A New Life in Fairy Tail

Chapter 327: Hugs

"You need to have a little more faith in Erza and Sorano's skills," Mirajane said to Noah, her tone teasingly reproachful."I have faith in them, of course. I was just worried some high-roller professional might sit down at their table," Noah explained with a smile.

"That won't happen. I haven't seen anyone with actual skill playing here; they're all just regular tourists," Mirajane whispered, leaning in close so her lips were right by his ear.

The warmth of her breath tickled his ear, making him instinctively tilt his head away slightly.

Suddenly, he felt a weight on his shoulder. Mirajane had rested her head against him, leaning her body weight onto his side. At the same time, her hands gently enveloped his arm.

Seeing her like this, Noah didn't pull away. He simply stood still, quietly watching Erza and Sorano play their game.

As he focused on the card game, he suddenly felt his other, free hand being clasped by a pair of slightly cool, soft hands.

It was Ultear. She had walked over and leaned against his other side.

Noah turned his head slightly to look at her. Ultear offered him a radiant smile and gently rested her head on his other shoulder.

And so, Noah stood there, flanked and held by the two women, watching Erza and Sorano dominate the poker table.

After five intense rounds, Erza narrowly clinched the final victory, riding high on her streak of good luck.

"Damn it! Just a little bit more! I was this close to winning!" Sorano grumbled, staring at her cards with immense dissatisfaction.

"Hehe... It seems my luck was just a bit better today. I'll be leaving my laundry to you for the next month. Oh, and I'm very much looking forward to that grand feast you're treating me to," Erza beamed, thoroughly enjoying her victory.

"Damn it!"

Sorano stood up abruptly, turned around, and threw herself straight into Noah's arms. "Noah, she's bullying me!"

Seeing Sorano pounce, Ultear and Mirajane lifted their heads and let go of Noah's arms. They stepped aside, watching Sorano with amused smiles.

"You can just win it back next time," Noah said gently, wrapping his arms around her soft frame and lightly patting her back to comfort her.

Seeing that Sorano was done playing, Erza stood up as well. Lucy, who had been watching from the sidelines, joined her, and the two walked over to the group.

"Even if we play again, the result will be the same. I will win," Erza declared smugly to the pouting Sorano still buried in Noah's chest.

Sorano squirmed in Noah's embrace for a moment before pulling herself out. She marched up to Erza and stated fiercely, "Next time, I will win."

"Hmph. I eagerly await your challenge." Erza accepted without hesitation.

"By the way, Sorano," Noah interjected, "I noticed there are actually quite a few regular amusement arcade games down here, not just gambling tables. Should we go get Yukino-kun, Wendy-kun, and the others so they can play too?"

"Let me see..." Sorano looked around the expansive floor. She indeed spotted numerous standard arcade machines and even a few younger kids playing on them. "Yeah, we can. I'll keep an eye on them and make sure they don't wander over to the gambling sections."

Having just lost her bet to Erza, Sorano was perfectly happy to take the girls around the arcade to blow off some steam.

"Then let's go up together and get them. It's still a while before their usual bedtime," Noah suggested.

"I'll come up with you guys too. It'll be a nice way to relax," Erza said, joining Noah and Sorano.

"Sure." Noah nodded, and Sorano naturally didn't object.

"We won't go up. We'll just stay down here and play a bit," Ultear said, waving to them. Mirajane stood beside her, smiling in agreement. It was obvious they had coordinated this while Noah was talking.

Lucy also chose to stay with them, clearly sharing their plan to explore the casino floor a bit more.

"Alright, you guys have fun. We'll be right back," Noah said, leading Sorano and Erza toward the stairs.

Ultear and Mirajane turned and headed off to find some games that caught their interest.

As they walked, Sorano suddenly looped her arms around Noah's left arm, hugging it tightly against her chest.

Noah was momentarily startled, but let her hold him without pulling away.

Seeing this, a faint blush spread across Erza's cheeks. She stepped up to Noah's right side and similarly wrapped her arms around his right arm, hugging it close.

Noah glanced from left to right. Both women were looking down at the floor, but their grips on his arms were firm.

The walk was silent. They maintained this linked formation all the way to the girls' suite. Only when they reached the door did Erza and Sorano finally let go.

Noah could see that Erza's face was much redder than before, and Sorano also bore a noticeable blush.

