Internet Magic in Fairy Tail

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Oak Town, a town built on a mountain, had its main road starting at the foot of the mountain and sloping upwards to the peak. One of the branches of the mage guild Phantom Lord was located at the top, right in the city center. The guild building was far more imposing and larger than Fairy Tail's.

As Nate stepped out of the train station, he noticed many small roadside stalls selling umbrellas.

"Hey there, young man! How about an umbrella? Only 10,000J, a real bargain!" a shopkeeper called out to Nate.

Nate paused, glanced at the glowing sunset, and raised an eyebrow in confusion. "An umbrella?"

"Yes! Trust me, you’re going to need it!" The shopkeeper, a middle-aged man, grinned. "First time here?"

"Is there something I should know?" Nate asked, intrigued.

"Are you a merchant or here on a commission?" The shopkeeper was chatty, eager to make a sale. "Judging by your pace, you’re probably here for a commission, right? The Phantom Lord branch is up the mountain."

He even pointed kindly in the direction of the guild.

Appreciating the gesture, Nate decided to buy one.

"I’ll take one."

"Good choice!" The shopkeeper beamed, handing over an umbrella. "The weather here is unpredictable. One minute it’s sunny, the next minute it’s pouring. Sometimes, it rains for days."

Just as he finished speaking, a light drizzle began falling from the sky.

Nate: "..."

'Is this guy a weather mage or something?'

"See? Told you!" The shopkeeper laughed. "Didn’t lie, did I?"

"Thanks, boss," Nate chuckled, shaking his head as he opened the black umbrella and headed toward the Phantom Lord guild.

He had an idea of what was going on.

The "Rain Woman," Juvia, one of the Four Elements, was an S-Class mage skilled in water magic. Her magic was so unique that when she was feeling down, it would literally rain.

'Gotta hand it to the locals, they're smart,' Nate thought. 'Opening an umbrella shop right outside the station—no wonder they make a killing!'

"Still… 10,000J for an umbrella? That's steep!"

Nate sighed internally, but he didn’t bother haggling. Walking slowly along the increasingly damp streets, Nate made his way up the main road.

With the rain falling, it was clear that Juvia was somewhere in the city. Probably nearby.

He noticed the cloud coverage wasn’t very large. The people on the street were less than thrilled by the sudden downpour, some muttering curses.

"Not again!"

"Forgot my umbrella today, gotta find some cover."

"This rain is so annoying!"

"Shh! Don’t say that! There’s a rumor that if you complain, you’ll get bad luck…"

A group of street thugs mumbled among themselves before running under the nearest awning to escape the rain.

Nate slowed his pace, walking behind a few of the men, when he spotted a girl holding an umbrella ahead of him.

"Drip, drip…" she whispered softly to herself, her voice barely audible.

She had blue, wavy hair and matching blue eyes, wearing a blue coat and high-heeled rain boots that splashed softly in the puddles. Her slender figure and pretty face couldn’t mask the gloomy aura around her.

She walked quietly past the group of thugs.

'Water Lock!'

Suddenly, the men were trapped in large water bubbles, struggling in vain as they tried to free themselves. Without even pausing, Juvia cast the spell and continued walking at her slow pace along the road.

It wasn’t until she nearly bumped into Nate that she looked up from the rain-soaked ground and made eye contact with him.

"Can you move aside, please?"

'Wow, he’s handsome!'

As soon as Juvia took a good look at Nate, she was visibly startled.

'Seeing a handsome guy just makes everything a little better.'

"Looking for a magical encounter?" Nate smiled faintly and pulled out a silver ring. "Put this on, and you’ll get what you’re looking for."

'Wait… is this a proposal?!'

Juvia froze, her eyes widening in shock.

'Wh-wh-wh-what do I do?'

Should she say something?

Juvia’s mind was racing, her heart pounding as she struggled to process the situation.

