Chapter 116: FTRJ: Chapter 116

His mind raced, desperately searching for a topic to break the heavy silence.

Mirajane, meanwhile, felt a surge of frustration and anxiety. He’s just going to stay silent? The atmosphere is perfect; he should say something!

… … …

But even she couldn’t think of anything to say.

Her inner voice was screaming in protest, but Finn remained oblivious.

The silence grew more and more awkward. Finn, increasingly anxious, decided to blurt out something, anything at all.

“Ah… Mira, look at how round the moon is tonight!” Finn said, looking up at the sky, his words hesitant and slightly strained.

Mirajane followed his gaze, only to see a large crescent moon—definitely not full.

The silence became even more uncomfortable.

“This idiot!” Mirajane facepalmed internally, a wave of despair washing over her.

Finn seemed to realize his mistake, scratching the back of his head and offering a nervous chuckle. The conversation was completely deadlocked.

“No, I have to take the initiative!” Mirajane seemed to make a decision.

Taking a deep breath, she looked straight ahead, then reached out her slender hand.

She gently grasped Finn’s hand.

Her fair face instantly flushed crimson.

The moment Finn felt her touch, his eyes widened in surprise, his heart pounding rapidly.

Turning to look at Mirajane, he saw her gaze fixed straight ahead, her blush now spreading to her neck.

Seeing this, Finn breathed a sigh of relief and offered a warm smile. At this point, if he still didn’t understand her feelings, he would be a complete fool.

As if in response, his fingers interlocked with hers, his hand closing firmly around hers.

They say that ten fingers are connected to the heart; in that moment, their hearts truly connected.

The colorful cherry blossoms, gently stirred by the evening breeze, swirled around them, as if nature itself was offering its most sincere blessings.

They shared a tender smile. In this magical moment, words were unnecessary; the simple act of holding hands, walking together in this dreamlike world, was more than enough.

The next day, the Fairy Tail guild was as chaotic as ever.

“So, kid, how’d things go yesterday?” Laxus, beer in hand, sat down next to Finn, his tone teasing.

“Huh? You know about yesterday?” Finn was genuinely surprised.

He and Mirajane had been quite discreet, he thought.

Laxus shook his head. “You think anyone didn’t notice? You two practically vanished into thin air.”

“It was pretty obvious what you two were up to,” Laxus said, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “So, how far did things progress? Officially a couple yet? Spill the beans!”

Finn facepalmed, giving Laxus a dubious look. “Since when did you become such a gossip?”

Laxus waved his hand dismissively.

“Forget that, just tell me, are you two an item or not?”

This side of Laxus felt foreign to Finn. Wasn’t he supposed to be aloof and superior? Now he was like…

…like one of those gossipy aunties from his past life.

However, seeing the intense curiosity in Laxus’s eyes,

Finn decided to be firm in his refusal.

“Shove off, you can find someone yourself and experience the joys of romance.”

“Just leave me out of your gossip.”

Seeing Finn’s unwavering stance, Laxus shook his head. “Fine, you’re impossible!”

He stood up, taking his beer to join the other guild members, their boisterous laughter and playful banter occasionally reaching Finn’s ears.

Finn chuckled to himself.

It was clear that Laxus had fully integrated into the guild, and everyone had accepted him.

Makarov had also noticed the positive change in Laxus; he was probably smiling even in his sleep these days.

“What are you thinking about, Finn?” A familiar voice interrupted his thoughts. Turning, Finn saw Mirajane approaching with a mug of warm milk, a soft smile playing on her lips.

“Nothing much. By the way, how’s Lucy doing?” Finn asked, taking the mug of milk from Mirajane.

Everyone had been quite worried about Lucy’s illness the previous day.

Mirajane replied with a cheerful smile. “Lucy’s completely recovered today, all thanks to Wendy.”

Just as the two were conversing, Lucy pushed open the guildhall doors and entered.

“Are you feeling better now that your cold’s gone?” Natsu asked, his mouth full of food.

