Year 783, December, Magnolia.
A cold wind, carrying tiny snowflakes, swept through the streets, and the entire city was already covered in a blanket of silver.
The eaves of the Fairy Tail Guild were strung with colorful lights, snowflake-shaped paper cuttings adorned the windows, and a Christmas tree, three meters tall, even stood in the center of the hall—though the star on its top was a little crooked from Natsu's flame magic.
"Gray! Take down the streamers you froze to the wall!" Mira stood with her hands on her hips, her smile gentle but her tone undeniable. "Those are for decorating the Christmas tree, not for you to practice your Ice Make magic!"
Gray leaned lazily against the wall, his fingertips still emanating a chill. "What does it matter? Streamers are streamers, no matter where they're hung."
"Idiot!" Cana kicked him in the shin. "Those streamers you froze were handmade by Erza!"
"What?!" Gray sprang up instantly, frantically melting the ice. "Erza, I'm sorry!"
Erza, who was standing on a ladder hanging a mistletoe wreath, glanced down when she heard him. "It's fine, I made twenty meters."
"Twenty meters?!" Marcus poked his head out from behind the dessert table. "Are you planning to wrap the entire Guild?"
"Bang!"
A snowball accurately hit Marcus on the back of his head.
Laki stood at the doorway, holding a second snowball. "Villain! Who told you to steal my gingerbread man!"
Marcus, with a head full of snow, turned and ran. "I was taste-testing! Taste-testing!"
The sweet aroma of cinnamon and honey wafted from the kitchen.
Levy was on her tiptoes, adjusting the oven temperature, when she was suddenly lifted from behind by a pair of large hands.
"Whoa!"
"Move aside, Shorty~" Gajeel placed her on the kitchen counter with one hand, while with the other, he grabbed a freshly baked cookie and stuffed it into his mouth. "Mmm… Hot hot hot!"
"Those are special low-sugar cookies for the Master!" Levy fumed, brandishing a rolling pin. "Iron Eater, have some self-awareness!"
Gajeel mumbled through his cookie. "The old man's teeth aren't good, why's he eating cookies anyway… "
He suddenly widened his eyes. "Wait, why is this thing salty?"
"Because those are decorations made of gold sand." Marcus sauntered in, gloating. "I put them there for Mira to paint gold."
"Ugh—"
In the hall, Natsu and Happy were arguing fiercely over "whose decoration was cooler."
"My fire dragon design is obviously cooler!" Natsu's fingertips sparked with flames.
"Aye! My fish-shaped cookie is clearly cuter!" Happy protested, holding onto the last cookie.
As they tugged, they bumped into the Christmas tree. The crooked star on top finally gave way with a "crack" and fell—
"Ice Make: Tray!"
Gray, quick as a flash, conjured an ice tray to catch the star, but was then hit squarely by the toppling Christmas tree.
Colorful decorations showered all over him, and to make matters worse, Natsu's fire dragon decoration got stuck right on top of his head, its fire-breathing mouth aimed at his bangs.
"Gray turned into a Christmas tree spirit!" Marcus roared with laughter, pulling out his newly bought magic crystal camera to take pictures.
Amidst the playful chaos, a small figure appeared.
"Quiet, everyone!" Makarov, the Master, jumped onto the bar counter. "Now we'll draw lots to decide the gift exchange order!"
The little old man wore a comical Santa hat, holding a plush reindeer headpiece in his hands—a gift "carefully" crafted by Natsu and Happy last night, now emitting a suspicious burnt smell.
"First group!" Makarov drew two slips of paper. "Erza and… Bisca?"
The green-haired cowgirl confidently twirled her cowboy hat, nodding at Erza. "The denim jacket you gave me before was very nice."
She reached for an exquisitely wrapped gift box on the table and handed it over.
Erza unwrapped it to reveal a handmade, cherry blossom-colored kimono, with the Fairy Tail emblem embroidered in silver thread on its lapel.
"I asked Ikaruga to custom-make it from her family's… " Bisca tidied her hair. "If you don't like it…"
Erza suddenly hugged her. "Thank you, this is the most thoughtful gift I've ever received."
A chorus of good-natured laughter filled the hall.
"Next group!" Makarov continued drawing lots. "Natsu and… Gray!"
Both their faces instantly turned green.
Natsu reluctantly pulled out a half-burnt box. "Here, for you."
Gray opened the box; inside was a crooked ice sculpture—vaguely recognizable as Natsu giving the middle finger.
"You call this a gift?!"
"It's better than the ice underwear you gave me last year!"
Seeing the two about to fight again, Mira smiled and raised her camera. "Time for a photo~"
"Wait!" Gray instantly struck a cool pose. "At least let me pose before we fight!"
Happy jumped onto Natsu's head, making a punching gesture. "Aye, make sure it's a cool shot!"
Just as the commotion reached its peak, the Guild's main door was gently pushed open.
Yukino, wrapped in a thick white scarf, stood at the entrance, holding a large box tied with a ribbon.
"Sorry I'm late…" she whispered. "I was preparing the gift."
"Yukino!" Cana rushed over and pulled her inside. "You're just in time for the gift exchange!"
Makarov, smiling, handed her the lot-drawing cylinder. "Come, draw a partner for the exchange~"
Yukino nervously drew a slip of paper, then froze as she unfolded it. "Ezreal… Sir?"
The blond youth, who was sitting by the window teasing Yuumi, looked up when he heard her. "Hm?"
Yukino took a deep breath and handed over the large box. "This is… a Celestial Spirit-made magic pocket watch, it can…"
"It can store Celestial Spirit magic to nourish the body." Ezreal smoothly finished her sentence, winking at Yukino's surprised expression. "Libra secretly told me yesterday when she was wandering around the Guild."
He magically produced a small wooden box from behind him. "A return gift."
Inside the box was a silver hair clip, with the Fairy Tail emblem embedded at the top, shimmering with a starlike glow under the lights.
"Yuumi picked the style," Ezreal added, and the cat on his head cooperatively meowed.
When the church bells chimed twelve times, everyone raised their bubbly mead—the minors' cups held Mira's special non-alcoholic version.
"To Fairy Tail!"
"To next year's S-Class exam!"
"To Master Erza's kimono!"
Bisca and Alzack aimed their confetti guns at the ceiling and pulled the triggers, a continuous burst of shots filling the air, and sparkling, rainbow-colored streamers floated down from the ceiling, mixing with the falling snow outside the window.
Natsu and Gray, at some point, had started wrestling again, but this time it was over the last slice of Yule log cake.
Marcus, with his three-drinks-and-out characteristic already in full effect, was swaying around the hall, looking like he could pass out anywhere at any moment.
Mira and her brother Elfman sat side by side, flipping through a photo album, occasionally letting out soft chuckles.
Ezreal leaned by the window, watching the starlight swirling within the pocket watch in his palm.
Evil Wolf's voice came from the shadows. "Humans are truly strange creatures. They were so worried about the Moon Demon just now, yet they can still be so Happy."
"It's precisely because there are things we want to protect," he replied softly, his gaze sweeping over the boisterous hall, "that we become stronger."
Yukino had, at some point, stood beside him, her hair clip sparkling in the moonlight.
They exchanged smiles, and outside the window, fireworks suddenly exploded across the sky, illuminating all of Magnolia as if it were daytime.
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