Chapter 99: Even A Different Flower Can Be Beautiful

Disclaimer:

Hi guys, another big chapter here! I altered some of the events here as you'll see when you read. I think it works and it doesn't change much in the overall scheme of things, but it is important anyway.

There are references to events in past chapters to help with foreshadowing and whatnot. Here they are:

Chapter 7, 22-23, 31-32, 43, 95-96, 98

With that said, I hope you enjoy!

"What is the first thing you want to do, Sis?"

"Maybe some activity that involves using my accuracy? I am a Magic Knight so staying in practice would be the best thing to do".

Two ladies were walking through the Star Festival wondering what to do. Whilst the former asked the latter's opinion, she wasn't happy with the answer she got.

"Sis, I know you're the captain of the best squad in the kingdom, but you still won't focus on anything else, even on a night like this? We could paint our faces, visit the haunted house, or even have tea and cakes!"

"Sol, you asked what I wanted to do and I answered. I don't mind if we do what you choose to do. Perhaps we'll do what you say instead? Oh, and by the way, we're not the best squad in the kingdom… just yet".

The two in question were none other than Charlotte Roselei and Sol Marron of the Blue Rose Knights. The blonde was walking with her black-haired subordinate who had her arms wrapped around the captain's.

"I don't care about all those other squads. I believe that our squad is the best so it is the best!" Sol replied, smiling toothily.

"That's a nice way of thinking about things but make sure not to declare that in any official capacity, Sol", Charlotte advised.

"You got it, Sis!"

"And don't call me that".

"Sure, Sis!"

Sol earned a face-palm from the blonde as she reacted. After that, they kept walking for a few more minutes until they reached a large, white tent that looked like it went far back quite a bit. Outside of the entrance, there were a few small displays that just showed reflective mirrors on them. The two took a step back and read the letters above the tent.

"House of Mirrors", the two read out before exchanging confused looks.

Seeing the two ladies out front, the owner of the tent walked out from the entrance and waved with a smile.

"Ah, I see that you're interested in this activity. Miss, you are clearly beautiful but what would you do if that aspect of yourself was altered in a way that you'd never expect? See for yourself, after the maze, of course". She offered her two hands to each Blue Rose.

"A way of altering beauty, you say? What if… we can see what Sis looks like with even more beauty to her?! I mean, I'm sure that's what this stall operator means", Sol thought to herself before nodding to her captain.

"I'd like to see how this works", Charlotte nodded back.

The two accepted the lady's offer and they entered the activity. With the door closed behind them, they saw that the inside was not what they expected at all when they looked at it from the outside. Instead of looking like a normal tent, it was a complete black floor with studio lights at the top, powered by Flame Magic. The walls were all mirrors but to the side there was a sign that read 'Maze Ahead".

"I see", Charlotte read and turned to her squad member, only to see that she was distracted by her own reflection.

Sol was looking at herself through the mirror and started messing with her short, black hair. She corrected the way her squad robe was sitting around her neck and over her tube top. Her arms had white warmers that covered her elbows and her bottom half had white shorts with white, detached pants that slightly covered past her knees. After examining her clothes, she lightly stamped down on her white shoes before turning back to the captain.

"What were you doing all that for?" Charlotte asked, now looking at herself through the same mirror.

"Oh, nothing, don't worry about it, Sis!" Sol smiled before walking up close to her.

"Wh-What are you doing?" Charlotte panicked as she felt her hands go up to her head. Sol grabbed the white helmet that the captain usually wore and took it off which allowed her blonde hair to graciously fall down, revealing a single, lone braid near the front.

"Oh, you don't need to be wearing your full squad uniform tonight! How else are you going to showcase your beauty to the ones around you?" Sol asked, repeatedly turning her head in all directions as she tried to find a place to put the helmet.

"I am a captain, Sol, I need to look the part despite this being a night off for me. Besides… where are you even going to leave that? You didn't bring a ba-!" She paused before the Earth mage brought out a large, brown bag from nowhere. "Where were you hiding that?"

Sol shrugged. "This? I've been holding it the entire time, Sis, did you not realise?"

"N-No", she replied, blushing as she was caught out. "What is in it anyway?"

