With Great Power Comes Great Responsibilty

Chapter 24

The next day, a lively fair was held in Magnolia Square, filled with excitement—games, rides, live performances, and even a parade. Gray wandered through the crowd, snapping photos with his camera while discreetly keeping an eye out for anything suspicious, just as Gajeel had instructed. At the same time, he and Natsu were secretly scheming to catch Lucy's attention—romantically, of course.

"There she is," Natsu said, spotting Lucy near one of the game booths.

"Alright," he continued, "here's the plan: we hang out with her, act like total gentlemen—fun gentlemen—and by the end of the day, we ask her which one of us she'd be interested in dating."

"No sabotage," Gray added, narrowing his eyes.

"Sabotage? Me?" Natsu asked, putting on an innocent face. "When have I ever stooped to such low tactics?"

"Football tryouts, tenth grade. You put ice in my shorts."

"Oh... right. That was then, this is now. I swear—no sabotage."

"Good."

Both of them quickly fixed their hair, straightened up, and put on their most charming smiles before walking over to greet the blonde.

"Hi, Lucy," they said in unison.

"Oh, hey Natsu, Gray! I'm so glad you guys are here," Lucy said brightly.

"You are?" Natsu asked, a bit too eagerly.

"Sure! I needed someone to keep me company while Loke was in the bathroom."

"...Loke's here?" Gray asked, his tone suddenly flat.

"Yep! Oh—there he is now!"

A confident young man with orange hair and stylish shades strolled up to them, flashing a dazzling grin.

"Hey, Lucy. Hope I didn't keep you waiting," he said smoothly.

"Not at all," Lucy replied, smiling as she kissed his cheek. "Loke, these are two of my very good friends—Natsu Dragneel and Gray Fullbuster."

"Oh yeah, Lucy's mentioned you two," Loke said, sizing them up. "A couple of teacher's pets, right?"

"Well, we're not exactly that," Gray said quickly. "I mean, we do well in our classes—"

"But we're not just nerds!" Natsu cut in. "We're athletic, too."

"Oh yeah? You play any sports?"

"Uh... not recently," Natsu admitted. "But I'm thinking about getting into golf."

"Golf? What are you—fifty?"

Lucy laughed. "Natsu, you're so funny. Why don't you guys join us in line for the Ferris wheel? It's really fun, and it goes high enough to see the whole town!"

"We'd love to," Gray said before Natsu could say anything else.

Meanwhile, on the balcony of a nearby building crowded with spectators hoping for a better view of the parade, stood Juvia and her best friend, Meredy.

"Thanks for inviting me to the fair, Juvia," said the pink-haired girl, smiling. "But... didn't you want to invite that guy you like to come with you?"

"I did," Juvia replied softly. "But his aunt said big crowds make him uncomfortable. Still... I can't believe he came to that crowded charity benefit just to support me."

"He must like you a lot."

"Maybe..." Juvia murmured, though her voice lacked conviction.

As she glanced down at the bustling fairground, something caught her eye—Gray, standing in line for the Ferris wheel. Her brows furrowed. Funny, she thought. He said crowds made him uncomfortable. So why is he here?