Erza swallowed her immense pride, her face flushed completely crimson with embarrassment.
She lowered her head, raised two trembling fists like paws, and "fulfilled her wish."
"Meow..."
Mirajane smiled brightly, her eyes curving into crescents as she affectionately patted the Fairy Queen's head.
"Good kitty."
Seeing Erza's face burning red enough to rival her hair, Ankh couldn't help but burst into laughter.
It was a rare and hilarious sight.
Fortunately for Erza's sanity, it didn't take long for her bingo card to be completed as well.
She proudly raised her card, becoming the second winner after Mirajane!
However... when Master Makarov handed her the prize, Erza's victorious smile shattered.
It was a bundle of the magic herbs Erza herself had suggested bringing back from their mission to Mount Hakobe yesterday.
And because they had been sitting out all day, they had already completely wilted due to the high temperatures of the sunny afternoon.
Erza completely shut down!
She retreated to a corner of the picnic blanket, pitifully squatting on the ground and drawing depressed circles in the dirt with a stick.
Ankh looked away from the sulking knight and glanced at the prize in Mirajane's hand: a three-day, two-night resort hotel double ticket.
He expressed genuine envy from the perspective of someone with terrible bingo luck.
"Here, take one."
Mirajane, noticing Ankh's expression, chuckled warmly.
She tore the perforated ticket and handed one half to him, asking softly, "Do you remember this place?"
Ankh froze for a moment, examining the name of the resort on the glossy paper.
Then he suddenly realized, "Is this where I took you on your first mission?"
Mirajane shook her head, her beautiful blue eyes shimmering with a joyful, nostalgic light as she said cheerfully.
"That's right. I was always reckless back then and had quite a temper. Thank you for being so tolerant of me."
Ankh scratched the back of his neck, beginning to recall their childhood days.
Young Ankh hadn't been particularly tolerant of her either... Much like how Erza now beats up Natsu and Gray to keep them in line, Ankh had treated Erza and Mirajane in a very similar, heavy-handed manner back then.
But Ankh went along with her words, his voice softening.
"It wasn't really that bad of a temper. You suffered because of your temper when you were young, and all those thorns were just to protect yourself. Everyone understood that."
Mirajane gazed across the park at the cheerful and excited Elfman and Lisanna in the distance.
Her voice was as gentle as a slowly flowing stream:
"I was actually quite weak when I was young, but I had to be strong for Lisanna and the others. However, when I joined the guild, I realized I didn't always have to be so strong."
She leaned closer. "I didn't need to pretend to be some invincible witch. Sometimes, being a bit weaker and relying on others can be a happy thing too..."
"Thank you for bringing me to Fairy Tail, Ankh. I really love this place. I love everything here... including you."
Ankh noticed Mirajane's head resting gently against his shoulder.
He could even catch the faint, sweet scent of her white hair.
Hearing these heartfelt words from Mirajane, Ankh could almost visualize the process: a troubled, fragile girl gradually becoming strong and confident to protect her siblings, then slowly returning to her true, gentle nature thanks to the warmth of the guild.
Watching the pink cherry blossoms falling in his field of vision, Ankh said softly.
"It's okay to be weak. What you love will always protect you."
Mirajane chuckled lightly.
Then, her voice suddenly took on a somewhat teasing, resentful tone.
"Though during that first mission... you really took a lot of opportunities with me after you fell asleep..."
"Ah, this..."
Cold sweat began to break out all over Ankh's body again.
The romantic atmosphere vanished instantly.
This really was his fault, but also not entirely his fault.
Ankh had even investigated the root cause of his bizarre sleepwalking with Seram, but they had made no progress.
Once Ankh fell asleep, it was like his conscious mind disconnected, and his body acted on pure instinct—only forcefully waking him could stop his actions.
Seram even suspected it might be some kind of ancient curse, but they still couldn't find any magical clues.
This was exactly why, after obtaining the Life Divine Power, Ankh tried to avoid sleeping whenever possible to prevent any "accidents."
He needed to fix this annoying condition quickly...
Ankh decisively chose to change the subject, clearing his throat.
"Speaking of which, you're really lucky to have won the grand prize on the first try."
Mirajane suddenly lowered her voice.
She leaned in, a mischievous, devilish glint returning to her eyes as she whispered mysteriously.
"The numbers the Master drew... and the bingo cards that were made... I helped prepare all of it..."
Ankh: ...
'Even white-haired girls can be black-hearted!'
Ankh glanced over at the pitiful Erza, who was still drawing circles in the dirt.
'My foolish girl, you didn't lose unjustly!! The game was rigged from the start!'
