Where Is Erza?

— — — — — — — 

The Celestial Spirit King finally got down to business.

"Leo, who was punished—though you have sinned, your actions were understandable. You have already endured three years of punishment in the human world. Therefore, I shall make an exception and grant you amnesty. From now on, you are free to enter and exit the Celestial Spirit Realm without being banished."

"I absolve you of your crime. Be sure to thank your companions and the guidance of the stars!"

With that, the Celestial Spirit King dramatically waved his cloak and disappeared in style.

Hearing these words, Loke was so overwhelmed with emotion that tears streamed down his face.

"Thank you… thank you so much…"

"This is amazing!!"

Lucy jumped up in excitement.

— — —

"A Celestial Spirit?!"

Natsu circled around Loke, inspecting him curiously. He had heard from Uchiha Kitaro that Loke was a Celestial Spirit, but he still couldn't wrap his head around it. Loke looked exactly like a human!

"I never even noticed," Gray muttered. He was one of Loke's closest friends, often drinking and chatting with him, yet he hadn't suspected a thing.

"Wait a minute! But you're not a bull or a crab?" Natsu questioned.

"Didn't you meet Virgo? She looks human too," Lucy reminded him.

"Yeah, but that one can also turn into a gorilla!" Natsu countered, remembering Virgo's bizarre transformation to match a perverted duke's tastes.

"Loke is the Celestial Spirit of Lion," Lucy explained. With that, Loke's key officially fell into her hands. Without realizing it, she had already gathered half of the Zodiac Keys.

Her mood soared.

"Lion?!" Happy's eyes sparkled. "That means he's just a grown-up cat, right?!"

"Uh… sure?"

Happy cheered, "Wow! That's so cool!!"

Gray turned to Loke. "So, what's your plan now? Are you staying with the guild?"

"I belong to Lucy now, so I'll show up in her most dangerous moments—like a dashing prince on a white horse! Then we can talk about our future together." Loke grinned as he suddenly scooped Lucy into his arms.

"Hey! Put me down!!" she yelped, struggling.

Natsu grumbled, "Man, I wish I had a Celestial Spirit too."

"What kind would you want?" Lucy asked.

"A dragon, of course! Since I use Dragon Slayer Magic, it'd be a shame not to fight a real dragon."

"Celestial Spirits aren't for sparring!!"

"Exactly! Spirits are for romance—"

"Go back where you came from," Lucy deadpanned, pulling out Loke's key. Ever since becoming her spirit, Loke had gone back to his old habits. Now that his identity was no longer a secret, he was getting a little too comfortable.

"Hold on! Here, take these," Loke said, handing them four tickets.

"What are these?" Gray asked.

"They're vouchers for a luxury resort. I originally got them for my dates, but I figured I owe you guys for all the help. Consider it a thank-you gift."

"The beach!!"

"Whoa!!"

"I've never stayed in a fancy hotel like this before!"

Natsu and Gray's eyes lit up with excitement.

Loke turned to Uchiha Kitaro and handed him a ticket. "Seriously, I wouldn't have made it back to the Celestial Spirit Realm without you. If not for you, I probably would've died in the human world. I really appreciate it."

Kitaro accepted the voucher and smirked. "How many girlfriends do you even have?"

The fact that Loke could casually hand out so many resort tickets suggested he had planned for quite the 'group date.' No doubt, this guy was a total player.

"Hah! Not many, just a dozen or so." Loke waved it off like it was nothing.

Kitaro twitched. "A dozen?!"

"What's taking you guys so long? Do you want me to leave without you?" Erza called out. She had already donned a swimsuit, a straw hat, and was pulling an entire cart of luggage behind her.

"She moves fast!!"

— — —

Akane Beach

"Look, look! The water is so clear! It's beautiful!!"

Happy then pointed at Gray. "Uh… can you put on some swim trunks?"

Everyone had fun playing—smashing watermelons, riding boats, playing beach volleyball. Time flew, and before they knew it, night had fallen.

That evening, they gathered at the resort's underground casino.

Natsu went for roulette, Gray chose the slot machines, Erza was at the poker table, and Kitaro was in the dice game area.

"Phew!"

Natsu leaned over the roulette table, blowing at the spinning ball.

The dealer quickly stopped him. "Sir, please don't do that!"

"I saw it land on 17!!"

"Sir, that's not how it works." The dealer replied.

"It was in 17, then it bounced to another number at the last second! What's up with that?!"

"That's just how roulette works."

Gray watched from the side, shaking his head. "Man, this guy is hopeless."

Natsu kept arguing. "I saw it with my own eyes! You're not fooling me!"

Suddenly, a voice cut in.

"Boy, in an adult's playground, you need to act like a gentleman. Got it?"

Natsu and Happy turned towards the speaker. A man, who looked like he was made of blocks, sat in a nearby swivel chair.

 Natsu and Happy were stunned by his odd appearance.

The man smirked. "Let me tell you something, boy. A man has only two choices in life—"

With a sudden push off the floor, he spun in his chair before launching forward. In an instant, he grabbed Natsu by the scarf with one hand while pressing a gun barrel into his mouth with the other.

"—either live elegantly as a refined man… or stop moving and die. Got it?"

"W-Whoa! He has a gun?!"

"AAAAHHH!!"

The surrounding guests screamed and scattered in panic.

Happy shouted, "What the heck are you doing?!"

Gray, startled by the commotion, jumped up to intervene—but before he could, a tall figure stepped in front of him.

"You must be Gray Fullbuster," the man said. "Now, tell me… where is Erza?"

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