Sol tapped the side of her head and winked. "That's for me to know and you to find out! Let's just say… It's something that'll really showcase your beauty!"

"You've said that twice in a matter of seconds, just what do you have planned?"

"Hehehe, maybe I'll show you after we get through this!"

Sol put the helmet in the bag and put it on her back. She was able to easily hold it and the two walked to the entrance of the mirror maze.

Walking through the maze was no problem at the start. All they had to do was figure out where the walls truly were but it was starting to become difficult with the amount of mirrors that kept appearing around them.

"It must be this way!" Sol pointed in front before taking a large stride. She only moved about a metre before slamming her head into the thick glass, falling down onto the floor in process. "Ow, ow, owwww", she said as she rubbed her red nose.

Charlotte helped her up but looked around, only being able to see her reflection in all directions. "Hm, I thought this would be fun but if it hurts you like this, then maybe not".

"Nonsense! Um, in the most respectful way possible", Sol corrected herself. "I'm having fun so let's just keep going!"

"With so many mirrors, navigating the maze is getting harder. All of them give the illusion that the correct path is visible, but then again it also suggests that the dead-ends are everywhere", Charlotte pointed out.

"Sis, I think I found the path!"

As said by the black-haired teen, the two carried on where she was pointing. They carefully moved forward but now there was something different about the mirrors.

Charlotte walked past a mirror and then stopped as she noticed something in the corner of her eye. She walked backwards and stopped in front of the specific mirror.

"Is it me or does this mirror make my chest look bigger?" The blonde asked as she put her hands over her armoured breastplate.

Sol widened her eyes as she heard the question. "A bigger chest?!" She shouted before reconvening with her captain. She looked at her and then at the reflection, noticing the difference. "Woah… Hm, let me see!"

The Earth mage stood next to the captain and looked at herself through the next mirror over. She was hoping to see her own chest the same size as her captain's reflection, but she saw something different altogether.

"What on earth?!" She shouted, holding her face with her hands. The reflection that she saw made her face an abnormally large size compared to the rest of her body. Her head was the shape of a beach ball for some reason.

"Shall we m-move on?" Charlotte asked. It looked like she was trying to hold in some laughter with her right fist over her mouth.

The two carried on carefully but the mirrors they saw all changed their bodies in such different ways. There was one that made the blonde's nose as large as a broomstick.

"I look like one of those witches from the fairytales!" She grabbed her nose but sighed with relief as she remembered that it was just some kind of illusion.

Sol saw one that made her right arm the size of a small twig.

"Ah! It looks like all the muscle in this arm has disappeared!" Sol moved her arm in a windmill motion and saw that the twig in the reflection copied it. "Hahaha!"

A mirror that downsized both of them.

"We're the same size as that one Black Bull!"

A mirror that upsized the two.

"Now that one Golden Dawn guy!"

The two Blue Roses spent the next 10 minutes slowly getting through the tough maze, having fun seeing their reflections and laughing at one another. With only two minutes left till the exit, they stopped at one last turn.

"I wonder if this mirror will do something different? We must have seen absolutely everything this place has to offer at this point", Sol asked rhetorically as she moved ahead.

"I guess I'll check the one next to it. Charlotte walked over.

The captain looked at herself and realised that nothing was different in this one. Everything seemed to be normal as she slowly went through it.

"B-Both of them are the same proportions… my head is the same as well as my nose, arms, lips - Hm, this must be a regular mirror! What about you, Sol?"

Sol just sighed as she pointed at her reflection. "See for yourself".

Charlotte joined her subordinate and saw the difference between reality and reflection. In the latter, her cheeks were puffy and her eyes looked to each be a different size to one another.

"You also seem to have…", she pointed at her reflection's nose and forehead.

"Ah, spots!" She screamed and ran away from the mirror, only to hit another dead end and fall to the floor. "Not again…", she shook her head.

"Sol, you should be more careful", Charlotte sighed before helping her up for the second time. Just before Sol took her hand, it looked like she was frowning for a second. "Hm?"

The two ladies eventually found their way out of the maze and left the tent from the side, just a few paces away from where the entrance was.

