Morning came as sunlight streamed onto the bed from the window.
Last night, Raizel hadn't drawn the curtains.
Unlike the brightly lit towns, the forest was dark enough at night to sleep without closing them.
"Mmm..."
Wendy sat up, rubbing her eyes with her small hands. When she looked around and didn't see Raizel, she grew anxious.
"He's outside." Kagura was already awake.
She had actually woken up earlier than Wendy but had stayed in bed with her eyes closed to avoid disturbing the little girl.
As soon as Wendy sat up, Kagura did too.
Wendy breathed a small sigh of relief, but she still scrambled out of bed and opened the door.
In the living room, she saw Raizel asleep on the sofa, his arm thrown over his eyes to block the morning sun.
"Phew..." Wendy patted her chest, her small body began to relax.
After Grandeeney's sudden disappearance, she was terrified that Raizel might vanish when she woke up too.
"Come brush your teeth first." Kagura patted Wendy's shoulder gently.
She led Wendy to the bathroom in Raizel's room and taught her how to use the toothbrush and wash her face.
"Wait there for now."
After Wendy finished washing up, Kagura led her out of the bathroom and pointed to the living room carpet.
Wendy quietly sat down, watching Raizel sleep.
Meanwhile, Kagura tiptoed into the kitchen.
She planned to make sandwiches and fried eggs. She had been the designated chef for breakfast these past few days, while they ate out for lunch and dinner.
After all, the two "older sisters" (Ultear and Erza) were disasters in the kitchen—they're the creators of "Dark Cuisine."
Erza was slightly better than Ultear—she could chop ingredients with sword-like precision, but she couldn't actually cook them.
Earthland's technology was quite impressive since they even had magic toasters.
Kagura only needed to chop some toppings and fry the eggs.
Sizzle.
Raizel heard the faint sound of eggs frying and a knife chopping on a cutting board.
He had stayed up late thinking something, but he was a light sleeper.
He opened his eyes and noticed someone was in the kitchen.
Raizel didn't get morning grumpiness, nor did he like sleeping in.
He sat up immediately.
First, he saw Kagura at the stove, then Wendy sitting on the floor staring at him, then he glanced at the guest room door, which was still tightly shut.
'Just who are the big sisters here, you two...' Raizel thought with a wry smile.
He checked the clock.
It was only seven in the morning.
"Wendy, good morning." Raizel waved.
"Good morning, Raizel-san." Wendy stood up and bowed politely.
"I'm going to help out. You sit here for a bit." Raizel gestured for Wendy to sit on the sofa.
Wendy nodded.
The kitchen was visible from the living room, so she felt safe.
"Kagura, need any help?" Raizel walked into the kitchen.
Kagura had heard him talking to Wendy, so she wasn't startled.
"The bread still needs toasting and the jam needs spreading," Kagura said, flipping an egg.
"Alright, I'll handle that."
Raizel washed his hands and started on the toast.
He grabbed the jars from the counter—strawberry jam, blueberry jam, and salad dressing.
He didn't keep these at his place usually; Kagura and the others must have bought them recently.
After breakfast was ready, Kagura urged Raizel to go wash up while she set the table.
Raizel knocked on Ultear and Erza's door to make sure they were awake before heading to the bathroom.
Last night, Raizel had made a decision.
He wanted Wendy to stay in the Girls' Dormitory.
The girls—especially with Ur and the dorm supervisor, Grandma Hilda—could take better care of a five-year-old than a young man like him.
The only issue was persuading Wendy.
During breakfast, Raizel didn't bring it up.
He planned to take Wendy shopping and introduce her to the Guild first. If he tried to convince her now, she might get upset and ruin her appetite.
At 9:00 AM, everyone set out.
Raizel led them to the largest supermarket in town.
Blankets and pillows weren't needed since the Girls' Dorm came fully furnished; they only needed personal items like a toothbrush, clothes, and hangers.
Ultear and Erza bought some snacks, making sure to include Wendy.
They asked her what she liked and let her sample a few things before buying her favorites.
Once the shopping was done, Raizel decided it was time.
"Let's go to the Guild."
...
"This is our Guild." Raizel pointed at the wooden sign hanging above the building: FAIRY TAIL.
He pushed the doors open.
The hall was unusually quiet.
Many members were out on missions. Laxus and Cana were absent, and Gray was missing too.
Lyon hadn't been back since leaving his only letter behind.
"Yo!"
Wakaba and Macao were sitting at the bar, smoking and drinking as usual. When they heard the door open, they waved lazily.
'Typical,' Raizel thought. 'They always drink in the morning... '
Nearby, Nab was staring at the quest Board, doing absolutely nothing, as always.
"Where's Gramps?" Raizel noticed Makarov wasn't at his usual spot on the counter.
"The Master went to the Regular Meeting of Guild Masters," Macao replied. "He should be back in a few days."
"I see." Raizel nodded. "Then the official joining will have to be postponed."
Although Raizel had the authority to invite people, he wanted Makarov to be there for Wendy's official enrollment into the guild.
"Joining? Oh? Another kid?" Macao and Wakaba looked puzzled, finally noticing the small girl hiding behind Ultear.
"Put out the cigarettes," Raizel ordered, his voice sharp. "There's a child here."
Wendy's dragon nose was extremely sensitive and Raizel disliked the smell of smoke, but for a Dragon Slayer, it was suffocating.
"Oh, oh, oh." Macao and Wakaba, staring dazedly at the cute kid, immediately crushed their cigarettes.
Raizel briefly introduced Wendy to the few members present.
He didn't mention anything about Dragons or Dragon Slayer Magic yet.
That explanation could wait until Natsu arrived.
"So cute!!!"
The guild members crowded around Wendy while cooing at her.
"Eep!" Wendy, feeling shy, took a step back and hid behind Raizel's leg, gripping his pants and peeking out with only one eye.
"I didn't expect Master to be at the Regular Meeting."
Ultear and Erza hadn't been to the Guild in days, so they were out of the loop.
"We'll wait for him to return before we stamp her mark," Raizel decided. "For the next few days, she should stay at my place."
He took them to the market to buy ingredients for dinner before returning home.
It wasn't safe to leave Wendy alone, so Ultear, Erza, and Kagura decided to stay at Raizel's house for a few more days too.
Raizel planned to resume his training starting today.
For the past week, he had been flying around, supposedly searching for Grandeeney, only finding some time for some basic meditation.
"Take Over: Leopardmon."
Raizel transformed into the sleek, high-speed Royal Knight form.
He entered the training circle to practice sword techniques, martial arts, and movement skills against Erza and Kagura.
Meanwhile, Ultear sat on the porch with Wendy.
She began teaching the little girl how to read and write modern script. Since Wendy already possessed magic, Ultear also started guiding her through basic meditation exercises to stabilize her power.
...
Seven Days Later
Clang—Clang—Clang—
Sparks flew.
Raizel parried the relentless dual assault from Erza and Kagura.
Compared to the beginning of the year, Raizel had made significant progress.
Previously, under the crushing weight of Kagura's Gravity Change, he couldn't last long before being forced out of the circle.
But now, even though Kagura's gravity field had become considerably stronger, Raizel was moving with fluid precision.
He was quite satisfied with this improvement.
'Right now, they are overwhelming me', Raizel thought as he blocked a heavy strike from Archenemy.
'But later, it will be the Sword Spirits' turn to overwhelm them.'
It was a fair trade after all!
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