Fairy Tail always made a splash during the Harvest Festival.
This year was no different.
However, the festivities for the townsfolk were scheduled for the evening. In the meantime, there were internal guild activities to enjoy during the day. One of these events was the "Miss Fairy Tail Contest," where participants competed for a grand prize of 500,000 Jewels.
"Five hundred thousand Jewels!" Lucy exclaimed dreamily, her eyes sparkling with Jewels signs. Constantly tagging along with Natsu on missions had left her perpetually broke despite taking high-paying jobs—most of which ended up costing more than they earned due to property damage and repairs. As a result, she often found herself worrying about rent and groceries.
"You don't stand a chance, Lucy," Happy said matter-of-factly.
"What? Of course I do! I'm adorable!" Lucy shot back indignantly.
"But Erza is entering—and she's super popular. Plus, there's Mira too."
Lucy deflated instantly. Competing against those two powerhouses? It felt impossible.
---
Meanwhile, Max was busy selling figurines in his shop. Lucy had once observed how he arranged them on display—and it wasn't random. His setup was meticulous.
The hottest-selling item? A cursed doll modeled after Jehfrit. Following that were figures of Erza and Mira. Even Natsu and Gray outsold hers!
As a blonde bombshell, Lucy couldn't believe she'd been relegated to the bottom shelf. Heck, even Gajeel, who'd only recently joined the guild, ranked higher than her!
Ugh! She remembered when she tried using her charm to haggle down the price of the Gate of the Canis Minor Key back in Hargeon before meeting Natsu. All she got was a measly discount of 1,000 Jewels.
Was she really that uncharismatic?
No! She refused to think so.
"At least I'm younger than them…" Lucy muttered defensively.
"Levy's seventeen too," Happy chimed in helpfully.
"Gah! Shut up, Happy! Don't crush my hopes before the contest even starts!" Lucy cried, burying her face in her hands.
"Don't worry, Lucy," Natsu suddenly piped up, grinning widely as he turned around from whatever chaos he'd been causing earlier. "I'll vote for you!"
"Thank you, Natsu," Lucy replied, touched by his loyalty. At least this lovable idiot wouldn't betray her by voting for someone else.
---
Nearby, an innocent child's voice rang out:
"That big brother isn't wearing clothes!"
"No, no, don't look!" The mother quickly covered her child's eyes.
"Gray-sama, your clothes!" Juvia called out helpfully.
"Huh? When did this happen?!" Gray exclaimed, looking around frantically for his missing attire.
"Pervert," Natsu teased.
"What did you say, flame brain?! You wanna fight?!" Gray roared, fists clenched.
"Ahh!"
"Ahh!"
Just as their inevitable brawl seemed imminent, the townspeople scattered—they were used to such antics from Fairy Tail members.
Amidst the commotion, a weary traveler pushed through the crowd and accidentally bumped into someone performing street magic tricks for children. The magician had been showing off, spinning playing cards between his fingers at dizzying speeds—but now the card fell to the ground.
"Aww…" The kids groaned in disappointment.
"Hey, watch where you're going!" The traveler snapped rudely, not bothering to apologize. Instead, seeing the harmless magician, he decided to play the victim. "What's wrong with you bumping into me like that?"
The magician simply smiled, unfazed.
"Excuse me, mister, but you clearly ran into our magician friend!" one kid protested.
"Yeah! Leave Jehfrit alone—he didn't do anything wrong!"
"Yeah! Don't be mean to him!"
The children rallied to defend the performer.
"Tch, what does it matter to you brats anyway?" the traveler sneered. "Mind your own business!"
"Bad adult!"
"Yeah, leave already! No one wants you here!"
Shaking his head and muttering curses under his breath, the traveler stomped off.
Jehfrit glanced after him briefly before turning back to the kids. "Alright then, let's get back to the show."
A few steps later, the traveler suddenly felt an overwhelming urge wash over him. He spotted what appeared to be a voluptuous woman ahead and licked his lips eagerly. Without hesitation, he reached out and slapped her rear—
Only to realize, as she spun around furiously, that "she" was actually a towering, muscular man.
"You wanna die, punk?!" the bald giant bellowed, enraged at being groped.
"N-no, wait! It looked like a woman, I swear!" The traveler stammered, backing away nervously.
"You still trying to grab women?!"
With a single punch, the giant sent the traveler sprawling. Cheers erupted from the onlookers.
---
Back at the performance area, Jehfrit paid no mind to the scuffle. Instead, he focused on entertaining the kids, flipping a card expertly between his fingers.
"Little Mary, what gift would you like for the Harvest Festival?" he asked a young girl.
"I want an apron because my mom's is old and worn out," she replied shyly.
"What a thoughtful daughter you are! Always thinking of others, just like a hero. Look—" Jehfrit gestured dramatically, and a brand-new apron materialized around her shoulders. "See? Your very own magical cape-apron hybrid!"
"Thank you, Jehfrit-nii!" Little Mary squealed joyfully, throwing her arms around him for a hug and planting a slobbery kiss on his cheek.
Jehfrit chuckled warmly and bent down to receive her gratitude. Then, turning to another boy wiping his nose on his sleeve, he asked, "And you, Jack? What would you like?"
"A lollipop!" the boy declared confidently.
"Then hold onto this card," Jehfrit instructed, handing it over.
Jack accepted the card, only to find himself clutching a massive, flat round lollipop instead.
"Wow, thank you, Jehfrit-nii!" Overwhelmed with excitement, Jack lunged forward for a kiss too—but accidentally smeared snot across Jehfrit's face in the process.
To everyone's surprise—including Lucy, who winced sympathetically—Jehfrit calmly pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his cheek clean without a trace of irritation.
"Isn't Jehfrit supposed to have OCD?" Lucy whispered, amazed by his patience.
"Because Jehfrit is also a kind person," came a soft reply beside her.
"Mira-san!" Lucy turned to see Mirajane smiling gently at her side.
Mirajane joined Lucy in watching Jehfrit interact with the children, a peculiar expression crossing her face. "You know… Jehfrit might make a great father someday."
"As long as he doesn't teach the kids all his pranks," Lucy joked.
"Haha, true. But once they learn his Deception Magic, it'll be hard for him to resist teaching them mischief," Mirajane giggled.
Lucy nodded in agreement, imagining a future scene: Fifteen years from now, inside Fairy Tail…
A blond-haired child—wearing a scarf suspiciously similar to Natsu's—was shouting while wielding Celestial Spirit keys and spitting fire. "Use ice, you idiot!"
"Fire's better, ice-brain! Want me to knock some sense into you?!" retorted a blue-haired boy in nothing but shorts, holding water in one hand and ice in the other.
Their battle intensified, flames clashing with ice, spirits countering water. Meanwhile, a white-haired boy stood quietly in the corner, twirling a cane and snapping photos with an unsettling grin.
Wait—why did the fire-breathing kid look exactly like Natsu?!
Lucy shook her head violently, cheeks flushing red.
"Lucy?" Mirajane asked curiously.
"N-nothing! Absolutely nothing!" Lucy stammered, flustered.
Mirajane blinked, then laughed softly. "Well, I'm heading off to buy something. See you later!"
As Mira walked away, Lucy sighed in relief—only to hear familiar arguing behind her.
"Enough!" she yelled, yanking Natsu away from Gray, whose forehead had been dangerously close to his rival's.
"C'mon, Gray-sama, please put some clothes on," Juvia pleaded.
"Hmph!" Both boys crossed their arms and turned their backs on each other.