Lucy clenched her fist, demonstrating her restored health. “Yep, I’m feeling great!”

“That’s fantastic news, Lucy!” Happy exclaimed, visibly overjoyed.

Lucy’s energetic demeanor confirmed Mirajane’s earlier assessment; she had indeed made a full recovery.

Bang—

“Who did this?!”

The doors burst open, revealing a furious Makarov and Erza storming into the guildhall.

“You bunch of idiots! Who uprooted and stole Magnolia’s most precious cherry tree?!”

Makarov was hopping mad, his voice rising with each word.

“Do you realize how furious the city officials are about this?!”

Natsu and Happy stiffened, instinctively turning to make a hasty retreat.

It was abundantly clear that the two were the culprits behind this latest mishap.

“I can’t stand those two,” Gray muttered, shaking his head in exasperation, his arms crossed and his torso bare.

“Gray, your shirt…” Cana reminded him, her voice laced with a mixture of amusement and concern.

“Figures,” Gajeel commented dryly, shaking his head.

“Heh, those knuckleheads…” Finn chuckled, shaking his head.

…

The incident was quickly forgotten; causing mayhem was practically a daily occurrence at the Fairy Tail guild.

After venting his frustration, Makarov calmly resumed his position behind the bar, sipping his drink and enjoying the lively atmosphere.

Dong—dong—dong—

As the guildhall once again descended into a state of cheerful chaos, a series of deep, resonant bell tolls echoed throughout Magnolia.

The sound of the bell caused the Fairy Tail members to cease their activities immediately.

“What’s going on?” Lucy asked, her gaze sweeping across the room, a puzzled expression on her face.

“The bell?” Wendy and Carla looked towards the direction from which the sound originated.

“That bell-ringing pattern…” Natsu exclaimed, his voice filled with excitement as he rose to his feet.

“Aye!” Happy echoed Natsu’s enthusiasm.

Mirajane and Finn exchanged a knowing glance. “Looks like that old geezer’s finally back,” Finn commented.

“Ah, it’s been three years, hasn’t it? About time he showed up,” Finn said, his gaze drifting towards the entrance of the guildhall.

“Gildarts!”

“Gildarts is back!!”

A wave of joyous excitement washed over the guildhall as the news spread.

Lucy, however, looked on with a mixture of confusion and curiosity.

“Gildarts? I don’t think I’ve ever met him before. Who is he?”

“I’m curious too,” Wendy added, her voice filled with a hint of excitement.

“He’s Fairy Tail’s strongest mage,” Mirajane replied, a warm smile gracing her lips.

“What?!” Lucy’s eyes widened in astonishment upon hearing the words “strongest mage.”

“You mean, he’s even stronger than Finn and Erza?”

Erza, arms crossed, chuckled. “Compared to him, I’m just a small fry. Although…”

Erza fell silent for a moment, lost in thought. “As for Finn… it’s difficult to say definitively who is stronger between the two of them. After all, it’s been quite some time since they last engaged in a serious battle.”

A cold sweat began to form on Lucy’s brow. “Just how dangerous is this person?!”

Judging by Erza’s tone, Gildarts had undoubtedly been stronger than Finn in the past; even now, they were likely to be evenly matched.

The image of Finn’s devastating destruction of Nirvana was still vividly etched in her memory.

And now, she learned that this seemingly superhuman guild harbored yet another individual of such immense power…

“But… strength aside, why is everyone so excited?” Lucy asked, her voice laced with confusion.

“It’s like they’re celebrating a festival, Carla,” Wendy observed, her gaze sweeping across the jubilant guild members.

“This guild is certainly… loud,” Carla commented with a wry shake of her head, her expression suggesting that she was already becoming accustomed to the boisterous atmosphere of Fairy Tail.

“It’s no surprise they’re so excited. He hasn’t been back for three years,” Mirajane explained, her voice tinged with a hint of nostalgia.

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