It was the first time anyone had offered her a silver ring on the street. This was undoubtedly a proposal!

With trembling hands, she accepted the ring from Nate’s palm.

"W-wait, this is too fast! We don’t even know each other’s names… shouldn’t we start there first?" Juvia stammered, her face turning pink as she nervously looked away, too shy to meet his gaze.

She hadn’t decided whether to accept yet. Her mood had been gloomy this morning because of the mission, but now, meeting this handsome guy and being proposed to had turned her day around.

Even the sky was starting to clear.

"Alright, now pay up," Nate said.

"...Huh?"

Juvia’s shaky voice cut off abruptly.

After a long pause, she tilted her head, her face confused like a beautiful question mark.

"This is a magic ring with special powers. If you put it on, you’ll get exactly what you want. It’s only 10,000J, which is a bargain."

Nate wiggled his fingers, signaling for payment.

After all, just moments earlier, he’d been scammed into paying 10,000J for an umbrella. And it was all this "Rain Woman’s" fault! If it weren’t for her sudden rainstorm, would he have needed to buy one?

'No way! He had to get his money back!'

'No one gets away with taking my money!'

He was down to a mere 6.85 million J in savings. If he didn’t start watching his expenses, he’d be back to working soon.

And Nate had no interest in doing actual work—he just wanted to slack off.

Juvia: "..."

Juvia adjusted her pretty face, staring at Nate with her soft, watery eyes, blushing even harder.

'Such a handsome guy!'

She didn’t entirely understand what had just happened, but he proposed to her, and now he was asking for 10,000J…

"Do you like the rain?" Juvia asked quietly.

'I hate it,' Nate thought, but nodded. "I love rainy days. Now, can you give me the money?"

"Here," Juvia said, pulling out a magic card from her pocket. "There’s 2 million J on here… it’s all I have, and it’s yours."

'After all, giving all your money to your husband is what a good wife should do.'

Nate blinked, confused. 'What’s with this woman? I only asked for 10,000J, and she’s giving me 200,000?!'

Well, it’s not like he was going to give it back.

'Once it’s in his hands, it’s his!'

"Alright, I won’t rip you off. Here, take these," Nate said, pulling out a small pouch and filling it with 199 silver rings before handing it to Juvia.

"I suggest you sell these to other mages. You can make a nice profit."

Nate was sure that once Juvia put on a ring and entered the Internet, she’d quickly realize she could become a reseller and easily make back the 2 million J.

Juvia, opening the pouch to see the pile of silver rings inside, felt a wave of emotion so intense she almost fainted.

'This man prepared so many wedding rings for me!'

It seemed like she had no choice but to accept!

"I won’t sell them. I’ll keep them safe," Juvia said, her voice trembling with joy. Her thoughts were already racing ahead to marriage and starting a family.

"No, you have to sell them," Nate frowned. If she didn’t, how would his plan work? Each ring represented a future Internet user.

"There are thousands of mages in Phantom Lord. They’ll easily buy all these rings."

"...Sell them to the guild members?"

Juvia looked puzzled. 'Why would I sell these wedding rings to the guild members?'

'Was it to share the happiness of marriage?'

Though she didn’t entirely understand, she nodded obediently.

"I see. I’ll go now."

'One wedding ring is enough for me,' she thought as she followed Nate’s instructions and headed toward the guild.

Suddenly, she stopped and turned back, calling out, "Wait, I don’t even know your name! I’m Juvia. Juvia Lockser!"

"Nate," he replied, still a bit bewildered by how cooperative she was.

"Juvia will remember!" she said, repeating his name to herself as she walked away with a light step, her mood brightening.

As her spirits lifted, the rain stopped.

Nate closed his umbrella and looked up at the now-clear sky, feeling a bit lost.

'Well, that didn’t go quite as planned.'

He had intended to forcefully sell the rings but ended up recruiting a reseller… and earning 2 million J in the process!

'Not bad at all.'