After the flower shop, Allen took Mirajane to a dessert café, then shopping for clothes, then to a magic items store where he bought her a ribbon for her hair, and finally to a park where the two stopped under the shade of a tree.
Mirajane's face had a beautiful smile and a faint blush on her cheeks. After a moment, she looked at him with calm eyes. "I was expecting something different, something simpler… and it turned out to be an unforgettable experience. Thank you."
"No, I should thank you. You made me realize I was stuck, and in a big way, you were the reason I joined Fairy Tail... Something I don't regret, even if I still think most people there are crazy."
Mirajane smiled before leaning her shoulder against Allen's.
"That makes me happy… but I'm also glad you gave me a day from your busy schedule full of girls..."
Allen felt Mira's jab but instead of denying it, he accepted it.
"I can't help it. Each one of them gives me this feeling that I shouldn't leave them alone..."
"That attitude is dangerous for girls. You'll end up making a lot of them cry in the future…" Mirajane sighed and lowered her head. Day by day, Allen's presence weighed heavier on several girls in the guild. If this kept up, they would fall for him. Mirajane knew it would be better to keep her distance, to walk away from Allen—but it was strange. Even knowing it was a beautiful but temporary dream, and that no matter who Allen chose, the rest would suffer... not a single girl stepped back. They were slowly falling into an invisible trap.
"I don't know… but I don't like bittersweet endings."
Mirajane looked at him surprised. He smiled with a look that made her tremble—it was the same feeling as before. She wanted to step back, but her legs gave out. Allen quickly caught her by the waist, preventing her from falling. Suddenly, their eyes met, only an inch away from kissing. Mirajane was stunned by the situation, and for a moment, she almost gave in and kissed him.
Allen could've gone through with it if he wanted to, but he noticed fear in Mirajane's blue eyes. So he backed off, letting go of her, and Mira gave him a bitter smile.
"Sorry," she said softly.
"Don't worry about it..." Allen chuckled quietly.
Mirajane felt pain in her chest, like she was about to lose something very important. She clenched her teeth and spoke in a weak voice.
"It's not you... I'm just scared. Scared of loving someone I might lose..."
Allen opened his eyes and looked at the white-haired girl. She stared off into the distance in silence before turning to him with tears in her eyes.
"It's a long story… but would you listen to it?"
"If you'll let me," Allen replied, gently wiping away her tears with his fingers.
"Thank you… It's about my sister… Lisanna."
From a nearby bush, Erza stood up and said, "Let's go, Lucy."
Lucy wanted to say something, but after seeing the moment, she nodded. She had no intention of giving Allen up, but she could let this one slide.
Allen glanced for a second at the two girls walking away, then turned his attention back to Mirajane. He listened carefully to her story—how she lost her sister, how her personality changed because of it, and how she ended up being afraid to open her heart again. It was a heavy story, but it was Mirajane's reality. Someone unwilling to carry that past had no right to court her.
Allen stayed until the end, being her support and a place for her to let it all out.
---
---
(The next morning)
The morning sun came through the window, hitting Allen's eyes and reminding him that a clear sky and bright sun seemed to be the most common weather in this world. At least, that's how it had been during his time in Magnolia.
"Master, are you awake?"
A girl's voice reached his ears, with a hint of disappointment in it. As he opened his eyes and felt the extra weight on top of him, he found a cute maid with short pink hair and dull blue eyes. She was Virgo, the Celestial Spirit of the twelve zodiac signs.
Allen looked at her through half-lidded eyes.
"I assume you have an explanation?"
"No," Virgo blinked. "I don't have any reason other than wanting to do it. So I suppose I deserve a punishment..."
As soon as she finished speaking, Virgo began undressing. Her fingers didn't hesitate as she unbuttoned her blouse.
"I don't know if I'm the best person to say this, but… is it okay for a Celestial Spirit to be this perverted?" Allen remained calm—this was already the third time this kind of thing had happened with this pervy, masochistic maid.
"I see… Master wants to undress me himself. Understood," Virgo said, moving closer to Allen and inviting him to continue. "Go ahead… fulfilling any desire of my master is part of my motto."
"2B."
Virgo's eyes went wide just before she was lifted by the collar like a kitten. Even though Virgo usually wasn't very expressive, the fear in her eyes was obvious.
