Five days had passed since the Phantom Lord incident.
Early summer arrived with a fiery passion, its sunlight showering the city without reservation.
Today, no one spoke of rebuilding.
No one spoke of the Magic Council's overwhelming troubles, and no one spoke of the turmoil that had shaken the entire kingdom.
Because today was a Fairy Tail holiday!
"Ace! Hurry up!"
Lisanna's voice, brimming with irrepressible excitement, rang out from outside the guild's temporarily erected tent.
She was wearing a light blue sundress and a wide-brimmed straw hat, looking as fresh as a sea breeze.
Ace emerged from the tent, carrying a simple travel bag.
In a rare departure from his signature black formal wear, he was dressed in a simple white shirt and dark shorts.
"Coming," he said with a smile, his gaze sweeping over the crowd gathered outside.
Mirajane had also changed into casual clothes, wearing a floral maxi dress.
Her long, silver-white hair was loosely braided to one side, giving her a gentle yet playful look.
She held a picnic basket in her hand.
Seeing Ace, she offered a soft smile. "Everyone said we should go to the beach to relax. You were the hero of the hour, so you have to come with us."
"Hero of the hour..." Ace rubbed his nose.
"Don't be so modest!" Lucy popped out from the side, full of energy in a canary yellow dress. "If it weren't for you, who knows how much longer those people from the Council would have acted so arrogantly! Besides—"
She lowered her voice and winked. "The beach! Swimsuits! Don't you want to see it?"
Ace was speechless.
"Lucy!" Levy pushed up her glasses, her small face slightly flushed. "D-don't say that..."
But she herself had also dressed up for the occasion in a light purple dress.
Her hair was carefully tied into two small pigtails, adorned with star-shaped hair clips.
"Ha! The beach!" Natsu leaped down from the tent's roof, wearing nothing but a pair of gaudy swim trunks with goggles hanging around his neck.
"I'm gonna settle the score with that bastard Gray in the sea!"
"You moronic fire-breath, the sea is my home turf!" Gray walked out from the other side—thankfully, he was wearing clothes today.
Though it was just a simple white T-shirt and shorts, it was better than being naked.
"My Ice-Make magic is 200% more powerful at the beach!"
"Bring it on! Who's scared of it!"
The two started glaring at each other again, while Happy flew around them.
"Aye! The beach! There are gonna be a lot of fish!"
Erza was the last to emerge.
Unexpectedly, she wasn't wearing her armor today, but a simple dark blue dress.
Her long hair was let down, softening the sharp battlefield-ready edge she usually had and replacing it with a more feminine gentleness.
"Then let's get going."
....
The fine white sand shimmered golden under the sun, and gentle waves lapped at the shoreline.
In the distance, the sea was an incredible shade of blue.
This beach was private property and thus rarely visited, but now, having been booked exclusively by Fairy Tail, it was exceptionally peaceful.
"Woooah—!!!"
Natsu and Gray ripped off their shirts almost simultaneously and charged toward the ocean with strange cries.
"Wait for me!" Happy followed, flapping his wings while clutching a small fish he had procured from who-knows-where.
The girls, meanwhile, went to change into their swimsuits.
Ace spread a picnic blanket on the sand, set out the drinks and snacks, then lay down comfortably and put on his sunglasses.
'Now, this is the life.'
Before long, the girls, having changed, began to appear.
Lisanna was the first to run out, wearing a sky-blue two-piece swimsuit that revealed her slender waist and long legs.
She twirled on the sand with a radiant smile on her face. "Ace, how do I look?"
"Beautiful," Ace said sincerely.
Lisanna had a perfect figure, the face of an angel and the body of a devil, yet she retained her youthful charm.
Next was Lucy. She had chosen a canary yellow bikini, covered by a semi-transparent sarong that only accentuated her long legs and fair skin.
"L-Lucy-chan has such a great figure..." Levy followed behind her.
