By noon, the first day of construction on Fairy Tail's new expansion was proceeding at a breakneck pace, with the foundation already nearly half done thanks to the magical assistance of the members.
Natsu and Gray collapsed onto a pair of wooden benches near the edge of the construction zone.
The rivalry that had fueled them all morning—carrying logs and smashing rocks—had finally given way to exhaustion.
It wasn't until the midday heat grew intense that their biological clocks chimed in unison.
It was lunchtime.
Ankh plopped down heavily on a large, flat rock nearby, clutching his stomach unhappily. The sound of his hunger was almost audible.
"I'm dying..." Ankh groaned, looking up at the sky. "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse. Let's go out and eat! My treat."
Natsu's stomach growled a ferocious response, sounding like a dragon's roar.
He raised a trembling hand. "Seconded! I need meat!"
Erza, however, was still bustling about. She wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead, her eyes shining with determination.
She looked like she could work for another ten hours without pausing!
"I feel fine, actually!" Erza said cheerfully, flexing her arm. "Rebuilding the guild is really meaningful work! It fills me with energy!"
Gray, sitting next to Ankh, slumped his shoulders and couldn't help but complain. "Even hard workers need to eat, Erza. Not everyone has your monstrous stamina..."
"Yeah," Ankh agreed, standing up on shaky legs. "Let's go grab some—"
Just as Ankh was about to organize a meal and lead the group into town, the weather decided to intervene.
SPLASH!
A sudden downpour—no, it was more like a bucketful of water being dumped from the clear blue sky!
However, this rain was incredibly weird.
It was fierce and heavy for exactly three seconds before vanishing completely. Furthermore, the localized storm had a very specific target radius.
Except for Erza, who was standing a few meters away, the three boys—Ankh, Natsu, and Gray—were instantly drenched from head to toe.
"The fuck—?" Ankh wiped water from his eyes, staring blankly at the sunny sky. "Why did it only rain right here? Is this a prank?"
Soaked by the unexpected rain, Natsu shook his head violently like a wet dog, sending spray flying everywhere to dry himself off.
"Cold!" Natsu yelled.
Only Gray seemed less concerned with the water and more confused by the object that had just materialized in his lap.
He looked down, bewildered, at the exquisite, pink-wrapped lunchbox now resting in his hands.
"Whose lunch is this?" Gray asked, turning the box over. "How did it end up in my hands? Did it fall from the sky with the rain?"
Ankh paused while water dripping from his nose. He looked at the rain pattern. He looked at the pink box.
'Carried here by the rain? Do you think I'm stupid?'
Ankh immediately scanned the perimeter. His sharp eyes swept over the construction debris until he spotted a familiar tuft of blue hair and a sea-blue coat hiding poorly behind a low brick wall about fifty meters away.
'Ah.' Ankh's face twitched.
He had almost forgotten about her.
Just like in the original history he remembered, Juvia had fallen in love with Gray at first sight during the battle.
After battling him and losing, she had unexpectedly broken her curse of eternal rain.
That "love at first sight," combined with Gray inadvertently showing her the clear blue sky she had never seen before, had turned the gloomiest woman in Fiore into Gray's simp.
Watching Juvia stare at Gray with perverted intensity from afar, Ankh couldn't help but shake his head.
'Women in love are truly terrifying creatures...'
Ankh didn't show himself or chase her away.
He understood Juvia's purpose here, and frankly, he welcomed it.
In his mind, he was already calculating the future.
Both Juvia and Gajeel were destined to join Fairy Tail. Their addition would strengthen the guild immensely.
Ankh thought back to the Phantom Lord members. Aside from the creepy Aria, Sol, and Gajeel, the others were decent people.
They had simply been following orders against Fairy Tail out of loyalty to their guild.
They weren't evil; just on the wrong side.
Even Gajeel had just strayed down the wrong path due to a bad upbringing, unlike the truly sinister Aria.
With proper discipline and training (and maybe a few beatings from Erza), the Iron Dragon Slayer could become a valuable asset.
Earlier, when Laxus had sent Gajeel flying with that lightning punch, Laxus had claimed the man would surely die.
But Ankh doubted it.
'Dragon Slayers are tough,' Ankh mused.
Dying from one blow, even from Laxus, is unlikely for a guy like Gajeel. He's probably sleeping it off in a crater somewhere.
Choosing to ignore the hiding stalker for now, Ankh nudged Gray.
"Well, whoever's it is, it literally fell into your lap," Ankh urged, eager to see the contents. "Just open it. Maybe it's an apology gift from the gods."
Gray shrugged. "Guess I shouldn't waste food."
He lifted the lid of the pink lunchbox.
The three boys leaned in—and immediately froze in place.
Ankh blinked. He hadn't expected it to be this intense.
'So gross!' Ankh exclaimed involuntarily.
