Over these past few days, the news regarding the "Fairy Princess" had caused such a stir in the academy that the students were filled with intense curiosity about that mysterious young girl.
Now, seeing the person in question with their own eyes, many were instantly disappointed, feeling that Juvia was completely unworthy of the title.
"A little slip of a girl like this has the nerve to call herself the 'Fairy Princess'?"
"Oh? What does this senior have in mind?"
"In my opinion, the only person in this academy worthy of the title 'Fairy Princess' is Senior Ultear!"
"And why is that?"
"Because Senior Ultear is the strongest, of course!!"
Hearing this, some students became unhappy.
"She's called a 'Princess'; isn't it strange to compare strength? Normally, you'd compare looks!"
"Are you questioning Senior Ultear's looks?"
"Not exactly, but Senior Mira is the most beautiful in the academy. She is the one truly deserving of the 'Fairy Princess' title!"
It had only been a short half-year since Mira entered Fairy Academy, but her magic talent was extremely high; she had already come from behind to become the third-ranked student in the academy.
Her formidable strength, combined with that beautiful face, had earned her many admirers.
However, at this point in time—having not experienced the "pain of losing a beloved sister"—Mira was still a hot-tempered, short-fused delinquent girl. Therefore, when most people in the academy mentioned her, it was still out of fear rather than admiration.
"Senior Mira? You must be joking!"
"She's pretty, sure, but she's flat-chested with a small butt and a violent temper. That can be called a 'Princess'? She should be called a demoness instead!"
"Hehe... I'm going to tell Senior Mira you said that!"
"Wait, wait?? Brother, you're playing dirty?!"
"This is the consequence of speaking ill of Senior Mira!"
"About that... can we settle this peacefully?"
Just then, another faction rose up.
"The real princess should be a girl like Senior Brandish!"
"Senior Brandish? Just because her chest is a bit bigger, her butt is a bit fuller, her legs are a bit longer, and her skin is a bit whiter, is she really that great?"
"Excuse me, having those things is being great!!"
"But Senior Brandish is very anti-social..."
"What anti-social? That's called being 'cool and aloof'! Since she's called a 'Princess,' being a bit cool and aloof is only normal, right?"
In just a few minutes, the crowd's topic had shifted from "Who can win the Fairy Princess" to "Who is the Fairy Princess."
Simultaneously, the three girls—Ultear, Mira, and Brandish—became the top candidates for the "True Princess."
The students participating in the discussion spontaneously formed "Support Groups" for their favorite seniors, running around recruiting people to take sides, which added a lot of fun to this school sports meet.
Unknowingly, the crowd had forgotten about Juvia and the others who were originally the focus.
Fortunately, whether it was Juvia at the center of the storm, or Lyon, Gray, and the rest, they had no interest in the topic of the "True Princess."
What they cared about was only their own contest.
"What happened to those people just now? Why did they suddenly run away looking so angry?"
"No idea, don't worry about them! Let's hurry up and start our own duel!!"
"My thoughts exactly!!"
Among these first-year middle schoolers, Juvia was the center of the storm and the "trophy" of the duel; Natsu, Gajeel, Lyon, Gray, and Erzi—who had been dragged in for no reason—were the participants; as for Cana and the forcibly detained Elfman, they were the witnesses of this duel.
"So, according to what we agreed upon before, we will challenge every single sports event once. The person with the best overall score is the winner. No problems, right?"
"No problem, let's begin!"
"Excellent, then we shall start with our first event—the Long-Distance Run!!"
The rules for the "Long-Distance Running Race" at this Fairy Academy sports meet were:
During the period of the sports meet, as long as eight people were gathered and a referee was present on-site, a race could begin. The total course was 1 kilometer, and the person with the shortest time won. During the race, contestants were allowed to use magic to interfere with other participants.
The group waited for a short while and soon the sixth contestant arrived.
However, when this contestant appeared, everyone was stunned. Because this contestant was not a human, but a small blue cat!
"This cat... is an Exceed, right!"
"Aye—!!"
The small blue cat raised a paw and introduced itself to everyone: "My name is Happy, I'm half a year old, and I'm currently enrolled in the first grade!!"
Happy?
As in "joyful"?
What a fun name!
Natsu's eyes lit up. He felt a predestined bond with this little cat and immediately crouched down, greeting it enthusiastically: "Hello, Happy! I'm Natsu!"
"Let's both do our best during the race later, and after it's over, let's be friends!!"
"Aye-sir! You bet!!"
One human and one cat shook hands while laughing, simultaneously feeling an unprecedented sense of being in sync.
Such a strange competitor made Gajeel faintly sense an unusual atmosphere: "I didn't expect an Exceed to participate in this race... wait! I remember they can fly, right? So is this cat going to use flight later?"
"Ehhh?? Wouldn't that count as cheating?"
Gray's eyes widened as he hurriedly asked the nearby referee: "Mr. Referee, is that allowed?"
The referee replied: "The rules stated that magic can be used, so an Exceed can fly. It doesn't count as cheating!"
Gray was shocked to hear this and subconsciously whispered: "Then what's the point of competing! No matter how fast a human's two legs are, they can't possibly beat something that can fly!"
As a native of Magnolia, he knew the flight speed of Exceeds all too well. Even though this cat named Happy said he was only half a year old, if his talent was high enough, he could absolutely crush these humans!
Just then, a voice came from the side.
"Does it mean humans definitely can't outrun a flying cat? I don't see it that way!"
Everyone turned around and saw two boys with a heavy "visual kei" style.
"Jellal, Sawyer, what are you two doing here??"
Juvia was greatly surprised to see her two familiar seniors appear here.
"You are one of our own, after all. Now you're being fought over by these guys—how does that look?"
Sawyer chuckled, answering quite bluntly: "If word of this got out, people who don't know better would think those of us from the Royal Capital Magic Academy can't protect our own girls!"
In contrast, Jellal's reply was much simpler: "I just simply want to see if I can take first place!"
"After all... as you know, I am currently the fastest man in the Royal Capital Magic Academy!"