She wore a relatively conservative one-piece swimsuit, light purple with white polka dots, which suited her quiet temperament perfectly.
"Where's Mira-nee?" Lisanna asked.
"Coming."
Mirajane stepped out of the changing tent.
For a moment, everyone fell silent.
She wore a pure white bikini. The style was simple, but on her, it possessed a breathtaking beauty.
Her white hair cascaded over her shoulders, creating a stunning contrast with her fair skin.
Her figure was the epitome of mature feminine perfection, every inch exuding a gentle yet sensual aura.
"H-how is it?" Mirajane blushed, a rare sight, as she unconsciously twisted her fingers together.
"Stunning," Ace said earnestly, taking off his sunglasses.
Mirajane's face turned an even deeper shade of red, but she smiled and that smile was more dazzling than the sun!
Finally, it was Erza's turn.
When she walked out, everyone froze.
She had chosen a deep red, competitive-style one-piece swimsuit.
The style was very conservative, but that wasn't what made them stare.
It was her expression.
Erza's face was etched with a rare, almost clumsy nervousness.
Her body was stiff as she walked, her arms pressed unnaturally to her sides, and her eyes darted about, completely devoid of her usual battlefield composure.
"E-Erza?" Lucy asked tentatively.
"...Is this... weird?" Erza's voice was so soft it was almost drowned out by the sound of the waves.
"Not at all! It suits you perfectly!" Lisanna said quickly. "You look good in anything, Erza!"
Erza relaxed slightly at that, but her posture remained stiff.
She walked to the edge of the picnic blanket and, after a moment's hesitation, sat down beside Ace.
Ace looked at her and suddenly found it a little amusing and quite cute.
"Relax," he said, handing her a glass of iced juice.
Erza took the juice and sipped it.
Her shoulders finally relaxed a bit.
"I'm... not used to this kind of situation," she said in a low voice.
"I can tell."
The two sat side by side, watching Natsu and Gray splash each other in the sea, watching Levy and Lucy play in the shallows, and watching Mirajane and Lisanna build sandcastles on the beach.
Slowly, Erza's body completely relaxed.
She leaned back against a lounger, closed her eyes, and her breathing gradually became steady and even.
She had fallen asleep.
Ace turned his head to look at her.
The sleeping Erza's face was free of its usual sharpness and vigilance.
Her long eyelashes cast faint shadows on her eyelids, and the corners of her mouth were slightly relaxed. She looked soft.
This woman, who worked harder, fought harder, and always shouldered more responsibility than anyone else, was having a rare, unguarded moment of rest.
Ace gently took a nearby towel and draped it over her.
Then he, too, lay back and closed his eyes, enjoying the precious peaceful atmosphere.
An unknown amount of time passed before Ace was awakened by a commotion.
"Let's play beach volleyball!" Natsu shouted from the shore.
"Lets do it!" Gray immediately accepted the challenge.
"Ace! You play too!" Natsu waved at him.
Ace rubbed his eyes and sat up. Erza was still sleeping peacefully beside him.
"I'll sit this one—"
"Come on, come on!" Lisanna ran over and grabbed his hand. "It's three-on-three! We're short one person!"
Ace glanced at the lineup on the court: Natsu, Gray, and Happy on one side; Lucy, Levy, and Mirajane on the other.
They were indeed short one person.
"Alright," he said, standing up and stretching his wrists.
"Yay!" Lisanna jumped for joy.
...
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Natsu leaped three meters into the air, his fist igniting in flames as he slammed the ball down!
"Ice-Make: Shield!" Gray's hands froze over, creating a wall of ice at the net.
The volleyball flew back and forth amidst flames and frost.
This wasn't beach volleyball.... it was a magic war!
"You two, cut it out!" Lucy yelled in frustration. "Using magic is against the rules!"
"There's no rule that says we can't use magic!" Natsu retorted righteously.
"Exactly!" Gray chimed in.
