Ben and his sisters have joined Fairy Tail. Wendy had a blue guild mark on her right shoulder. Carla also had a blue guild mark on her back. Bella also had it on her back but her guild mark was white.
As for Ben, his guild mark was on his right shoulder just like Wendy's. His new guild mark was yellow and it looked bright on his dark skin. But on his left shoulder, there was another guild mark, it's a black Cait Shelter mark.
Ben asked Makarov to make it and he agreed to do so on the condition it was concealed most of the time. It consisted of the black sun Devil Slayer mark on the left part of his chest. The black mark can actually be shaped and expanded to cover half of his body. So he changed the sun shape to create the Cait Shelter mark.
After the party, they spent the night at Mira's house because they don't have anywhere to stay in Magnolia. There is a dormitory for male and female members, but Ben wanted to rent a house. So the next day, they look for a house that is for rent.
Ben decided to rent a house for the time being even though he had more than enough money to purchase one. It's because he didn't want to buy a house, he preferred constructing it so he can design it however he wants. Besides, he planned to explore the world, so having a house seems to be a waste because he would be gone for several years.
They go to meet a agent with Mira. She knew someone that could be trusted so there was nothing for them to worry about. Even though Ben wasn't worried about being duped because he knew how to handle it, having less trouble is always a good thing.
The agent was a middle-aged man with a grumpy expression. He ran a small agency that handled transportation and accommodation. There weren't many people that used his agency's services, but those that do use it are never disappointed and will always use their services again.
"Long time no see, Uncle Marcus." Mira greeted the man.
"Yeah, what do you want now?" Marcus grumpily asked.
"Can you stop talking like that? That is the reason you only have a few customers." Mira reprimanded him.
"This is how I always talk. I won't change it just to please people. Just tell me what you want." Marcus said.
"Alright, alright. It's not me that needs your help, it's them. They want to rent a house." Mira sighed, pointing at Ben and his sisters.
"What kind of house?" Marcus asked as he looked at Ben.
"A simple, but comfy house with at least 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. It will be a lot better if it was located close to the guild." Ben explained.
"The rent will be higher the closer it gets to Fairy Tail. It's because it's a lot safer there, supposedly." Marcus stated.
"Money is not a problem. I just don't want my sisters to walk too far from the guild every day." Ben remarked.
"Hmm...wait here." Marcus said before he walked out of the room.
10 minutes later, Marcus re-entered the room and gave them 5 sheets of paper. The papers had pictures of houses and a list of their features. Ben took them and quickly read through them before choosing 3 houses that seemed good.
"Can we see these houses?" Ben asked.
"Sure, let's go now while I'm free." Marcus said.
"Aren't you usually free because not that many people come here?" Mira asked teasingly.
Marcus clicked his tongue and grumbled as he walked away. The girls giggle and Ben sighed after seeing this before they follow Marcus. This man always looks grumpy but never really gets mad, that's why he is very fun to tease.
They went to the first house which was near a small river. It looked good from the outside and the rooms were just like what Ben wanted. But the furniture here was quite old and the girls don't like the design.
So they don't take the 1st house and go to the 2nd house. It's rather hidden and the only way to get here is through a small road. This made it feel rather peaceful because there was very little sound from the street.
They like the rooms and furniture so this was a good house. But they still need to see the 3rd house to find out if it's better. The 3rd house was a big improvement over the last one and they all like it. Marcus really knew how to slowly raise their expectation.
It was a yellow and orange 2 story house located near the river like the first house. But it is still quite new because it was constructed last year. So everything was still in good condition and it even had a small garden behind it.
Ben checked everything to see if there were any hidden areas, but he didn't find any. So this house is safe and it also met their requirements. Although it was a lot more expensive than the other 2 due to it's location.
"How much is this house?" Ben asked.
"120 thousand per month. If you pay for a year, then you just need to pay 1.2 million." Marcus explained.
"Hmm, I'll pay monthly first. If we like it then we'll rent it yearly." Ben stated.
"Alright, let's take care of the paperwork in my office." Marcus suggested.
They return to the office and take care of the paperwork. Ben read the contract carefully and even asked A.I Chip to check for any traps. But nothing was found and he was relieved because Marcus was honest.
He signed the contract and paid the first month's rent immediately. After that, they went to the market to buy some necessities. They bought ingredients for food and some daily necessities before going to their new house.
They spent the day arranging all their items in the new house. Mira also helped that day and never went to the guild. She said she wanted to help, but Ben knew she was trying to get out of the punishment for letting Elfman and the Thunder Legion complete a S-Class job without her there.
They finished arranging the house that evening and decide to have dinner immediately because they're hungry. After dinner, they go to a public bathroom before they go to sleep in their new rented house.
For the next few days, Ben and his sisters don't take any jobs. They use this time to get used to their new hometown and their new guild. They live in a new place and are surrounded by new people, so they need to get used to it first.
During this time, Ben was challenged to a fight by the male mages. They still can't accept they were easily defeated by a flick from Ben, especially Natsu who can challenge him 10 times a day. But the result never changed and Ben always won with a flick.
Something strange happened during this period. While he returned home from the guild, Ben came across Gajeel chasing a cat in an alley. The Iron Dragon Slayer was jealous that he, Wendy and Natsu had cats, so he tried to get one too.
Gajeel was extremely embarrassed when Ben found him so he said he wouldn't tell anyone before leaving immediately. Gajeel didn't believe him though so he kept watching Ben every time they are in the guild and it made him uncomfortable.
Just when Ben was about to talk to Gajeel about this, the front door was suddenly opened hard and made a loud sound. It got everyone's attention and they all look at the door. Some teenagers entered the building but they weren't Fairy Tail mages.
"Excuse me, is this the Fairy Tail guild? We're looking for someone." A teenage boy with light green hair said.
Ben's eyes widened after he saw the teenagers. "Wait! Aren't you-?"