"Megami mo kizukanai"

Marco began to sing.

The song was originally meant for a female vocalist, so his version naturally had a different feel.

Still, the original singer's voice had a powerful, almost heroic quality, so Marco's rendition didn't feel out of place.

Even so, he thought, it would sound even better with a female singer. He glanced at Mira.

Perfect timing.

"Masayume, Chasing, Chasing~"

"Koero motto jibun shijou saikou no"

"Ima, wo Chasing, Chasing~"

"Sou egaita jibun ni natte!"

"Moyase mune no hi wo"

"Na-na-na-na-na-na-na, oh!"

"Na-na-na-na-na-na-na, hey! Hey!"

"Na-na-na-na-na-na-na, oh!"

When the song ended, the guild hall exploded.

Everyone, from the youngest kids to the guild's veterans, stared at Marco with pure, unadulterated admiration.

The song had struck a chord with every single one of them.

"Marco, what's that song called? Is it 'Fairy Tail'?" Makarov asked, goosebumps still prickling his arms.

He loved the hope and energy bursting from the melody and secretly hoped to name it himself.

"It's called 'Masayume Chasing'," Marco replied, deciding to keep the original title.

It just fit too well.

Chasing a True Dream.

It perfectly captured the song's soul: bravely pursuing your dreams, igniting your inner fire, and becoming the strongest version of yourself.

"Not a bad name," Makarov nodded, respecting Marco's choice.

"That was incredible! Marco! Did you really just make that up based on what we said?!" Natsu shouted, crowding up to Marco and looking at him like he was some kind of music god.

The line about 'igniting the fire in your heart'—it was his line!—it was a core part of the chorus.

He could hear bits and pieces of everyone's feelings woven throughout the lyrics.

It felt like Marco had created the whole thing on the spot.

"This song belongs to all of you," Marco explained with a smile. "Honest feelings are the best inspiration. I just took what everyone said and used it to shape a song I had in my heart."

In truth, he felt he deserved very little credit.

It was pure luck that he'd once seen a few dance videos titled 'Fairy Tail OP' and that everyone's words had triggered the memory in him.

He was happy to give them all the credit.

At the very least, he thought, the lyrics are by "Fairy Tail."

"Hehe! My words are in a song!" Natsu giggled like an idiot, feeling proud that his contribution had made it in.

"Aye! Natsu's so cool!" Happy cheered, zipping around his head.

The little cat idolized Natsu completely.

While Charla acted like an older sister to Wendy, always looking out for her, Happy was Natsu's number one cheerleader.

"This song is amazing! Marco, you have to release it! It'll be a huge hit! It's the perfect anthem for our guild!" one of the older members exclaimed.

Others quickly joined in, urging him to record it.

In this world, there were ways to release music through magic tools like 'Sound Lacrima' and even standard phonographs.

Funny, Marco grumbled to himself, they have phonographs, but still no telephones.

"Actually, I was planning on having a woman sing it," Marco announced, surprising everyone.

They hadn't heard the original version, so his cover sounded perfectly natural to them.

No one even questioned why a lyre was his only instrument.

"Who do you have in mind?" Makarov asked curiously.

"Mira, would you be willing to sing it?" Marco turned to her, a kind smile on his face as he addressed the stunned girl.

"Huh?! M-me?!" Mirajane's eyes went wide.

She never expected him to call her name.

"You love to sing, don't you?" Marco said, his expression turning serious. "And I think your voice has incredible potential. It can be both powerful and delicate, gentle and heroic. You're a natural. With the right training, I think you could even rival a spirit like Lyra."

"HUUHH?!"

His praise left her completely dumbfounded.

Comparing her to a Celestial Spirit?

She just liked to hum tunes to herself in the bathroom, she never had any training at all!

She'd only asked Marco to teach her because she enjoyed it and felt left out when he was teaching others.

She never dreamed he'd be planning to make her a debut singer.

"Mira is a good choice," Makarov nodded, studying the stunned girl.

He had a good eye for people; Mira definitely had the heroic energy the song needed.

Erza might have been an even better fit, but she had no interest in singing.

"W-wait! I can't do it! I don't even know how to sing properly!" Mira waved her hands frantically, trying to refuse.

How could she possibly sing it better than Marco?

"If you don't know how, you just have to learn," Marco replied with a gentle smile, his expression making it clear he'd already made up his mind.

"Mira-nee is going to be a singer?!" Lisanna gasped, her eyes shining with amazement.

She knew her sister could do it.

The little songs Mira hummed around the house were already beautiful.

With real training, she'd be fantastic.

The thought of Mira singing songs written by Marco made her a little envious.

They'd be an exclusive singer-songwriter duo!

"You can do it, Mira-nee!" Elfman added his encouragement.

Both he and Lisanna had total faith in her.

'Wah~ Juvia wants to sing, too... But Juvia doesn't know how,' the water mage thought, staring intently at Mira and wishing she could take her place.

"Then... I'll give it a try!" Mira finally declared, spurred on by everyone's expectant gazes.

She had only refused out of a lack of confidence.

If it were a fight or a cooking challenge, she'd have accepted in a heartbeat.

But now, with Marco believing in her and everyone else cheering her on, she couldn't back down.

Mirajane wasn't the type to hesitate.

If he wasn't afraid she'd mess it up, then she would rise to the challenge and give it everything she had.

"It's not that serious—it's just one song," Marco chuckled, breaking out in a cold sweat at her fiery expression.

From the look on her face, you'd think she was about to go to war with the entire music industry.

"Ahem, I'll study hard!" Mira coughed, collecting herself.

"I'll do my best not to let you down."

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

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