Chapitre 360: Introductions

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Mermaid Heel Headquarters.

May, x785.

"Ladies, may I have your attention?" Tsunade asked loudly as she stepped through the doors of the Mermaid Heel guild hall. "Allow me to introduce you to our guests for the next month, Alfonzo Marcus, Wendy Marvell, and Marin Kitagawa of Fairy Tail."

Once Tsunade and the others entered the guild hall, all the wizards of Mermaid Heel turned their attention to the group of new arrivals. But when she started speaking of the guests, all eyes fell on Alfonzo, Marin, and Wendy. And most of those gazes were filled with curiosity. Especially since Mermaid Heel rarely had visitors, let alone male ones.

"So, that's the guy you were talking about, huh?" Anko said before licking her lips. "Not bad. Not bad at all."

"You'd better give up, Anko." Yoruichi said while shaking her head. "He's not like other guys. He's got a harem full of girls just as beautiful, if not more beautiful than you or me."

"That just means it will be a challenge." Anko replied while watching Alfonzo with a predatory gaze. "I wonder how long it will take to have him wrapped around my little finger."

"You'd better be careful." Yoruichi said. "Originally, all I wanted was to have a night of fun with him and his fiancée. Yet, I somehow ended up falling for him. Then, in my desperation, I did something stupid and messed up any chance I had with him."

Hearing that, Anko turned her gaze away from Alfonzo and snapped her head in Yoruichi's direction.

"So, that's why you've been down for the last few months." Anko asked, her tone filled with interest. "But seriously, what kind of stupid shit could you have done to mess everything up? I mean, you're so hot."

"*Sigh* I'll tell you about it later." Yoruichi replied while staring at Alfonzo with a guilty expression on her face.

Despite most of Yoruichi's attention being on Alfonzo, Yoruichi had a bad feeling about the stare Marin was sending her way.

"Huh?" Alfie? What are you doing here, meow?" A female voice asked from among the gathered Mermaid Heel wizards.

Hearing that familiar voice, verbal tick, and irritating nickname, Alfonzo's eyebrow twitched as he turned his head towards its source. And when he did, he saw a familiar young woman with cat-like features.

'So, Millianna's already joined Mermaid Heel, huh?' Alfonzo mused. 'It never says when she joined in the canon, but I wasn't expecting to see her here already. But since Erza didn't seem to know she joined Mermaid Heel either, I'm guessing she joined recently. Like, after the Tenrou Island Incident.'

"Alfie?" Marin asked while trying to stifle her laughter. "Oh, the girls are gonna get a kick out of this."

"Most of them already know about it." Alfonzo said flatly. Then, he raised his right hand and waved at Millianna. "Hey, Millianna, long time no see."

"Wow, you really are here." Millianna ran forward excitedly. "Too bad you didn't bring Erzie-Werzie with you, meow. I would have loved to see her again."

Hearing that the newest member of Mermaid Heel already knew one of the guests, the other wizards in the guild were surprised. However, not many of them knew about Millianna's past. If they had, they might not find it so surprising.

"I see." Tsunade said while rubbing her chin. "Since you and some of your girlfriends were the ones who dealt with that incident, I guess it makes sense you two know each other."

"I guess." Alfonzo replied with a shrug. "Though, the one she's really familiar with is Erza. They grew up in the same circumstances, after all. Though, Erza was able to make it out a few years earlier."

"I see." Tsunade replied. Then, she turned her attention to Millianna. "You can have your reunion later, Millianna. For now, let me finish introducing our guests to the guild."

"Okay~~~, meow!" Millianna replied energetically.

"Like I was saying, Alfonzo is here to upgrade our training facilities." Tsunade continued. "I'm sure I've mentioned that before."

In response, the ladies nodded their heads.

"And for the duration of the renovations, Wendy will be here to learn the art of healing from me."

Hearing that, many of the ladies in the guild hall could not help but gasp in surprise. A lot of them had tried learning healing from Tsunade. However, none of them were willing to stick with it. While most of them were disqualified thanks to the harsh magic power control requirements, the rest dropped out thanks to Tsunade's way of making sure the healer doesn't go down before those she's trying to heal in battle. And because of that, they could not help but look at Wendy with pitiful gazes.

"Um... why are they all looking at me like that?" Wendy asked in a whisper.

"I don't know." Carla replied with her eyes narrowed. "But I have a bad feeling."

'I guess a lot of them have tried to become Tsunade's disciples, huh?' Alfonzo thought to himself as he scanned the gazes Wendy was receiving. Well, being forced to dodge attacks from a combatant as skilled as Tsunade during training would deter quite a few people.'

As Alfonzo thought, like in her original work, Tsunade still believed that the first thing any capable battlefield healer should know how to do is avoid taking damage. And the way she does that is by forcing her students to dodge attacks from her capable of shattering the ground.

"And lastly, Marin Kitagawa is here to help take care of Alfonzo and Wendy's needs." Tsunade continued. "Though, there's a good chance she won't be here for the entire month. Most likely being replaced by another member of Fairy Tail in a few days to a week."

"Hi, everybody!" Marin said happily while waving at the ladies of Mermaid heel. "It's nice to meet all of you and I hope we can get along while I'm here!"

"She's still as outgoing as ever, I see." kagura, sitting among a group of young woman said.

"Kagura, you know that girl?" A pale-skinned, beautiful young woman with pale green hair styled into thick dreadlocks at the back of her head, green eyes, and long eyelashes asked curiously.

"That's right, Araña." Kagura replied with a nod. "I met her when Yoruichi and I took that joint quest with Fairy Tail and Quatro Cerberus."

"I see." Araña replied with a nod while looking at the guests with curiosity.

Though Araña is actually two years younger than members like Kagura and Millianna, she's actually been an official member since she was twelve. In other words, she's been taking on quests as a wizard for almost three full years.

"Anyway." Tsunade said, her voice cutting through all the chatter in the guild hall. "I know you're curious about the new faces---"

"How rude." Carla said, interrupting Tsunade's speech. "It would seem only humans deserve introductions in this guild."

Hearing that, the entire guild hall fell silent while staring at Carla in surprise.

"That cat, did it just speak?" Anko asked in wonder.

Not only Anko, but many of the ladies present asked the same question. Meanwhile, Ritsu could only shake her head at her successor's blunder. Tsunade on the other hand, was blushing in shame for forgetting about Carla, who she had met and even spoken with during her trip to Magnolia two months ago.

"Sorry, Carla." Tsunade said while smiling sheepishly. "I wasn't trying to be rude, but I didn't know your exact purpose for being here, so I didn't remember to introduce you."

"Hmph!" Carla snorted while looking away from Tsunade. A moment later, she turned back while pointing at her. "My role is the most important of all four of us. I've been sent here to make sure that Wendy doesn't pick up any of your bad habits!"

"Carla~." Wendy said, feeling embarrassed that Carla actually said that out loud.

Meanwhile, Tsunade froze up completely after hearing Carla's words. At the same time, Ritsu raised her right arm, covering her smile with the sleeve of her kimono.

After a moment, the Mermaid Heel guild hall burst into loud, raucous laughter.

"She got you there, Lady Tsunade!" Anko shouted while laughing hardily and slapping her hand on the top of the bar.

Like that, the entirety of Mermaid Heel laughed at their guild master. Even Ritsu, who was the calmest of all the ladies present, had to eventually turn her back on Tsunade, as she was afraid that she would end up laughing out loud if she continued to look at her dumbfounded expression.

"That's enough!" Tsunade shouted as she glared at the members of her guild. "Alfonzo will start working on the training rooms tomorrow morning. So, you all can take all the time you want to ask him and the others as many questions as you have tonight."

Immediately after finishing what she had to say, with her cheeks slightly red, Tsunade started walking towards the staircase on the opposite side of the guild hall. And without another word, the whole guild watched her leave, staying silent until the sound of her office door slamming shut echoed through the building.

"I like that little cat." Anko said with a grin. "I doubt anyone from the Hidden Leaf Village has ever seen Tsunade left so utterly flabbergasted before."