"That's odd. Here, it just looks like we moved only a few steps but it was much bigger in there", Sol noted.

"Well, magic does have many uses", Charlotte replied. "Anyway, that was fun but can I have my helmet back now?"

Sol tightened the grip around the handle of the brown bag. "No can do! In fact, I think it's time for what I have planned!"

"Sol…".

Charlotte breathed in heavily before exhaling very slowly. She knew Sol could get up to some interesting things when it came to her squad captain, but she still had no idea what she had up her sleeve this time.

"I don't think I did anything wrong to be thrown", Asta said to himself as he soared through the skies. He was so used to being flung that he was just on his back with his arms behind his head as he travelled through the clouds.

"Well, it seems as if I'm about to fall", he said as he noted that he started slowing down. "Good thing I figured out what to do so that I don't break my bones when I land!"

His grimoire came up to him and he pulled out the Demon-Slayer sword. He pointed the tip towards the ground and lodged it into the floor which successfully broke his fall. "Ha! I'll definitely tell this to Captain Yami and Noelle!"

He put the Anti-Magic weapon away and started walking around. "At least I get to explore more of the capital this way…", he thought before stopping right before a huge crowd that was in front of him.

"There's a lot of people here and they're… gasping? What's going on?" His green eyes followed the sound and spotted someone sitting on a chair in the centre of a large, orange tarp.

There were a lot of men and women whose eyes were all glued towards the centre. Asta followed their gaze and saw a blonde woman wearing a dark-blue tunic with a floral-like, white pattern going through the middle over a white dress. Below the tunic was a lighter-blue skirt that went all the way down to her feet where she was wearing some white, floral-patterned flats. The woman also wore a small, blue robe with white trims along the edges, around her neck and shoulders which covered the top part of her tunic.

"She looks familiar", Asta squinted. "Maybe I'll get a closer look so I can see who she is", he thought before making his way through the crowd. As he did, he learned some information about her and why she was sitting on her own.

"That beautiful woman - I heard she was just told to sit there by someone from the Blue Rose Knights".

"Huh, really? I guess she's just flaunting her good looks, then. If you have them, then show them, right?"

Asta smiled with stars in his eyes. "They're right, she is pretty. I bet Finral would like someone like her!"

Just before the Black Bull found his way through, another person beat him to it and started talking to the woman. His face was flushed red and his burps gave a very familiar scent to the mage who's used to Captain Yami and Vanessa - Alcohol.

"Hey there, lovely maiden. You're the first woman that I've seen that makes me feel all bubbly inside. Come with me and we'll enjoy the rest of the festival's festivities together, as a couple!"

Asta didn't recognise the drunk but the people in the crowd seemed to. They all pointed and whispered about him saying he was some Count from a noble house.

Seeing as the woman didn't respond, the nobleman continued. "I've decided that you should accompany me, and you shall do that right now!" His drunk smile never faded and he reached out to grab her wrist.

Asta tried to get in between them but wasn't quick enough. "Oi, you shouldn't just grab someone like that!"

The nobleman turned his head, still holding onto the blonde's wrist. "Urgh, the way you're dressed tells me you're a commoner, or worse - a peasant. Leave my sight this instant, freak". He switched his sights back to the woman but she wasn't sitting on the chair anymore.

Instead, she was now standing right in front of him, giving him a look that would send shivers down even the most hardened criminals.

"Rude and annoying. Not the best combination if you're looking to impress", she said before sending a wave of blue roses and spiky vines into the nobleman. "You act as if I'm some object that you can just take anywhere to show off. Judging by your appearance, you're a noble, but do you know who I am?" She walked closer to the man on the floor, covered by the foliage. "I am from House Roselei. Tell me - Is there a single thing that you can excel at compared to me?"

Asta clapped his hands, finally figuring out the resemblance. "She looked very familiar, but the magic made me realise just who she is! It's the captain of the Blue Rose Knights - One of the three captains who helped back at Nean!"

Charlotte diverted her attention to the boy who was next to her. "You, I saw that you tried to help. I had it sorted but thank you for the intent", she nodded.

"Ahaha, no problem", he scratched the back of his neck. He was about to walk away but he managed to slip on the long, blue skirt that Charlotte was wearing, sending him right onto the floor.

