Chapter 37: Ch 37 : Moonlit Night and Conversation
The moon shone brightly, the stars sparse in the sky, and the night was as cool as water.
Lucy leaned against the windowsill of her house, quietly gazing at the scenery outside.
Yet, her heart was filled with a flood of emotions—guilt, heartache, gratitude, and joy all intertwined.
The overwhelming tide of feelings left her lost in thought, her mind replaying everything that had happened during the Phantom Lord incident earlier that day.
"What's wrong, Lucy? Still thinking about Phantom Lord?"
A warm and gentle voice suddenly reached her ears, pulling her out of her daze.
Following the sound, she spotted a golden-haired boy sitting leisurely on the rooftop of a nearby building.
His gaze was lifted toward the sky, as if he were watching the night unfold.
"Noel? What are you doing here?" Lucy exclaimed in surprise, looking at him with confusion.
Without turning his head, Noel replied, "Because… the view from here is pretty nice."
Following his gaze, Lucy saw a crescent moon hanging in the night sky, bright and beautiful.
Was he watching the moon? she wondered before shifting her attention back to him.
"Noel, do you really like the moon?" she asked curiously.
"Like…?" Noel murmured softly, then shook his head. "No… rather than liking it… I'd say… it feels familiar."
"Familiar?"
"Yeah… familiar."
Lucy wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but for a brief moment, she thought she saw a fleeting smirk—cold and mocking—curve across Noel's lips.
As she watched him, she suddenly felt that the crescent moon in the sky resembled him—cool and pure, always radiating a gentle light to illuminate the surroundings, yet carrying an inexplicable sense of sorrow.
The moonlight bathed him in a soft silver glow, making his entire presence seem ethereal and otherworldly, like an elf from the myths.
At some point, a cool night breeze drifted past, playfully ruffling a few strands of his golden hair.
And in that moment, an inexplicable urge arose within Lucy—an urge to reach out and smooth down those mischievous strands.
Without thinking, she found herself extending her hand toward him.
However, as soon as she reached out, Lucy suddenly realized how impulsive her action was.
It was as if she had tried to touch a flame—she quickly withdrew her hand, her face flushing with a lovely shade of red.
Stealing a glance at Noel, she saw that he seemed completely unaware of her movement.
He remained quietly gazing at the moon, unmoved.
Looking at him like this, Lucy couldn't quite tell whether she felt more disappointed or relieved.
At that moment, memories of every moment she had shared with him suddenly surfaced in her mind.
Back when she first met Noel, it was under the most coincidental of circumstances.
She had just parted ways with Natsu at a restaurant, absentmindedly walking forward without paying attention—only to crash headfirst into his embrace.
When she looked up, the first thing she saw was a pair of clear, sky-blue eyes.
They were warm and bright, with a hint of surprise in them.
The sensation she felt in that instant was like gazing upon a flower blooming in the depths of the underworld—dangerously captivating, drawing her in without resistance.
She had simply stood there, dazed, staring into those eyes.
(I must have looked so embarrassing back then…)
A faint smile graced Lucy's lips as she recalled that moment.
Then came their second meeting.
She could still remember it vividly—Noel had appeared like an angel descending from the sky, noble and pure, catching her as she fell.
Even now, she could almost still feel the warmth of his embrace.
It had been so comforting, so unreserved.
And when they left together, he had held her hand, his face lighting up with a cheerful smile as he said, "Because you wanted to join our guild, didn't you?"
In that moment, Lucy had felt something stir deep within her heart.
That was why she had followed him without hesitation—not just because Fairy Tail was the guild she had long admired, but because of something else, something she herself didn't fully understand at the time.
When facing Zeref's demon—Lullaby—Noel gave off a completely different feeling than before.
Bathed in that holy light, his figure was so dazzlingly handsome and powerful.
Perhaps it was from that moment that the girl's feelings for the golden-haired boy began to change, though she hadn't realized it at the time.
On Galuna Island, when she heard from Erza that Noel had gone missing, the worry and unease that surged from her heart were so clear.
The words "Since it's Noel, there's nothing to worry about, right?"—rather than comforting Erza, she was more like comforting herself.
When Noel appeared safely, the sudden joy she felt made her realize the unusual shift in her feelings for him.
During the Phantom Lord incident, when she saw him being attacked repeatedly by Joseph—choosing not to fight back in order to ensure her safety—her heart felt as if it were being tightly clenched, painful and powerless.
She didn't know why it hurt so much, but the pain wasn't just guilt; there were other emotions mixed in as well.
"You have something on your mind?" Noel's voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts.
Lucy looked up and saw that Noel was no longer gazing at the full moon but had turned his eyes toward her instead.
"Noel…" She met his gaze, the confusion in her eyes fading into determination. "Noel, I want to go back and talk to my father."
Noel, as if he had already expected her to say this, nodded lightly. "Mm, that's definitely the best choice. If that's the case, I'll go with you."
"Huh?" Lucy was clearly caught off guard by his words and froze for a moment.
Noel slowly stood up, his gaze shifting back to the night sky.
Then, in an unclear tone, he suddenly asked, "Lucy, do you think all parents in this world love their children?"
"This…" Lucy initially wanted to answer "Yes," but in that instant, she thought of her own father.
The words got stuck in her throat, and she could only hesitate before saying, "Probably… most of them are like that."
"Most of them, huh? Then… do you think there are parents who resent the birth of their own child?"
"That's impossible." This time, Lucy responded quickly, without a second thought. "If they hated their child's birth, then why would they have given birth to them in the first place?"
Noel let out a soft chuckle and slowly placed his hand over his eyes.
"Is that so…? It doesn't happen, huh? Yeah… if there was resentment, then there would've been no need to give life in the first place. If it had been like that from the start, there wouldn't have been any pain… for either side."
Hearing Noel's vague and cryptic words, Lucy suddenly felt that, in this moment, his figure seemed so sorrowful and lonely.
"Lucy, I'm heading out. Just let me know when you're ready to go home."
After a long silence, Noel let out a sigh, said those words, and then, in an instant, radiant white wings appeared on his back.
He soared into the sky, disappearing from the girl's sight.
"Noel…" Lucy softly murmured his name.
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