On the way back to the guild, Happy looked incredibly anxious and kept muttering softly.
What did I forget?!
Natsu was well aware of Happy’s limited memory and didn’t bother worrying about it; after all, he didn’t feel like he had forgotten anything himself.
Macao had been successfully rescued, the mission was complete, and now he could go back to his daily routine as a couch potato at the guild.
A carefree slacker lifestyle was exactly what Natsu loved most right now.
That was what you called enjoying life!
“Natsu!
I’ve felt like I forgot something super important this whole time, please help me remember!” whined Happy, who was now lying limply on top of Natsu’s head with a frustrated look.
“It’s nothi—” Before he could finish his sentence, Natsu suddenly stopped in his tracks.
He stared straight ahead.
The guild building was already visible not too far away.
His expression instantly changed to sheer enthusiasm.
He cheered in excitement and broke into a full sprint toward the guild.
“I CAN GO BACK TO LAZING AROUND AGAIIN!!” “Uwooohooo!!” Natsu’s sudden acceleration threw Happy off balance.
Fortunately, he was a magical flying cat.
He spread his wings and hovered in the air, folding his tiny paws over his chest, and muttered softly, “For some reason, it really feels like Natsu has been infected by Lucy’s stupidity!” The very next second, the cat’s eyes widened in horror.
“AH!!!” “I know what I forgot!!” “Natsu!
Natsu!
We forgot Lucy!” “If we don’t hurry up and save her, she’s gonna freeze into a popsicle!” the blue cat shrieked in panic.
“Natsu!
Natsuuu!” Happy immediately dive-bombed to catch up with the pink-haired young man.
Watching his savior’s behavior, Macao stared at Natsu’s back with a sour expression, like someone suffering from constipation.
“My hunch was right; he really didn’t have any genuine intention of saving me.” BANG!
Natsu kicked the guild doors open.
With just a single sweep of his gaze, he instantly spotted the empty table in the corner of the room.
Wasting no time, he bolted toward the table, leaving a thick cloud of dust in his wake.
Without a single moment of hesitation…
he threw himself down and resumed his lounging!
Cough!
Cough!
Cough!
Several guild members choked on the dust stirred up by Natsu’s antics.
“The way Natsu comes home always gives you a heart attack.” “It wouldn’t be Natsu if he wasn’t doing something crazy.
Such a shame, that door was just fixed.” “Someone will fix it later, no big deal!” Mirajane walked over to Natsu’s table and asked with a gentle smile, “Natsu, didn’t Lucy go with you earlier?” Natsu—who had just closed his eyes to sleep—suddenly froze.
His expression stiffened as he exclaimed in shock, “CRAP!
I forgot about Lucy!” Right at that moment, Happy flew back in, grabbed Natsu’s collar, and dragged him outside.
“Natsu!
You forgot Lucy!
If we don’t get there fast, she’s gonna freeze into a popsicle and get eaten by monsters!” Mirajane stared blankly at the departing young man and cat, then murmured softly with a horrified look.
“Freezing into a popsicle…
then getting eaten by a monster…” “Poor Lucy…” From a distance, the bickering voices of Natsu and Happy could still be faintly heard.
“I wasn’t the only one who forgot her!
You forgot too, right?!” Natsu protested.
“No way!
I remembered Lucy the whole time!” Happy argued defensively.
Meanwhile, in the blizzard-covered Hakobe Mountains!!
“Someone, please save me!!” “Natsu!
Happy!
Hurry up and save meee!” Lucy’s cries for help echoed through the snowy ice cliffs, but not a single reply was heard.
The pitiful voice of the forgotten figure quickly faded, swallowed by the howling blizzard winds.
A few hours later, it was already dark by the time Natsu and Happy set foot on the mountain again.
Even though this young man and his cat were a bit panicked, their instincts and memory were still highly reliable.
They ran straight to the last location where they had left Lucy.
Natsu sniffed the air a few times, using his ultra-sharp Dragon Slayer sense of smell to track Lucy’s scent.
Not long after, the young man furrowed his brows.
“Damn it!
The wind here is blowing too hard.
Lucy’s scent has been completely swept away.” Happy breathed a sigh of relief.
“It’s a good thing if she didn’t freeze into a popsicle, that means she won’t be eaten by any monsters.” Natsu’s eyes suddenly lit up.
“You’re right!
If she hasn’t frozen into a popsicle yet, maybe she already headed home a while ago!” “Then let’s go home too!
My lounging time is calling my name!” Happy’s expression instantly turned gloomy.
“Natsu!
Your brain really has been wrecked by Lucy!” ROAAAR!!
A sudden, passionate roar interrupted their conversation.
A giant white gorilla with two prominent ‘mountains’ on its chest appeared not too far in front of them.
“Men!
Men!
I love men!” the gorilla howled.
Happy immediately scrunched his face in disgust.
“Ugh!
I’m a cat, not a human male.” Natsu glared at him in annoyance.
“It’s obviously looking at me, idiot!” “Even though those two giant ‘assets’ on its chest are pretty tempting, I have absolutely no interest in gorillas!” Natsu shouted sharply.
Relieved that he wasn’t the target, Happy covered his mouth and giggled mischievously.
“Teehee!
Natsu, even though a busty gorilla like this is actually not bad, you know.
She’s perfect for you!” Suddenly!
The surroundings abruptly went dark.
A giant shadow fell from the sky, blocking out the moonlight.
“Meeen!
I love men!” the perverted gorilla howled hysterically while diving down to pounce on Natsu.
Natsu took his stance and pulled his right arm back.
In an instant, blazing red flames engulfed his fist.
“Even though I am a handsome guy that a lot of people go crazy for, being liked by a gorilla monster feels incredibly disgusting!” “I’m gonna beat you to a pulp!” A burst of extremely hot flames exploded from the soles of his feet, propelling Natsu’s body into the air.
His entire body was now wrapped in blazing fire, shooting upward like a gravity-defying comet.
The gorilla, still in mid-air, felt the lethal heat radiating from Natsu’s body.
Its expression instantly froze in terror, and right then and there, its giant form rapidly shrank.
In a matter of seconds, the gorilla’s body downsized until it returned to the size of a normal human.
Seeing the true form hidden beneath the gorilla, the fur on the back of Happy’s neck stood straight up.
“LUCY?!” The cat screamed in horror and hurriedly flew to intercept and hold back Natsu’s arm.
Mid-air, Natsu also noticed the change and managed to extinguish his flames just in time.
He stared at Lucy’s figure in front of him with a rarely seen serious expression.
Lucy—whose sanity was currently completely controlled by the Vulcan monster’s magic—patted her own chest with a terrifying enthusiasm.
“Men!
I love men!” she cried out with a perverted face.
Happy shrieked in a panic while tugging on Natsu’s scarf.
“Natsu!
What do we do?!” “This Vulcan is clearly way more dangerous than the one attached to Macao earlier!
Not only was it in the form of a gorilla, but now it has used Take Over magic on Lucy’s body!”