Or not.

"Wait, I thought I'd hit the floor but it was something… smooth?" Asta removed his face from whatever soft material he found himself in and realised that it wasn't just some material, but a pair of boobs.

"If it isn't the screaming midget from the Black Bulls! I think your name is…Asta?" The one who owned the pair asked. She didn't seem bothered by what he did, much to Charlotte's surprise.

Asta looked up and recognised the face. "I remember you from the decoration ceremony. Sol, right?" He jumped back a step so that he could actually talk to her properly.

"Correct. I never thought I'd talk to a man in such a way again but you're alright. That Lucas guy is too seeing as the captain and Daisy vouch for him", she added.

Asta was confused. "Did I do something for you to have a good opinion of me?"

"You don't remember? Those Silva Eagles - they were giving your squad mate a hard time and you just sat them all on their asses. That's someone I can get behind!" Sol smiled. "Usually, I'm not fond of men, but some are okay. By the way, Asta, what do you think of Sis's dress? I bought it myself!"

Asta looked over at the Blue Rose who just dispersed her briar sword. "Yeah, I think it looks nice".

Sol smiled and nodded. "Hm, you really are alright". She walked towards her captain and slung her arm around her shoulder. "Even though you're fine, there's just this one guy who I'll never be a fan of! Whenever he's near Sis, he always makes her panic! It's like he scares her!"

Charlotte dropped her head and shoulders. "Please, Sol, if you're thinking about him, then…".

Asta was the same. "Someone who scares Captain Charlotte? She seems so strong so it's a wonder who could do something like that. The only one who could possibly come to mind is…".

"Wow, that really hits the spot!"

Those were the shared words of three people who were experts at eating and drinking. Sitting around a table with a meal and alcohol, were an unexpected trio.

"So, your name's Hamon, right? I didn't think the Golden Dawn could have someone so cool other than Lucas", Vanessa smiled, taking another sip of her drink.

"Thanks for the compliment. A lot of us don't have a problem with others, it's just that a few bad apples sour the general opinion. It's a shame, really", Hamon replied, having his final bite.

"That's good to know. We don't even cause problems for anyone else so it's nice to hear that you lot are nice", Charmy nodded. "Our interests in food mean that the two of us know each other anyway, but it's cool to see that you're okay with my friends".

"You seem friendly enough", Hamon smiled.

Apart from these three, there were three others nearby. Luck and Magna were on a separate, round table playing cards, or at least the latter was trying to.

"Haha, take this, stupid Magna!" Luck laughed. He put some electricity into one of his playing cards and flung it at the Flame mage's nose, making it sting.

"Ah, you bastard! Come here, you!" Magna screamed, launching himself into the Lightning mage, proceeding to chase him around the nearby area.

The other one was right next to Hamon but she wasn't really talking much. She was just watching the rest have their fun.

"Melody, you can have some of my food if you want. I may have taken more than I should and having it go to waste isn't something good". Vanessa slid her plate towards the Sound mage.

"A-Are you sure?" She widened her orange eyes, specifically at the fries that were on the side. She realised that her mouth was open and hid her face away. "S-Sorry".

"No need to say sorry. Fries are your favourite, aren't they?" Hamon put his thumb up to help assure her.

Vanessa patted the 19-year-old on her back. "Haha, you're cute. Don't be shy, eat up!" A purple cat then jumped up on the table after laying on the floor and snuggled up close to the witch. "There you are, Rouge".

"And another one who's cool. Maybe our squads can get along", Charmy nodded. "I'm already friends with Yuno as well".

"Yuno is friends with you? I didn't think he'd be one to socialise that much", Hamon tapped his fingers on the table.

"Yeah, he's cool. I'm friends with Bell as well so things are going well", the Cotton mage replied.

"Did you adopt a cat?" Melody asked, intrigued. She wasn't really paying attention to the conversation, but only to the small feline.

"Something like that", Vanessa said as she scratched under Rouge's chin. "Do you want to pet him?"

"C-Can I?"

"Sure!"

Just a few metres away, a rather peculiar sight was coming closer. Around both arms of another 19-year-old were an older man and an older woman. This would look quite odd if there was no relation between the three but there was definitely a warm bond here.

