novelzi Chapter 328: Happiness for the Rest of His Life
Chapter 328: Happiness for the Rest of His Life
"I am a little hungry. Let's go get something to eat," Mirajane said, rubbing her stomach.She figured she had burned off quite a few calories playing the arcade games with Ultear earlier, which explained her current hunger.
"Then let's grab a late-night snack and head back to our rooms," Noah decided. No one objected.
The group made their way to the dining floor.
"Fish!"
The moment they entered the restaurant, Happy flew straight toward the seafood section like a homing missile. Natsu mirrored his enthusiasm, sprinting toward the meat carving stations.
"Remember, don't eat too many sweets this late at night, understand?" Noah grabbed Erza's arm just as her eyes lit up and she prepared to charge the dessert buffet. He looked at her sternly.
"Understood," Erza replied seriously, though her gaze remained longingly fixed on the cakes.
"That goes for you girls too. Not too many sweets." Noah turned to Wendy-kun, Yukino-kun, and Meredy-kun. The bright, excited smiles on their faces instantly dimmed.
"Understood," they chorused softly.
"I'll keep an eye on them," Sorano offered with a smiling face.
The girls' smiles vanished completely. It seemed sneaking extra dessert was out of the question.
"Good." Noah nodded.
Released from his grip, Erza and the younger girls marched toward the dessert section with Sorano trailing behind them as a chaperone.
Noah and the others scattered to their respective favorite food stations to grab a late-night bite.
Once everyone was full, they returned to their suites.
After a satisfying meal and a warm shower, exhaustion finally caught up with Noah. He declined Natsu and Gray's invitation to play video games in the living room, heading straight to his bedroom. He flopped onto the incredibly soft, massive bed and instantly fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, sunlight streamed through the window, warming Noah's face.
He slowly opened his eyes. Having had a full, uninterrupted night's sleep, he felt completely refreshed and energized.
He got out of bed, brushed his teeth, and washed his face. He noticed Natsu, Gray, and Happy were still dead to the world, snoring loudly. The two boys and one cat had kicked their blankets entirely off the bed.
Shaking his head, Noah decided to head down for breakfast first.
He didn't find anyone else from his group in the restaurant.
It wasn't until he had finished eating that Ultear, Mirajane, Erza, and Sorano walked in, all yawning profusely.
"What's wrong? Didn't sleep well last night?" Noah asked.
"After we went back to our suite, we ended up playing the video games provided in the room for a long time. We didn't get to sleep until very late," Sorano explained through another yawn.
"Do you want to go back and sleep a bit more? Natsu and the others are still out cold. I imagine Wendy-kun and the girls are the same."
"That sounds like a good idea. We'll eat breakfast, go back to sleep for a bit, and then we can all go out and play once everyone is up and fed," Mirajane agreed, noting the tired looks on her friends' faces.
As a result, it was past 10:00 AM by the time everyone finally gathered again.
Having caught up on their sleep, Ultear's group, along with the late-sleeping Natsu, Wendy-kun, and the others, looked much more energetic.
The entire group descended upon the theme park to begin their day of fun.
Bumper cars, the carousel, drop towers—Noah and the group tried out almost every ride the park had to offer.
They were particularly fond of the giant roller coaster that looped around the entire park, riding it several times in a row.
They spent the entire day moving from one attraction to the next.
Throughout their adventures, Gray had acquired a permanent shadow. It was, of course, Juvia.
Using the excuse that she wanted to learn more about Fairy Tail, Juvia stuck to Gray like glue. Gray didn't have the heart to chase her away, so wherever he went or whatever he rode, Juvia was right there beside him.
"That girl is one of Phantom Lord's Element 4, right? Is it really okay for her to just follow Gray around like that?" Erza found Noah during a break and asked quietly.
"Of course it's fine. Haven't you noticed that the way she looks at Gray is exactly the same way we look at Noah?" Mirajane chimed in with a teasing smile.
"Huh? The same way?" Erza looked thoroughly confused.
"Sometimes I really wonder if she's genuinely this dense," Sorano facepalmed.
"That's just part of Erza's charm," Ultear chuckled.
"Wait! Are you saying that girl likes Gray?!" Erza stared at Mirajane in shock.
"Exactly. Doesn't her expression when looking at him match ours when we look at Noah?" Mirajane smiled.
"She l-likes Gray!" Erza's face instantly flushed crimson.
"Sigh... is Erza really going to be okay?" Sorano muttered.
"She'll be fine. Just give her a moment to process it," Ultear smiled.
