Fairy Tail: My Magic is a Yu-Gi-Oh! Deck — Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Because We Are Family

Under Dark Magician Girl’s bright, expectant gaze, Mirajane leaned over the bar counter and tapped the glowing surface of a magical communication lacrima. She was currently connected to the print editor of Sorcerer Weekly.

“I didn’t hear that wrong, did I, Miss Mirajane? You mean to tell me the Dark Magician Girl actually wants to do a photoshoot with you, and you agreed?!” A frantic, ecstatic voice crackled through the lacrima’s speaker.

“Yes, that’s right. I wonder if it might be possible?” Mira asked, her voice dripping with her signature gentle sweetness.

“Are you kidding?! This is the scoop of the year!”

After a loud, uncontrollable whoop of joy that forced Mira to pull the lacrima slightly away from her ear, the editor rapidly continued, “Of course there’s no problem! A playful, cute magical girl paired with a sexy, charming white-haired beauty… just thinking about that combination makes my blood boil! Can you make it to the port city of Hargeon today? The shooting location is out on Erma Ruins Island, just off the coast of Fiore. We’ll have a special magic boat waiting to take you there.”

Mira didn’t answer right away. Instead, a perfectly measured, entirely businesslike smile touched her lips. “Since that is the case, shouldn’t the commission fee be increased just a little bit?”

“Of course, of course! Name your price.”

“How about 500,000 Jewels?”

Silence descended over the line. Miles away in the Fiore royal capital, inside the bustling headquarters of Sorcerer Weekly, an editor with a spiky cowlick stared blankly at his desk. You call that a ‘little’ bit?!

“Speaking of which, I seem to have received a few other invitations for Dark Magician Girl from competing weeklies.” Mira rested her chin on her hand, playfully winking at the blonde spellcaster beside her, signaling her to keep quiet.

Although she maintained a warm, maternal image within the guild, Mira possessed a deeply cunning, almost terrifyingly dark side. If it weren’t for the tragic incident years ago, her current personality might have been even more notoriously vicious than Natsu and Gray combined.

“Alright, alright! I can submit an emergency application to the company for you! Just please, absolutely do not pay attention to those low-grade, small-workshop magazines!” the editor pleaded, his voice cracking with a forced, desperate laugh.

He knew the stakes. The combination of Mirajane and Dark Magician Girl was explosive. It perfectly fit their upcoming theme and was guaranteed to skyrocket the magazine’s circulation. Armed with that logic, he could definitely wring the extra budget out of the higher-ups.

Just like that, Mira effortlessly secured the job and a massive pay bump with a few honeyed words.

“Mira, you’re amazing! Not only did you make them change the terms, but you actually pushed the commission up to 700,000 Jewels!” Dark Magician Girl looked at the white-haired barmaid with pure adoration, her emerald eyes sparkling like stars.

Spending all her time immersed in magical combat training, the spellcaster completely lacked Mira’s terrifying ability to casually extort corporate entities.

“Hehe, it’s really quite simple.” Mira beamed with pride. She reached out and affectionately patted Dark Magician Girl’s hat. “With a little more pay, we can buy you plenty of pretty new clothes. It must be exhausting following Chase around. That blockhead doesn’t know how to treat a girl. You need to pamper yourself properly.”

She hadn’t ruthlessly bargained with Sorcerer Weekly for her own profit; every extra Jewel was meant for Dark Magician Girl.

“Hey, hey, that sounds an awful lot like an accusation against a slave-driving capitalist. I can’t just pretend I didn’t hear that.”

Chase, who had been innocently caught in the crossfire while walking past the bar, stepped forward and crossed his arms, looking deeply offended.

“Oh my, was I discovered?” Mira tilted her head slightly, a charming, innocent smile blooming on her face.

This woman really has a dark side! Chase thought, shaking his head.

A short while later, Loki—who had previously fled the guild in a panic—cautiously returned. Mira immediately cornered him, briefly and mercilessly explaining that he would be taking over all her barmaid duties for the day.