"Mother, Father, you've been glued to me since the start of the festival. Please… give me some room", the long, green-haired teen rolled her eyes. She shrugged as she tried to regain some comfortability in her arms but it was hard as the weight of two grown adults were leaning against her shoulders.

"Oh, but Letoile…! It's been so long since we could spend time together like this!" The man moaned, pouting. He was wearing a dark-purple, two-piece suit with a white shirt underneath. A purple tie hung from his tight collar with a compass-shaped pin holding it in place.

"We were surprised with your invite! I know things are better now compared to before but… well, it was a nice surprise, nonetheless", the woman added, poking her finger into her daughter's cheek. She was wearing a long, purple dress with some sequins and glitter thrown around the soft fabric. Along the sides where the stitching were, were small badges in the shape of a compass which acted like pins holding the dress up so that it wouldn't all just be on the floor.

Letoile sighed but then had an idea that she had to try out despite it being somewhat of a risk. She opened her palms and directed her fingers towards either parent, sending tiny compass needles at their arms.

"Ow!"

The two shouted and let go of their daughter. They felt a slight pinch on their arms but didn't find the responsible item that Letoile used. Still, this moment gave the Compass mage the time to finally have her arms back to herself.

"I'm not sure what happened there. Maybe the Gods allowed me usage of my arms once again", Letoile lied. She looked at her parents and smiled. "Regardless of that, I am having fun".

The man looked at his wife. "Candice, look at how grown our little girl has gotten. She won't even hold my arms anymore…!" He feigned a cry as he put his hands over his face, allowing slits through his fingers to see Letoile's reaction.

"I can literally see what you're doing, Father".

Candice put a hand to her husband's shoulder. "We should probably not annoy her too much, Paul. She's independent and mature… Perhaps it's to impress a boy?"

"A boy?!" Paul gasped.

Once the two looked back at Letoile to question her, they found that she had already started to walk off. They ran ahead, trying to catch up but once they did they saw that she was barely holding in a laugh.

"I've… missed having fun with you two like this", she laughed but then some tears started to fall from her eyes, staining the inside of her glasses.

Candice reached for her glasses and took them off to clean whilst Paul pulled his daughter in for a hug.

"I'm sorry I didn't visit sooner. I just…", she put her hands to her eyes, trying to stop more tears falling.

"It's no fault of your own, Letoile", Paul said.

Candice slowly put the glasses back on Letoile and held her by her cheeks. "There's no need to rehash the past like this. Just… be happy that the three of us are together", she smiled.

"W-Will do!" Letoile returned the expression. "By the way, Mother, why are you wearing something so fancy to a festival like this?"

Candice looked down at her person and then at her daughter who was wearing the squad uniform. "It's our first festival in a while, besides, I want to look good when your squad is announced for having the most stars once again!"

"Awh…", she said before a voice to the side took her attention away. Her eyes lit up with the two people she saw sitting on the table and decided to walk towards them. She ushered her parents over as well; "come over, you two!"

"Hamon, Melody!" Letoile shouted and waved. She had just found her fellow squad members together and greeted them.

"Letoile, nice to see you tonight", Hamon waved back.

Melody scooted closer towards the glutton, giving the Compass mage some room to sit down. "You can j-join us here, if you want", she said shyly.

Seeing how close she was, Hamon let out a tiny squeal. It was masked with a cough a millisecond after and he was successful in hiding his reaction.

Letoile tried to refuse the offer. "Sorry, I'm with my parents. I just wanted to say hi to you two", she then directed her attention to the two Black Bulls on the same table. "Hello to you two as well. Sorry I didn't say it first", she bowed.

Charmy stood up from her seat and walked over to her. "Another one who's nice! Wow, Hamon, what's going on?" She asked before offering the teen some sweet bread.

"I told you", the glutton saluted.

Letoile was a bit confused but saw that there was nothing serious in what she said. She accepted the bread and was about to move on but her parents finally caught up with her.

"Took you two long enough! These are my parents, Paul and Candice. Say hi", she whispered as she gave them space to introduce themselves.