"Mhm. Her name is Juvia. She was the Water element of Phantom Lord's Element 4. Since the Council disbanded Phantom, she's now a freelance mage. When I saw her yesterday, she told Gray she wanted to join Fairy Tail. She said she was 'willing to do anything' to join, so I told Gray to show her the ropes and introduce her to the guild. And well, this is the result. She's been following him ever since," Noah explained to Ultear and the others.
"Oh my, 'willing to do anything'?" Mirajane giggled, glancing over at Juvia, who was currently chatting animatedly with Gray.
Gray looked a bit awkward but was patiently answering her questions.
"Mhm. It seems he doesn't dislike her either. Let them spend some time together. If all goes well, Gray's happiness for the rest of his life is secured," Ultear observed the pair.
As Gray's senior martial sister, she naturally wanted him to find happiness. Since Noah knew who Juvia was and hadn't objected to her interacting with Gray, it meant she was trustworthy. Therefore, Ultear had no reason to oppose their budding relationship.
Moreover, seeing the absolute adoration in Juvia's eyes, Ultear knew the girl was hopelessly in love. The fact that Gray wasn't pushing her away was an excellent start.
"Juvia's track record is actually quite good. I looked into her past mission completion history and reputation. They are solid. She doesn't have the notorious, malicious reputation that many other Phantom Lord members do," Noah added.
Hearing this, Ultear felt completely reassured.
After resting for a bit, Erza finally calmed down from her blushing fit. Having learned about Juvia's background from Noah, she also stopped worrying about Gray's safety.
Break time over, the group plunged back into the theme park's attractions.
Time flew, and evening soon arrived. After dinner, the group headed back down to the underground casino.
The moment Noah stepped onto the casino floor this time, he noticed several staff members subtly watching him.
It was likely because he had won a massive amount the previous night and, since they were staying at the hotel, the casino management had flagged him as a high-roller to watch. After all, a casino is a business. When a player like Noah walks in—winning consistently and heavily in a short amount of time—the casino's bottom line takes a noticeable hit.
Noah noticed their gazes but didn't care. He had no intention of gambling tonight anyway; he had already won enough to cover their entire vacation. He planned to just stick with Wendy-kun and the younger girls and play the arcade games.
Ultear, Mirajane, Erza, and Sorano, on the other hand, were highly motivated. Having seen Noah's massive haul the night before, they were eager to try their luck and win some spending money of their own.
Natsu and Happy were the first to charge into the gambling fray. They fully intended to replicate Noah's success and refill their dangerously depleted wallets.
Lucy, equally excited, aimed to win enough to cover her month's rent.
However, when the group reconvened later that night, Noah was met with the utterly depressed faces of Natsu, Happy, and Lucy.
"What happened to them?" Noah asked Gray, who was standing nearby.
"Ha! They thought they were going to strike it rich, but ended up losing a ton of money instead," Gray smirked. He hadn't won much himself tonight, but he certainly hadn't lost like Natsu's group had.
"You bastard!" Seeing Gray's smug grin, Natsu's temper flared. He lunged forward and slammed his forehead against Gray's.
"What? Did you lose all your money because you suck?" Gray taunted.
"It was the machine's fault!"
"Isn't that just an excuse for sucking?"
"Damn it! You wanna go?!"
"Bring it on! I'm not scared of you!"
Just as the two were about to start swinging, Noah stepped in, grabbing them each by the collar and pulling them apart.
Separated, the two boys huffed, turned their heads away, and refused to look at each other.
"What am I going to do... my rent is further away than ever..." Lucy sulked, a dark cloud practically hanging over her head. She had lost quite a bit, making her financial situation even more dire.
"We can just take on some requests together when we get back. You guys shouldn't gamble anymore; you clearly aren't suited for it," Noah advised them gently.
Lucy nodded tearfully, swearing off gambling forever. Seeing Noah win so easily had given her false confidence. The reality check had been brutal; she realized she had absolutely no talent for it.
"The same goes for you two. No more gambling, understand?" Noah said to Natsu and Happy.
"Aye..." they replied dejectedly. Their savings were almost entirely wiped out; they didn't have the capital to gamble even if they wanted to.
"What about you guys? How did you do tonight?" Noah turned to Ultear and the older girls.
"Not bad. We made a little profit," Ultear smiled, and the others nodded.
Unlike Natsu's group, they had experience playing these games and possessed strong observational skills and magic power, allowing them to win consistently, even if not on the massive scale Noah had achieved.
"That's good to hear. But let's call it a night while we're ahead."
Ultear and the others nodded in agreement.
~~~
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