"A failure. A shameless maid who disguises her own desires as 'serving her master.' I can only call that a failure..."
2B's words were sharp and brutal. At this point, she had become a model maid, and for her, Virgo's behavior was nothing but shameful.
"Don't be too hard on her..." Allen got up while 2B dropped Virgo back onto the bed and bowed deeply. Allen wasn't one for formalities, but it was something the silver-haired android insisted on, so he didn't object—just like he didn't mind Virgo's suggestive antics.
Allen had breakfast with Lucy, who looked exhausted, like she had been up all night. Turns out she'd been feeling frustrated about how weak she was, so she had been training to improve her Celestial Magic. She had also been exercising more, which meant she sometimes overslept. Allen shook his head with a chuckle, then made a pair of small vials appear in front of her.
"Huh? What's this?"
"Revitalizing potions. Think of them like magical energy drinks. I couldn't find all the original ingredients, but I replaced them with others…" Allen gave Lucy a half-smile as she stared in awe.
"I understand you want to get stronger, but don't you remember what Erza said about magical vehicles? Showing up to a mission exhausted is basically suicide."
"You're right… I'm sorry," Lucy lowered her head in embarrassment—but immediately shot back up.
"Wait, you can make potions?!"
Allen blinked.
"Now you're surprised?"
Lucy sat back down. It was true—Allen had shown so many unbelievable things that she should've been used to it by now. But it was insane how many different branches of magic he had mastered. Learning just one of them to a decent level could take years, and Allen made it look like he had decades of practice.
Noticing her disbelief, Allen smiled.
"Where I learned magic, the system works differently. There are magical institutions that train young people. Things like enchantments, divination, and potion-making are all part of the curriculum, taught by experts."
"What?! That's so unfair!" Lucy felt like she was born in the wrong country. She had spent years buried in books just to qualify as a novice mage.
"It's not as simple as it sounds. While it might seem great, the truth is it doesn't prepare you well for real combat. Not to mention, that kind of magic is very restrictive... I'm an anomaly. I had to develop a lot of my own spells just to feel comfortable using them. In its base form, it's very simple. Sure, if a spell connects with your opponent, it's a free win—but if it doesn't, that's it…"
"Hehe, I'm weak in both ways..." Lucy began to sulk. Allen thought for a moment—even though he wasn't really in the mood, maybe he could train Lucy.
"Master..." 2B appeared beside Allen, startling Lucy.
"What?"
2B leaned in close to Allen's ear and whispered something. Lucy pursed her lips. At first, she had been surprised to see such a beautiful spirit serving Allen, but she tried to accept it. After all, she loved spirits—she shouldn't be jealous of one. Still, Lucy felt Allen's relationship with 2B was too close. She had even seen the pale-haired girl washing his back in the bath. Lucy kept reminding herself that a romantic relationship between a human and a spirit would never work anyway. Spirits were immortal beings, and love between the two would only end in tragedy.
Allen shook his head and stood up. Lucy quickly got to her feet, anxiously asking what was going on. Apparently, someone troublesome was at the entrance. Lucy followed Allen as they both went down the stairs to the old front desk.
There they saw Erza Scarlet with a mountain of luggage, arguing with Jalter, who was dressed as a maid.
"I already told you I'm not carrying your luggage! This isn't even a hotel—it's private property!" Jalter huffed, arms crossed.
Erza, also with her arms crossed but keeping a calm expression, replied, "I know it's not a hotel, but I plan to live here, so help me bring this to a room..."
"I said no! And why the hell should I do something like that?!" Jalter felt indignant. She had once been a commander of the French army—though now she hated that memory. After her death, she'd even been granted the title of Saint, a title that disgusted her. But even without all that, what made this fake knight think she had to serve her?
Erza tilted her head, eyeing Jalter from head to toe. "Because you're a maid?"
Jalter froze. She suddenly remembered she wasn't wearing her black armor but rather a humiliating maid outfit that Allen forced her to wear.
"Even so... I have the misfortune of serving a pervert. I'm not obligated to listen to anyone else..."
"Don't worry," Erza responded with a mysterious smile. "In that regard, there's no problem at all..."