"It's nice to see my daughter's friends all having fun. You're… not all from the same squad, are you?"

Vanessa was shaking her large mug, stirring the liquid inside before taking a gulp of it. "No, these three are from the Golden Dawn but the rest of us you see nearby are the Black Bulls".

Hamon and the two Bulls got their introductions out of the way and then all eyes fell on the Sound mage who was fiddling with her fingers. It looked like she was just nervous as usual but she felt the two adults' eyes look at her for more than a normal amount of time and that's why she was more reserved than usual.

"I think I remember your face from somewhere. Your name… Octavia, right?" Candice tried to piece some things together before reaching a conclusion.

"Octavia was the one who came by our house once. Hm, when was it, maybe seven or eight years ago?" Paul scratched his chin.

"Guys, her name is Melody, not Octavia. Are you confusing her with someone else?" Letoile raised an eyebrow.

"No, I'm pretty sure it was Octavia. I think it was Lewis's eighth birthday and she came round", Paul insisted.

"Eighth birthday… I don't think I was around that day so I don't remember", Letoile thought to herself.

Candice raised her hand. "It was quite a long time ago, though. Maybe we just got the name's mixed up. Sorry about that, Melody". The green-haired adult put her hand to the Sound mage's head.

"I-It's n-no problem. I am Melody, nice to meet you t-two", she half-smiled before looking down again.

Breaking the conversation, Paul clapped his hands together and all eyes were set on the man in the suit. He tried to make as much noise as possible but his wife realised the real reason why he did so.

"Paul, your stomach just started growling, didn't it?" She laughed before tapping at his side. "We haven't had food for a while, have we?"

A Light bulb appeared on the top of the Compass mage's head and her eyes zoomed in on a food truck in the distance. "It may not be the healthiest, but…", she pointed over.

"I could go for anything!" Paul laughed, holding his stomach.

The two adults waved at the mages and started walking over. Letoile smiled and put up a peace sign. "See you!"

The one who didn't say bye was none other than the one who got mistaken for this Octavia person. Melody's eyes were focused on the distant Becquerels and then one hand went up to her head and she leaned on it with her elbow on the table.

"Octavia…", Melody repeated in her head. As she did, her orange eyes only seemed to darken more and more until a shade crept over them.

"Are you okay?" Vanessa asked, leaning in closely. "You look like you've seen a ghost".

Hamon turned his attention to his fellow squad mate and saw how pale she had become. "Melody?"

All of a sudden, the Sound mage drank the rest of her water and stood up. "I um… h-have to go…", she said without warning and walked away.

The two Black Bulls were left confused. They weren't rude or anything but maybe something happened with her that they weren't aware of.

"She came across as quite shy. Maybe she was just too far out of her comfort zone", Vanessa theorised.

Hamon watched as she left. He looked at the empty space next to him and frowned. "Was that really the reason?"

Vanessa then stood up and stretched her arms and back as best as she could before turning her back at Charmy and Hamon. "By the way, did you guys hear all the commotion over there?" She pointed in the direction of a nearby tarp. "I might go check it out".

"It's a good thing Captain Yami took back that blue jacket he made me wear. It was nice, but… I like this uniform a whole lot more!"

Lucas looked at his arms and felt his squad robe and flowing, teal cloak behind him. He walked forwards once again with a smile as he was finally back in his full clothing. However, his expression was short-lived as a few things came apparent to him.

First, he thought about what happened a few minutes ago with Rachel. There was a part of him that wanted to be there for her since he could tell she was upset but then another part of him realised that he didn't know her well so he couldn't just insert himself in a situation that didn't include him.

Secondly, he thought about Daisy and how she had been dealing with something quite serious all by herself. He did his best to let her know that he'd always be there for her but that was all he could do at that moment. He couldn't get rid of her worries or anything like that, all he could offer were some positive words.

Thirdly, and perhaps the one thing that was actually quite happy in comparison, was about Mimosa and how his feelings have started to change for her. His date with her was fun and he started to learn more about her which made him happy. He felt his beating chest and then held his face.

"A lot of things have happened tonight, but some of them… are so serious! I'm just confused about it all, what do I do now? What should I do now?" He stopped as he looked around. "Actually, where am I even going?!"