Ace sighed and decided to get a little serious.
He timed one of Natsu's heavy spikes, his body moving slightly as he leaped up with ease—
And then, he saw her.
A figure walking from the other side of the coastline.
It was a girl in a dark blue one-piece swimsuit, her blue hair hanging wetly over her shoulders, her skin so fair it was almost translucent.
She walked slowly, her head bowed, exuding a faint melancholic aura.
The most peculiar thing was that within a three-meter radius around her, a light drizzle was falling.
The sky was clear and sunny, yet it was raining only where she was.
Juvia Lockser Of Phantom Lord, one of the Element 4, the water element.
Ace's movement faltered.
The ball hit his shoulder and bounced away.
"Ace?" Lisanna asked, confused.
Juvia's eyes landed on Ace and their gazes met.
A complex mix of emotions flashed through Juvia's eyes—fear, wariness, unease, and a trace of indescribable curiosity.
Natsu and Gray also dropped their playful expressions, watching her warily.
Juvia bit her lip, seeming to want to say something, but in the end, she just lowered her head and turned to leave.
"Wait." Ace spoke.
Juvia's body stiffened.
"Are you alone?" Ace asked.
Juvia was silent for a few seconds before nodding lightly.
Lisanna tugged on Ace's sleeve and whispered, "Ace, she looks so pitiful..."
Lucy also wore a look of sympathy.
Mirajane sighed. "What Phantom Lord did has nothing to do with her. She was just... caught up in it."
Ace looked at Juvia.
The girl stood frozen, her head bowed and her shoulders trembling slightly, while the rain around her fell even harder.
"Want to come play with us?" Ace said suddenly.
Everyone was stunned including Juvia.
She snapped her head up, her beautiful eyes wide with disbelief.
"I... I'm from Phantom..." she stammered. "We were enemies just a while ago..."
"That was before," Ace said, walking toward her and stopping in front of her.
"Phantom Lord is disbanded now. You're just Juvia, a mage with nowhere to go."
'I'm just doing this out of concern for her,' Ace thought to himself. 'I definitely don't have any other intentions.'
He extended his hand. "It's a rule in Fairy Tail. As long as your heart is good, you can become our family. Want to give it a try?"
Juvia stared blankly at his hand, then at the people behind him.
Natsu scratched his head. "That rain of yours seemed pretty strong."
Gray snorted. "Better than a certain fire-playing idiot."
"Who are you calling an idiot!"
"I'm calling you an idiot!"
The two were about to start fighting again.
Lisanna ran over and said to Juvia with a smile, "Come on, come on! It's more fun with more people!"
Lucy nodded in agreement. "Besides, you must be so lonely by yourself."
Mirajane offered a gentle smile.
Something in Juvia's eyes began to melt.
The rain around her gradually stopped.
Sunlight pierced through the clouds, shining on her wet hair and refracting into a crystalline glow.
She tremblingly reached out and gently took Ace's hand.
"Th-thank you..." She lowered her head as tears fell, but this time, it didn't rain.
Ace smiled and led her toward the group. "Alright, let's get back to the game! This time, Juvia's on our team!"
"Hey! That's not fair!" Natsu yelled. "You guys already have Ace!"
"Then it's two against three!" Gray said.
"Bring it on!"
The beach became lively again.
Juvia stood among the crowd, still a bit awkward, but a small smile unconsciously graced her lips.
Meanwhile, in the shade of the trees in the distance, Erza had woken up at some point.
She sat up, the towel slipping from her shoulders.
She watched the boisterous group on the sand, watched Ace, watched the newly joined blue-haired girl, and her eyes softened.
Then, she too stood up and walked toward the beach.
"Count me in."
"Erza!" Lisanna said in pleasant surprise.
"This time, I'm playing for real," Erza said, cracking her knuckles as a competitive glint flashed in her eyes.
"Bring it on!"
---------
Read 40 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator