**Chapter 18: I'm Back**
Magnolia Town.
Fairy Tail Guild.
Looking at the large gate, a knowing smile appeared on Ren's face.
The Fairy Tail Guild was his most important home in this world, and the guild members were his most important family.
"Whoa... It's so big!"
Lucy stood in front of the Fairy Tail Guild's gate, looking at the guild and exclaiming in admiration.
After the human trafficking incident ended last night, Ren brought Lucy along to the Fairy Tail Guild.
Lucy, who had always dreamed of joining Fairy Tail, immediately accepted with joy.
"Welcome to Fairy Tail."
"Mirajane!! Three beers here!!"
"Coming!" Mirajane replied with a smile.
Nineteen-year-old Mirajane was slim and graceful, with a cute face and a perfect figure. She wore a red dress, looking dignified and skilled, completely different from how she looked three years ago.
At the age of 17, Mirajane became a new S-Class Mage of Fairy Tail, but in the same year, she chose to retire. Now she worked behind the scenes in the guild.
Sometimes she worked as a waitress, sometimes as a mission consultant. When the Master wasn't around, Mirajane was responsible for the guild mages accepting commission requests.
"Mirajane!" Wakaba raised his hand to call her.
"Ara ara, what is it?"
"Phew~!" Wakaba took a drag of his cigarette and blew out pink heart-shaped smoke rings.
"Go on a date with me next time."
"Ah! How sly, you beat me to it."
"Stop it..." Mirajane waved her hand to disperse Wakaba's smoke rings.
*Poof!* Mirajane used Transformation Magic, instantly turning into a chubby middle-aged woman. "Don't you have a wife?"
"Wahhh—! Don't turn into my wife!!" Wakaba ran away in tears.
"Hahahaha!!"
Everyone in the guild laughed at this scene.
*Bang!*
The guild doors were kicked open.
Natsu marched in aggressively: "I'm back!!"
"We're back!" Happy greeted softly.
Ren also raised his hand: "I'm back."
"Ah! Ren, Natsu, and Happy are back!"
"Ren hasn't been back for three months, right? Long time no see!"
"Welcome back! Ren! Natsu! Happy!"
Seeing Ren and the others appear, a bright smile appeared on Mirajane's face.
Many people in the guild greeted Ren.
Natsu, however, kicked one of the guys with buckteeth.
"Bastard!! The information about the Salamander was fake!!"
"Ugh!" The bucktoothed guy cried out in pain.
"It's not my fault! I just heard rumors!"
Natsu didn't care and chased the bucktoothed guy to beat him up. Many people cheered watching the fight.
"They're fighting! Why are they fighting?!" Lucy felt quite a shock.
It started with two people, then slowly more and more people joined in, until finally, it seemed like everyone in the guild was fighting.
Ren paid no attention to the fight in the guild; this kind of scene was too common in Fairy Tail.
Ren walked up to Mirajane and said, "Long time no see, Mirajane. You've become even more beautiful."
Ren, Mirajane, and Erza were the same age, all nineteen.
The relationship between the three was also very special.
Initially, before Ren came to the guild, Mirajane and Erza were rivals, just like Natsu and Gray.
When Ren arrived, while they treated each other as rivals, they also regarded Ren as their biggest rival.
Thus, the three formed a bond, grew up together, improved together, and eventually all became S-Class Mages of Fairy Tail.
Later, after the incident with Lisanna, Mirajane retired to the background.
Since then, Mirajane always wore a smile to keep the guild members from worrying; only occasionally in front of Ren would she reveal her true feelings.
Ren liked the current Mirajane very much—beautiful, gentle, kind, cute, and virtuous.
But the more familiar he was with Mirajane, the more his heart ached for her being like this.
Mirajane smiled and said to Ren, "It hasn't been that long! You've become a smooth talker."
"No way? It's a sincere compliment." Ren cried injustice, but he really did like Mirajane.
"I'd be strange to believe you. Who is that girl?" Mirajane rolled her eyes at Ren and pointed at Lucy, who was standing bewildered in the crowd.
A strange, pretty girl coming back with Ren—Mirajane had noticed her the moment they walked in.
"Her name is Lucy..."
Ren explained what happened at Harligeon Port.
Suddenly, Master Makarov's voice rang out in the guild: "Stop it! You bunch of idiots!"
A giant figure appeared in the guild, and the bustling fight instantly quieted down.
"So big!!" Lucy was terrified seeing such a huge Makarov.
"Master, you're back!" Mirajane greeted Makarov immediately.
"Master?!!" Lucy couldn't believe this giant monster was the Fairy Tail Guild Master.
"A newcomer?"
"Y... yes..."
Immediately after, the giant figure shrank rapidly, turning into a small old man less than a meter tall in the blink of an eye.
"Nice to meet you!"
"So small!!"