“Seriously, why did you have to drag me along?
I’m busy too, you know!” Gray walked with one hand in his pocket while scratching his spiky hair with the other, grumbling unhappily.
Somehow, his shirt had already vanished again.
What Gray didn’t know was that Aito had already seen straight through his tough act.
‘Tch, fine.
The city isn’t perfectly safe either.
I guess the great me should protect this little brat.’ ‘Well, well.
I didn’t expect him to be a tsundere at his age.
What a hopeless kid.’ Aito timidly lowered his head, looking cautious and pitiful.
“S-Sorry, Big Brother Gray.
I didn’t mean to trouble you…” Aito was only six in this life, a tiny child barely two heads tall, while Gray and Cana already looked around ten.
So calling Gray “big brother” didn’t bother him in the slightest.
‘As for shame?
What’s that?
Can I eat it?’ “Gray!!” “Huh?!
Wait, I-I never said I wouldn’t help!” Gray looked reluctant on the outside, but his thoughts were practically glowing with delight.
‘Heh.
Did this kid just call me his big brother?
That feels pretty good~’ Aito was pleased.
The corners of his lips curled upward as he raised his head with a sweet smile.
“Thank you, big brother and big sis~” ‘A-An angel?!’ ×2 Cana and Gray were caught completely off guard.
Both immediately blushed.
Aito understood their reaction perfectly.
Even he occasionally found himself charmed when he looked in the mirror and saw the adorable pink-haired little kid staring back.
Aito knew exactly how cute he was.
There was no reason to waste a natural weapon like this!
“Big Sis Cana, is everyone in the guild a Mage?
Can everyone use really powerful magic?” “Of course!
Fairy Tail is the strongest Magic Guild in the Kingdom of Fiore!” Gray cleared his throat and proudly jumped in.
“That’s right!
I traveled all the way here from distant Isvan in the north just to join a powerful guild.
I’m really strong!” Aito’s eyes immediately sparkled.
“Really?!
Then what kind of magic can you two use?” Under the worshipful gaze of his new little brother, Gray felt as refreshed as if he’d downed ice water in the middle of summer.
He immediately raised one hand.
A huge, beautiful snowflake formed above his palm as he puffed out his chest.
“I’m an Ice-Make Mage!
Ice-Make Magic lets me give ice any shape I want.
I can create all kinds of things with it.
It’s the strongest magic there is!” Not willing to lose, Cana pulled out several cards.
“I use Card Magic!
Once you master it, you can become an incredibly versatile Mage.
You can make fire or ice, summon lightning or rain, and even perform predictions and fortune-telling!” “Whoa!
That’s amazing~” Aito gave them exactly the reaction they wanted, then blinked his large eyes innocently.
“Can I learn your magic too?
Will you teach me?” “Hmph.
Ice-Make Magic is really difficult~ But since you’re already calling me big brother, I guess I could give you a few pointers.” “Mine’s easy.
There are lots of magic books in the guild library.
I taught myself Card Magic just by reading them.” “I see~” Aito fell into thought.
Magic knowledge didn’t seem to be heavily restricted in this world.
Or perhaps Fairy Tail was simply unusually open about it?
Either way, learning other forms of magic later probably wouldn’t be too difficult.
Aito continued chatting with the two older kids.
Neither was particularly guarded, so he managed to learn plenty of things without even trying very hard.
His understanding of the world, the kingdom, Magnolia, and Fairy Tail gradually became clearer.
With that, he also formed a rough plan for his future.
First, he needed to establish himself in this world and find a steady way to earn money.
Mages could make money by completing jobs, but that sounded like unstable gig work to Aito.
It seemed fine as a side income, but relying on it completely didn’t feel secure.
Next came learning magic and getting stronger.
No matter what world he lived in, personal strength was the foundation of everything.
Since this was a world of magic, he might as well start with a small goal.
Become the strongest Mage in the Kingdom of Fiore.
He also needed to research his cheat ability.
Aito wasn’t stubborn enough to reject an advantage when one was sitting right in front of him.
In his eyes, a cheat ability was simply another kind of extraordinary talent.
The world would never run out of geniuses, so there was no reason he couldn’t be one of them.
Finally, he needed to find some enjoyment in life.
Pretending to be an innocent little kid was already pretty entertaining, but everyone needed something to look forward to.
And there was one more thing.
He had to avenge the old village chief who raised him.
Once he was strong enough, he would find the Angle Cult and wipe them out.
1.
Make money 2.
Get stronger 3.
Research 4.
Have fun 5.
Get revenge Just like that, Aito completed his first career plan for his new life.
Whenever he focused deeply on one subject, the noise inside his head faded.
Even the passage of time seemed to speed up.
The three kids wandered around Magnolia for a while and quickly bought all the daily necessities Aito needed.
On the way back, Cana, who had been secretly observing him the entire time, finally stopped beating around the bush.
Holding Aito’s little hand, she tried to sound casual.
“Um, little Aito…
Big Sis wants to ask you something.” “What exactly is your relationship with Gildarts?
Why did you come back with him?” Gray also turned toward Aito.
He was quite interested in the guild’s strongest Mage.
Aito snapped out of his thoughts and blinked.
“Uncle Gildarts saved my life.
A few days ago, some bad people attacked my village and killed a lot of people.
Uncle Gildarts arrived in time and saved me.” “Bad people?!
Then…
what about your parents?” “I’ve never met my parents.
I grew up with Grandpa, but those bad people also…” “Ah!
I’m sorry!” Cana hurriedly waved her hands.
The way she looked at Aito immediately became much gentler.
‘I shouldn’t have brought that up!’ “It’s okay.
Uncle Gildarts saved me and dealt with all the bad people.
I’m really grateful to him.
It’s just…
I can’t go back to the village anymore.” “It’s all in the past now, Aito.
Fairy Tail is your home from now on!
Everyone in the guild is your family!” Cana pulled Aito into a tight hug.
At this point, she barely cared about his relationship with Gildarts anymore.
She had already decided to treat Aito like her own little brother.
“Hmph!
You’ve got me too!
Don’t worry, little bro.
As long as I’m around, nobody’s going to bully you!” Gray loyally thumped his bare chest.
He could see a little of himself in Aito.
“Really?
Thank you both~~” They really were kind children.
Through their thoughts, Aito could clearly hear their genuine concern and sincerity.
Before awakening the memories of his previous life, Aito had lived in something of a haze.
Most of his memories from the village were already blurry, aside from his attachment to the old village chief who had raised him.
So while the tragedy saddened him, he couldn’t say he was suffering unbearable grief.
Part of his guarded behavior came from being thrown into an unknown world and unfamiliar surroundings.
Still, approaching two children with somewhat selfish motives left him feeling a little guilty.
‘Ah…
what a filthy adult I’ve become.’ “Everyone in Fairy Tail is so nice.
When I first saw Uncle Gildarts, it almost felt like I was looking at a father.” Aito smiled with narrowed eyes.
“And Gray and Cana feel like my big brother and big sister.
I really like everyone.” ‘A-An angel!’ ×2 …