Chapter 55 : New Member!!

Makarov announced to the guild, "We've got a new member." 

A voice from the back replied, "It's me." 

Everyone turned to look, except for Everit, who already knew about it. The mood shifted instantly. 

"What?!"

"How could it be him?!" Lucy blurted out, eyes wide.

"Hey, you!" Natsu and Gray instinctively moved into fighting stances, ready for a brawl. 

The new member had a tough demeanor, a rebellious look, and was covered in piercings. It was none other than Gajeel Redfox, the Iron Dragon Slayer.

Erza's face grew stern. "Guild Master, what's going on? Juvia's one thing, but this guy trashed our guild!" she exclaimed.

Makarov smiled, unfazed. "I invited Gajeel to join us. He's a good kid at heart, but he was influenced by some bad folks. He's been released by the Council, which means he didn't commit any major crimes. Give him a chance, okay?"

Lucy was not convinced. "But he hurt Levy!" she pointed out, glaring at Gajeel. 

"I've already apologized," Gajeel said, his head hanging low. He felt guilty, but he wasn't the type to express it well. His blunt apology didn't seem enough.

"Apologized?!" Gray snapped, "Can't you see Levy's scared?!" 

"I can't let this slide!" Natsu was already igniting with flames. 

Gajeel stood there, not flaring his magic. He seemed willing to take the beating if it would make things right.

"Cool it, Natsu," Erza intervened, seeing a fight about to erupt. "If the Guild Master says we should give him a chance, then we should."

"But..." Natsu grumbled, teeth clenched. 

Gray took a moment to think. Then he sighed and backed down, pulling his magic back. "Natsu, we have to let it go. He wrecked the guild and hurt Levy, but you already beat him pretty bad. If the Guild Master says it's okay, then let's move on."

Lucy stepped in, calming Natsu by grabbing his arm. "It's okay. Let's give him a chance."

"Fine," Natsu grumbled, letting his flames die down.

Gray shot Gajeel a warning look. "Don't try anything, or you'll have to deal with me and Natsu."

"Not interested," Gajeel replied, tilting his head dismissively.

"Hmph!" Natsu snorted in response.

Just then, the room suddenly went dark. 

"Hey, what's going on?" Lucy asked, a bit unnerved by the sudden change.

A click was heard, and the lights came back on, revealing a stage with Mirajane in the spotlight.

Mirajane sat on a small stool in the middle of the Fairy Tail guildhall, holding a guitar in her hands. As her fingers lightly strummed the strings, the room fell into a soft silence.

"Miss Mira?" Lucy exclaimed, surprised to see the S-Class mage about to perform.

Mirajane smiled sweetly at the crowd, her eyes sparkling. A magic microphone floated toward her lips. "To celebrate Lucy's safe return, the rebuilding of the guild, and to welcome our new members, I'd like to sing a song."

Everyone settled into their seats, awaiting her performance.

Without further ado, Mirajane's gentle voice filled the room as she began to sing, her fingers gliding over the guitar strings with ease. 

The melody was soothing, creating a calm ambiance. 

Even Natsu, usually so rambunctious, was lying quietly on the table, listening intently.

Lucy took a deep breath, her tension melting away. It felt good to be back home, hearing Mirajane's voice and knowing that the worst was behind them. 

She relaxed against the table, letting her body slump a bit. From the corner of her eye, she noticed a tuft of pink hair—Natsu, of course. 

She gently reached out and pushed his head to the side, creating a little more space.

Nearby, Juvia carefully took a seat next to Gray, while Erza stood watching Mirajane with a thoughtful expression. What was she thinking?

As the song reached its climax, Mirajane's voice soared. She sang the final lines with a warm smile, and when the music stopped, she looked out over the guildhall and said, "This is Fairy Tail. Welcome back to our home."

The room erupted in applause, glasses were raised, and the drinking began in earnest. Laughter and cheer spread through the guild.

Suddenly, a voice called out from the back, teasing Cana. "Hey, Cana, you're not on your game today!"

Cana turned, protesting. "That's not true!" 

But in her excitement, she accidentally tipped a basin full of beer, splashing it all over Everit, who was sitting behind her, not expecting such a deluge.

"Plop!" Everit dropped to the floor, knocked out cold by the surprise splash.

Gray rolled his eyes, clearly at a loss for words. Erza facepalmed, and Natsu burst into hearty laughter. "Hahaha, you're such an idiot, Everit!"

Lucy couldn't help but giggle. "That was fast!"

"Yes!" Happy chimed in, as energetic as ever.

Cana glanced around, realizing what she'd done. "Oh no..." she mumbled, feeling a bit guilty. The splatter of beer had caught Everit completely off guard.

Mirajane, watching from the stage, saw the whole thing and just shook her head with a soft chuckle. 

It was just another day in the Fairy Tail guild, where every moment was filled with laughter, chaos, and camaraderie.

"Hahaha, Everit!" Everyone in the guild burst into laughter.

Mirajane had just finished her song and set the microphone down.

"Alright, my turn to sing!" Gajeel announced as he stepped up on stage.

"This guy can't really sing, can he?" Natsu and Gray were shocked.

"I'm going to perform an original song—it's called 'Best Friend.'" Gajeel was dressed quite flamboyantly, with a white suit, white hat, and sunglasses. He even lowered his voice to sound cool.

"The colors are bright!"

As Gajeel sang the first line, everyone winced at the sound—it was like nails on a chalkboard! But worse, like a whole group of people scratching at once!

"That's awful!"

"Get off the stage, Gajeel!"

Everyone started shouting, and then Natsu leaped onto the stage and punched Gajeel away.

"You jerk!" Gajeel fought back, and the two began brawling right there on stage.

"I'll take care of this!" Gray stepped up next.

"Go, Gray-sama!" Juvia cheered with sparkles in her eyes.

But suddenly, a table flew across the room and hit Gray on the head, knocking him down.

"You gotta be kidding me!" Gray was furious and got up, ready to fight.

"How dare you hurt my Gray-sama!" Juvia unleashed her full magic power in anger.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

And just like that, a guild-wide brawl broke out!

"Ah!" Lucy and Happy grabbed Everit and ducked under a table, covering their heads as they trembled. "I knew it would end up like this!"

"Aye!" Happy chirped.

"What do you mean, 'Aye'?!"

"Aye!"

"Lucy." Mirajane's voice cut through the chaos.

"Miss Mira!" Lucy looked up and saw Mirajane had somehow joined them under the table.

"Leave Everit to me," Mirajane said with a sweet smile.

Mirajane adjusted Everit's clothes and then lifted him onto her back. Her movements were fluid and gentle, almost as if she had done this many times before. 

Watching this, Lucy couldn't help but feel a twinge of curiosity—it seemed like the same thing had happened last time.

Happy, with his cat-like mischief, covered his mouth with his paw and waggled his tongue, making a teasing sound: "Mira wants to carry Everit~"

Mirajane flashed Happy a "gentle" smile. But her eyes held a warning.

Both Happy and Lucy immediately felt a chill and fell silent, not daring to test Mirajane's patience.

Carrying Everit on her back, Mirajane walked out from under the table and carefully navigated around the ongoing brawls in the guild hall. 

When she reached the doors, she pushed them open, letting the bright sunlight stream in.

The sudden light made her squint, so she reached into Everit's pocket and pulled out a card. With a quick flick of her fingers, a hat appeared, which she then deftly placed on Everit's head.

"Good afternoon, Everit," she said with a gentle smile, her voice as warm as the sun's rays.

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