Erza was both surprised and delighted, "Simon, you joined the guild?"
"Ah." Simon responded, instinctively wanting to brush his bangs with his fingers, but he resisted.
Rhode chuckled softly, "This guy..."
Mira asked, "What is it?"
"I suspect he learned some strange things at Blue Pegasus, but how should I say it, he seems much more confident than before."
Mira smiled, "After all, it's Blue Pegasus."
While the two whispered to each other, Erza had already stepped forward to warmly inquire about Simon's eye and his chin.
Simon smiled and explained that he had also gotten a prosthetic eye like hers, and the old wound on his chin was completely healed, not even leaving a scar.
Erza felt particularly happy. Simon's current demeanor and appearance signified that he had fully stepped out of the shadows of the past and was moving towards a new life.
Facing such a Simon, she felt a bit at a loss for words.
Simon simply gave Erza a hug, "Welcome back, Erza. I knew you weren't going to die so easily."
The armor was as hard and cool as before.
"Mm." Erza smiled and hugged him back, "Because I have so many companions around. You should understand that feeling now, right?"
Simon nodded with a smile, understanding well that the companions he met at Blue Pegasus were a great bunch.
The two chatted for a while at the door, and Mira reminded Erza to invite Simon inside to sit.
The banquet hadn't ended yet, with plenty of food and drink, everyone quickly gathered around the table again.
Aside from those involved in the Tower of Paradise incident, everyone else continued to have fun as usual.
"I should have come with them in the morning to pass the message, but I was out working, and only rushed over after hearing the news. Sorry for coming so late."
Simon explained why he hadn't come immediately. If he had been there in the morning, he would have been on the Fairy Tail ship searching for people.
But the thought was enough to move everyone; no one would hold it against him for that.
Rhode and the others raised their glasses in thanks, and Erza asked about how the others were doing.
"Xiu and Wally are still traveling around; I actually think Xiu would quite fit in with us at Pegasus."
Simon naturally referred to "us at Pegasus," clearly having taken Blue Pegasus as his home.
Erza pressed further, "What about Mirena?"
Simon smiled and said, "She also joined a guild she likes. You'd never guess where."
Natsu, chin in hand, said dismissively, "You sound like a Pegasus person when you laugh."
Gray chimed in, "This idiot's right, I feel the same way."
Lucy quipped, "Because he's actually from Pegasus."
"Aye, but that's not what they mean." Hapi retorted, "Lucy's a bit slow."
"You annoying cat!" Lucy grabbed Hapi, squeezed and pinched him against her chest.
Simon laughed heartily, "Haha, let's just say Mr. Yiye taught me well."
"Yiye? Teaching?" Rhode and the others had a bit of a stereotype about Yiye, always feeling he wasn't very reliable.
But now they owed him a favor, so thinking that way felt a bit shameful.
Simon sincerely said, "After spending time with Mr. Yiye, you'll find he's a very reliable person, a very charming man indeed."
"Ah, actually I don't deny that." Erza knew Yiye was strong, but she didn't particularly want to continue the topic, "Where did Mirena end up? Lamia Scale or Four-headed Hound?"
Both guilds had some connections.
"Neither." Simon stopped keeping them in suspense, "It's Mermaid's Heel."
Gray pondered for a moment and asked, "Is it the Mermaid's Heel known as the 'Dancing Princess of the Sea'?"
Jubia asked in confusion, "Is that guild very famous?"
"Of course." Lucy said, "Mermaid's Heel only accepts female mages, and it's apparently a place many men long for."
"Be wary!" Jubia's expression changed as she tearfully grabbed Gray's arm, "Does Lord Gray long to go there too?"
Gray denied, "No, I only know of it because of Loki."
Everyone immediately believed him, which made sense.
"So it's Mermaid's Heel; it suits Mirena well." Erza smiled and nodded, "Let's visit her sometime soon."
Simon nodded, "Sure, I'll take you there. My sister is there too."
Erza was surprised, "Sister? You found her?"
"Yeah, her name's Kagura, and she's Mermaid's Heel's ace now." Simon was beaming, "Because Kagura is well-known, I found her shortly after we parted ways."
Rhode blurted out, "Then why didn't you stay with your sister… Oh, right, Mermaid's Heel is for female mages only."
"Exactly, I spent quite a bit of time with Kagura before joining Pegasus." Simon said, "Even if we're not in the same guild, just knowing each other's whereabouts is enough."
Erza was genuinely happy for him, "That's great."
"That's wonderful." Lucy echoed.
Reunion with family after a long time must be the happiest thing, right? Lucy found herself missing her father a bit too.
Six years without his daughter, he must be getting anxious, right?
He surely would be by now.
She made up her mind to visit her father as soon as the guild's celebration was over.
Lucy immediately scheduled an urgent visit.
After Simon talked to Erza about the past years, Rhode figured it was about time and subtly signaled Mira to leave.
He also dragged Natsu and Gray away.
Mira found an excuse to bring Lucy along.
Jubia naturally followed Gray, and Hapi was, as usual, ignored.
Their actions didn't seem out of place to Erza at all.
But Simon was a bit embarrassed; it seemed his training with Pegasus wasn't enough yet.
Adjusting his mood, he asked with concern, "What plans do you have next?"
"Moving forward... there's quite a lot to do." Erza thought for a moment; first, she had a heap of armor to repair.
And since magic technology had progressed so much, she needed to see if there were any suitable equipment for her.
Of course, that meant expenses, and the upcoming costs wouldn't be small.
But the guild's situation wasn't great, and she needed to find a way to regain the trust of more clients for Fairy Tail.
Just thinking about it casually, she immediately felt there was too much to do, and she told Simon about Fairy Tail's current predicament with a bitter smile.
She didn't need Simon's comfort, as she was immediately full of vigor and expressed that they could do it together, because they were Fairy Tail.
This side of Erza made Simon a bit helpless; she should allow herself to be vulnerable occasionally.
He wanted to tell her that he had saved up quite a bit over the years and could help her anytime.
But it was this very quality of Erza that made her so likable.
He smiled and cheered Erza on, continuing to discuss Mirena and his sister.
Just as Rhode and Mira left the table, more guests arrived at the guild entrance, this time led by Jura from Lamia Scale.