"Buy?" Erza's eyes widened slightly, clearly surprised.
"Yeah." Shane rubbed his still-aching temple, sounding casual. "We need somewhere to put down roots. Having our own place is better than a random inn."
He pushed open the glass door of the property office, the bell above it chiming crisply.
The shop was small and simply furnished.
A sharp-looking middle-aged man was bent over some paperwork; hearing the bell, he immediately looked up and put on a practiced smile.
"Welcome! Here to look at listings? I'm the manager—tell me whatever you need."
Shane got straight to the point. "We want to buy a house. Doesn't need to be big, but we'd like somewhere quiet with a nice environment."
The manager's eyes lit up. He enthusiastically led them to a wall with a magic projector, manipulating it as he talked. Several 3D images of homes appeared, each accompanied by a detailed rundown.
As Fairy Tail's home base, Magnolia was commercially prosperous, but people didn't seem to move in and out much; the housing market looked stable—and buying was much cheaper than long-term renting.
Listening to the prices, Shane did some quick math.
He realized he'd been a bit naive.
The prices weren't anything like his past life's big cities, but with only 1.9 million J on hand, anything decent still felt out of reach.
"Tch…" He grumbled inwardly. "Wonder if mortgages are a thing here…"
Thinking or not, he still asked, "Do you have… anything cheaper?"
The manager's smile stiffened, and he looked a little uncomfortable.
"Well, there is something cheaper," he hedged, rubbing his hands. "It's just…"
"Just what?" Shane frowned. "You can say it."
The man sighed. "There's a three-room place with a yard, well maintained, priced very low.
But… they say someone died there. Not exactly 'lucky.' It's also out on the east edge near the forest. No one's been willing to take it, so it's been empty."
"Someone died?" Shane actually sounded indifferent. "We're mages. Our daily work's dangerous. Why would we be scared of that?"
Coming from an information-saturated era, "haunted houses" didn't faze him.
And in a world where magic existed, fear of that felt almost silly.
Seeing his reaction, the manager relaxed and hurriedly pulled a slightly dusty file from under the counter.
Inside were layout diagrams and several somewhat faded color magic images.
The house looked great: a two-story wood-and-stone cottage with a bit of country charm, dark roof tiles, and a fenced front yard—neat and spacious.
"See? Structurally it's very good. The previous owner took care of it. It's just…" the manager was still dancing around the "flaw."
Shane studied the pictures, genuinely tempted.
It was nicer than he'd hoped. But even discounted for "bad vibes," the price still felt like more than he could handle.
He straightened, ready to seriously discuss "down payment + loan."
That was when Erza, who'd been silent at his side, reached out and slid her own money pouch—yesterday's cut—onto the counter.
"Add mine too."
She said it as casually as if she were saying "Nice weather today."
Shane stared. "Erza? This is my thing. You don't need to use your money."
He truly hadn't planned to drag her into this. If he had, he wouldn't have split the payout last night.
Erza tipped her head, scarlet hair sliding over her shoulder. "We're going to live there together. I should pay my share." She paused, then added, "And… I don't want to move again."
Simple words—but there was a calm certainty behind them.
Shane looked at her composed profile and had no idea what to say.
She wasn't being polite. She genuinely saw "the two of us living together" as the default, not something up for debate.
The manager beamed and jumped in, smoothing things over. "The young lady is absolutely right! Joint ownership is best! Takes the pressure off."
His professionalism was solid; not once did he let their age show in his attitude.
In the end, with Erza's funds added and a quick round of bargaining, they agreed on 3.74 million J. The manager eagerly offered to take them to see the place.
The house sat on the eastern edge of town; as they walked, the crowds thinned and the world grew quieter.
Just like in the images, the house itself was in excellent shape. Inside was spacious, bright, and only lightly dusty from disuse—nothing a bit of cleaning couldn't fix.
Best of all was the yard—and the view through its fence of the lush eastern forest not far away.
"This one," Shane decided almost immediately.
It was on the edge of town, but the quiet, undisturbed feeling was exactly what he wanted.
The paperwork went smoother than he'd ever expected.
He figured that was largely thanks to their status as Fairy Tail mages.
The guild's reputation and backing spoke for themselves; with the manager pushing things through and the guild emblem's "aura," a process that might have taken days wrapped up in half a day.
The manager handed over a rolled parchment contract with a deep bow. "Congratulations! From today, this is your home!"
He straightened, then lowered his voice. "One more thing… Deeper into that forest lives an old lady with a… temper. She hates being disturbed. If you walk there, stick to the edge. Don't go provoking her."
Once they'd seen off the attentive manager, only Shane and Erza were left in the yard.
Afternoon sunlight poured down unhindered, gilding the cottage and the distant forest.
Escaping the Tower. Joining the guild. Now, in a new city, having a real place they could call "home."
A solid sense of security settled between them.
It was past two in the afternoon.
"We haven't been to the guild at all today," Erza pointed out.
"True. We should show our faces, then swing by the inn for our things."
They walked toward Fairy Tail in easy spirits. As they reached the familiar double doors, they were stopped by Levy, arms full of books, coming out.
She looked up, saw Shane, and her eyes went wide behind the lenses. She hurried over, voice low and urgent. "Shane! You really shouldn't go in today!"
"What's wrong?" he asked, caught off guard by her panic.
"The Council's message came this morning," Levy groaned. "Master's been shut in his office all morning writing a report. His face is scary. He said if he sees you, he's dragging you in for a 'good talk.' You should stay out of sight."
Right on cue, a shout rang from inside, equal parts angry and frantic. "Is that Shane out there? Get him in here—now!"
Makarov's senses were as sharp as ever. Shane could practically see a giant hand about to smash through the door.
He plastered on an awkward-but-polite smile and slid one foot back.
"Ahaha… Suddenly remembered something urgent. Levy, we'll talk later!"