The crossroads near the Guild became a scene of comedy.
The Decoration Team, hauling their massive cart of trees and ornaments, rounded the corner.
The Ingredients Team, pulling their equally massive cart of food and sweets, arrived from the opposite street.
They stopped.
"You're pulling a cart too." "You're pulling a cart too."
The words were spoken in perfect unison.
A beat of silence passed, and then everyone burst into laughter.
They had all set out empty-handed, yet here they were, looking like rival merchant caravans meeting on the road.
Ur didn't join the conversation immediately.
She stood with her hands on her hips, glancing at the Decoration Team's towering pile of supplies.
She looked at the two enormous Christmas trees strapped to the back, looming like green giants.
Then she looked back at her own cart, overflowing with boxes of cakes and crates of soda.
'Just who is copying whom?' she wondered with a wry smile.
'We certainly don't do things by halves.'
"Ur, let me take it," Laxus said, stepping forward.
He gently took the handle of the cart from her.
"Thank you," Ur nodded. It wasn't far to the guild now, but she appreciated the gesture.
"Alright, let's not block the street," Raizel called out.
He was hugging the large insulated container of roast chickens like a precious treasure.
It wasn't heavy for him, but it was bulky and awkward to carry without blocking his vision.
"Move out!"
...
By the time they reached Fairy Tail, Reedus was waiting at the main entrance.
The artistic mage had spent the morning gathering various paints and brushes for the festivities.
"Hey, Reedus!" everyone greeted him.
Reedus smiled and pushed open the massive double doors.
"Whoa! So big!"
Makarov, who had been leisurely sipping wine at the bar, lowered his tankard.
The light from the open door cast two long, spiky shadows across the floor.
Looking up, he saw Raizel and Laxus enter, each easily shouldering a massive 5.5-meter Christmas tree as if they were twigs.
Behind them, Elfman carried the insulated container, while the others swarmed in like diligent ants, unloading box after box onto the guild tables.
Makarov watched the mountain of supplies grow.
"My money..." he whispered into his drink. "Are these stupid brats trying to bankrupt me?"
Though he was happy to spend on the children, the sheer volume of "stuff" made his wallet ache in sympathy.
Raizel, catching the Master's pained expression, chuckled to himself.
He thought the old man was overthinking it.
Laxus hadn't even asked for reimbursement yet, and considering how many S-Class quests the Lightning Mage had crushed recently, he probably wouldn't bother.
Laxus had even bought his own house recently; he wasn't hurting for cash.
The sweets were unwrapped and arranged on the bar counter in a colorful buffet.
The raw ingredients and savory dishes were stored in the back kitchen for the evening feast.
It was only noon.
Since the main party was at night, they decided to skip a formal lunch and graze on the pastries instead.
By the time Raizel turned around, Erza and Ultear were already seated at the bar with forks in hand.
In perfect sync, they took a bite of the chocolate mousse tart.
"Oishii~" they sighed simultaneously, closing their eyes in bliss.
"Everyone~ I'm here too!"
A cheerful voice chimed from the doorway.
Mavis Vermillion, the First Master, floated in.
She was wearing her signature pink layered dress, her wing-like ears fluttering as she waved happily.
"First Master!"
Mavis drifted straight to the bar and sat on the counter next to the girls while swinging her legs.
Her long, flowing blonde hair draped down past the edge of the bar, almost touching the floor.
Raizel, munching on a macaron, watched her chat animatedly with Ultear and Erza.
"Ultear invited me!" Mavis explained to Makarov, seeing his surprised look. "Even though I can't eat, I can feel the atmosphere! As long as everyone is happy, I'm happy too!"
...
"Let's settle this! Gray! Erza!"
Natsu grabbed two Magic Snow Blasters from the pile.
He pointed them at his rivals. "I challenge you!"
"I won't lose to you!" Erza grabbed a rifle-sized blaster, her eyes burning with competitive spirit.
"Pew! Pew! Pew!" Natsu made sound effects with his mouth, ignoring the fact that the guns weren't loaded yet.
Seeing everyone's interest—they had bought enough guns for two per person—Raizel stepped up.
"Let's form teams," he suggested. "A battle royale."
"How should we split?" Natsu asked, practically vibrating. "Same groups as shopping?"
"No," Raizel shook his head. "We'll draw lots. Luck will decide your fate."
Raizel produced 14 wooden sticks dyed in three colors: Red, Blue, and Yellow.
