Fairy Tail: Strongest Creature

"Okay, okay! Hurry up, the show's about to start!"

At that moment, the guild's curtains were drawn, plunging the hall into darkness. A beam of light shone on the small stage inside the guild, and as the curtains opened, Mira appeared there.

Mira wore an elegant gown and sat onstage with a guitar in her arms.

"Mira?!"

"It's been so long, Mira!!"

"Mira—!!"

"Mira-chan—!"

Everyone in the guild cheered loudly, like excited fans at a concert about to begin.

Soon, Mira's lovely singing voice accompanied the gentle strum of her guitar.

"That's such a nice song."

"Yeah. It's a piece for the mages who go out on jobs."

Su Yan also listened with a smile. Seeing Mira perform before everyone in the guild was unimaginable compared to how she used to be as a child. Even back then, though, Mira had studied music—albeit in a slightly different style—often asking Su Yan to be her audience. Thinking back on those memories made him happy, and he felt just as happy now.

"Mira—!"

"That sounds great!"

"Awesome—!!"

Almost everyone in the guild shouted their praises.

Gajeel, however, felt uneasy about Fairy Tail's joyful mood. In the Phantom Lord guild, strength alone mattered; it was a place full of jerks who never sat around enjoying music together. This was all too homey for him.

Noticing Natsu standing nearby, Gajeel discreetly raised his foot and stomped down on Natsu's toes.

"Ouch—!!" Natsu yelped in pain.

"Heh."

"What the heck are you doing?! You stepped on my foot on purpose!!" Natsu snarled, planting one foot on a chair as he glowered at Gajeel.

"Huh?" Gajeel acted as though he had no idea what Natsu was talking about.

Suddenly, two cups flew across the room and smacked both Natsu and Gajeel in the face.

"Shut up!! Mira's singing here!!"

Natsu kicked over a table. "Who just threw those cups?!"

"Whoooa!" Lucy shrieked, jumping in fright as the table overturned.

"Natsu, keep it down!!"

"You people!! If you're men, listen quietly to my sister's song!!"

"Stop making noise!!"

Before long, half the guild was brawling again.

Observing the commotion, Mira said, "Seems this isn't the time for ballads. Let's rock!"

She shifted instantly into a rock-inspired outfit. The atmosphere inside the guild exploded with renewed energy. People who wanted to fight fought. Those who wanted to drink, drank. Everyone did as they pleased, and the guild was once again filled with noisy chaos.

But the members felt right at home—that was the Fairy Tail way.

"Why couldn't you just behave for one more day…? You brats!" Makarov cried out tearfully. "There's a reporter coming tomorrow—!! Hurry up and stop!! You idiots, clean this mess up!!"

It turned out that the outdoor café, the shop, and the new uniforms were all in preparation for an interview. In this world of magic and modernity, it was somewhere around the 60s technology-wise, and people's lifestyles weren't too different from a 90s environment. Magazines existed—like the weekly Sorcerer's Magazine, Sorcerer—covering new magic gadgets, popular guilds, and featuring photos of lovely wizards. It was diverse and very well-liked by the public.

After all, many people yearned for magic, and in their eyes, guild mages were like heroic protagonists from stories.

Early the next morning, a large number of members gathered in the guild, still amid a rowdy atmosphere.

"Wow—! The Fairy Queen!!"

"Oh my gosh! It's really her! COOL! COOL! So cool! The real Erza!! So cool!!"

The Weekly Sorcerer reporter, Jason, bounced up and down with excitement at the sight of Erza.

"May I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"How many suits of armor do you have in total?"

"COOL!!"

"What's your favorite outfit?"

"Bunny girl."

"Bunny girl?!"

"Well, I think the ears are cute."

"C0000000L!!"

When he finished with Erza, Jason spotted Gray standing not far away and sprinted over, shouting, "It's Gray—!! The real Gray—!!"

"Who are you?" Gray asked.

"Oh, you must be the magazine reporter the Master mentioned," Juvia said quietly from beside him.

"Juvia?! Coooool! Mr. Gray, why do you strip off your clothes at the drop of a hat?"

Gray leapt up. "I do not strip randomly!! Don't make me sound like some pervert!!"

"Gray-sama! Your pants!"

Jason spotted Natsu and let out a cheer. "Natsu!! Salamander Natsu!! You're the wizard I wanted to see most!"

"Oi!! You're the jerk who keeps writing bad stuff about me!!"

"YES!!"

"My destruction levels are this and that?! All sorts of nonsense?!"

"COOL! COOL! You're so awesome—shake my hand, please!!"

"Shut up!!" Natsu socked Jason in the face, sending him tumbling across the floor.

Jason landed at Su Yan's feet. Su Yan couldn't help asking, "You okay?"

Looking up, Jason's eyes went wide. "Y-You… Are you the Undead Demon Emperor, Yan?!"

He suddenly got teary-eyed with excitement. "I can't believe it! I've finally met the wizard I most, most, most wanted to see!! So c0000l! C00000L!!"

Jason slipped into a fit of self-amazement.

Su Yan felt his eyelid twitch. That title again. It sounded like something from a high-level villain in a story. He wasn't sure when that moniker had become so widely known.

"Damn it, who came up with that nickname for me…?"

"It was me!!" Jason declared proudly.

"It was you!!"

"You like it, right?"

"Like my foot!!" Su Yan barked.