Jalter eyed Erza suspiciously but didn't feel like arguing anymore. Luckily for her, Allen approached just in time to end the conversation. Seeing Erza and then the mountain of luggage, he quickly pieced things together.
"Is it true?" Allen asked.
"It is," Erza smiled, puffing out her chest. "I want to live here!"
"Well, but it won't be free..."
Before Allen could even finish speaking, Erza threw a large bag of money at him. It was a hefty amount—several million, enough to cover a full year's rent.
"You can have a room..."
"Great, I want one right next to yours," Erza said with zero shame, making Lucy gape in disbelief.
"..."
Allen exchanged a silent look with Erza. She didn't seem to have any hidden motives, but there was still a faint glimmer of expectation in her eyes.
"Seriously? Not even I—!" Lucy was about to say something embarrassing but stopped herself.
"Am I not allowed?"
Allen waved his hand, storing all of Erza's belongings into his inventory. Then he led her to the third floor and the room to the right of his. Since the building had once been a hotel and not a house, it technically didn't count as "living together," so it didn't seem inappropriate. Still, Lucy was so annoyed she switched to the room on Allen's left instead.
From that day forward, Erza suddenly began living with Allen. Some might have found it odd, others might have seen it as no big deal. Allen didn't really know what to think of Erza. She didn't seem like a lovestruck maiden, yet certain behaviors hinted at some kind of interest. Meanwhile, Lucy spent the day sulking like someone had invaded her territory.
Erza felt strange. On the one hand, she kept telling herself she only admired Allen. But seeing Allen so close to Mira—and realizing they actually looked good together—frustrated her. So, she made that impulsive decision.
'What am I doing?'
Erza sighed. What right did she have to seek happiness, knowing her friends were in hell right now? She clenched her teeth, remembering Siegrain's face.
"Jellal!..."
...
The rest of the day was interesting. Allen stepped out of his room to grab a snack and found Erza walking around wearing only a bath towel. She greeted him casually and mentioned that, while each room had its own bathroom, she preferred the large one on the second floor. Allen silently observed the beautiful redhead who didn't seem to mind being seen like that. Of course, Allen understood this was just part of her personality.
"Ah!"
Lucy came out of her room wearing glasses, like she'd been reading, and as soon as she saw Erza, she shrieked and rushed over to push the girl back into her room—though not without shooting Allen a pouty look. Still, this wasn't his fault… right?
...
Two days later, Allen, Erza, and Lucy returned from a mission and stopped by the guild afterward. Allen was in a better mood thanks to the support he got from the girls—both here and at home—so he'd decided to take on a simple quest. Well, it had ended up taking longer than expected, but after a full day, they finally made it back to Magnolia.
Lucy, wearing a pink blouse and in good spirits, took Allen's arm but quickly noticed people were staring.
"What's going on?" Erza asked curiously. She wasn't wearing her armor—just a white blouse and her hair in a ponytail. This casual and cute look had been showing up more often in Erza's wardrobe for some reason.
"Maybe they're just jealous seeing Allen with two such pretty girls~" Lucy said smugly.
Allen chuckled under his breath. "I'm jealous of Lucy-sama's confidence in herself."
"Kuh, maybe I overdid it," Lucy muttered, embarrassed.
"No, you're right… You're both so gorgeous I'm surprised no one's tried to stab me yet."
Erza and Lucy were caught off guard by Allen's comment and both got annoyed. Lately, it felt like Allen had been more open with them—and sometimes even flirted subtly—but for some reason, this comment pissed them off. Maybe it was because he didn't seem to show a clear preference for either of them… or even for Mira, Cana, or any of the other girls.
Just as they were about to complain, Allen suddenly stopped in his tracks, his eyes sharp and his jaw tense. In the distance, he could see the guild—but it looked different. Massive metal columns were piercing through it. That could only mean one thing: someone had attacked Fairy Tail.
He thought of all the people laughing and drinking in the guild, that happiness they all shared—especially the image of Mirajane serving drinks. Allen's eyes turned red, his hair darkened to black, and a monstrous bloodlust flooded all of Magnolia.
"Who did it?" Allen's voice sent chills down everyone around. Even Lucy and Erza, standing behind him, didn't recognize him for a second.
"I'll only ask one more time. Who. Did. It?"