He explained the rules: "This is a pure shooting game. If you're hit by a snowball, you're out. The team with the last surviving member wins. No magic allowed—only snow from the ground can be used as ammo. Using magic results in a Red Card and instant disqualification. Master Makarov is the referee."
Everyone drew a stick.
The Teams:
Red Team: Laxus, Natsu, Erza, Lisanna, Reedus
Blue Team: Ultear, Gray, Cana, Elfman, Mira
Yellow Team: Raizel, Wendy, Kagura, Ur
Raizel looked at his stick, then at his team.
'We're doomed.'
Not only was the Yellow Team one person short, but they also had Wendy, who was only five years old.
Raizel looked at the heavy snow gun in Wendy's tiny hands; the weapon was bigger than she was.
The three teams occupied separate snow piles in the courtyard.
Makarov blew a whistle.
"ATTACK YELLOW!"
For some unknown reason (probably resentment over his training methods), both Red and Blue teams immediately targeted Raizel.
"Take cover!" Raizel shouted.
A barrage of snowballs hammered their position.
Raizel, Ur, Kagura, and Wendy huddled behind their snow fort, trembling under the suppressive fire.
But alliances are fragile things.
SPLAT.
A snowball hit Gray in the back of the head.
"LAXUS YOU BASTARD!" Gray spun around. He hadn't been prepared at all. "We had a truce!"
"There are no truces in war," Laxus grinned, reloading his blaster.
"Gray OUT!" Makarov announced.
Gray had set a new record for the fastest elimination.
"Elfman OUT! Reedus OUT!"
Elfman and Reedus, lacking evasion skills, were basically large stationary targets.
They went down in the first volley.
Interestingly, everyone seemed to have a silent agreement to go easy on Lisanna and Wendy.
The two little girls ran around freely, firing wildly, while no one shot back at them.
Raizel, Kagura, and Ur used their martial arts skills to dodge and weave, surviving the chaos.
"This won't do!" Ultear shouted from the Blue fort. "We're losing members! Focus fire on Yellow!"
"Wendy, cover me!" Raizel shouted.
Shamelessly, Raizel crouched behind the five-year-old, using her small body as a human shield while he fired potshots over her head.
"Despicable!" Erza yelled.
Raizel ignored the judgment.
He kept firing.
However, he had overestimated the cover. His 190cm frame hiding behind a small child was pure comedy.
THWACK.
Erza, who had flanked to the side, landed a precision shot right on Raizel's forehead.
"Raizel OUT!"
Raizel sighed, wiped the snow from his face, and obediently walked to the "Dead Zone" by the entrance.
"Cana OUT!"
Cana growled.
She had been hit by Laxus... again.
"You traitor!" she screamed, clenching her fists.
She was sorely tempted to expose Laxus's weakness to the whole guild right then and there.
With the alliances shattered, chaos reigned.
"Laxus OUT! Ultear OUT!"
Kagura and Ur, the silent assassins of Yellow Team, had quietly circled behind the enemy lines during the confusion.
They targeted the strongest players.
Ur personally sniped her own daughter, Ultear, with a perfect headshot.
The field thinned.
Red: Natsu, Lisanna
Blue: Mira
Yellow: Ur, Kagura, Wendy
It was a tactical slaughter.
Ur and Kagura coordinated perfectly. They pinned down Natsu, eliminating him, then turned their combined fire on Mira.
Finally, they gently tagged Lisanna out.
"Victory!"
Smack—Smack—
Ur, Kagura, and Wendy high-fived each other.
They completely ignored Raizel, who was cheering from the sidelines.
It was clear the ladies had carried the team while Raizel was just dead weight.
...
"They're arguing," Raizel noted, watching the losers bicker.
Most of them were ganging up on Laxus for his serial betrayals.
"Next up!" Makarov shouted. "Individual Competition! Everyone for themselves!"
Lisanna and Wendy opted out, choosing to watch from the porch with hot cocoa.
"Let's settle this!" Natsu roared, bouncing back from defeat instantly. "I'm taking first place!"
The other players exchanged glances.
They nodded silently.
Target acquired.
"BEGIN!"
SPLAT. SPLAT.
"Laxus OUT! Gray OUT! Natsu OUT!"
It was over in one second.
Gray fell to another betrayal shot from Laxus.
Laxus was immediately hit by five different snowballs from his angry victims.
And Natsu... Natsu was targeted by everyone simultaneously.
He was buried under a literal avalanche of snowballs with nowhere to dodge.
"I didn't even get to shoot!" Natsu wailed from under the pile.
---------
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