lucy longed for!
"Enough about such unimportant stuff—who cares anyway!"
"Hey! Chase, hurry up and fight me!!"
A rough, violent voice suddenly rang out, shattering Lucy's emotional touch.
A man with pinkish hair and a scarf around his neck leaped out from the crowd, flames erupting in his hand as he charged at Chase while shouting.
No surprises here—this was Fairy Tail's most fight-loving Dragon Slayer mage, Natsu Dragneel!
"Natsu?!"
Seeing Natsu charging straight at them, Lucy, who was standing with Chase, jumped in fright, every nerve taut.
Even so, she quickly managed to complain: "You're giving him absolutely no chance to refuse!"
"Lucy, Natsu already said hi," Happy said, flying over from midair.
"What kind of greeting is that?! At least let people prepare in advance!"
Lucy held her forehead, feeling utterly speechless.
"The opponent's Chase, you know. If he announced it in advance, he'd have no chance at all."
Happy thought for a moment, then added, "Though even with a sneak attack, he doesn't have a chance either."
"Natsu? Sneak attack? No chance?!"
Lucy, who'd witnessed Natsu's powerful Dragon Slayer magic firsthand, found it hard to connect these words.
In the time it took her to feel confused and surprised, Natsu had already reached Chase, his right fist blazing with roaring dragon fire.
So close—right in his face!
Lucy instinctively wanted to warn Chase to be careful, but was momentarily blinded by a suddenly flashing magic circle.
When she opened her eyes again, her beautiful wide eyes were filled with shock.
Natsu, who'd launched the sneak attack, stood frozen in place, his flaming fist burning fiercely. No matter how he struggled, he couldn't advance half a step.
Beneath his feet, golden light traced a hexagram pattern. The outer ring of the magic circle, inscribed with ancient runes, emitted a mysterious aura as binding power continuously surged forth.
"Still as reckless as ever, Natsu."
Chase's expression remained calm. Between the index and middle fingers of his right hand, a card materialized out of thin air.
Trap Card [Curse of the Hexagram]: Constructs a binding magic circle using one's own magical power, greatly restricting the target's mobility.
"Damn you, Chase! You dare underestimate me?! I'm dozens of times stronger than I was a year ago!!"
Natsu roared, magical power gushing from his body until even his entire being began to burn.
Using that instant burst of force, he forcibly broke free from the Curse of the Hexagram and slammed his flame-coated fist straight at Chase's handsome face.
"Hahaha! Got him!" Natsu laughed.
Chase didn't move an inch, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.
"Sore wa dou kana."
BOOM!
Flames scattered everywhere. After the commotion subsided, Chase stood unharmed in place.
A maroon fluffball with adorably cute eyes stood between him and Natsu, having completely absorbed the powerful flame punch.
Monster Card [Kuriboh]: Cheap and reliable workhorse shield; when attacked, can negate damage once.
Having taken a Fire Dragon Iron Fist, Kuriboh let out a "kyuu~" and dissolved into sparkling light.
Chase looked up at Natsu, whose expression had shifted slightly, and teased with a smile, "Not quite as exaggerated as you claimed, Natsu."
"Flames like these are better for lighting candles on birthday cakes suited."
Natsu clenched his fists, veins bulging on his forehead. "Bastard! You dare mock me?! This is the magic Igneel taught me!!"
With that, his magical power surged again, coalescing into scorching dragon flame.
"Fire Dragon King Igneel's flame, huh..."
Chase's eyes narrowed slightly, the relaxed expression on his face fading.
Not because of Natsu's increasing power—there was still a considerable gap between Natsu and S-Class; he couldn't put any real pressure on Chase.
What made Chase show this expression was another name connected to Igneel: Flame God Dragon, Ignia.
As one of the Five God Dragons who emerged after the original's Black Dragon Acnologia died, Ignia was the Fire Dragon King Igneel's biological son—Natsu's brother in all but blood.
And even more...
A terrifying monster Chase had accidentally encountered during his Ten-Year Quest on the continent of Guiltina!
Even now, recalling that battle—that sea of purgatorial flame was enough to burn entire cities to ashes—Chase still felt a lingering fear.
Compared to that terrifying destructive power that seemed to burn everything away, Natsu's flames really were only fit for lighting birthday candles.
"What an adorable little thing! Is the magic Mr. Chase uses a summoning type similar to Celestial Spirit Magic?"
Having quietly retreated to a corner of the guild, Lucy stared blankly at Chase.
As a Celestial Spirit mage, she was particularly sensitive about summons, especially something as cute as Kuriboh.
"Not exactly. Kuriboh, which can block enemy attacks, is a monster, and the Hexagram magic circle was a Trap Card. Both are Chase's magic—Card Magic: Duelist Soul!"
Happy played commentator beside her, quite familiar with Chase's magic.
As he explained, he also pulled a few gold coins from the baggage behind him, walked over to the betting pool set up by Macao and others, and silently placed his money on Chase.
Seeing this, Lucy curiously glanced over.
She wouldn't have looked if she'd known—but once she did, she jumped in shock. All the chips were piled on Chase's side. In the area designated for Natsu, she couldn't see a single cent!
"Hey hey, Lucy, wanna give it a go? If you bet on Natsu, the odds are super high~" Happy tempted.
The others also looked at her with seductive gazes.
Feeling a bit creeped out by their stares, Lucy pointed a finger at her own face:
"Do I look like some kind of sucker just waiting to hand you my money?!"
Though she was still a newcomer who didn't know Fairy Tail that well, from the uniform betting patterns of Happy and the others, she could analyze clearly and intuitively...
S-Class Chase was terrifyingly strong!