A New Life in Fairy Tail

Chapter 353: The Parade Begins

"Wait, that doesn't make sense. Didn't you just learn how to make sugar paintings a few minutes ago? How are yours already this good?"Mirajane asked Noah, her expression full of confusion. She had tried several times to draw a simple Fairy Tail guild mark, but her results looked nothing like the clean, precise emblem Noah had effortlessly created.

"It's true, the young man just learned today," the stall owner interjected, walking over as he currently had no customers. "When I first saw him try, his drawings were quite sloppy. But he picked it up incredibly fast."

"Then how are you making them look so perfect?" Sorano asked, staring at Noah in bewilderment.

"I honestly don't know. Maybe I just learn fast? Or maybe it's because my impressions of all of you are so deeply ingrained in my mind?"

Noah smiled, taking the spoon back from Mirajane. He scooped up a spoonful of hot syrup and began to draw the stall owner's face on the marble slab.

After finishing that one, Noah made individual portraits for Ultear, Mirajane, Erza, and Sorano.

Everyone looked at the five sugar paintings. At first glance, all five were incredibly detailed and exquisite.

However, upon closer inspection, the portraits of the girls possessed an unmistakable vitality and spark that the stall owner's portrait lacked. That extra touch of emotion made the girls' sugar paintings look as if they had truly come alive.

Noah handed the sugar paintings to the stall owner and the four girls.

Holding the incredibly lifelike portraits of themselves, the girls beamed with radiant smiles.

Comparing their own to the stall owner's, it was obvious how much care and attention Noah had poured into theirs. If Noah didn't pay constant, loving attention to every detail of their appearances and personalities, he could never have created such vibrant portraits. Naturally, this realization filled them with immense joy.

They all looked at Noah, their eyes overflowing with deep affection.

Standing nearby, the stall owner looked at his own sugar painting. He hadn't even taken a bite yet, but he already felt like his mouth was full of overwhelming sweetness. He felt thoroughly stuffed with romantic dog food.

Shaking his head, he retreated behind his counter as a new customer approached to place an order.

"It's too hard to draw."

Seeing Noah make it look so effortless, Mirajane took the spoon back and tried again. But no matter how many times she practiced, she just couldn't create the patterns she envisioned.

"Indeed," Ultear and Erza agreed after making a few more failed attempts of their own.

"Whatever. As long as Noah can draw them, that's all that matters," Sorano declared, giving up after her own series of failures.

Her eyes darted playfully, and she looked at Noah with a mischievous glint. "Quick, come over here and make a few more sugar paintings of me."

"Hm? Why?" Noah asked, a bit confused, taking the spoon from her.

"Don't ask questions! Just draw!" Sorano ordered, leaning against Noah's back and peering over his shoulder.

"Alright, alright. Just don't move too much, or you'll mess up my drawing."

Noah proceeded to create five or six more sugar paintings, each depicting Sorano in her various everyday outfits and poses. Every single one was incredibly lifelike.

"Not bad, not bad! Make a few more!" Sorano nodded in satisfaction, picking up the cooled sugar paintings and holding them up to admire them in the sunlight.

Once Noah had made ten portraits of her, Sorano happily stored them all away in her Requip spatial storage.

Seeing Sorano's actions, Ultear and the others immediately understood her goal. They all turned to stare intently at Noah.

"I'll make them for everyone. Don't worry," Noah laughed, knowing exactly what they wanted.

He proceeded to make ten sugar portraits for each of them. Satisfied, the girls stored most of them away, keeping only one out to admire and eat.

"Oh, right! Make some for Yukino-kun and the others too!" Sorano requested, remembering her little sister.

"Mhm."

Noah crafted several sugar paintings for Wendy-kun, Yukino-kun, Meredy-kun, and even Carla.

"We should totally do this at home sometime," Sorano suggested after taking a lick of the Fairy Tail emblem sugar painting Noah had just made for her. The sweet taste spread through her mouth.

"And who exactly is going to be doing the making?" Noah asked, rolling his eyes at her.

"We have you, don't we?" Sorano grinned, hugging Noah's arm tightly.

Noah glanced at her but didn't object. He actually found making sugar paintings quite fun; it wouldn't be a bad activity to do at home every now and then.

"Alright, let's continue our festival tour," Ultear said.

"Wait, Noah. Make a few more for us to eat while we walk," Erza requested. She really enjoyed the taste of the sugar paintings, but she absolutely refused to eat the beautiful portraits of herself he had made.

"I'll just make a bunch of guild emblems, then."

The guild mark was much faster and easier to draw than detailed portraits. Noah quickly whipped up over twenty of them.

Everyone took one to eat, and the rest were stored in their spatial storages.

After saying goodbye to the stall owner, the group continued their stroll through the festival, happily licking their sugar paintings.