After confirming the final travel details with Sorcerer Weekly, she packed a small travel bag and headed for the guild doors with Dark Magician Girl in tow, making for the Magnolia Train Station to catch the steam train to Hargeon.

“Chase, Elfman, I leave the guild in your hands. Make sure you two have a lovely date with Loki,” Mira called out over her shoulder, waving cheerfully.

Her smiling words nearly caused the two men to break down on the spot.

I don’t want that kind of reassurance at all, Mira…

Elfman’s previously sunny disposition instantly morphed into a brooding, Laxus-level scowl. He retreated to a dark corner of the guildhall, squatting on the floor and aggressively wiping away tears while muttering about the sheer injustice of it all.

The other victim was naturally Loki, who was now buried behind the bar under a mountain of dirty mugs and order slips.

Chase, however, possessed skin thick enough to completely ignore the concept of a “date” with Loki. He had already been flagged down by Cana and was currently sitting across from her at a sticky wooden table.

Cana hoisted a massive wooden barrel of ale, chugged a generous mouthful, and wiped the foam from her lips with the back of her hand.

“Maintaining Card Magic for such a long time, and over such a massive distance… Chase, how exactly do you do it?”

She stared at the spot where Dark Magician Girl had just been standing, her brow furrowed in deep frustration. As a practitioner of Card Magic herself, most of her deck consisted of elemental attacks—fire, lightning, water. While she possessed the means to summon creatures to fight for her, the duration she could keep them materialized was strictly limited. Spanning an entire summon across several towns was completely unheard of.

If she could pry some useful training methods out of Chase, she might actually have a fighting chance at this year’s S-Class Mage promotional exam. It was a long-held obsession that had chained her down for years, the singular goal keeping her in Fairy Tail.

“Cana, I’ve told you this a dozen times.” Chase drained the beer glass in front of him and set it down with a heavy thud. He looked at the fierce, desperate desire burning in her eyes. “Our magic is fundamentally different. My training methods won’t do a thing for you.”

“Please! As long as it makes me stronger, I’ll do anything!” Cana slammed her empty barrel onto the table, the wood groaning under the impact. Her breathing hitched, emotions running dangerously high.

“Hey, keep your voice down. Don’t say things that sound so ambiguous. It’ll be a massive headache if a gossip like Lucy overhears you.” Chase shrugged helplessly, leaning back in his chair. He let out a soft sigh. “It’s been over a year, and you’re still driving yourself crazy over the S-Class exam…”

During the previous Fairy Tail S-Class qualification trials, Cana had the misfortune of running into him, suffering a crushing defeat that cost her the promotion.

“I’m different from you and Erza. If I don’t become S-Class… I won’t be able to stay in this guild.” Cana’s eyes gradually lost their fire, dropping to stare at the scarred wood of the table. Her voice cracked slightly on the final word.

With less than half a year until the next exam, she had already made her secret vow. If she failed again, she would leave Fairy Tail forever, abandoning the foolish fantasy of finally reuniting with her father, Gildarts.

“You worry too much. Look at the old guard. Guys like Macao are weak as hell, but they’re still living quite comfortably, aren’t they?” Chase pointed across the room to where Macao was sitting, currently arguing with the chain-smoking Wakaba.

Across the hall, Macao suddenly stiffened, turning his head to glare in their direction with a dark scowl. That bastard Chase is talking trash about me again, isn’t he?!

“Chase, someone with your monstrous talent could never understand how I feel.” Cana shook her head dejectedly. She reached out, grabbed a fresh barrel of ale, and tipped it back.

“That’s not necessarily true. If I’m not mistaken, this whole obsession is tied to a family member, isn’t it?” Chase leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. He lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “For example… a certain man in this very guild, who might just be your long-lost father?”

“How do you know that?!”

Cana’s reaction was explosive. She slammed her boots onto the table, launching herself across the wood, and grabbed Chase by the collar, pressing her forehead aggressively against his.

She was absolutely certain that no one in Fairy Tail knew about her blood tie to Gildarts. She had guarded that secret with her life, never letting it slip even when she was blackout drunk. Where the hell did Chase get this information?

