"Ah~ ah~ ah~"

Mira opened her mouth, stretching her vocal cords.

She truly had a gift for it.

Her voice was as clear as a lark's and incredibly versatile.

Even with no formal training, she could sing beautifully—a true natural.

She could have easily made it big as a singer, but Mira had no intention of switching careers.

She was a Mage, confident in her skills and happy in Fairy Tail, a place she now considered her home.

Singing lessons with Marco were something she did in her spare time, in between guild requests.

Her magic and her duties came first.

Hobbies were hobbies after all, and Mira knew her priorities.

"Very good," Marco said, watching her. "Honestly, you're pretty much there. This song doesn't need a lot of fancy technique—it's all about singing with the right energy, that feeling of charging forward and chasing a dream."

Every time Mira came for a lesson, she was serious and focused.

She had promised Marco she'd learn, and she never wasted his time.

Marco found he didn't need to teach her much; for a song like this, breath control was key, and Mira seemed to have been born with it.

"So, can we record it now?" Mira's eyes lit up.

After half a month of practice, getting Marco's approval felt like a huge milestone.

"Yep," Marco nodded with a smile. "We just finished arranging the full soundtrack."

He hadn't been idle either.

He'd worked with other guild members to flesh out the music.

While he could have played the whole thing on his lyre, it was far more meaningful to do it together.

The bonds in a guild were forged through shared experiences, and Marco loved bringing everyone into the fold.

He had a gentle, warm presence that made people feel at ease, like sunlight on a perfect spring day.

"Let's go. To the studio!"

Marco led the way to a professional recording studio.

Magnolia was a prosperous city with just about every kind of shop you could imagine.

Still, Marco thought, it'll be nice when Jude's concert hall is finished. It's supposed to have top-of-the-line equipment, so we won't have to rent places like this anymore.

Before they left, Marco invited some of the other kids—Erza, Lisanna, Juvia, Cana, Levy, and Wendy—to join them and sing backup vocals.

He wanted to include as many people as possible, even if it was just for a single line.

It was all about making memories together.

"Once it's recorded, will it be released right away?" Erza asked, her expression deadly serious.

She was treating her two lines of harmony with the gravity of a solo performance.

"Of course. This will be the official version," Marco nodded, a little taken aback by her intensity.

"With your reputation, this song is going to cause a stir. And since it's our guild's anthem, it has to be flawless!" Erza's gaze swept over the group before landing on Mirajane.

"Especially you, Mira. Dont. Make. A. Single. Mistake."

Her tone was heavy with pressure.

Erza's sense of responsibility was immense; she was quickly becoming the guild's unofficial hall monitor and even some of the older members straightened up when she got that stern look on her face.

"I don't need you to tell me that," Mira shot back instantly. "Worry about yourself, tincan bitch."

Expecting Mira to back down was a fool's errand.

The two of them were like fire and ice, their rivalry even more intense than Natsu and Gray's.

At least those two could sometimes be reined in.

Erza and Mira, however, were always competing.

It was a tricky situation, and Marco dreaded the day they might ask him to pick a side.

"Yikes—" he muttered under his breath, sucking in a sharp breath.

Thankfully, though they bickered constantly, they never dragged him into it.

It was almost as if they used each other as motivation to improve.

"Alright, alright," Marco said, stepping between them as they started to glare at each other.

"I'll be overseeing everything, so just focus on doing your best. I'll point out anything that needs fixing."

"Hmph! Just watch me. I'll pass in one take!" Mirajane declared, shooting a final glare at Erza before turning away, her confidence radiating off her.

"That would be ideal," Erza replied, her expression surprisingly earnest.

"I genuinely hope you do."

She wasn't just trying to antagonize Mira; she sincerely wanted her to succeed.

That was Erza in a nutshell: her strictness could rub people the wrong way, but everyone knew her intentions were pure.

"Hmph. Naturally," Mira mumbled, the fight draining out of her.

The tension between them vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

Marco resisted the urge to sigh.

Their moods changed like the weather.

"Marco-san, Mira-san, I have something for you..." Wendy timidly approached them, speaking in a soft voice.

Carla hovered nearby, looking exasperated at the girl's lack of confidence.

"Huh? What is it?" Marco and Mira exchanged a puzzled glance.

"Cough drop," Wendy said, holding out two small, delicate boxes.

"I asked Porlyusica-san to make them for you."

She had specially sought out the reclusive healer, who, to her surprise, had been incredibly patient, even creating a custom recipe for her.

Everyone else in the guild complained that Porlyusica was fierce and grumpy, but Wendy disagreed.

She thought Porlyusica was actually very kind beneath her sharp tongue.

"This is..." Mira was taken aback.

She couldn't believe a six-year-old girl would be so thoughtful.

"Thank you, Wendy," Marco said, crouching down to her level.

He took the small box and gently ruffled her hair.

"This is a wonderful gift. I love it."

Faced with such a sweet and considerate girl, even the hardest heart would melt.

Wendy was simply too precious.

-----------------------------

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