"Ches, didn't you say you were out of magic power, you liar?!"
Natsu shouted in horror, completely pinned down by the glowing swords of light.
"That just means... you're still too naive, Natsu."
Ches replied with a calm smile, gently swirling the red teacup in his hand like a refined villain enjoying a good brew.
"Ches, it was Natsu who told me to scratch the coffee table in secret! If you're going to hold anyone accountable, blame him! I'm totally innocent!"
Happy's face twisted in fear as he sold Natsu out on the spot zero hesitation.
"You traitor! Are you even my friend?!" Natsu was outraged.
"Don't worry," Ches said, grinning wickedly as he took a slow step forward, walking side-by-side with the Dark Magician Girl. "Neither of you is getting away tonight."
The duo advanced steadily.
Natsu and Happy were completely intimidated. Immobilized by the spell and frozen by fear, they turned their teary, desperate gazes toward Lucy.
Their wide, shimmering eyes clearly begged:
"Lucy, save us!"
"Ahaha, ahahaha then I won't bother Mr. Ches any longer!"
With that, Lucy dashed out the door without even glancing back.
"Hey, Lucy! Don't leave us behind!""We're Fairy Tail wizards!!"
As Ches raised his massive, sandbag-sized fist with a devilish grin, Natsu and Happy fell into complete despair, squirming and shaking where they stood.
When Lucy finally stepped onto the stone bridge spanning the river in Magnolia, two loud bangs suddenly echoed above her.
She looked up to see two streaks of light like meteors soaring across the night sky before vanishing with a crisp "ding."
Faintly in the distance, Natsu's anguished roar rang out:
"Ches , you bastard! I'll be back!!""Aye!!"
"Natsu, Happy, and Mr. Ches really do get along well~"
Lucy let out a soft sigh, a smile tugging at her lips, before quickening her pace.
She was eager to get home so she could add two new labels to Ches in her novel draft:
"Hopeless Chuunibyou" and "Massive Pervert"!
Meanwhile, back at the house, Ches having successfully "dealt with" Natsu and Happy sat back on the sofa and gazed upward.
Through the human- and cat-shaped holes now decorating his ceiling, the starlit sky stretched wide and peaceful above him.
"That was a mistake," Ches muttered, rubbing his temples. "I subconsciously thought this was the guild..."
At Fairy Tail's guildhall, no one really cares what kind of chaos you cause. Worst case, Master Makarov foots the bill with his pension fund.
But at home?
He had to cover the repairs.
"It's already been more than a year since we last met... Natsu and Happy are still as energetic as ever."
Across from him, the Black Magician Girl his long-time partner bound by a card smiled gently. She didn't seem upset in the slightest.
Having been flattened instantly by Ignia's flames before, even her grudge seemed to have melted away with the laughter and chaos tonight.
From Ches, she learned a surprising truth: the violent Fire Dragon and Natsu were technically father and son making them brothers, at least in name.
"Even so, things are still far off from the level I'd hoped for," Ches muttered, shaking his head.
After spending the entire day around them, he had a solid grasp of Natsu's current strength as well as that of most of the guild.
Whether it was a desperate battle against enemies or a casual brawl between comrades, it all counted. The Duelist Soul's card explosion mechanic didn't discriminate it only cared about how intense the fight was.
Back when he first joined Fairy Tail, Ches had gone around sparring with every guild member to gather his starting cards.
He'd been utterly wrecked by monsters like Erza and Laxus, beaten black and blue without mercy.
But over time, through experience and pain, he gradually climbed to their level becoming an S-Class Wizard in his own right.
That was part of the reason he'd taken on a Ten-Year Mission and left the guild a year ago.
He had already harvested all the cabbages in the field!
"The Master's getting stronger way too fast!" the Black Magician Girl added with a puffed-up cheek, clearly still not over it.
The Dark Magician Girl's expression turned resolute. Her lips curled into a proud little smile as her large eyes stared straight at Ches.
She had followed him all the way across the Kiltina Continent. No one knew better than she did how many battles he had endured to reach his current strength.
But Ches gently corrected her with a serious voice.
"It's not me, it's us."
