"It doesn't matter!"
"Regarding my matters, if your parents ask, you can tell them the truth."
"It's not as if I'm some villain harboring evil intent."
Weston's face was once again filled with smiles.
Ultear's expression finally relaxed: "I see... then I understand!"
"Speaking of which, what is the date today?"
"It's July 8th!"
Since she was still a student, Ultear remembered dates and such very clearly.
"Already July 8th, huh..."
Weston murmured to himself for a few moments, then looked back at Ultear and said: "If you have nothing to do, you should head back early."
"Why? I just got here!"
"If nothing unexpected happens, there should be new companions joining the guild today. Since you're the 'Big Sis' among the kids, don't you want to go confirm your status?"
Ultear didn't notice the affection in the way Weston referred to the "guild"; her attention was completely captured by what he said.
"How do you know there will be new companions joining?"
"Don't worry about that, I just know! Alright, alright, off you go. I need to continue delving into my magic!!"
"Fine, fine, I'm leaving..."
Having been given an eviction notice, Ultear had no choice but to leave the Magic Library dejectedly.
Half an hour later, she finally returned to Fairy Tail.
The moment she stepped through the door, she saw five little brats who weren't very old running and shouting all over the hall.
"Wah-ka-ka-ka... You guys are so interesting! I love it here!"
"Gah-ga-ga... Come and have a showdown with this Great Me!!"
The most boisterous ones were a brat with cherry-colored hair wearing a white dragon-scale scarf, and another brat with iron studs in his face who laughed like a villain out of a storybook.
The two were arrogantly declaring a challenge in front of the guild's two greatest "useless uncles," Macao and Wakaba.
Behind these two older boys, each was followed by a tiny toddler who looked only five or six years old. These two little kids couldn't even speak clearly yet; they just knew to follow the first two, laughing and shouting "hee-hee ha-ha."
In a corner, there was also a little sister with short blue hair. She was showing off her guild emblem to a gentle woman she had never seen before.
"Ms. Anna, look! I have a guild emblem too, it's blue!"
"It's truly beautiful. Now Wendy is a member of Fairy Tail as well. Remember to get along well with everyone!"
"Yes, I will work hard!"
The blue-haired little sister nodded her head vigorously, showing the height of obedience.
Watching this scene, Ultear was momentarily stunned where she stood: "There really are new companions joining? How on earth did that Old Man know? Or rather, does he have a connection with this group?"
Just then, a figure walked over.
"You're back, Ultear! Is school over already?"
"Ah... yes! I'm back!"
Ultear instinctively answered first before turning to look at the person: "Auntie Layla, they are..."
"They are companions who just joined the guild!"
"Did the guild post a recruitment notice? Why did so many people come all at once? This is very strange!"
"It's a long story! Simply put... that Auntie Anna over there, who looks a bit like me, is a distant relative, and she's also the guardian of several children. This time, she joined the guild along with them."
With that explanation, Ultear understood. So it was Auntie Layla's relative and the children from her family...
Ultear raised a finger to point at Natsu and the others: "Those brats joined the guild too, which means they can use magic??"
Layla nodded and said: "Yes! Starting tomorrow, they will also attend the Fairy Academy, and Ms. Anna will serve as an Ancient Literature teacher at the academy!"
Hearing this last bit of news, Ultear felt surprised inwardly, while simultaneously gaining a sense of deep respect for Anna.
Although the "Ancient Literature" subject was established at the Fairy Academy, it wasn't listed in the primary or middle school curriculum, but rather in the university elective courses. After all, for modern people, "Ancient Literature" was not a must-have skill.
But for those Wizards who wanted to research ancient magic or trace the origins of magic, this language was a mandatory skill. Only then could one avoid being "scammed" by translation errors when reading magic recorded in ancient texts.
"An Ancient Literature teacher?"
"Sounds like a very impressive person..."
Though Ultear didn't need to take ancient literature classes, in her mind, anyone capable of teaching university students at the Fairy Academy must be very powerful!
Layla nodded and said meaningfully: "She is indeed a very impressive person!"
Her meaning, of course, was not just that Anna was great at ancient literature, but rather that Anna's courage to travel from four hundred years ago to the present by herself with five children to defeat Acnologia was incredibly bold and impressive.
Ultear naturally couldn't hear the hidden meaning. she turned and walked toward the guild's bar.
A figure had already been sitting there for a long time—it was Brandish.
She was drinking juice and eating pudding, her eyelids half-drooping, watching the rowdy scene in the guild with utter boredom. There wasn't a hint of desire on her face to jump in and join the chaos.
Brandish was only one year younger than Ultear and was currently in her first year of middle school at the Fairy Academy. The academy's middle school operated on a half-day system, so she and Ultear were the only ones in the guild with free time in the afternoon.
As for Gray, Erzi, and Cana—those three younger children—since they were still primary school students, they spent their afternoons at school and wouldn't return home until evening.
—When the Fairy Academy was first founded, Weston modeled the teaching system after "Hogwarts," so at that time, Wizard students were required to live on campus and could only leave at the end of the semester. However, it had now changed to "All students are day students; boarding requires an application."
"Yo, Brandish!"
"Oh, you're back."
A passionate greeting was met with a response as flat as could be.
Ultear was long accustomed to the other's personality and didn't mind. She simply plopped down beside her and, catching her off guard, snatched the pudding from her hand and started eating.
The calm on Brandish's face finally cracked: "AAA! That's my snack! Give it back!"
"What's the big deal if I have a couple of bites?!"
"Of course it's a big deal! If you want to eat, buy your own!!"
Ultear immediately turned her body away clutching the snack, but Brandish was protective of her food. She lunged forward instantly, forcefully prying the other person back around.
"Alright, alright, I'll give it back to you!"
"What do you mean give it back? You've almost finished eat—What?!"
The irritation on Brandish's face turned into massive confusion.
Because that plate of pudding, which had clearly had a large spoonful dug out of it and should have been half-gone, was currently perfectly intact!