Natsu was more than ready to leave Netherfield. He wrote the next morning to Zeref stating so. But Zeref, who had calculated on the two of them remaining at Netherfield till the following Tuesday, which would exactly finish Gray's week, could not bring himself to receive them with pleasure before. Natsu and Gray could not quite bring themselves to care. And so at length it was settled that their original design of leaving Netherfield that morning should be mentioned.

The communication excited many professions of concern. Juvia heard with real sorrow that they were to go so soon, and repeatedly tried to persuade Gray that it would not be safe for him, but Gray was firm in his resolve.

To Lucy it was welcome intelligence— Natsu had been at Netherfield long enough. He attracted her more than she liked and she wisely resolved to be particularly careful that no sign of admiration should now escape her, nothing that could elevate him with the hope of influencing her felicity; sensible that if such an idea had been suggested, her behaviour during the last day must have material weight in confirming or crushing it. Steady to her purpose, she scarcely spoke ten words to him through the whole of Saturday, and though they were at one time left by themselves for half an hour, she adhered most conscientiously to her book, and would not even look at him, damn his crazy antics.

Finally, the separation, so agreeable to almost all, took place. Gajeel's civility to Natsu increased at last very rapidly, as well as his camaraderie with Gray; and when they parted, after assuring the latter of the pleasure it would always give him to see him either at Longbourn or Netherfield, and punching his arm a few times, he even shook hands with the former. —Natsu took leave of the whole party in the liveliest spirits.

They were not welcomed home very cordially by Zeref. He wondered at their coming, and thought them very wrong to give so much trouble, and was sure Gray would have caught heatstroke again. —But Mavis, though very laconic in her expressions of pleasure, was really glad to see them; she had felt their importance in the family circle. The evening conversation, when they were all assembled, had lost much of its animation (the dinner table had not been flipped over even once!), and almost all its sense, by the absence of Gray and Natsu.

They found August, as usual, deep in the study of thorough bass and human nature; and had some new extracts to admire, and some new observations of thread-bare morality to listen to. Freed and Laxus had information for them of a different sort. Much had been done, and much had been said in the regiment since the preceding Wednesday; several officers had dined lately with Midnight, a private had been flogged, and it had actually been hinted that Colonel Arcadios was going to be married.