Chapter 78: Love! (Please Subscribe!)

“That’s not a dragon egg.”

Looking at the egg before her, Levy spoke up.

This made Natsu immediately pull the egg back into his arms, eyeing the white cat with suspicion, teeth bared.

“The kid’s right, Natsu.”

Before Natsu could explode, Makarov, seated at the bar, cut in—he’d been waiting for a chance to reveal the truth, and now was clearly it.

“Huh?!”

Natsu was stunned, staring at Makarov in disbelief.

“Crack crack crack!”

But before Natsu could protest, the egg began to change, shaking violently as its shell started to crack.

“It’s about to hatch.”

Mo En stared at the egg; he had a feeling.

“Crack crack crack!”

As the egg cracked open, everyone gathered around eagerly.

For days, Natsu had carried the egg everywhere he went, and the guild members had all grown familiar with it—many had even held and touched it, all wondering what might hatch from it.

As for a dragon, few truly believed it.

“Hum!”

As the shell shattered, a blue orb shot up to the ceiling.

“Whoa!”

Everyone gasped—the orb wasn’t large; clearly a tiny creature, about half the size of the egg.

As the light faded, a blue cat with wings appeared.

“A cat?!”

The result stunned everyone; mouths hung open, everyone except Levy and Mo En.

After all, before the outcome, no one could have guessed a cat would hatch—was this even reasonable?

“It has wings!”

Natsu, initially disappointed it wasn’t a dragon, instantly forgot his disappointment upon seeing the winged cat, staring curiously at the creature flying above.

“It’s a blue cat!”

Under everyone’s gaze, the little blue cat flapped its wings, wobbling until it landed on Natsu’s head—its size was just right, perfectly fitting as it curled up there.

“Love!”

The cat’s white wings vanished; it sat up and let out a cry—not a “meow,” but a clear “Love!”—this adorable moment melted everyone’s hearts, and a crowd surged forward to hug it.

“This little thing is so cute~”

The adults crowded in, reaching out to touch and stroke it; this living being they’d all witnessed hatch carried a different meaning, drawing everyone’s interest.

“Hey, it kind of looks like Levy!”

Someone noticed—the blue cat bore a striking resemblance to Levy, as if from the same species.

“Levy, is it the same race as Itachi?”

Wendy looked at Levy curiously; she’d met Levy already in this form and never knew Levy had hatched from an egg.

“Yes.”

Levy sighed, reluctantly admitting it—though she hated to acknowledge this male cat as kin, the facts were undeniable.

“That’s wonderful! Now Levy has a playmate!”

Wendy beamed, unaware of Levy’s disdain for the male cat.

“I don’t need a playmate like that—he looks like an idiot.”

Levy muttered under her breath; she truly thought the male cat was foolish. She’d understood many things the moment she hatched, but this one just kept saying “Love!” like a simpleton.

“Let’s name him.”

Watching everyone happily crowd around Happy, Mo En smiled and suggested it—everyone immediately agreed, and guild members began shouting out names.

“Call him Blue Cat!”

“Why not just call him Cat?”

“What about Little Blue?”

“How about Blue Dragon? Natsu always wanted a dragon!”

Everyone’s suggestions were nonsense—none were sensible.

“Ahem, how about Happy?”

Seeing the names grow stranger, Mo En quickly spoke up—Happy’s name couldn’t be changed. Looking at the little blue cat still sleeping with its eyes closed, Mo En decided to grant his wish: let him be called Happy.

“Happy?”

Everyone was puzzled—why had Mo En suddenly suggested that name?

“Because his birth made everyone happy. Happy fits, doesn’t it? It sounds cheerful.”

Mo En blinked, offering his reasoning.

Thank goodness for his supremely wise mind—he truly couldn’t have thought of a decent excuse otherwise.

“Love!”

Before anyone could react, Happy, who’d been quiet, cried out—as if agreeing with Mo En’s suggestion.

“Perfect! Then his name is Happy! Happiness! Joy!”

Seeing Happy’s approval, Natsu instantly settled on the name.

As the one who found and hatched the egg, Natsu had priority in naming it; if he refused, no one could force another name.

“Happy! Happy! Natsu’s dragon Happy!”

Natsu held Happy aloft, cheering as Happy chirped “Love!” repeatedly—the scene was harmonious and loving.

Laxus, wearing a wizard’s hat, held a sketchpad and pencil, capturing this beautiful moment—though his drawing had heavy artistic embellishment.

In his sketch, Happy, held high by Natsu, was drawn as a small blue dragon, and Natsu rode atop this fierce-looking beast.

“Not bad—Itachi’ve helped Natsu fulfill his dream.”

Mo En walked over to Laxus and commented.

“Artistic license is normal in paintings.”

Laxus smiled—he had curly hair, wore a wizard’s hat, and radiated an artistic aura; without magic, he’d returned to his thin, frail form, far more normal than his inflated fat-man appearance.

Mo En studied Laxus’s sketch closely—everyone was in it, every face smiling.

Well, except for Laxus.

Even in Laxus’s own drawing, Laxus wore a stern, uninterested expression.

“Next time, draw a smile on his face, Laxus.”

Mo En pointed to Laxus in the corner of the sketch and laughed. Everyone was smiling—only Laxus looked glum, as if he didn’t belong.

“Uh… wouldn’t that be too much artistic license?”

Laxus paused, hesitating.

“.”

Mo En was speechless, staring at Laxus in exasperation—was that even human logic?

Drawing a smile on Laxus’s face was more absurd than turning Happy into a blue dragon?

(End of Chapter)