The heavy, sharp scent of alcohol washed over Chase’s face, making his nose twitch. He calmly placed his hands on Cana’s shoulders and pushed her back a few inches. A sharp golden light flickered at his fingertips, instantly condensing into the shape of a card.

“Don’t forget, I’m a Card Mage who specializes in fortune-telling.”

It was, of course, a complete lie.

Cana, however, didn’t doubt him for a second. The fight drained out of her, and she slumped back into her chair, looking utterly defeated. Even a weak Card Mage could use their deck to divine basic information; it made perfect sense that a monster like Chase could read her secrets so easily.

“Can you… keep this a secret for me?” she pleaded, her voice barely a whisper.

“Of course. I’m not the type to meddle in other people’s drama.”

Despite his dismissive tone, Chase casually flipped the card between his fingers, revealing its face, and slid it across the table toward her.

“What is this?” Cana stared down at the card. The artwork depicted an ancient, glowing magical tome.

“The Equip Spell Card, Book of Secret Arts. I stumbled across it during a job on the Guiltina Continent. It carries a unique effect: it slightly increases the absolute limit of a Mage’s magical power.” Chase tapped the table. “Although the effect only lasts while the card is actively maintained, experiencing your own magic circuits operating at a higher capacity will help stretch your current limits.”

Due to the absolute rules of his transmigration cheat, no one else could normally wield his Duel Monsters deck. But Cana was a unique exception. As a dedicated Card Mage who could trap targets in pocket dimensions and manipulate paper mediums, channeling magic through a foreign card wasn’t impossible for her—provided Chase explicitly granted her access to his ‘Duelist’s Soul’ network.

Cana’s eyes widened drastically. She stared at the Book of Secret Arts as if it were made of solid diamond.

“Increase my magic power limit?! How can I just take such a priceless artifact from you?” She shook her head rapidly, pushing the card back.

“Dream on. I’m just lending it to you for a few days.”

“I… I don’t know what to say…”

In the end, Cana’s desperate thirst for strength won out. She carefully picked up the card, her straightforward nature preventing her from playing coy any longer.

“Chase… why are you helping me this much?” She held the spell card tightly against her chest, keeping her head bowed as she stared blankly at her half-empty barrel.

“Isn’t it obvious? Because…” Chase unceremoniously grabbed her barrel, tilted his head back, and downed the rest of her ale in one massive gulp. He slammed it down and laughed. “We’re family!”

Cana froze. A brilliant, genuinely warm smile broke across her flushed face.

“I really can’t win with you. Fine. I’ll treat you to drinks another day, and we aren’t stopping until one of us is under the table!”

“Hahaha! The kind of drinks where the Magic Council foots the bill?”

“Who knows.” Cana pouted, playfully feigning ignorance.

“Hey, Chase.” She paused, letting the noise of the guild wash over them for a few seconds before looking him dead in the eye. “Thank you. Seriously.”

“Save the gratitude until you actually pass the S-Class exam.” Chase suddenly leaned in, a highly suspicious, almost predatory grin stretching across his face. “Oh, right. You just said you’d do anything to become stronger, didn’t you?”

“W-what do you want?” Cana crossed her arms defensively, her heart suddenly beating a fraction faster under his intense gaze.

“Fight me when you’re stronger.”

Cana, who had been bracing herself for something entirely different, blinked in sheer confusion. “Huh?”

“Fight me when you’re stronger. I’m really looking forward to a high-stakes duel between Card Mages!” Chase repeated, his eyes practically glowing with gamer greed.

The stronger Cana became, the higher the quality of the cards his system would generate when he inevitably crushed her in a duel. She was officially the first ‘leek’ he had targeted for harvesting since returning to the guild.

Realizing she had completely misunderstood his intentions, Cana’s face burned crimson. “…Go to hell!”

Damn battle-obsessed, destructive maniac! Give me back my genuine emotional moment!

Fortunately, a sudden, violent crash from the request board shattered the awkward tension.

