The next day, whether it was from contact with a spirit or because the Catwoman outfit had too little fabric, Lucy caught a cold.
As luck would have it, that day was Fiore's annual Cherry Blossom Viewing Festival.
"What bad luck. Lucy kept going on about wanting to see the seven-colored cherry blossoms!"
"Aye... I feel so bad for Lucy."
The streets were crowded with people, a lively scene. But Natsu and Happy, walking among them, were feeling quite down. Their voices were full of regret and disappointment.
They had woken up early and barged into Lucy's apartment, intending to tell her the good news about the festival. They had not expected this to happen.
Without Lucy, the cherry blossom viewing suddenly seemed kind of boring.
"Natsu! Happy!"
A sweet voice called out from across the river that circled the city.
Dark Magician Girl, having convinced her master to let her out to play, was walking with Chase toward the guild to meet up with everyone.
"Morning, Dark Magician Girl. And you too, you bastard Chase," Natsu said half-heartedly.
"You came to see Lucy, right? Where is she? Did she leave early?" Dark Magician Girl tilted her head, confused.
She knew how much Lucy had been looking forward to seeing the seven-colored cherry blossoms in Magnolia for the first time. And knowing Natsu and Happy's usual habits, she quickly guessed that they had just come from Lucy's place.
"No. She caught a cold. She kept sneezing. She is lying in bed resting right now," Happy said glumly.
"How is that possible? She was fine yesterday!" Dark Magician Girl was very surprised.
She had been hoping to take pictures with Lucy under the cherry blossoms. This was her second time attending the festival.
Compared to her, Chase was much calmer. He thought to himself that even the heavens were giving his dense, stupid little sister a push.
"I do not know. She said even with Wendy's healing magic, she will not recover until tomorrow," Natsu said with a deep sigh.
"What a shame," Dark Magician Girl remarked.
"Well, there is nothing we can do. Just let her rest," Chase said.
And so, under the disgusted glares of the residents they passed, the three of them and the cat arrived at the guild.
The Cherry Blossom Viewing Festival was similar to the Harvest Festival. It was a fairly important event in Magnolia. Aside from a few members who were too busy with quests to get away, most of the guild would be there.
So the guild hall was quite lively.
Some were helping Mirajane prepare camping supplies, food, and drinks. Some were telling the new members, Éclair and Wendy, about all the interesting things that had happened at last year's festival. And some were just arguing and fighting.
Hearing that Lucy was sick and could not join, everyone felt very sorry for her. She had talked about this festival so much.
And more importantly, without Lucy's sharp tongue and commentary, this lively gathering would lose a lot of its soul and humor.
These not-so-wonderful thoughts reached Lucy, lying in her own bed. She sneezed several times under her thick blanket.
If she had not been so weak, she would have jumped up and complained: Chase must be bad-mouthing me again!
"Aaaah! I still want to go with everyone!"
Staring at the ceiling of her apartment, listening to the noise from the street outside, Lucy felt even worse. She pulled the blanket over her head.
So many things have happened, but come to think of it, I have been in the guild less than a year...
After calming down, unable to sleep, she began to think back on everything that had happened since she joined.
Meanwhile, everyone had arrived at the festival grounds in Magnolia.
It was a park filled with cherry blossom trees.
A gentle breeze carried the faint scent of flowers. It also sent countless petals dancing through the air, creating a breathtakingly beautiful scene.
As in previous years, Makarov had reserved a private area for Fairy Tail.
They spread out a large tarp. Members sat in small groups, chatting and enjoying themselves.
"Cherry blossoms! Manly!" Elfman shouted, raising his fists to the sky, incredibly excited.
"Hey! Get your own! This is mine!" Cana hugged a barrel of alcohol tightly, eyeing Wakaba and Macao warily.
"Levy, want something to eat? Something to drink?" Jet and Droy, as always, hovered around Levy.
"This is our sixth Cherry Blossom Festival together, is it not? It is... it is not like I want to spend every single one with you!" Alzack said, blushing as he looked at Bisca.
Well... aside from the beautiful backdrop, it looked pretty much the same as being in the guild...
Chase sat with Dark Magician Girl, Éclair, and Momon.
"How are you feeling? Getting used to the mage guild environment?" Chase asked Éclair.
Since this was a group activity, not work, Éclair was not wearing her waitress uniform, which Makarov had called "super cute." Instead, she had changed into her usual priestess outfit.
"Yes. Other than being a bit noisy, everyone in the guild is very easy to get along with."
Éclair took a sip of her black tea. A faint smile hung on her usually cool face.
Though she had Chase and Lucy as examples, she had still been very nervous when she first joined Fairy Tail. She still had the impression that mages with great power were all the same.
Her main thoughts had been on getting stronger quickly and completing her destiny of sealing the Phoenix Stone.
But after spending this time with everyone, going to the guild had unexpectedly become the thing she looked forward to most each day. She usually hated noisy environments.
This strange, happy, peaceful feeling was something she had never experienced in her centuries of wandering.
"This really is a guild with a special kind of magic. Chase, you have no idea how much Éclair has been smiling lately!" Momon said, flapping its wings. It was genuinely happy for Éclair.
"I have not!" Éclair blushed and looked away, burying herself in her tea to pretend she was busy.
"Haha! That is Fairy Tail for you!" Chase said with a grin.
"Say, Éclair. Have you ever thought about being a cover girl for Weekly Sorcerer? You could make good money and become super popular~" Dark Magician Girl took Éclair's hand, asking excitedly.
She thought with Éclair's face and figure, she would definitely shine on the cover of Weekly Sorcerer.
"Um... maybe someday, I will give it a try."
Éclair had seen past issues with Mirajane and Dark Magician Girl on the covers. She did not think she could pull off something that extreme. In any sense of the word.
