Chapter 95: Fame Spreads Far and Wide (Please Subscribe!)

The meeting officially ended, and everyone dispersed to go home; Mo En and Macao could not leave—they had to stay behind to repair the venue.

Using a magic crystal ball capable of video communication, they had already informed everyone in the guild, and Reinhardt’s “Fairy Tail Construction Team” was dispatched once again.

This time it was an official duty, and the funding was generous; everyone happily rushed over and completed the repairs in no time.

That’s what Itachi call professionalism!

The ride back was lively—they had chartered an entire train car and returned to the guild in high spirits.

“Bang!”

Macao kicked open the door with a foot and strode into the guild, greeted by Erza’s raised eyebrow.

“Itachi went out for a meeting and spent nearly a million J, and now Itachi come back and keep breaking things? Laqi works hard enough already.”

Erza was busy behind the bar but still found time to throw in a sarcastic remark.

When mentioned, Laqi just stuck out her tongue and stayed silent—she still dared not mock the guild master, though she had done so face-to-face when she first joined; now her impression of Macao had changed greatly, realizing he wasn’t actually lecherous, just acted like it.

“Itachi’re so nagging, Erza. A good portion of that million J went to everyone in the guild—it’s basically a guild subsidy. I don’t see anything wrong with that.”

Macao spoke carelessly.

Erza shook her head; she couldn’t do anything about the guild master, only coddle him. They say old people become like children again—turns out it’s true.

Meanwhile, among the actual children, Mo En became the instant center of attention the moment he returned—all the kids rushed toward him.

“Line up, line up—everyone gets one.”

Mo En smiled and directed the kids to form a queue to receive their gifts.

Because of the venue repairs, Mo En had stayed in Crobar for several days and bought everyone presents.

They were all fun little trinkets—not expensive, but full of thought.

For Natsu, a scarf—he’d actually use it; for Gray, a pair of huge shorts—he’d use those too, even if he sometimes stripped down to nothing, he usually kept at least the shorts on, so they were definitely practical; Elfman received a brightly colored parrot as a pet.

“This is for Cana—bought it from the Cat’s Nest. According to Grandpa Robinlu, it’s a divination tool from hundreds of years ago.”

Mo En handed Cana a turtle shell engraved with mysterious symbols; he didn’t know if it was real or not, but Robinlu had said so, and the old man’s credibility was high—he was powerful, so having a few treasures was normal.

Seeing the shell, Cana’s eyes lit up instantly. She took it and began studying it immediately, drawing Reby over—she was fascinated by the symbols on it.

Mo En’s gift to Reby was some ancient texts, also acquired from the Cat’s Nest; while idle in Crobar, he had made a special trip there and gathered a lot of goodies, until Robinlu finally chased him out in exasperation.

“Thank Itachi, Mo En-nii~”

With the ancient texts in hand, Reby stopped competing with Cana for the shell. She hugged the box of books like a treasure, beaming with joy.

The children in the guild all had pure hearts.

“This is for Erza.”

Mo En gave Erza a suit of armor—not magical armor, but an antique one.

As for its origin… let’s just say Robinlu had good reason to kick him out.

“Thank Itachi. It’s a very unique design.”

Erza stared at the armor in delight—she had a hobby of collecting armor.

She didn’t wear every armor she bought, but never sold them—she kept them all. This one, clearly, was a valuable addition to her collection.

She had once given Mo En an armor; now he had returned the favor. Erza’s face lit up with a smile—she was clearly delighted.

Soon, Lisanna and Wendy received their gifts: Lisanna got a delicate hairpin; Wendy got a hair ornament.

Lisanna had short hair, while Wendy was growing hers out, so Mo En specifically chose a hair ornament for Wendy.

Both girls jumped with joy after receiving their gifts—they spent every day together now and had grown very close.

Mirajane watched quietly from the side. Even Jett and Troy had received gifts, yet Mo En made no move to call her over.

Of course, she didn’t step forward to join the queue either—even Erza had queued up, clearly by now it was second nature.

As Jett and Troy finished collecting their gifts and the line began to break up, Mirajane bit her lip, wanting to move but unable to take the step.

“Mirajane, this is for Itachi.”