The commotion was centered around Team Shadow Gear—the trio consisting of the bookish Levy, the speed-obsessed Jet, and the plant-wielding Droy. Currently, Jet and Droy were at each other’s throats, arguing fiercely over a newly posted job.

Chase pricked up his ears. After a few seconds of eavesdropping, the sheer absurdity of the situation became clear. Jet and Droy weren’t fighting over the mission details; they were throwing hands over who had the right to carry Levy’s luggage during the trip.

Only those two simps would start a brawl over something so pathetic. If it were Natsu and Gray, it would be a miracle if Lucy’s luggage wasn’t incinerated or frozen solid before they even left the city limits.

“You guys are too damn noisy! Jet, Droy, can’t you see I’m trying to look for a job?!”

Natsu, who had been sprawled lazily on the floor in front of the board, suddenly sprang up and roared at the two mages. Where he found the audacity to complain about noise in Fairy Tail was anyone’s guess.

Jet and Droy, already heated, instantly turned their aggression toward the Dragon Slayer. Sleeves were rolled up, magic flared, and a three-way brawl erupted.

Unsurprisingly, Natsu dominated. Within seconds, he was standing triumphantly atop their groaning bodies, laughing maniacally with his hands on his hips.

During the chaos, a stray shockwave rattled the request board. A single piece of parchment fluttered into the air, drifting lazily downward until it landed squarely on top of Natsu’s spiky pink hair.

Natsu pulled the paper off his head, his eyes scanning the text. Instantly, a massive grin split his face.

“Hey, Natsu, what kind of request did you grab?” Happy flew over, landing on his partner’s shoulder. The blue cat peered at the paper. “Nani?! Destroying a single novel pays 200,000 Jewels?!”

“That’s not the important part, Happy! Look down here. Duke Everlue, the guy who owns the mansion, is specifically recruiting blonde maids!” Natsu pointed aggressively at the fine print at the bottom of the flyer.

Happy instantly caught his drift. “Blonde maids, huh? But Dark Magician Girl already went to Hargeon with Mira.”

“You’re forgetting something, Happy. Besides Dark Magician Girl, there’s one other blonde in this guild.”

“You mean…”

“Exactly!”

Natsu and Happy slowly turned their heads toward the bar, locking eyes and letting out synchronized, incredibly villainous snickers. “Hehehe~”

“Let’s go, Happy!”

“Aye, sir!”

Cana watched the boy and his cat sprint out of the guildhall in a blur of motion. She sighed, shaking her head. “Someone is definitely about to get scammed.”

“You can drop the ‘about to’ part.” Chase stood up, stretching his arms over his head.

He hadn’t expected Natsu, Happy, and Lucy’s first official team-up to trigger right in front of him. According to the original timeline, this exact mission would lead Lucy to infiltrate Duke Everlue’s mansion, secure the book Daybreak, and ultimately acquire Virgo—one of the twelve Zodiac Celestial Spirits.

Having zero interest in interfering with a plotline he already knew the ending to, Chase turned on his heel and walked toward the staircase leading to the second floor.

“Hey, Chase, where are you going?” Cana called out.

“I’m bored. Going upstairs to find an S-Class request to play with,” Chase replied, waving a hand lazily without looking back.

Find an S-Class request to play with…

Cana’s mouth twitched violently. Her knuckles popped as she clenched her fists. What an absolutely infuriating way to phrase that!

Any lingering warmth she felt from his “We’re family” speech evaporated into pure, unadulterated spite.

It wasn’t until Chase’s back disappeared into the shadows of the second-floor stairwell that Cana finally exhaled. She carefully tucked the Book of Secret Arts into her pouch, stood up, and marched out of the guildhall.

She was going to train until her bones ached. She was going to become an S-Class Mage. And then, she was going to ruthlessly stomp her boot right onto Chase’s smug, annoying face.

Perhaps she didn’t even realize it yet, but her desperate, lifelong goal of reaching S-Class… had just unknowingly shifted tracks.