It was past noon by the time they finally returned to the guild hall.

They distributed the specially made sugar paintings to Wendy-kun and the younger girls. The girls accepted them with delightful surprise, the sweet taste bringing bright smiles to their faces.

With the afternoon wearing on, Noah and the others shifted their focus to preparing for the evening's Fantasia Parade and the subsequent celebration banquet.

"Are the fireworks ready?"

"They've all been transported to the designated launch sites. The city council has assigned personnel to set them off."

"Are the costumes ready?"

"Everyone has received their designated outfits. They just need to change before we set out."

"Are the floats fully prepped?"

"Everything is arranged. The decorations have been double-checked, and we're ready to roll out at a moment's notice."

Noah and Laxus went through the final checklist item by item.

When floats were mentioned, Noah suddenly remembered something. He looked over at Natsu. "Natsu! Come see me right before the parade starts. I'll cast a spell to temporarily suppress your motion sickness so you can actually ride on a float."

"Really?!" Natsu's face lit up with absolute joy.

Ever since his Dragon Slayer motion sickness had kicked into high gear, he hadn't been able to ride in any vehicle, and the parade floats were no exception. Hearing that he could actually participate properly this year made him incredibly happy.

"That's great, Happy!"

"Aye!"

"When do the floats launch?! I absolutely have to be on the very first one!" Natsu pumped his fists excitedly, staring at Noah with eyes full of anticipation.

"Calm down. There's still a while before we start," Lucy reminded him.

"I can't wait! I want to get on the float right now!" Natsu continued to sprint around the guild hall excitedly until Erza finally punched him in the head to make him sit still.

"Idiot," Gray muttered, shaking his head.

"Gray," Ultear's voice suddenly cut through the noise, her tone chillingly serious. Her eyes glinted dangerously. "If you strip off your clothes during the parade, I will make you regret it. That goes for you too, Lyon."

Gray and Lyon both shivered violently, nodding their heads frantically in agreement.

"Will it really be okay for Juvia to participate in the parade? Since Juvia is still so new..." Juvia asked nervously, wringing her hands.

"Of course it's okay. You're an official member of Fairy Tail now. As part of our family, you naturally have a place in the parade," Ultear smiled reassuringly at her.

"You kids go have fun in the parade. I'll just watch from the sidelines. Why do you insist on dragging me into it?" Ur sighed as she helped with the preparations.

"Mom! You're rarely in the guild at the same time the festival is happening! Of course you have to participate with us!" Ultear hugged her mother tightly, acting affectionately.

"Alright, alright. I'll join in," Ur relented. Looking at her grown daughter and feeling her warmth, Ur couldn't help but feel a deep sense of joy at the prospect of performing together.

"Noah, how are the security arrangements looking? Should I sit out the parade and handle crowd control and security instead?" Laxus asked Noah.

"Do you really not trust my planning? Everything is sorted," Noah replied confidently. "The city guards will be maintaining order along the route. Additionally, several of our older guild members who aren't performing will be actively patrolling and assisting with security. Mystogan will also be keeping a watchful eye from the shadows. And, of course, I'll be monitoring the safety of the entire parade route."

"Mystogan is back? Why haven't I seen him?" Laxus asked, surprised.

"You know how he is. Unless it's an absolute emergency, he won't show himself in front of everyone," Noah explained.

"Right. So, is he handling the illusions and special effects like in previous years?"

"Mhm. Since he can't appear in public, this is his way of participating in the parade."

Laxus nodded, satisfied that security was tight.

The guild members plunged into the final, tense moments of preparation.

As the sun finally set, the residents of Magnolia tacitly turned off all their house lights. The entire city plunged into darkness, illuminated only by the faint glow of the stars and the newly risen moon.

The citizens and tourists had already lined the streets along the parade route hours in advance.

The most eager spectators had gathered right outside the Fairy Tail guild hall, waiting breathlessly for the grand opening.

The guild hall, which was normally brightly lit and incredibly noisy at this hour, was now pitch black and completely silent. The stark contrast made some of the waiting crowd wonder if they were in the wrong place.

Suddenly, a single streak of light shot up from the distance into the night sky.

BANG!

A blinding flash of red light and a sharp explosion signaled the blooming of a massive, brilliant firework.

Immediately following, dozens of streaks of light erupted from all around Magnolia, leaving long trails of smoke before bursting high in the sky into a spectacular array of colorful, radiant fireworks.

CRACKLE! BOOM! POP!

A kaleidoscope of fireworks continuously illuminated the night sky, the thunderous explosions rolling over the city.

The Fairy Tail mages hadn't even made their appearance yet, but the crowd's enthusiasm was already ignited by the magnificent display.

The continuous flashes of light illuminated the faces of the thousands of spectators lining the streets, revealing expressions of pure joy, surprise, and eager anticipation.

~~~

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