Heh, I can handle you~
Ches nodded with satisfaction, put the Card back into his deck, straightened his expression, and said seriously, "There's a particularly important matter that requires your assistance."
He pushed away the clingy Black Magician Girl, drew out the Sky Dragon Card, and displayed it before her eyes.
The Black Magician Girl had originally wanted to continue acting cute, but the moment she saw the Sky Dragon, her pupils suddenly constricted, and her expression became incredibly serious.
"Wait, this is... Sky Dragon of Osiris?!"
"That's right, a new companion I got after fighting that Fire Dragon. I was traveling before, so I didn't mention it to you guys."
"That stinking fire-breathing lizard! Next time I see it, I'm definitely going to beat it up!"
Remembering that incredibly arrogant Fire Dragon, the Black Magician Girl clenched her fists in anger.
During that terrifying encounter, she was pierced by the opponent's claw imbued with Dragon Fire the moment she appeared, and sadly retreated to the deck to slumber.
"Revenge is definitely on the Cards, but right now, I want to try and see if I can summon the Sky Dragon. You help me maintain the activation state of the Book of Secret Arts."
With that, Ches stood up and handed a Magic Card to the Black Magician Girl.
【Book of Secret Arts】: A book of magical knowledge containing intricate mysteries, capable of slightly increasing a Magician's Magic Power reserve limit.
The moment the Black Magician Girl reached out to take the Card, a magic circle lit up, and an ancient book with a quill pen floated above her palm.
The slowly turning pages emitted faint starlight.
Ches closed his eyes, his chest slightly rising, indicating that his power had been amplified.
Actually, under normal circumstances, even without the Black Magician Girl's assistance, he could maintain the effect of the Book of Secret Arts.
It was just that summoning the Sky Dragon was too dangerous. His mind and entire nervous system needed to be highly concentrated to prevent accidents.
And this was precisely why he chose to test it only after returning to the safe Magnolia!
"Alright, let's begin."
Under the Black Magician Girl's anxious gaze, Ches took a deep breath to regulate his breathing, then joined his index and middle fingers, holding the Sky Dragon Card aloft above his head.
His expression was serious, and he muttered incantations.
"When the sky thunders and chaos reigns, gather the ancient magic books in the chain, their power can reach infinity."
"When good and evil converge, begin the ritual to summon the judge of hell."
"Descend..."
Ches suddenly opened his eyes, just about to loudly call out the name of Osiris, when suddenly there was a loud "boom."
The sound of a violent explosion actually came early, echoing throughout the entire hall?
No, that's not right!
"Hey Ches! We came to play with you!"
A familiar idiotic voice came from the thick smoke billowing from the doorway. Natsu walked in casually, stepping on the shattered pieces of the door that had been blown into small chunks.
Behind him were Lucy, wrapped in a bath towel and looking very sneaky, and Happy, who let out an "Aye!" with an open mouth.
The two groups just stared at each other, eyes wide, across the flying sawdust.
Lucy stared blankly at Ches, who was maintaining his chuunibyou pose with the Card held high. Remembering the lines she had "accidentally" overheard at the door just now, her eyes instantly became strange:
She didn't expect the imposing Mr. Ches to be such a chuunibyou in private!
After complaining internally, Lucy suddenly reacted and gave Ches several perfectly executed ninety-degree bows.
"Mr. Ches, I am so sorry! I was going to knock, but I didn't expect Natsu to just break in. I'm truly, truly sorry!!"
--------
Let's rewind the time a little, to when Ches had just returned to his residence.
In the residential area diagonally across the river in the city, on the second floor with an open view.
Lucy, who had just finished bathing, was wrapped in a bath towel and sitting comfortably at her desk, holding a quill pen and writing her novel.
"It's the second day since I joined the Guild, and I've gotten a little more familiar with my companions."
"Happy, that dead cat, tricked me out of 3000J. I need to remember this debt clearly and make sure I don't forget it when I wake up tomorrow!"