Sorano used her guild mark to contact Yukino-kun. Moments later, the door opened.

"Sister, you're back?" Yukino-kun asked, standing in the doorway wearing her pajamas.

"You guys haven't gone to sleep yet, right?" Sorano asked.

"No, we were just chatting," Yukino-kun shook her head. They were far too excited to sleep this early.

"Good. Change your clothes. We're taking you downstairs to play."

"But didn't Brother Noah say it was a casino and not suitable for us?" Yukino-kun asked, confused.

"I also thought that since it was called a casino, it would only have gambling. But it turns out there are a lot of regular arcade games down there too. It's perfect for you girls, so we came to get you," Noah explained.

"I'll go tell Wendy-kun and the others!" Yukino-kun's eyes lit up. She spun around and ran back into the room.

It didn't take long before Yukino-kun returned with Wendy-kun, Meredy-kun, and Carla, all changed into casual clothes.

"Let's go."

Closing the door behind them, the group headed back down to the underground level.

On the way down, Erza and Sorano didn't hold onto Noah's arms again. Instead, they chatted amicably beside him, all the tension from their poker rivalry completely vanished.

Noah wasn't surprised. They frequently competed against each other; winning and losing was normal. They might bicker immediately after a result, but they always made up quickly.

Soon, they arrived back at the underground casino. Wendy-kun and the others were instantly captivated by the vibrant, bustling atmosphere. Their mouths fell open in awe.

"Remember, you aren't allowed to wander off alone. One of us must be with you at all times, understand?" Noah instructed them sternly. Although there were arcade games, it was still a casino. He wasn't entirely comfortable letting them run loose.

"Understood!" they chorused.

"Just like we agreed, I'll watch over them," Sorano said to Noah.

"I'll stay with them too. You go find something you want to play," Erza added.

"Alright, I'll leave them in your care." Noah nodded, then turned to explore the casino floor.

Erza and Sorano led Wendy-kun and the girls toward the arcade section.

Noah tested out several of the electronic gambling machines. He quickly realized they were all heavily programmed to favor the house. Unless he used magic, relying purely on skill or observation to win was nearly impossible.

However, the table games operated by actual human dealers were a different story. He found he could win those quite easily.

After abandoning the rigged machines, Noah sat down at one of the dealer-operated tables and began to play.

Relying on his enhanced senses and superhuman cognitive processing, Noah barely had to try. The pile of chips in front of him grew rapidly.

Winning was always an enjoyable experience. As his chip stack turned into a mountain, a crowd began to gather around him.

The dealer at his table had already been swapped out once, and the current one was sweating profusely.

"Sir, your skills are truly formidable. We would like to invite you to our VIP room. The stakes are much higher there, which might be more suited to a player of your caliber," a senior staff member approached and offered politely.

"Oh, no thank you. I've had my fun, and I don't plan on playing anymore tonight," Noah declined.

He knew he had won a substantial amount—more than enough to cover the entire cost of their vacation several times over. He stood up, signaling he was cashing out.

"Understood, VIP guest. If you require anything else, please do not hesitate to ask. We are at your full disposal. If you change your mind about the VIP room, just let us know," the senior staff member said with a respectful bow, relieved that Noah was leaving the main floor.

"I will if I need to," Noah smiled.

Seeing no further requests, the staff member retreated.

Noah turned to leave and found a large group standing right behind him. Ultear, Wendy-kun, and the girls were there, along with Natsu, Happy, Gray, and Juvia, who was still sticking close to Gray.

"Hm? Why is everyone gathered here? Weren't you all playing?"

"You had such a massive crowd watching you, we got curious and came to see what was going on," Ultear smiled.

"Natsu, Noah won so much money! We could buy a mountain of fish with that!" Happy drooled, hovering in the air.

"With that much money, we could buy a mountain of meat..." Natsu drooled in perfect synchronization.

"Hold on. Didn't you guys stuff yourselves at dinner? Why are you acting like you're starving again?" Noah asked, amused by their identical reactions.

"We burned it all off," Happy stated matter-of-factly.

"Exactly," Natsu nodded sagely.

"Well, are you hungry now? If you are, we can go to the restaurant for a late-night snack before heading to bed."

Noah checked the time. It was getting late. He turned to Ultear and the others for their input.

~~~

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