"It's all Lucy's fault! She just blurted it out like that! I was this close to tricking Roger into eating one too!" Happy's grumpy voice cut through Lucy's whining from the side.
Lucy's mouth twitched. "You've got some guts, huh? You're really not afraid of dying, are you?"
Happy sighed, pointing a paw at the two groups ahead, who looked like they were about to start throwing punches. "Lucy, go break up the fight. If they get too loud, it'll attract the Kingdom's army, drawn here by the Lullaby, and then we'll have a mess to explain."
"What?!" Lucy pointed at herself in disbelief. "Why me? I'd totally get caught in the crossfire! If anyone's going, it should be you, Happy! You're the guild veteran—you're supposed to look out for newbies like me!"
Happy's cat eyes widened, his face a perfect picture of 'how could you be so heartless?' "Aye?! Lucy, are you trying to send me to my doom?!"
Lucy: "=_=#"
"You're the one who suggested this in the first place!" she shot back.
Happy immediately turned his head away, putting on an innocent, clueless look. "Huh? What're you talking about, Lucy? I'm just a little kitty who doesn't understand complicated human stuff~"
"Meow~"
"Meow, my foot!" Lucy's eyes bulged. "You're definitely doing this on purpose!"
Happy stuck out his tongue, rolling his eyes upward in a mock 'I don't get it' expression. "Abah abah, meow~"
Seeing Lucy's exasperated face, Happy grinned smugly, returning to normal and reaching into the little knapsack on his back. "That candy was too sweet. I need some fish to soothe my poor, wounded tongue."
Lucy's face twisted into a grimace. "You keep fish in your knapsack?! No wonder I kept smelling something fishy on the train—"
Happy wagged a paw, correcting her. "That's not fishy, that's the aroma of fish!"
As he rummaged through his knapsack, a glint of gold slipped out with his movement, landing by his feet with a soft clink.
Both Lucy and Happy froze, glancing down.
Then, in unison, they yelped, "Ahh?!"
Lucy gave Happy a deadpan look. "That key fell out of your knapsack, didn't it? Why are you acting all shocked?"
"Heh heh…" Happy scratched his head sheepishly. "I totally forgot about that."
Lucy crouched down, picking up the golden key. She examined it closely and gasped, "Wait—this is the Virgo key?!"
Seizing her chance for revenge, she grabbed Happy's muzzle, scolding him with mock righteousness. "How could you just take someone else's stuff?! Taking without asking is stealing, you know!"
Happy, his mouth squished shut, mumbled desperately, "Mmf! It's not like that! Virgo came to me!"
"Huh?" Lucy blinked, loosening her grip.
Rubbing his sore muzzle, Happy explained, "She said her old contract with Duke Everlue was broken when he got arrested. So, she came to me, saying she wanted to make a new contract with you, Lucy."
Lucy: "=_= Why'd she go to you instead of coming straight to me?"
Their commotion finally caught the attention of the arguing group nearby. They stopped bickering and wandered over, curious.
Mirajane, back to her sweet and gentle demeanor, smiled at the key in Lucy's hand. "So, Lucy, that makes four Zodiac keys now, right? That's amazing!"
Her eyes suddenly sparkled with mischief, curving into crescent moons. "Hey, if sending a bad Celestial Wizard to jail breaks their contract… doesn't that mean Lucy could go after all the shady Celestial Wizards out there? She'd collect all twelve golden keys in no time!"
Lucy flinched, realizing Mira had almost said "attack." She forced a nervous laugh, waving her hands. "Haha, Mira, you're so funny—"
Mira just kept smiling sweetly, not responding, and Lucy swallowed hard, feeling a chill down her spine.
Erza, curious, leaned in to inspect the key. "So, this is one of those keys that summons Celestial Spirits? Virgo… does it call out a pretty girl?"
Lucy's eyes darted to the side. "Uh… pretty? Not exactly? And, well, she doesn't totally feel like a 'girl' either…"
Happy raised a paw, chiming in eagerly. "It's a pink-haired gorilla maid!"
"Oh?" Erza's curiosity only grew. "Now I really want to see. Can you summon her for us?"
"I-I mean, I can," Lucy stammered, her mind flashing back to the "earth-shatteringly intense" gorilla maid she'd seen at Duke Everlue's mansion. She gave a wry smile. "Wow… for the first time, I'm actually rethinking contracting a Zodiac Spirit…"
But under everyone's curious stares, she sighed and raised the key, channeling her magic.
[I am the one who opens the path to the Celestial Spirit World!]
A dazzling golden magic circle bloomed beneath her feet, golden light spilling out, making Lucy glow like a star.
[Answer my call and pass through the gate!]
With a flick of her wrist, she inserted the key into the air.
[Open, Gate of the Maiden—Virgo!]
Ding-dong!
With a clear chime, a woman appeared—elegant, with striking blue eyes, long pink hair, dressed in a classic black-and-white maid outfit, her wrists adorned with black chains. She stood gracefully before them.
Hands clasped in front of her, she bowed slightly, her voice cool yet melodic. "Did you summon me, Master?"
Lucy's eyes went wide, her body freezing like a statue, mouth agape, utterly speechless.
Erza, arms crossed, looked Virgo up and down, clearly impressed. "She's gorgeous! Lucy, is your taste really as… unique as the rumors say?"
She was definitely thinking of Lucy's "Whip Queen" nickname.
"No, no, no!" Lucy's face flushed as she waved her hands frantically. "The first time we saw her, she was not like this!"
She gestured wildly, trying to explain. "She was… more… uh, powerful and intense!"
Virgo, hands still gracefully clasped, calmly explained, "As a Celestial Spirit loyal to my master, I adjust my appearance and form to suit my master's preferences and expectations, to serve them better."
"Ohh~" Erza nodded, understanding dawning. "So, what did she look like before? Now I'm really curious."
Lucy flailed her arms in a panic. "Trust me, Erza, you do not want to know!"
"Let's just get this contract sorted!" she added quickly, terrified of the gorilla maid image resurfacing.
"Can I summon you on Mondays?"
Virgo nodded.
Erza, watching the exchange, looked mildly disappointed. "That's so… normal. Shouldn't there be some flair or special effects?"
Happy piped up, "Aye! That's what we were thinking!"
Just as Lucy was about to ask about Tuesdays, Virgo spoke up. "You can summon me from Monday through Saturday."
"Huh?" Lucy blinked, stunned. "All those days?! You only get one day off a week?"