But before Mirajane could decide whether to join the queue, Mo En had finished handing out gifts and walked straight to her.

“For… for me?”

Looking at the gift held out to her, Mirajane panicked, fumbling, wanting to take it but not daring to reach out.

“Yes, I picked it out especially for Itachi.”

Mo En tilted his head slightly, puzzled by her reaction. What was ordinary to him seemed extraordinary to her—had this girl never received a gift before?

Thinking about it, it wasn’t impossible.

“I still owe Itachi money.”

Mirajane spoke, hesitating to take the gift—she was worried about the debt. How could she accept a gift when she hadn’t repaid him? What kind of thing was that?

“That’s two different things, Mirajane. This is a gift I chose especially for Itachi. If Itachi don’t want it, I’ll just throw it away.”

Mo En sighed helplessly. Mirajane was stubborn—she clung to the debt so tightly she couldn’t even accept a gift until it was paid.

But Mo En himself didn’t care about the money at all. He felt a faint pang of regret—had lending her money to build her house only increased her burden?

“Why throw it away?!”

Hearing Mo En say he’d throw it away, Mirajane’s reaction intensified—her voice rose, and her hesitation vanished.

She snatched the gift bag, opened it, and inside was an apron—Mirajane froze.

“Such a nice apron… how could Itachi throw it away?”

“Itachi could give it to someone else.”

Looking at the apron in the bag, Mirajane whispered.

“No, I picked it out just for Itachi. I can’t give it to someone else. If Itachi don’t want it, I’ll throw it away.”

Mo En shook his head firmly.

“.”

Mirajane fell silent, staring at Mo En’s bright smile, and asked quietly:

“Why… an apron?”

“I noticed how relaxed Itachi look when Itachi cook, Mirajane—Itachi must really love cooking. So I picked this apron, hoping I can enjoy your meals often. They’re delicious—I’m already getting hungry just talking about them.”

Mo En smiled. He had indeed noticed: Mirajane wasn’t just skilled at cooking out of duty as the eldest sister or because of necessity—she genuinely loved it.

“. Thank Itachi. I’ll take it.”

Mo En’s words made Mirajane’s expression waver. She bit her lip, gripped the bag tightly, and thanked him.

“That’s right, Mirajane. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself. Things are different now—Itachi have many family members to rely on. Don’t just focus on your little home. Itachi have this guild as your big family. Look at Lisanna and Elfman—aren’t they happy here?”

Mo En spoke softly, reaching out to pat Mirajane’s head. Even without her “big sister” persona, Mirajane was still adorable.

“Bang!”

“Don’t treat me like a child, Mo En!”

Mirajane slapped his hand away from her head, wrinkled her nose, and gave him a fierce little glare.

“Haha~ Don’t be so fierce. The Mirajane from just a moment ago was cuter~”

Mo En laughed, teasing her.

“Hmph!”

Mirajane’s cheeks flushed. She turned her head away, refusing to look at him.

“Mo En!”

But before Mirajane could say more, a loud shout made her turn back—someone was rushing in, calling Mo En’s name.

Golden hair, wearing “Sound Pot” headphones—it was Laxus. Mirajane and Laxus had little interaction; she wasn’t social, and Laxus rarely paid attention to others—they’d barely exchanged words.

Now, Laxus rushed up to Mo En, staring at him with an expression of utter disbelief.

“What’s wrong, Laxus?”

Seeing Laxus’s strange expression, Mo En frowned. Did Laxus want a gift too?

“Of course I bought Itachi one.”

Before Laxus could speak, Mo En immediately lifted a bag and held it out to the stunned Laxus.

“That’s not important!”

Laxus pushed the bag aside, then fixed Mo En with a burning gaze and asked:

“Mo En, Itachi defeated Jose Porra? Itachi defeated one of the Ten Wizard Saints?!”

Laxus’s voice carried complex emotions: first, deep disbelief, as if unwilling to accept it; then, faint hope and pride.

“Well… not exactly. Grandpa was the main fighter. I just made Joes Porra suffer a huge setback.”

Mo En rubbed his head, genuinely embarrassed—this whole thing had been wildly exaggerated.

The story had spread until it claimed Mo En had defeated Joes Porra alone.

They’d just erased the main fighter? Seriously?!

(End of Chapter)