"It's that adorable fluffball from earlier today!"
This time it was Lucy's turn to be attracted, excitedly opening her arms toward Kuriboh.
Kuriboh seemed to take a liking to Lucy. It glanced back at Chase for permission, and upon receiving approval, floated into that soft, gentle embrace.
After some petting, the two blonde girls simultaneously set down the cute creatures in their arms.
Kuriboh and Plue stood on the coffee table, silently staring at each other for two and a half seconds.
"Kuri?"
"Pfft?"
"Kuri kuri!"
"Pfft~"
Having greeted each other in encrypted communication, the two cute creatures began playing together hand in hand, becoming good friends.
The world of cute creatures—truly wonderful.
Whether Plue or Kuriboh, Natsu clearly had no feelings for such adorable things. He glanced at them then looked away.
Resting his chin on one hand, he pondered for a moment, then looked at Chase puzzledly. "Chase, when we came in, I sensed some terrifying magical fluctuations. That was you, right!"
"I think I felt it too." Lucy agreed.
"I obtained a new card monster and was about to summon it when you guys suddenly burst in." Chase shrugged, not hiding anything.
"A new card monster?! What is it? What is it?!" Natsu immediately perked up.
"Don't be shocked when I tell you, Natsu. This one's named the name of a god—a legendary super monster..."
"Slifer the Sky Dragon!"
Chase smiled mysteriously, took out Slifer's card and displayed it on the coffee table.
Natsu and Lucy leaned in to look—and were instantly stunned by the domineering image of Slifer on it.
Crimson bone wings, double fangs, sharp-clawed dragon body...
Just one glance, and the The overwhelming ferocity was released by that dragon through the card struck straight into their hearts, shaking their very souls!
This was the might of an Egyptian God!
"A dragon?!" Natsu's expression changed drastically.
Whether due to the influence of his Dragon Slayer magic or not, they could clearly see his entire body trembling violently.
In contrast, Lucy's exclamation was ear-splitting.
"Mr. Chase, you were planning to summon something this terrifying and enormous in your own house—inside Magnolia Town?!"
Her brief words hit Chase like a thunderbolt.
Belatedly realizing, his pupils widened and his mouth fell open, revealing an extremely shocked expression.
"There it is! The expression of someone who never considered the consequences!"
Lucy took in every bit of Chase's expression change and forehead in speechlessness.
Chase wants to summon a dragon in town. Natsu wants to find a dragon in town...
No wonder those two seemed so close—they were two of a kind!
The reliable image of S-Class mages in Lucy's mind suffered a crushing defeat.
"That's really unexpected, Lucy. You actually considered all that so thoroughly."
Chase snapped out of it, cleared his throat to cover up embarrassment, and nodded quite unexpectedly.
Sure, he hadn't really expected to successfully summon Slifer anyway, and he wasn't worried—or rather, hadn't even considered—that Slifer's manifestation might destroy the town.
—The townsfolk were all very understanding; they certainly wouldn't hold a little thing like this against him (he was sure).
But the panic it might cause would be tricky, and the subsequent reporting process to the Magic Council would be cumbersome—a real pain in the ass.
"Wait, the fact that I can realize something any normal brain would think of—is that really so unexpected to Mr. Chase?!"
Lucy pointed at herself Incredulously, her freshly washed hair practically standing on end with anger.
Chase was the real idiot who did things without considering consequences!
Chase didn't reply. Instead, he leaned toward Dark Magician Girl, who looked confused, and whispered, "The impression Lucy gives me is of someone silly, stupid, and super easy to trick."
"...I heard that."
"Well, anyway, thanks for the reminder, Dullcy." Chase scratched his head with a grin.
Lucy completely shattered: "You're not even bothering to pretend anymore! I'm Lucy, not Dullcy!!"
As she spoke, heat waves suddenly radiated from beside her, accompanied by Natsu's impatient urging.
"Chase, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and summon that dragon!"
"It looks awesome—I really want to fight it with my Dragon Slayer magic! I'm fired up!"
Another genius?
Looking at Natsu, who obviously hadn't absorbed any of their earlier conversation and was now burning with enthusiasm, Lucy raised her forehead and sighed, feeling thoroughly tired.
In an ideal scenario, she'd be lying comfortably in bed right now, hugging a soft, lovely pillow.
How did she end up saddled with these two "big smarts"?!
"This? Might not be possible yet."
Chase put away Slifer's card, glanced at the trio of Happy, Plue, and Kuriboh, who were arm-in-arm and awkwardly dancing together, and admitted, "Unfortunately, with my current magical power, I'm not capable of summoning Slifer yet."
He'd had that clear realization while chanting the incantation.
Though the final result was interrupted by Natsu and Lucy's intrusion, in that instant, Slifer's immensely oppressive giant shadow had still appeared in the depths of his consciousness—fleeting as a meteor.
And then, with the blessing of the Book of Secret Arts, his entire magical reserve was depleted.
If he forcibly summoned regardless of the cost, he probably could at most manifest Slifer for one second.
Completely useless...
But Chase wasn't too frustrated about it—it was about what he'd initially expected.
Conversely, the harder Slifer was to summon, the higher its value as one of the deck's strongest monsters!
This was a good thing.
After all, what lay ahead were monsters on the level of Zeref, the Black Dragon Acnologia, and the Five God Dragons!
"How disappointing."
Learning this, Natsu lowered his head in disappointment, the flames surrounded his body instantly dissipating.
"Lucy, Happy, let's go." He waved and prepared to leave.
This "night raid" was meant to get even with Chase for what happened during the day. Now that Chase's magical power was depleted and the cool, mysterious Slifer couldn't be seen, there was no point in staying longer.
Hearing this, Lucy shot up, nodding in firm agreement.
Though she still had a lot to chat about with the super cute Dark Magician Girl, she didn't want to stay at Chase's place another moment.
—At least not at this hour, dressed like this.
"Wait."
Chase called out to the two humans and one cat about to exit through the wall (since there was no door left).
"Dullcy and Plue can go. But Natsu, who smashed my door, and Happy, who scratched my coffee table—don't be in such a hurry."
Chase cracked his knuckles, joints popping. "Come over here for a little private chat—bond a bit, man to man."
Dark Magician Girl beside him caught on immediately, grinning mischievously as she raised her magic wand.
Natsu and Happy exchanged glances. They instantly sensed something was wrong.
Best friends understood each other without words. Simultaneously, they prepare to make a run for it.
But just as they started moving, Chase suddenly raised his hand.
Reveal the Set Card!
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
Three shimmering golden lightsabers descended from the ceiling, firmly trapping Natsu and Happy in place.
[Lightforce Sword]: A binding-type Magic Card, possessing power comparable to S-Class seal magic.