"Yeah, I noticed she had quite the sharp tongue during our visit to Magnolia." Yoruichi said, allowing a small smile to creep onto her face, as well. "But that was pretty savage."

"Anyway, I think I'm gonna go say hi to our guests." Anko said as she stood from her seat next to Yoruichi. "I wanna see what you like so much about this guy."

"*Sigh* Whatever." Yoruichi said while shaking her head. "It's not like I can stop you once you've set your mind to something, anyway."

"Exactly." Anko said with a smile before walking away.

"Lady Yoruichi, are you okay?" Sui-Feng asked in a concerned tone.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Yoruichi replied. "I just hope I get to talk to him before his time here ends."

Meanwhile, Alfonzo, Marin, Wendy, and Carla made their way to the nearest empty table. All the while, the curious gazes from the ladies of Mermaid Heel followed their movements.

"If they wanna ask us questions, they should just come over and ask." Marin said as she took a seat.

"Not everyone is as outgoing as you are, Marin." Alfonzo said with a smile as he sat down as well.

"Yeah, but just staring at us won't answer any of their questions, though." Marin replied.

"You're right about that." Anko, who had approached after the group sat down said, inserting herself into the conversation as she sat down in an open seat.

Hearing the unfamiliar voice, Alfonzo, Marin, Wendy, and Carla looked in its direction. While Wendy seemed a bit flustered by the extra person at the table, Carla looked at Anko wearily. Meanwhile, Marin looked at her with interest. She was the first person to come to talk to them, after all.

Then, there was Alfonzo, who, although he didn't show it, was somewhat surprised to see Anko. Especially with the abundant interest in her eyes while she looked at him.

'Since I've already met Guy, Orochimaru, and Tsunade, seeing Anko here doesn't surprise me all that much.' Alfonzo thought to himself as he examined the woman sitting across from him. 'But I wonder if the relationships between the characters are the same as they were in the canon. Was she one of the pedo-snake's old students? Actually, I think I already have an answer to that question. That magic power signature on her neck feels disgusting.'

"Who are you?" Carla asked, bringing Alfonzo out of his contemplations.

"Oh, I'm Anko Mitarashi." Anko said with a smile. "I'm one of Mermaid Heel's A-Class wizards."

"Nice to meet you, Anko!" Marin replied happily. "You don't mind if I call you that, right?"

"Nope." Anko replied. "And I'll call you Marin."

"Great!" Marin exclaimed. "So, what kind of magic do you use? I use [Transformation Magic]."

"I use the same kind of magic as everyone in my village." Anko replied. "But it's not like the conventional magic most wizards use. It's called [Ninjutsu]."

"Ooh! What's so different about it and regular magic?" Marin asked curiously.

Like that, the conversation between Marin and Anko continued. Meanwhile, Alfonzo, Wendy, and Carla could only marvel at the social butterfly that was Marin.

L’AVIS DES CRÉATEURS
SixthSense1029

Bonus Chapter

This one is for reaching 700 Power Stones the week before last. I knowit's late, but I really didn't have as much time to write as I would have liked last week.

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Chapitre 361: Catching up with Old Acquaintances

Earth Land, Ishgar, Era.

May, x785.

While Tsunade was introducing Alfonzo, Marin, Wendy, and Carla to the members of Mermaid Heel, Makarov, who had become a member of the new Magic Council, thanks to Alfonzo and Ur's plan, was sifting through paperwork with a disgruntled expression on his face.

"Damn those two." Makarov muttered while reading a document. "This is not how I expected to spend my retirement."

At that moment, the doors to the meeting room opened. And through them, Jura Neekis, an S-Class wizard of Lamia Scale as well as one of the Ten Wizard Saints, walked in.

"Good evening, Master Makarov." Jura said upon entering the Magic Council's meeting room.

"Ah... Jura." Makarov replied with a grandfatherly smile. "What can I do for you, my boy?"

"Actually, I have a request for your guild." Jura replied. "Actually, it's a request for Alfonzo Marcus."

"*Sigh* That boy sure is popular." Makarov replied with a smile. Though, to anyone who was looking closely, they would be able to tell that he was gritting his teeth. "Let me guess, you want him to install some training rooms at the Lamia Scale guild hall, too, right?"

"Indeed." Jura replied.

"And just out of curiosity, how did you find out about those?" Makarov asked.

"Ah… It was lady Ritsu who told me about them." Jura replied with a nod. "Also, Lyon had heard about them from Gray."

"*Sigh* I see." Makarov said while shaking his head. "Either way, you'll have to talk about that with Ur and Alfonzo. But I can pass the message along."

"Many Thanks, Master Makarov." Jur said with his palms together and bowing his head.

"Anyway, let's get back to---" Makarov said, turning his head back to the paperwork on his desk.

However, before he could finish his sentence, a messenger entered the meeting room with quick footsteps.

"Master Makarov, there's a letter for you." The messenger said after approaching Makarov's desk.

"Thank you, my boy." Makarov said as he accepted the letter.

Opening the letter, Makarov wasted no time starting to read it. Meanwhile, the messenger made his way out of the room.

"That Ritsu... Is there anyone she didn't tell about this?" Makarov asked in a tone of disbelief. "Bob and Goldmine said they heard about the training rooms from her, too. But wait, why is this the first request we're getting from Quatro Cerberus? Weren't there two members of that guild on the quest to bring in the mad scientists?"

Just at that moment, another messenger entered the room with a letter addressed to Makarov. And just like he did with the first, Makarov opened it and started reading immediately.

"Wow, even the Fabled Village Hidden in the Leaves is asking for training rooms, too?" Makarov said in a surprised tone. "And they were recommended by Tsunade, the master of Mermaid Heel, and a member of Quatro Cerberus, Might Guy. Damn, that boy is making a lot of connections for the guild with his inventions."

"Congratulations, Master Makarov." Jura said, having been listening to Makarov's monologues. "It seems Fairy Tail will grow in strength yet again."

"Yeah…" Makarov replied. "A lot of money will be coming in, too. *Sigh* And it all happened after I retired. Why couldn't the guild's coffers be this full when I was still the guild master? Instead, I had to spend a lot of my own money to clean up after those brats!"

*Bang!*

As Makarov shouted the last part, he simultaneously slammed his fists on his desk. Meanwhile, Jura could only watch Makarov with a wry smile.

"Either way, I guess I should send a message to Ur so she can make sure Alfonzo is prepared for the influx of orders." Makarov continued, letting his angry expression turn into a proud smile.

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Mermaid Heal Headquarters.

"So, Alfie, why didn't you bring Erzie-Werzie with you, meow?" Millianna asked while Marin and Anko were engaged in conversation.

"Because she was on a quest with her team." Alfonzo replied with a shrug. "But we didn't even know you were part of this guild, Millianna."

"Oh, yeah." Millianna said in a tone that suggested she just realized that. "I guess I forgot to let her know that I had settled down."

"So, how are the other two?" Alfonzo asked. "Shô and Wally?"

"Oh, they're fine." Millianna replied. "They're still traveling around, meow. And when they run out of money, they find a casino to work in for a while. Sho would take a job as a dealer while Wally becomes a bouncer, meow."

"Well, at least they're doing well." Alfonzo replied with a smile. "Oh, Erza and I ran into Simon about a month ago, too."

"Really?" Millianna asked excitedly. "So, how is he?"

"Well, he became a village chief." Alfonzo replied with a chuckle. "He reestablished his old village, Rosemary Village."

"OH, I remember him talking about that, meow." Millianna said excitedly. "He told us it was destroyed when he and Erzie-Werzie got abducted."

"Yeah, that's right." Alfonzo replied with a nod.

"But why did he tell you about it and not me, Shô, or Wally" Millianna asked while tilting her head in confusion.

"He didn't really tell us about it." Alfonzo replied while shaking his head. "We took a quest that led us there. It was under attack from a flock of Crow Tengu, and they were kidnapping villagers. So, Erza and I---"

"What was that?" a cold female voice asked from behind Alfonzo.

Looking in the voice's direction, Alfonzo and Millianna saw Kagura standing there with her arms crossed and a perturbed expression on her face.

'Oh, shit.' Alfonzo thought to himself. 'I forgot she was here, too. And Simon wanted to keep that whole mess a secret from her.'