He reached out and tapped the edge of his heavy deck. A glowing light screen shimmered before his eyes on it, the card monsters who had been silently watching over him appeared one by one.
"Hehe, that's true~"
The Dark Magician Girl puffed out her chest with a smug grin. She wasn't modest at all, accepting the praise like she deserved it.
…
The next morning, the soft golden sunlight bathed the earth, gently dispelling the remnants of darkness.
The town's cattle and horses were already hard at work, and the streets were buzzing with life as a new day began.
Ches, having enjoyed a rare good night's sleep, contacted the construction crew to handle the repairs to his home. Then, he set off toward the Fairy Tail guild, strolling along the riverside path that wound through the city.
"Hey, damn Ches! What are you doing back here? If you've got nothing better to do, go take a commission and leave!"
"Please, just go to the coast and buy a seaside apartment already! I don't want to renew my life insurance again it's been suspended for a year because of you!"
"Don't come any closer! My house was just renovated!"
…
The moment the neighbors spotted Ches, they panicked and began shouting at him, urging him to get lost.
They were all terrified that if he stuck around any longer, their peaceful little homes might end up blown to pieces in another one of his mysterious explosions.
It was easy to imagine just how chaotic Ches's past behavior had been, leaving behind such an unforgettable shadow in the minds of his neighbors.
To earn the title of "Fairy Tail's No. 1 Homewrecker" in a guild where every member was basically a walking demolition crew well, that title spoke for itself.
"Hahaha, this is truly touching. After more than a year away, I didn't expect everyone to still be so enthusiastic," Ches said cheerfully, waving heartlessly at the residents around him.
The neighbors adults and children alike replied in unison, "Hot for you!"
("Hot" in the please explode somewhere else kind of way.)
"Make sure to walk around town more often when you've got time," Ches added, as if nothing were amiss. "I think I'll be staying in Magnolia for a while this time."
Bang! Bang! Bang!
With just that one sentence, the shopkeepers slammed their doors shut, and the more cautious residents even sealed their windows.
"Everyone's really nice, just a bit shy," Ches remarked with a smile, shaking his head as he walked on, completely unfazed.
Amid the "warm" greetings from residents along the way, Ches finally arrived at the Fairy Tail Guild.
Even though it was still early in the morning, the guild was already lively with activity.
Some wizards were passed out drunk across tables, others stood in front of the mission board scanning for commissions, and a few had already started shamelessly flirting with girls, arms draped around their shoulders.
In short chaotic as always.
It was the unmistakable, rowdy charm of Fairy Tail.
"Ches ? I didn't expect you to be here so early."
A sweet, gentle voice called out. Ches turned to see Mira walking briskly toward him from behind the bar. She wore a sleek black evening dress, her usual calm expression tinged with a trace of urgency.
"Hey, good morning, Mira," Ches greeted with a wave.
"Good morning," she replied with a polite nod. Then, her tone lowered slightly and her brows drew together, concern etched into her flawless face.
"Ches… if it's not urgent, you should probably leave the guild for now."
Ches blinked. "What's going on?"
"The Master… might actually kill you…"
Before Mira could finish her sentence, a deafening roar cut through the guild.
"Ches!!"
A massive black figure, nearly five meters tall, suddenly leapt down from the second floor with thunderous force.
Boom!!
The impact of its landing shook the entire building, and a cloud of dust exploded into the air.
Kana bolted awake from her drunken stupor, Nabu froze mid-stare at the request board, and even Loki, who had been comfortably lounging in a lady's arms, looked up in shock.
As the dust quickly settled, the monstrous form of Makarov, enlarged by magic and seething with rage, stood before them.
He glared daggers at Ches.
"Ches! Care to explain how you managed to destroy half a town in the Ogasso Kingdom on the Kiltina Continent?!"
He slammed a thick bundle of papers onto the floor the impact alone causing some nearby tables to rattle.
"Do you know how many complaint letters I've received since this morning?!"
Apparently, while Ches had only just returned to Magnolia yesterday afternoon, his chaos had beat him home with reports, letters, and diplomatic fury already arriving at the guild by sunrise.