The first layer of the bento was filled with various high-quality dishes—grilled meat, fresh vegetables, rolled omelets—all looking quite delicious and professionally made.
But the second layer...
On top of the white rice, 'someone' had used seaweed, plums, and sauce to draw a portrait.
It was Gray's face.
Next to the face, fruits and vegetables had been meticulously carved to spell out the word "LOVE."
And this "Gray Rice Face," with its sparkling starry eyes, flushed cheeks, and an eerily accurate expression of handsomeness, looked utterly perverted!
Gray's real face twitched uncontrollably as he stared at his 'image'.
"So ugly!" Gray gagged. "Why does the rice look like it wants to kiss me?!"
Natsu, however, had no such reservations about aesthetics. Seeing that Gray was paralyzed by the creepiness, Natsu boldly reached in.
"Food is food!"
He grabbed a raw octopus tentacle from the side dish compartment and shoved it into his mouth, chewing happily.
Hiding behind the wall, Juvia bit her handkerchief while tears streaming down her face as she heard what Gray's said.
"So heartbreaking!" Juvia wailed softly. "Juvia spent three days making that portrait! Juvia calculated the rice grain placement perfectly! Why doesn't Gray-sama understand Juvia art?!"
Back at the bench, the group continued examining the magical lunchbox.
Happy flew over while sniffing the air.
"Aye!" Happy raised a paw excitedly. "I know this! It's a popular character bento! Girls make them for guys they like!"
Gray's eyebrow twitched violently. "But it's my face! It feels like cannibalism! How am I supposed to eat myself?!"
"You guys slacking off again!"
A stern voice cut through their lunch break.
Discipline Officer Erza Scarlet marched over with hands on her hips.
Seeing Natsu and Gray sneaking around instead of working, she was prepared to lecture them.
But soon, Erza's attention was caught by the pink box in Gray's hands. Her eyes widened with genuine curiosity.
"Oh? Is this that character bento everyone talks about?" Erza asked, leaning in close. "I've never seen one in person."
She didn't wait for an invitation.
"Let me try."
Erza stabbed her fork right into the rice shaped like Gray's forehead!
Gray watched in horror as a chunk of his rice-face disappeared into Erza's mouth.
He felt a phantom pain in his own head!
"My face..." Gray muttered, feeling utterly miserable.
Erza chewed thoughtfully, then swallowed.
Her eyes lit up. "Not bad. It's actually quite seasoned. I'll have some more."
Gray, intrigued by her compliment, finally picked up his own chopsticks. His hunger outweighed the creepiness.
"Really? Is it actually edible?" Gray poked the rice cheek. "Then I'll try some too."
Hearing this, Juvia peeked over the wall, watching eagerly as Gray brought the food to his lips.
Gray slowly swallowed. His eyes widened in genuine surprise.
"Strange," Gray admitted, taking another bite. "It's unexpectedly delicious. Whoever made this can really cook."
Upon hearing this, Juvia melted!
She slid down the wall, clutching her cheeks, completely satisfied.
Her mind began to spin endless, wild fantasies about their future married life based solely on this one insignificant compliment.
'Gray-sama loves Juvia's cooking! That means he loves Juvia!'
In her mind, a cinematic montage played out: Gray proposing on a white horse, Juvia accepting in a wedding dress made of water, their grand wedding attended by fishes, having children...
'One child? No, two! No, let's have thirty!'
Juvia's imagination ran wild.
'We will need a big house for thirty babies! Gray-sama will work hard, and Juvia will make thirty bentos every day! Oh, bliss!'
When it came to delusional daydreaming—Juvia was truly a gifted prodigy.
Ankh also reached in and tried a piece of the bento, his eyes lighting up at the flavor.
'Not bad at all,' Ankh thought.
He couldn't help but conclude: Juvia might often do things that defied common sense, and her personality was a bit damp, but her dedication and persistence were truly remarkable.
This bento was clearly meticulously prepared.
Juvia must have put considerable effort into carving every carrot heart.
'She's a true simp for sure,'
Natsu, having happily devoured half the bento that Juvia had made specifically for Gray, burped loudly.
He wiped his mouth and looked around.
"Hey," Natsu said, suddenly realizing something. "Where's Lucy? I haven't seen her all morning. Is she slacking off?"
Erza shook her head, swallowing the last of the rice. "I haven't seen her either. Probably at home? Mirajane said Lucy took the day off to rest after the battle."
Ankh stretched his arms, hearing his back crack. "Well, we're done eating. Let's go to Lucy's place then. Maybe she has dessert."
"Alright." Gray stood up, having finished eating even the rice shaped like his own chin. "I'm worried she might be beating herself up about the whole 'my father started the war' thing."
Seeing everyone was going, Erza nodded. "A visit to a comrade is a good idea."
She quickly changed out of her construction gear into her regular armor and the group headed off toward Lucy's apartment, unaware that their blonde friend was currently making a very difficult decision.
---------
Read 40 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator