"Again… again… it's happening again…"
The timing had been perfect. The mood, the moment… and then it got interrupted—again. A vein bulged on Kaien's forehead. The look on his face made it painfully clear just how pissed off he was.
Natsu and Happy, seeing the compromising position he and Mirajane were in, instantly realized they had made a huge mistake.
"Not good! Run!!"
"Aye~!"
The two bolted without another word.
"Pfft…"
Mirajane couldn't help but laugh at Kaien's furious expression.
"Shall we go check it out too?" she asked, still smiling.
Kaien gave a long sigh, then nodded. "Might as well."
He didn't hate gambling. As the saying goes: a little gamble refreshes the mind, but too much wrecks the soul.
After changing clothes, the two headed down to the underground casino.
The casino was massive—glitzy, extravagant, and alive with sound and color. Lights flashed from every corner, dealers called out bets, chips clattered across tables, and the crowd buzzed with excitement.
Almost everyone who had been at the beach earlier now gathered here.
After all, this place catered to the rich and powerful. For people like them, gambling wasn't addiction—it was entertainment.
"What should we play?" Mirajane asked, eyes wide with curiosity. She looked like an innocent puppy seeing a toy store for the first time.
"Since we're here, let's try everything," Kaien said confidently.
He had no experience either—his only knowledge of casinos came from movies and anime.
"Okay!"
At the roulette table:
"Huff… huff… huff…"
Natsu was lying on the edge of the table, desperately blowing at the small roulette ball that had already stopped spinning.
"Sir, please don't do that!" the dealer begged, exasperated.
"I saw it land on 17 with my own eyes! And then it bounced out! That's cheating!!"
"Aye…"
"There's no way," muttered the dealer, losing his patience.
People nearby started watching the scene unfold.
"Hah! That guy's beyond saving," Gray laughed from the side.
"Gray-sama…"
A soft voice called from behind him. Gray turned around—only to find a blue-haired girl standing there.
It was Juvia, former Element 4 of Phantom Lord.
Gray flinched. "You… what are you doing here?!"
The Phantom Lord incident hadn't happened that long ago. Their guild still hadn't fully rebuilt yet.
Juvia had been his opponent during the guild war. Technically, he'd won—but he knew better. It was only thanks to elemental advantage. In terms of raw magic and mana, she outclassed him.
They ended up standing near the casino bar. Now that the guild conflict was over, they didn't really have a personal grudge.
"I heard Phantom Lord disbanded?" Gray asked.
Juvia nodded. "Yes. Juvia is now a free mage."
"Oh… so you want to join Fairy Tail?"
"Yes! Juvia really wants to join!"
Gray considered for a second. "In that case, I can introduce you. The old man should be fine with it."
She may have been a Phantom Lord member, but the war had been guild politics. With Phantom Lord gone, there was no longer any reason to hold a grudge.
"Really?! Thank you so much, Gray-sama—ah!"
Suddenly—
A large hand slammed down from behind, knocking Juvia to the floor.
"Juvia!"
Gray shot to his feet, glaring at the man. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
"You're Gray Fullbuster, right? Where's Erza?"
Meanwhile, Natsu was still arguing with the dealer.
"I saw it land! No way you're cheating me!"
"BOY."
A deep, composed voice called from behind.
Natsu and Happy turned.
Standing behind them was… a man made entirely of blocks.
His square body looked like he was built out of toy bricks.
"In a gentleman's playground," the man said coolly, "a man ought to carry himself with class. Understand?"
"Squ—"
"Square guy?!!"
Natsu and Happy were speechless. The guy was literally square-shaped from head to toe.
"BOY, let me tell you something. A man only has two choices: live like a suave gentleman…"
He lunged at Natsu.
In a flash, he grabbed Natsu by the scarf and slammed him onto the table. With a swift motion, he shoved a gun into Natsu's mouth.
"…or die where he stands. Got it?"
"It's a gun!?"
"Kyaaaaa!!"
Everyone in the casino started screaming and running. Guns could kill, even in a world of magic.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
"Where. Is. Erza?"
High-stakes table:
Erza was dominating.
Another royal flush sent the crowd into an uproar.
"That's amazing, Erza!"
Lucy hugged her excitedly, practically glowing like a fan girl.
"Hehe… I guess I'm just lucky today."
"Dealer switch," a new voice said.
A blonde-haired young man in a dealer uniform stepped in, pushing the nervous dealer aside.
Erza remained composed. "Right now, I don't care who the opponent is. I won't lose."
"Yeah!" Lucy cheered.
Shuffle, shuffle.
The blond shuffled with practiced ease.
"Then let's play something special," he said. "This time, we won't be betting with chips."
He dealt five cards face down in front of Erza.
Each one had a single letter.
D, E, A, T, H.
Spelling: DEATH.
"How about betting your life, Big Sister?"
Erza's gaze sharpened.
As she looked up and recognized the man's face, her pupils shrank.
"...Sho..."
"Long time no see, Sis."
"W-What?" Lucy stammered, completely confused.
Sister? Why was he calling Erza that?
Suddenly—
The lights in the entire casino went out.
When they came back on—
Everyone was gone.
"W-What?!"
"I'm over here, Sister."
Sho tossed a spread of cards into the air. Inside each card was a person, all crying out for help.
"They're inside the cards?!"
"Amazing, right? I can use magic now, too."
"You… can use magic?" Erza asked.
"Meow!"
"Wah—!"
A cat-like girl threw a rope that bound Lucy tight.
"Wh-What is this?!"
"Hi, Erza! Long time no see, nya~!"
"Milliana… What are you doing?! Lucy is my friend! Let her go!"
Milliana's smile vanished.
"We were your friends too, once. Before you betrayed us."
Erza trembled.
"Don't be so hard on her, Sho. A real man knows how to control his emotions. Right, Erza?"
A rain of cube-shaped blocks appeared in midair, assembling themselves into a square-shaped man.
"That voice… Woolley?"
Seeing Erza hesitate, Woolley gave her a weak smile. "I guess it makes sense you don't recognize me. Compared to when I was called 'Mad Dog Woolley,' I've… smoothed out."
"You can use magic too…"
"It's not so surprising, is it? Once you figure out the trick, anyone can learn magic… right, Erza?"
The floor lit up with a magic circle.
From it emerged a huge, muscular man.
"Simon… Why are you all here? Let Lucy go!"
"We came to bring you home."
"Meow~"
"Come back, Sister."
"If you don't cooperate…"
Woolley aimed his gun at Lucy and clicked the safety off.
"Eeeeek—!!"
"Stop!!" Erza shouted.
But it was too late.
Woolley's hand disappeared, and then reappeared behind Erza.
"Here's a sleeping pill."
Bang!
The tranquilizer round hit Erza square in the side.
"Erza!!!"
"We've got our target. Let's go."
Suddenly—
A calm voice echoed across the casino:
"Full Body Take Over — Gojo Satoru."