A moment later, Alfonzo shrugged that thought away.

'Oh well, it's not my problem.' Alfonzo thought to himself. 'I'm sure she would have found out eventually, anyway.'

"Oh, hey, Kagura. How's it goin'? Yeah, Rosemary Village was under attack by a flock of Crow Tengu." Alfonzo repeated. "But there's nothing to worry about any more. Erza and I got rid of the whole flock."

"I'm glad to hear that." Kagura replied sternly. "Still, why didn't that stupid older brother of mine tell me about it?"

"Because he didn't want you to worry." Alfonzo replied with a shrug. "He probably didn't want to disappoint you, either. You know, making you think he couldn't handle the village on his own."

"It's even more disappointing that he didn't ask me for help when he needed it." Kagura replied.

"I guess." Alfonzo replied. "I mean, family should stick together, and all that shit."

"Exactly." Kagura replied. "Though the profanity was unnecessary."

"Can't help it." Alfonzo replied with another shrug.

"Wait, you know kagura, too?" Millianna asked with her eyes wide open in surprise. "But didn't Simon want to keep that from happening at all costs?"

"We met on the joint mission back in November." Alfonzo replied.

"Indeed." Kagura replied. "Besides, my brother has no right to decide who I associate with."

"Oh…" Millianna said while shrinking back from Kagura's intense gaze.

At that moment, Alfonzo turned his head away from the conversation with Millianna and Kagura when he felt the hem of his shirt was being pulled. And when he looked in the direction of the disturbance, he saw Wendy with a slight blush on her face.

"What's up, Wendy?" Alfonzo asked.

"I'm hungry." Wendy said in a small voice. "Should I go order something from the guild, or are you going to cook something tonight?"

"Personally, we would prefer your cooking." Carla said, having walked over with Wendy.

Before Alfonzo could answer, however, a shadow swept by. Then, Carla was no longer standing next to Wendy.

"Huh?" Wendy exclaimed in surprise. "Carla, where did you go?"

"Ooh~~~~~!" A feminine squeal could be heard from not too far away. "Such acute kitty!"

Hearing that squeal, all the conversation at the table stopped. On top of that, Millianna was no longer sitting in her seat. And when they looked in the direction of the squeal, all those who knew her, saw what they expected to see. Millianna hugging Carla with excitement shining in her eyes.

"How dare you!" Carla shouted while struggling to free herself. "Let go of me this instant!"

"But you're such a cutie!" Millianna said while rubbing her face on Carla's fur.

"Even if that's true, that doesn't give you the right to pick me up without my permission." Carla argued.

Meanwhile, Alfonzo, Kagura, and Anko could only sigh at the antics they've come to expect from Millianna. Meanwhile, Wendy was somewhat panicking. At the same time, Marin found it funny. Though, she tried to keep in her laughter. Otherwise, Carla would have been mad at her for a long time.

"Millianna, let her go." Kagura ordered. "Can't you tell she doesn't like it?"

"But Kagura… It's a kitty." Millianna said reluctantly.

"Yes, I'm aware." Kagura replied. "That doesn't change the fact that she doesn't like what you're doing."

In response, Millianna looked at Carla with tears in her eyes. Still, she put her down after seeing the irritation in the Exceed's eyes.

"Okay… Sorry, Kitty." Millianna said sadly.

Immediately upon release, Carla used her [Aera Magic] and spread her wings before flying over to Wendy and hiding behind her. Then, once she felt she was safe, she glared at Millianna from behind Wendy.

"The kitty can fly, too~~~~!" Millianna squealed again.

"My name isn't 'Kitty'." Carla said aggressively. "It's Carla."

A moment later, Carla's eyes narrowed in pleasure as Alfonzo started scratching behind her ears to calm her down.

"Don't be mad, Carla." Alfonzo said softly. "She just really likes cats. And you're quite the cute one. So, she couldn't help herself. Anyway, I'll cook us some dinner, okay?"

With that, Alfonzo removed his hand from Carla's head. Then, he stood up from his seat.

