Chapter 38: Erza: Danger! Mother, Return Quickly, Someone's Stealing the House!

Two days later…

It was the day of Fairy Tail's 24-hour endurance race.

Ian, Erza, Gray, Natsu, Cana, Mirajane, Elfman, and Lisanna all stepped out of the villa after finishing breakfast, almost in unison.

"So..."

"Without me realizing it, we've picked up even more freeloaders, huh?" 

Ian said, rubbing his temples as he looked at the three Strauss siblings.

"Oh, come on, Ian…" 

"You're an adult now, so don't be so stingy~" 

"What's one more mouth to feed? It's not like it makes much of a difference!" 

"Besides, would you really let your guildmates…"

"End up homeless on the streets because they can't pay rent?"

Mirajane shrugged, speaking with the ease of someone who had fully adapted to the Fairy Tail lifestyle in just two days.

Which is why Ian always thought…

Mirajane, in her rebellious phase, was practically born to be a member of Fairy Tail.

"Hah?!"

"What are you even talking about, Mirajane?"

"You have no idea how hard it is for me to get up early every day to cook for all of you!" 

Ian shouted, pointing an accusing finger at the young delinquent Mirajane, determined to teach her a lesson about respecting other people's hard work.

"Wait, but…" 

"Wasn't it I who's been cooking, cleaning, and doing all the housework since I moved in?" 

Before Mirajane could say more, Gray chimed in, mercilessly exposing the truth.

"In other words…"

"While the house might be yours…"

"It's me, not you, Ian, who's been taking care of everyone, right?"

Gray looked at Ian with a deadpan expression.

Cough, cough…

"Gray, you should remember who saved you back then!"

"And who saved your parents and the villagers from Deliora?!"

Ian coughed strategically before pulling out the time-tested moral guilt tactic—one that Makarov had passed down to him.

"Ian…"

"You're sounding more and more like Master Makarov." 

"You've even mastered his shamelessness..." 

Gray sighed in resignation.

Yes, Gray was responsible and reliable, always calm under pressure, good at housework, and a great cook…

In fact, he'd be the perfect kid…

If he wasn't currently stark naked, like some kind of exhibitionist, as he stepped out of the villa with the others.

Cough, cough…

"Anyway, let's leave the past aside." 

"My only request from all of you right now is this!"

"Whether by brute force or cunning strategy—do whatever it takes to claim the top three spots in this year's Fairy Tail 24-hour endurance race!"

"Make sure that 1.4 million jewels stay in our dorm!"

After another strategic cough, Ian made his intentions clear.

"Yeah!!" 

The kids all shouted in unison, energized by Ian's speech.

"I won't let you down, Father." 

Erza vowed earnestly.

"I'm fired up!"

"I'll knock them all out!" 

Natsu roared, flames dancing around his body.

"I won't lose." 

Gray smirked coldly as ice magic surged around him.

"Good luck, everyone!" 

Cana cheered, holding a glass of wine. She knew better than to expect to win such a race, but that didn't stop her from offering encouragement.

"Don't worry! If it's a fight, I've never lost." 

Mirajane said confidently, her Demon Soul magic ready for action.

"Heh, never lost?" 

"That's bold of you to say!" 

"You'd better not drag me down, you annoying exhibitionist." 

Erza walked over to Mirajane, her chin held high, looking down on her with a queenly air of disdain.

"Hah?!" 

"Don't think you're invincible just because you hide in that clunky armor!" 

"If you've got the guts, take it off and fight me one-on-one!"

Mirajane scoffed, stepping closer with a rebellious grin.

"You…"

"Looks like I'll have to teach you a lesson."

Erza's magic flared up in response, anger flashing in her eyes.

"Bring it on! You think I'm afraid of you?"

Though Mirajane knew her magic wasn't as powerful as Erza's, she refused to back down.

"Alright, alright…"

"Don't start fighting now—you'll miss the race!" 

"Whatever differences you have, settle them after the race, okay?"

Cana stepped between them, smiling wryly as she tried to diffuse the tension.

"Hmph."

