Magnolia Street
Silence reigned on the streets of Magnolia, except for the distant chirping of birds.
Natsu and Gray lay face-down on the cobblestones, twitching occasionally.
They had been knocked out cold by a single, terrifying punch and sent flying through the guild doors.
No one dared to fish them out.
Gray was stripped to the waist, wearing nothing but his boxers, but public indecency was the least of anyone's concerns right now.
The real danger was inside the guild.
Erza was still vibrating with rage.
Her crimson hair floated around her as if caught in an updraft, and a visible red aura of magical power crackled around her armor.
Ultear and Cana were hanging onto her arms, their heels digging into the floorboards as they struggled to hold her back.
"Let me at them!" Erza roared. "They desecrated the holy grail!"
Kagura stood nearby, calmly wiping cake frosting off Erza's cheek with a handkerchief.
It really wasn't a good look for the Titania to be raging with strawberry cream smeared all over her face.
As for stopping her? Kagura's professional opinion was that Natsu and Gray deserved another beating.
The "Golden Strawberry Cake" was a legend.
It was a limited-edition item sold by a boutique bakery in the next town. Even being a VIP or an S-Class Mage didn't guarantee you a slice; you had to enter a lottery system just for the chance to buy it.
The odds were abysmally low.
Erza tried almost every week, but her success rate over the years could be counted on one hand.
Raizel, Kagura, Ultear—they had all been drafted into the "Cake Lottery Squad" to help her, and they had all failed.
The bakery claimed the strawberries were a magical variant that had to be harvested by hand at specific lunar cycles.
And now, after finally winning the lottery, Natsu and Gray had destroyed it in a brawl.
"Let's get more people to try for it," Ur said, stepping into the fray.
Seeing that Ultear and Cana were losing the tug-of-war, Ur walked up to Erza and gently patted her armored back.
"We will mobilize the entire guild," Ur promised soothingly. "We will make Natsu and Gray line up every single day. If they don't get it, they don't eat. How does that sound?"
It had to be said that Ur knew how to handle difficult children.
Erza immediately quieted down. Her aura dissipated.
She turned and slumped against Ur, burying her face in the older woman's shoulder.
She looked like a warrior who had lost the war.
"Waaah ┭┮﹏┭┮," Erza sobbed comically. "My cake... I didn't even get a single bite... the frosting hadn't even touched my tongue..."
Ur gently stroked Erza's hair, ignoring how uncomfortable the cold metal armor was against her chest.
She looked over Erza's shoulder.
'Gray, Natsu... this is all the help I can give you. Don't waste it.'
Thanks to Ur's intervention, the two idiots managed to keep their lives.
Wakaba and Macao, sensing the danger had passed, cautiously crept out to the street.
With Happy's help, they dragged the unconscious bodies of Natsu and Gray back inside.
...
For the next three weeks, Fairy Tail became a bakery-obsessed cult.
The lottery for the cake was only held once every seven days.
They mobilized nearly ten people—Erza, Raizel, Ultear, Cana, Levy, and the repentant sinners Natsu and Gray.
They took missions near the bakery town just to be close for the drawing. They optimized their routes. They prayed to the gods of pastry.
Result: Failure.
Three weeks straight.
Zero wins.
It seemed the entire guild was cursed with E-Rank Luck.
Each time, they stood in line with hope in their eyes, only to watch the "SOLD OUT" sign flip over.
The large group trudged dejectedly back to the guild through the streets of Magnolia.
If the residents didn't know them, they might have thought a horde of zombies had invaded.
Shoulders slumped, eyes dead.
Natsu and Gray walked at the back while trembling. They didn't dare look up or speak.
If they breathed too loudly, Erza might remember the original sin and decapitate them.
"This is hopeless," Cana groaned. "I think the universe hates us."
Raizel stopped walking. He looked up at the sky, then snapped his fingers.
"In that case," Raizel said, "why don't we just make it ourselves?"
Ultear, Levy, Erza, and Cana stopped.
They looked up one after another.
You could almost see the magical lightbulbs appearing above their heads.
'Make it ourselves?'
Natsu and Gray glanced sideways out of the corners of their eyes and quietly let out a sigh of relief.
'Yes! A distraction!'
"It seems you all agree," Raizel nodded. "Let's head back to the Guild to strategize."
Back at the guild, the atmosphere shifted from depression to determination.
"We need the recipe," Raizel said, sitting at a large table. "I remember the shape. The strawberries were special—golden in color. Erza called them the 'Top-tier Sweet-to-Death Strawberries'."
"Leave the research to me!"
Levy McGarden pulled a pair of strange red glasses from her bag.
She put them on, tilting her head with a confident smile.
"Gale Force Glasses," she explained. "They allow me to read and process information at high speeds."
"Are there extras?" Ultear asked, raising her hand. "I can help."
"Of course. I have three pairs." Levy handed one to Ultear and one to Cana.
"Let's do this," Cana grinned, putting them on.
The three mages grabbed stacks of botanical encyclopedias and cookbooks from the guild library.
Raizel watched them work.
He initially wanted to say that he could just use his Archive magic to search the world's information instantly.
But seeing how enthusiastic they were, he decided not to spoil their fun.
Sometimes the journey was more important than the destination.
The guild was quiet. Though it was full of people, you could hear a pin drop.
The only sound was the furious rustling of pages as Levy, Ultear, and Cana scanned through thousands of words per minute.
While the research team worked, the guild doors opened.
Mira, Elfman, and Lisanna walked in.
They looked tired but happy, carrying large travel bags. They had been on a long-term mission for nearly a month.
"We're back!" Mira called out cheerfully.
But there was no response.
"Where is everyone?" Mira asked. "Why is it so serious?"
"Welcome back," Raizel waved from the table. "We're in the middle of a crisis."
"A crisis?" Lisanna blinked. "Is it a dark guild?"
"Worse," Happy flew over, landing on the bar. "It's about cake."
"Natsu, you still didn't manage to get one?" Happy asked, patting Natsu's head sympathetically.
"No," Natsu whimpered.
Raizel explained the situation: The destroyed cake, the failed lotteries, and the current mission to recreate the legendary dessert from scratch.
"Is that the 'Golden Strawberry' cake?" Mira asked, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "I've heard of it. The strawberries are said to grow only in high-altitude zones rich in solar magic."
"Exactly," Raizel nodded.
"Then I'll help too," Mira smiled, her eyes closing into happy crescents. "I'm quite skilled at making cakes. For Elfman and Lisanna's birthdays, I always bake them myself."
"Mhm! Mira-nee's cakes are the most delicious in the entire Kingdom!" Lisanna nodded proudly.
"Really?!" Erza rushed over.
She grabbed Mira's hands with tears welling in her eyes.
"Mira! Please! You must help us!" Erza pleaded. "I can't eat another one of Raizel's abominations!"
Raizel twitched. "Hey! My cakes aren't that bad."
"Raizel," Erza looked him dead in the eye. "You made a cake for Kevin's birthday that looked like a mudslide. It tasted like charcoal and regret."
Raizel looked away, whistling innocently.
"Don't worry," Mira patted Erza's hand. "Leave the baking to me."
"I found it!" Levy's voice suddenly cut through the room.