The New Girl (Fairy Tail Fanfic)

Chapter 26: Friends or Foes?

The New Girl (Fairy Tail Fanfic):
Chapter 26: Friends or Foes?
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Blue Moon Guild—
11:45 PM

Minerva: Everyone, we have successfully found the device.

Yukino jolted upright, almost knocking over her drink. Her attention snapped to Erza, who had suddenly risen from her chair like she hadn't been completely incapacitated just moments earlier.

"The mission is over already?" Erza asked, her voice stern and composed, as though she hadn't just spent the last hour passed out from a questionable amount of alcohol.

Yukino blinked in confusion, still processing the sudden shift. "A-are you alright to move around??" she stammered, glancing at Erza's previously slumped figure.

Erza furrowed her brow, staring at Yukino like she had just asked if fish could swim. "Of course, why do you ask?"

Yukino sweat-dropped. "Did she black out THAT easily and forget everything??" she thought, her disbelief clearly visible on her face.

"Never mind..." Yukino sighed, refocusing on the earpiece chatter.

Yukino: Copy. Should we meet at the rendezvous point?

Rufus: Not yet! We're waiting on Sting and Rogue to come back.

Erza, always sharp, immediately noticed.

"Was that part of the plan?" Erza's voice cut through the silence, firm and expecting a clear answer.

"N-no... it wasn't," Yukino replied, her voice faltering slightly.

Erza crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing as she studied Yukino. "Well, aren't you going to ask why your team members ran off during an important mission?" she asked, clearly irritated. Back in Fiore, such a stunt would've resulted in a stern lecture—or worse, depending on how fiery she was feeling that day.

"We don't question his actions." Yukino snapped back, almost like a reflex.

Erza's eyebrows shot up. "What do you mean by that? Who do you not question? Sting or Rogue? Don't you think it's a little odd they suddenly—"

"We do what we're told. No matter what." Yukino interrupted, her tone taking on a strange, almost robotic quality.

Erza's frown deepened. The fierce, independent Yukino she had interacted with before was suddenly... subdued, almost like she was reciting a line she had memorized, not truly believing the words herself.

Erza sighed, clearly not liking this. She wasn't used to people following blindly like this, and Yukino's sudden submission was unnerving. But if Yukino wasn't going to press the issue, Erza would.

Erza: What do you mean? Where are they?

Orga: Elaine, what is your status with the detonator?

Erza clenched her fists, her annoyance growing. "Did he just ignore me?!" she exclaimed, her temper simmering.

Juvia: Elaine and I switched places because her potion was wearing off. Juvia has left Abel's side but managed to retrieve the detonator. Has anyone seen Gray-sama~?

Erza's sharp eyes flicked back to Yukino, her frustration barely masked. "What did I miss?"

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