Mirajane and Erza both huffed in response but backed off. They were willing to give Cana and the race some face.

"I won't lose to you, Gray."

On the other side, Natsu and Gray had their own competition brewing.

"Heh, same here…"

"I may lose to others, but never to you."

Gray smirked, his eyes gleaming with competitive fire.

Maybe it was because Gray's magic was ice-based and Natsu's was fire-based, but their natural rivalry always seemed inevitable.

Sigh…

As for Ian, the one in charge of the group…

He looked at Natsu and Gray, then at Erza and Mirajane, and sighed deeply.

Maybe he should just focus on winning first place himself. As for second and third? He'd leave that to chance.

Relying on this group was definitely a mistake.

Before long…

The group finally arrived at the starting point of the Fairy Tail 24-hour endurance race, still full of silent rivalry.

When they arrived, they found Master Makarov and the other guild members—those willing to do anything for the endurance race's prize money—waiting for them.

Among the competitors stood Laxus.

"This time, I won't lose."

"Let me show you the speed of lightning." 

Laxus glanced at Erza, a hint of challenge in his eyes.

"Heh, a defeated opponent."

Erza held her head high, acting as though Laxus wasn't even worth her attention.

She knew that she and Laxus were still rivals at this point...

After all, both Erza and Laxus were the top candidates for this year's S-Class Mage Promotion Trial. According to Fairy Tail's rules, only one mage could pass the S-Class trial each year. Even if all the other competitors were S-Class level, they'd have to wait until the next trial if they didn't win.

And this year, both Erza and Laxus believed they were destined to pass.

"This guy's strong."

As Erza and Laxus faced off, Mirajane followed Erza's gaze toward Laxus, sensing his terrifying strength despite being around their age.

"This is a mage guild, huh?"

"So many people stronger than me, even at my age…"

"It's getting me fired up."

Mirajane felt her blood pumping—she thrived in environments full of challenges like this.

"Since everyone is here…"

"I'll now go over the rules of the Fairy Tail 24-hour endurance race one more time…"

"No matter if you run, fly, or use strange magic, as long as you can travel 100 kilometers to the mountain, collect a wyvern scale, and return within 24 hours, you'll complete the race."

"The top three will receive prize money from the guild! And the last one to return will face punishment from the guild. Trust me, you don't want to know what that punishment is."

Makarov stood on a high platform, announcing the rules to the assembled mages.

"Got it?!" 

Makarov asked loudly, addressing the crowd of Fairy Tail mages.

"Got it!!"

A wave of cheers rose in response to Makarov's question.

"Then… on your marks…"

Makarov took a deep breath and raised the starting pistol.

"Ara~"

"Looks like we made it just in time~"

But just as Makarov was about to pull the trigger…

A burst of freezing air swept over the group, and three figures—one tall and two smaller—appeared before the gathered Fairy Tail mages.

"Who are they?!"

The Fairy Tail members were momentarily stunned, unfamiliar with the trio.

"Ah! Looks like you've returned from your training."

Makarov's eyes twinkled with joy as he waved to the trio, smiling warmly.

"Yes, our training is complete."

In response to Makarov's greeting, the tall woman leading the group—beautiful and graceful—nodded with a smile.

Then, the woman, who exuded both charm and strength, turned her gaze to Gray, who stood frozen among the crowd, and smiled. 

"Gray, it's been a while! You haven't slacked off on your training, right? Your senior brother Lyon and sister Ultear have grown much stronger."

"Master… It really has been a long time…" 

Gray's voice wavered as he wiped away tears.

Yes, the trio was none other than Ur, Ultear, and Lyon.

If only Silver and his mother, Mika, could return from their travels, Gray's family would finally be reunited.

"And lastly…"

"Ian, it's been a while."

Ur looked at Ian with a complex expression.

"Yo, Ur. Long time no see." 

Ian smiled, understanding the unspoken meaning behind Ur's words, showing that he had returned.

"Wait a minute…"

To this, Erza, who had been standing by Ian's side, seemed to smell that hint of unusual scent in the air, she thought to herself: "Not good! Mother, return quickly, someone is stealing our home!"

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