...
"How enviable, Ankh-san and Mira-san..."
Juvia crossed her arms, looking enviously at the two figures leaning against each other.
She then turned her expectant, sparkling gaze toward Gray.
When would she be able to be this intimate with Gray-sama?
Gray just waved his hand nonchalantly, completely oblivious to her romantic signals.
He continued to fiddle with his own losing bingo card as he said, "I told you, they've been exactly like this since childhood. More importantly, Natsu, aren't you playing bingo?"
The bingo card in front of Natsu lay quietly untouched on his napkin.
Not a single hole had been punched.
Natsu remained completely silent with his arms crossed, staring blankly ahead, lost in thought.
Happy disappointedly held his own bingo-less card.
He had been hoping to win a nice prize to bring back to the sickhouse as a gift for Lucy.
Moreover, seeing Natsu so out of sync with the cheerful, rowdy atmosphere this year made Happy watch him with deep concern.
...
After a day of wild fun, the golden sun slowly descended to the horizon.
Its radiant orange glow cast a clear, beautiful light over the giant cherry blossom tree, illuminating everyone's joyful moments as the festival wound down.
Happy times flew by swiftly, and the guild members who had played wildly all day finally reached the end of their festivities.
Watching the members leave the park area in small groups, laughing with arms draped over each other's shoulders, Natsu—who had been sitting idly all day—stared intently at the distant, massive cherry blossom tree.
His gaze grew distant and absorbed.
Voices from yesterday echoed in his mind.
"Everyone romantically sat under the cherry blossom tree all day, enjoying homemade bento and snacks..."
"Tonight, I'll go home and put on a pretty outfit, then take group photos with everyone under the cherry blossoms."
"Oh right, Levy-chan said that cherry blossom petals at night are rainbow-colored. It's hard to imagine, isn't it..."
Lucy's energetic, hopeful words from yesterday seemed to linger in the evening air.
Suddenly, Natsu frowned.
He abruptly stood up.
He slowly walked over to the giant cherry blossom tree, his boots crunching on the fallen petals.
He reached out to touch the massive, ancient trunk of the giant tree, and looked up at the sky full of vibrant pink blossoms.
'At least one wish should be fulfilled... even if it's just one.'
'Even if there's only one tree, even without snacks, pretty clothes, or a new hairstyle... you can still see the most beautiful rainbow cherry blossoms!'
"Thud!!"
Natsu's arms tightly wrapped around the thick tree trunk, his fingers digging into the rough wood.
His formidable dragon physique unleashed its terrifying raw strength, and the largest cherry blossom tree in Minamiguchi Park began to shake violently.
RUMBLE!
The park had emptied out completely, but Happy, worried about Natsu, had flown back to check on him.
He saw Natsu's reckless attempt to uproot the massive cherry blossom tree bare-handed.
Anxiously, Happy cried out, waving his paws: "Natsu! What are you doing?!"
"This is the largest cherry blossom tree in Magnolia! If you damage it, the Master and the mayor will be furious—"
"Don't worry, Happy."
A warm, genuine smile finally reappeared on Natsu's face.
His voice was soft but unusually resolute, his muscles bulging as the roots began to snap.
"If Lucy can't come to see the cherry blossoms... then I'll bring the cherry blossoms to Lucy."
Happy was stunned for a moment.
But as he looked at Natsu's determined smile, he quickly understood Natsu's pure intention.
He exclaimed joyfully, teary eyes, "Natsu, you're so clever! Lucy will definitely be thrilled!"
"I'll help you too—" Happy grabbed a small branch, pulling with all his tiny might.
"Come on, this is heavy. You can't really help, buddy."
"What? Huh? It doesn't seem heavy, Natsu? You're lifting it so easily!"
"Hmm..." Natsu blinked, hoisting the massive trunk onto his shoulder with surprising ease.
"It does feel lighter, doesn't it? Maybe I got stronger!"
The two partners chattered away excitedly as they "sneaked" off toward Magnolia's inner river, casually carrying an enormous, building-sized cherry blossom tree with them through the twilight.
Not far away, stepping out from behind the crater where the cherry blossom tree used to be, Ankh slowly raised his palm.
A faint, purple glow of Gravity Magic shimmered around it, tethered directly to the massive tree Natsu was carrying, reducing its astronomical weight to a mere fraction.
Ankh watched the Dragon Slayer and the blue cat march toward Lucy's apartment, a fond, exasperated smile on his face.
"Honestly," Ankh murmured into the evening breeze, lowering his glowing hand.
"Is this how reckless fools express romance...?"