"Don't scratch my ears without my permission!" Carla shouted. Though, it was clear to see that she was just embarrassed. Then, she turned to Wendy and continued. "And Wendy, you shouldn't get too close to him, he's too good at making girls comfortable."

"Carla…" Wendy said with a blush.

"Oh ho… A man that can cook?" Anko asked with interest. "You don't see that too often outside of restaurants."

"Yeah, Alfonzo's got to be the best cook in Fiore." Marin said with her chest puffed out in pride.

"Really?" Anko asked with mischief swirling in the depths of her pupil-less eyes. "That's a pretty big title to live up to, isn't it? Why don't you let me test your cooking to find out if it's true."

"As long as you got the money." Alfonzo replied. "I don't work for free, after all."

"Fonzie, I don't think that will work here." Marin replied with a wry smile. "We'd be using their ingredients, after all."

"Hmm… Now that you mention it." Alfonzo said in a tone of realization. "Damn it… I should have stopped to get groceries along the way. Oh well, I can make a trip to Cedar some time tomorrow."

Hearing that, Millianna, Kagura, and Anko looked at Alfonzo skeptically. To them, it sounded like he was trying to make an excuse as to why he would not cook for them.

"Anyway, if I can use the kitchen and some ingredients, I'll cook something for you two, Wendy and Carla." Alfonzo continued after thinking about his plans for tomorrow.

"Just for them?" Marin asked in an aggrieved tone.

"Of course I'll cook for you, too, Marin." Alfonzo replied with a wry smile.

"I wanna try it, too." Millianna replied with her hand raised. "Erzie-Werzie said your cooking was really good when I last saw her."

"The She-Devil spoke of your skill in the kitchen, as well." Kagura added. "I'll admit, I'm quite curious."

"And I'm damn sure not gonna be the only one left out." Anko chimed in.

"Fine, fine." Alfonzo said while shaking his head. "But if you want my cooking after today, it won't be free. Anyway, I'll need to borrow the kitchen."

"You can follow me." Ritsu said from the next table over. "Though, I would like the chance to taste your cooking again, as well."

"Fuck…" Alfonzo gasped in surprise. "Where the hell did you come from? And how long have you been there?"

Not only Alfonzo was surprised by Ritsu sudden appearance. Instead, everyone at the table jumped from hearing Ritsu's voice so suddenly.

"If we were at home…" Marin said while patting her chest. "That would have been enough to start a brawl."

"Uh huh." Wendy agreed with a nod of her head.

"Our guild mates are so barbaric." Carla said exasperatedly, not disagreeing with Marin's assessment.

"I've been here ever since the introductions ended." Ritsu replied. "I had no reason to follow Tsunade upstairs, after all."

"*Sigh* We need to put a bell on you." Alfonzo said in an exasperated tone.

'Since I didn't think anyone would be attacking me while I was here, even if there are probably some girls here who hate men, I didn't have my [MPD] spread out.' Alfonzo said while shaking his head internally.

"Anyway, I guess I'll be borrowing your kitchen and some ingredients." Alfonzo said politely. "Any requests?"

That last question was directed at the members of Mermaid Heel. Alfonzo already knew what kind of food Marin, Wendy, and Carla liked. So, as long as he made one of those, they wouldn't complain.

"I like sweets." Anko was the first to reply. "And I don't like spicy food."

"I want fish." Millianna said with a hand raised.

"Anything is fine with me." Kagura said. "I'm not picky."

"I'd like the same dish you served me back in Magnolia." Ritsu replied with a smile as she started walking towards the kitchen. "I believe it was called Fettuccini Alfredo, if I remember correctly."

"Sure." Alfonzo said while mentally noting down the orders and following Ritsu.

Then, about half an hour later, Millianna, Kagura, and Anko were drawing large amounts of attention to themselves as they moaned sensually after their first bite of Alfonzo's cooking. Unfortunately, this also drew quite a bit of attention to Alfonzo, the one who cooked what caused the commotion. As a result, Alfonzo spent the rest of the night cooking, while listening to the food-gasms from the ladies of Mermaid Heel, until it was time for him, Marin, Wendy, and Carla to return to their accommodations for the night.