"Then please take care of me, Senpai~" Lucy blinked her left eye and, with a playful tone, flashed Roy a bright, lively smile.
And so, the two of them continued chatting.
Roy was naturally talkative, and Lucy had an outgoing personality, so their conversation flowed easily without any awkwardness.
Ignoring Natsu and the others tangled in a brawl, Lucy began to satisfy her curiosity by asking Roy questions.
One moment she'd ask for the name of someone who got knocked through the air, the next she'd ask for details about the person unconscious on the ground.
Like a curious child, Lucy was fascinated by every guild member.
For over ten years, Lucy had been a rich young lady, only interacting with people who appeared polite and refined but wore masks of pretense, the so-called high society.
Whenever she dealt with them, Lucy only felt restricted and uncomfortable.
When had she ever seen people as free-spirited as those in Fairy Tail?
Though she had made some snide remarks earlier, in truth, Lucy was very interested in these Fairy Tail members and admired their way of life.
Strange as they were, they were genuine, free-spirited, and made Lucy feel relaxed.
So Lucy continued bombarding Roy, the "senior member" of Fairy Tail, with questions.
Fortunately, after arriving at the guild in the morning, Roy had managed to remember everyone he met. With his enhanced memory after crossing over, he'd stored all their information in his mind.
Otherwise, Lucy would surely have stumped him.
If that happened, Lucy would definitely start doubting him as her "senpai."
Roy didn't want Lucy to find out so soon that he had only joined the guild a day before her; he still wanted to mess with her a little longer.
But things you try to avoid tend to happen anyway.
"Senpai, what kind of person is our guild master?"
Lucy's bright eyes sparkled with anticipation, eager to hear about the Fairy Tail guild master from Roy.
Anyone capable of building Fairy Tail into the number one guild in Fiore, and perhaps all of Ishgar, gathering such interesting members, must be an extraordinary person, right?
Who were they? What kind of person were they?
Lucy was very curious.
Hearing her question, Roy's mouth twitched, and he felt a bead of imaginary sweat on his forehead.
Roy had only joined the guild yesterday and hadn't even met the guild master yet. How would he know what the guild master was like?
It seemed he'd have to dig through his memory for any scant information he had about Fairy Tail.
Determined not to reveal himself just yet, Roy racked his brains.
"Maybe… a short, Mediterranean-looking old man?"
With his hand on his chin, recalling any details about Fairy Tail's master, Roy wore a pensive expression, guessing aloud.
"What do you mean 'maybe'? And why do you sound so uncertain? Take this seriously!"
Lucy was flabbergasted and unleashed her three-hit sarcasm combo on the spot.
"Aren't you a mage of this guild? Why do you seem like you don't know anything about the master?"
Suspicion was already beginning to creep into Lucy's gaze.
Noticing this, Roy began to sweat.
He scratched the back of his head, preparing to laugh it off, when suddenly, he heard a loud, powerful roar.
"You guys! That's enough already!"
As soon as this voice rang out, the fighting in the hall ceased immediately, and everyone turned to look at its source.
Suddenly, the entire guild hall fell silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
"So big!"
Looking up, Lucy let out an exclamation.
A giant in black loomed over the hall, silencing everyone.
The Fairy Tail guild master, Makarov, had arrived.
At that moment, aside from a certain simple-minded idiot still laughing and declaring himself the victor, everyone else obediently withdrew their magic.
Then, to Lucy's horror, poor Natsu was stomped flat underfoot.
After crushing Natsu, the giant Makarov scanned the room, nodding in satisfaction at the quiet members.
Next, he spotted two unfamiliar faces in the corner.
A tall, handsome young man with dark hair and a lively, cute blonde girl.
Makarov asked softly, "You two, are you new here?"
What he didn't realize was that his "soft" voice, amplified by his giant form, was like thunder, terrifying and intense.
Not to mention his towering, black-giant appearance.
Lucy's face went pale with fear.
But she quickly forgot her fear when she noticed something in Makarov's words.
"So, you're also just a newcomer!" Lucy turned to Roy, her face flushed with shame and anger as she shouted.
Despite being a new member himself, he'd been acting like an experienced senpai, tricking her into calling him "Senpai" over and over.
How mean!
At that thought, Lucy was filled with both embarrassment and frustration, completely forgetting the fear she had felt moments ago from Makarov's imposing aura.
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