"Hehe! It is a deal then! We will do it together with Mirajane someday!" The dense Dark Magician Girl missed the polite refusal in Éclair's voice.
Seeing things getting awkward, Chase smoothly changed the subject. "So, Éclair, how is your study of magical theory coming along?"
As someone with Phoenix blood, Éclair's potential was obvious. If she could fully realize that advantage, she would be at least S-Class.
"Thanks to Mirajane's help, I can now use some basic magic," Éclair said honestly.
"Not bad. Take this," Chase said, pulling a thick magical book from his cards.
"What is this?"
"You could call it a Phoenix Slayer magic," Chase said.
Like Lucy and the others, after the Demon Village incident, Dark Magician had created a training guide for harnessing the Phoenix's power. It was based on Éclair's immortal nature and the information Chase had provided. The timing had just not been right until now.
"My master and I spent days perfecting this~" Dark Magician Girl said, pressing a finger to her cheek.
Remembering how her master had made her work, her head still throbbed.
Éclair was stunned for a moment. Then she took the heavy book and hugged it to her chest. Emotion welled up inside her. "Th-thank you. I will do my best!"
"Wendy aside, just do not lose to Natsu, Éclair!" Momon punched the air, cheering her on.
Why does everyone keep comparing me to Wendy and Natsu?
"Come to think of it, Chase and Dark Magician Girl did not come last year."
Mirajane, having finished her preparations, walked over carrying roasted chicken and drinks. She sat down next to Chase and joined the easy conversation.
After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, it was time for the festival's traditional bingo game.
It was similar to a number-guessing game. Whoever guessed correctly won a special prize.
Prizes included things like wilted magic herbs, tickets to the Akane Resort hotel, and Lucy-themed merchandise.
Everyone had a great time. They all wanted to win something for the person they cared about.
Natsu, however, was unusually quiet. Usually, he would be one of the loudest. But now, he sat in a corner, looking frustrated. He did not even feel like fighting Gray or Gajeel. His mind was full of Lucy.
After bingo came Dou Di Zhu, a card game Chase had introduced two years ago. Then there was a treasure hunt, a singing contest, and other events.
Time passed in laughter and cheer. Soon, the sun began to set.
Makarov announced the end of the festival. Everyone, tired from a long day of fun (or completely drunk), slowly dispersed.
Natsu and Happy, however, came back. They stood in the empty field, staring intently at the large seven-colored cherry blossom tree.
"Natsu, everyone is gone," Happy said, feeling the shovel strapped to his back.
Just thinking about the "big plan" they were about to execute, the cat could not help but get excited.
"Hehe. That way, Lucy can see the cherry blossoms she wanted so badly!" Natsu, who had been down all day, finally laughed.
Since Lucy could not come to the cherry blossoms, they would bring the cherry blossoms to her.
The high EQ fire dragon was very pleased with himself for coming up with such a perfect plan.
"But how do we avoid getting caught?" Happy pointed out the obvious.
Digging up the tree and moving it to Lucy's place was not hard. But if they were caught, they would definitely be fined by the mayor and yelled at by the master.
"Do not worry. If we tie the tree to a boat and let it float down the river, it will eventually reach Lucy's front door!" Natsu said confidently.
For someone who could barely remember people's names, this was quite the clever plan. It just proved that love did not make you stupid. It made you smarter.
Without further delay, the two brothers got to work. They grabbed their shovels and started digging around the largest seven-colored cherry blossom tree.
After successfully digging it up, Happy provided aerial surveillance. Natsu nervously carried the tree to a small boat they had prepared earlier.
The busy cat and human had no idea that their "crime" was being watched by two pairs of eyes hidden in the shadows.
"Even though he gets motion sickness, he still wants Lucy to see the cherry blossoms. Who would have thought Natsu could be so romantic?" Dark Magician Girl watched Natsu tie the tree to the swaying boat while trying not to throw up.
"See? I told you. Compared to this idiot, Lucy is the dense one," Chase said with a grin.
Though he knew Natsu would do this, seeing it in person was still much more impactful.
"I see. No wonder you and Lucy are siblings!" Dark Magician Girl's eyes narrowed. She puffed out her cheeks meaningfully.
Here he was, with a super cute girl like her right beside him. And Mirajane had hinted plenty of times. And lately, even Erza's glances had been... different!
Thud.
Then, she got a knock on her head.
"Do you want me to ask Dark Magician to ground you for a few days?" Chase said, a very kind, very gentle smile on his face.
He knew exactly what the foolish girl was implying. But right now, danger lurked everywhere. It was not the time for romance.
In the near future, there was Grimoire Heart and the possible appearance of the Black Dragon Acnologia. Further ahead, there was Tartaros, Jellal's Twelve Shields, the Five Dragon Gods...
Love would only slow him down.
Over by the river, under the hopeful gaze of Natsu and Happy, the boat carrying the cherry blossom tree began to slowly drift down the river that ran through the city.
The spectacular sight drew a crowd. People lined the riverbanks, wondering who could have done such a thing.
Lucy, who had just been about to fall asleep, was woken by the commotion.
Still a bit tired, she dragged herself to the window in her pajamas.
The moment she pulled back the curtain, the faint scent of flowers washed over her. A few colorful petals floated into the room.
There, under the bright moonlight, a giant cherry blossom tree glowed with seven colors. It was reflected in the rippling water of the river, looking exceptionally beautiful.
"What is that?!"
Lucy's eyes went wide in disbelief. After a moment of shock, for some reason, Natsu and Happy's downcast faces from that morning appeared in her mind.
In that instant, she seemed to guess the truth. A smile appeared on her lips as she leaned against the window frame.
"How beautiful..."
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