Lucy recalled everything she had seen and heard at the Guild today, recording all the interesting and hateful things.
Her lips curved upwards when she wrote about the lively scene at the Guild, and she clenched her fists in anger when she wrote about Happy.
"The most memorable thing was meeting the super famous Mr. Ches and hearing a lot about Dragons."
"The S-Class Mage of Fairy Tail is truly terrifyingly strong. When will I be able to reach that level?"
"Oh dear, oh dear! I was indeed being a bit delusional!"
Writing this, Lucy shook her head like a rattle-drum, her cheeks a little red.
She was clearly still an unknown newbie right now!
"Speaking of which, Mr. Ches is much more approachable and gentle than his fearsome image in the rumors..."
Just as Lucy was pondering how to describe Ches in words, she suddenly heard chewing sounds coming from the small living room outside her room.
Did a thief break in just after she moved in?!
Lucy's relaxed nerves instantly tensed. She quickly picked up her Celestial Spirit Key from the desk and tiptoed to the door of her room.
Then, she saw a scene that made her collapse:
Natsu and Happy, those two guys, had somehow snuck into her house and were currently frantically raiding the food in the refrigerator and the snacks she had just bought!
Scattered bones and packaging bags added a touch of lived-in chaos to the clean and tidy cozy little living room.
"Natsu! Happy! How are you here?!" Lucy exclaimed, clearly startled.
"Yo Lucy, good evening."
Natsu greeted her with a smile, grease from roasted meat still on the corners of his mouth.
"Good evening... my foot! This is my house, my private space!!"
"Ahahaha, what does it matter? We just came to play with you."
"I don't remember inviting you over!"
Looking at Natsu, who seemed to think it was perfectly normal, Lucy's saliva flew everywhere. "And that dead cat over there, stop sharpening your claws on the freshly renovated wall!!"
"Aye! Lucy, have some delicious dried fish."
Happy reached behind him and pulled out a blue dried fish from his bag.
"...That's bought with my money, isn't it."
Lucy's mouth twitched, and pound signs representing anger kept appearing on her forehead.
"Oh yeah Lucy, what were you doing in your room? I think I heard the sound of a quill writing."
Saying this, Natsu took a step forward, poked his head in, and curiously peered at the desk in the room.
"Ahhhh! Go to hell!"
Afraid that her secret of writing a novel would be discovered, Lucy's face turned bright red. She spun around 180 degrees and delivered a flying kick, slamming Natsu's head heavily into the wall by the door.
Crack.
The wall immediately cracked in several spiderweb-like patterns.
Natsu instantly coughed up blood, truly instantly taken down the moment he showed his head.
Happy shivered, muttering, "Lucy is scary, Lucy is scary."
After the farce, Lucy's heart eventually softened. She didn't send these two trespassers to the Council for judgment, but instead made them each a cup of hot tea.
Her original intention was for these two to drink it quickly and leave quickly.
However, under Natsu's persistent pestering, she ended up introducing and demonstrating her proud Celestial Spirit Magic to them.
Natsu and Happy were amazed.
"Hey hey Lucy, want to go play at Ches's place? His house is just across the river, super close!"
At the end of their conversation, Natsu suddenly suggested with a mischievous grin.
He was still incredibly unconvinced after being knocked out by Ches with one punch during the day and wanted to get back at him.
"Ah, what a coincidence? Mr. Ches lives right across from me?!" Lucy's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Although it's only right for a junior to visit a senior, wouldn't it be too late for us to go now? Or should we wait until tomorrow... Ahhhhh!"
Before Lucy could finish speaking, Natsu grabbed her small hand and dragged her straight towards the window sill.
With a "bang," the fragile window pane was shattered on the spot.
Amidst the flying glass shards, Lucy's enraged scream rose high.
"So you weren't asking for my opinion, you were just informing me!"
"At least let me change into some normal clothes!"
"And! Can't you use a more human way to leave the house!!!"