The bright moon hung in the vast night sky like a flawless mirror, casting its soft silver light over Magnolia, bringing a sense of peace and poetry to the night.
The room in the inn was modest, incomparable to her own mansion. However, Ultear felt an unusual comfort, as if her once-empty soul had found a place to belong.
A satisfied smile spread across her lips as she affectionately rested her head on Nate's chest. Her undergarments were scattered on the floor, and their clothes were strewn messily across the wooden floorboards.
Ultear's voice was lazy, laced with a hint of allure.
"Is this how you conduct serious business with your big sister?"
"You were calling me 'big brother' earlier, and now it's back to 'big sister'?" Nate teased, gently stroking her smooth back. Her skin was soft and translucent like jade.
Ultear smiled, a mix of embarrassment and annoyance.
This brat... like a bull!
"I want to see Ur," Ultear murmured, half-lying on top of Nate like she was hugging a body pillow. There was a hint of nervousness in her voice. Seeing her mother was one of the reasons she had rushed here overnight.
Nate slipped his arm free, got up, and began searching for his clothes on the floor, pulling off the blanket.
"Right now?"
He glanced back at her, still lying in bed. This wasn't exactly the best time for her mom to see them. Realizing the same, Ultear eagerly jumped up, hugging Nate from behind and kissing him on the cheek.
"Big sister loves you~"
The day she reconciled with her mother, Ultear had wanted to say those words. Now that she finally had, she felt a wave of joy.
"If you don't get dressed now, we won't be going anywhere tonight," Nate sighed in exasperation. Did she understand the stamina of a 20-year-old man? He had restrained himself earlier, considering it was Ultear's first time.
After some playful banter, the two of them finally dressed and left the inn together.
"Where are we headed?" Ultear asked.
"Home," Nate replied.
Nate hadn't planned on taking Ultear home, but her earlier "love you" struck a chord. Ultear was momentarily stunned. "Home" — it was such a nostalgic word. Since being abandoned by her mother as a child, the concept of "home" had been lost to her. A slight smile tugged at her lips.
It was already past 10 p.m., and the streets were empty. Darkness enveloped the town, with only the moonlight providing a faint glow. Nate held Ultear's hand as they made their way to his place — not the apartment, but the house where his Thought Projection worked.
Located on the southern outskirts of Magnolia, it was quite far from the guild, almost on the edge of town.
When they arrived, Ultear looked at the small house before them, surprised.
"Is this where you live?"
"What? Looking down on a 50,000J-per-month house?"
"Are you short on money? Should I lend you some?" she teased.
Rolling his eyes, Nate pushed the door open and stepped inside. Ultear followed with a grin.
"I don't mind. Don't be mad."
As they entered, they saw another Nate sitting at a low table, expressionless, like a puppet mechanically typing away, seemingly working on something.
"A Thought Projection?" Ultear was surprised and glanced between the real Nate and the projection.
"I use it to work on updates for Internet Magic," Nate explained with a nod.
"Pfft—" Ultear couldn't contain her laughter, clutching her stomach.
"This is the weakest Thought Projection I've ever seen, haha."
Just like your mom's reaction—no wonder they're mother and daughter, Nate thought. With a flick of his mind, the Thought Projection stopped coding and slowly dissolved, merging back into his body.
"Still want to see your mom?" Nate asked. Ultear quickly stifled her laughter.
"Sorry, don't be mad."
To her, it seemed less like a Thought Projection and more like a puppet, requiring constant commands from the caster to function.
"Ur," Nate called, activating the Internet Magic to summon Ur from the deep web.
In an instant, a ghostly figure slowly appeared beside them.
"I've been reviewing the chat logs of 'Leader.' Oración Seis has already headed toward the Nirvana Tree..." Ur began to report, but she froze upon seeing her daughter standing at the door.
Silence fell as mother and daughter stared at each other, neither speaking. Sensing the atmosphere, Nate quickly excused himself.
"Your daughter came all this way to see you. I'll leave you two to talk—I'm off for a shower."
Though playing around with Ultear in the inn hadn't been too exhausting, it had made him sweat. After he disappeared into the bathroom, Ultear finally gathered the courage to softly call, "Mom."
Tears welled up in her eyes as she tried to hug Ur, only to pass right through her.
"Ultear, I'm so glad to see you've grown up healthy," Ur said as she turned to face her daughter, her own eyes brimming with tears.
…
The next day, Nate headed to the guild alone.
Upon entering the bar, he noticed that the guild was more lively than usual. The members all seemed a bit excited. Even Erza wasn't in her usual armor; instead, she was wearing a long burgundy evening gown, rushing toward the door. Nate couldn't help but stare for a moment—Erza in a dress looked surprisingly feminine.
"What's going on, Erza?" Nate called after her as she passed by.
"No time to explain, Nate. I still have to do my makeup!" Erza didn't stop for a second, disappearing out the door in the blink of an eye.
"Is there a holiday today, Natsu?" Nate asked as he walked over to Natsu.
"No idea," Natsu replied, arms crossed, equally puzzled.
Happy was counting on his fingers.
"…It's still more than two months until the Harvest Festival, so no, it's not a holiday."
Harvest Festival? That sounded familiar to Nate. He vaguely recalled that Fairy Tail's internal conflict happened around the time of a festival. Could it be the Harvest Festival?
Just then, Levy passed by with her two companions, Jet and Droy.
"Nate, didn't you know? Sorcerer Weekly is coming for an interview today!" Levy explained.
"The famous magazine?" Nate realized. He remembered seeing the magazine on a bookstore shelf during his first month in this world. He had even worked part-time at that bookstore for a while.
"Yes, they're doing a special edition on Fairy Tail, so everyone's excited." Levy smiled.
"I also heard the reporter specifically requested to meet with you."
"Meet with me?" Nate blinked in surprise. "An interview?"
He hadn't done many tasks in the guild. With so many famous mages around, why would they interview him?
Jet chimed in with an explanation, "It's about the magazine joining Internet Magic."
Droy added, "Yeah, the editor wants to put the magazine online."
An online magazine? Nate was impressed. He couldn't underestimate people—some had already spotted the potential of Internet Magic.
"By the way, Nate," Levy asked, concerned, "Did that councilor leave yesterday? Is the issue with Oración Seis resolved?"
"Not yet. Uh…she went to investigate," Nate replied with a helpless smile, covering for the absent councilor.
In reality, Ultear was still asleep, enjoying a lazy morning at his place.