He just walked along the road again, not really having a specific destination in mind. Maybe it was to clear his head, or maybe he just wanted a distraction. He didn't really care what it was but the latter is exactly what he got.

Hearing some of the commotion nearby, he picked up the pace only to see a familiar face standing under an orange tarp.

"Hey again, Asta". Lucas waved as he caught up to his friend. "Um, hello?"

The ashen-haired teen didn't respond at first as he was distracted by something that was going on in front of him. Lucas tried to look at what Asta was seeing and realised that Captain Yami was there, along with a certain someone.

"Hahahahaha! What the hell kind of sparkly dress is that?!" Yami couldn't hold in his tears as he started bellowing.

Charlotte was indifferent with her reaction. With a straight face, she just looked back at the man that was joking around with her. "You say I'm strange, but what abou-!" Her blue eyes examined the Dark mage from head to toe. The bottom half of his person is what made her fall face-first onto the floor. "Y-Y-Yamiiiiii! What the hell are you even wearing there?! The blue jacket is nice and all but… the rest of your body is practically out for everyone to see!" She slowly lifted her head from the floor, taking slight peeks at his muscles but went straight back down as she couldn't handle too much of it.

It was Sol's turn to get involved as she held her self-proclaimed 'Sis' in her arms, helping her up. "Ah, it's you! I was just saying to Asta that you scare the living daylights out of my captain! Why are you here?!"

Instead of directing his anger at the Earth mage, he looked at Asta. "Huh, is that what you two were saying behind my back?!" He shouted after taking his cigarette out.

Asta instinctively put his hands over his head. "No, I wasn't! Please don't throw me, please don't throw me…", he muttered.

Now, the third lady to get involved in this was the one who heard all the commotion from a few metres away. Holding a drink in her hand and with a cat on her shoulder, Vanessa showed up, immediately throwing an arm around the muscular man.

"There you are, Captain, I was wondering what all the noise was!"

"That woman - Why are her arms around Yami? Is she close with him? Judging by how he isn't wary of her, she must be a Black Bull!"

Staring at the new arrival was Charlotte. Her blue eyes staring at Vanessa's purple ones with nothing other than jealousy. The Thread mage paused as she felt the daggers from the blonde.

"That woman - What is it with her? She's staring so much at me and it's definitely not because of my good looks. Something tells me… I can't lose to her!"

Yami had a bored look, he didn't seem to notice nor question the uneasy connection between the two women, but there were plenty of people that did. One was Asta and another was Lucas.

"I know you can't tell, but their Ki is filled with jealousy!" Asta explained.

"I don't need to sense Ki. Seeing their faces was enough for me to realise that!" Lucas added.

Then, a third person noticed.

"A brewing rivalry between two, beautiful babes? That calls for… a cosplay contest!"

The two felt arms around their shoulders. Asta looked to the right, Lucas did to the left, and the two saw Finral with smoke coming out of his flared nostrils.

"Woah, where did you come from?" Asta asked.

He wouldn't get his answer though as the Spatial mage was way too engrossed with what was happening. He walked towards the two women but jumped on the stage behind them, grabbing a microphone from the side.

From behind the red curtains on the same stage, came out the floating letters that read 'Cosplay Contest!'

"The rules are simple. These two rivals will dress up in any way that they deem fit for the crowd and the men and women that are watching will decide who the winners are!" Finral ushered one of the workers to the side who threw him a heart-shaped container. "These objects take in mana, so send some into the respective container and that'll tell us who the winner is!"

Yami shook his head. "That damn bastard had everything planned out, didn't he? This is just for his own enjoyment".

Asta raised an eyebrow. "I wonder who would win out of those two?"

Lucas sighed. "Asta, this is clearly one of Finral's fantasies…".

Charlotte shared the same reaction as Yami and Lucas, but there was one person who agreed with the nobleman on the stage.

"A contest like that? Please, no one would agree to th-!"

"Sis will win that contest and show any other women who's boss! Finally, you can show your beauty!"

Charlotte, once again, face-palmed and fell to the floor.

The minutes that proceeded Finral's idea saw a large crowd start to gather by the stage. There were men and women surprisingly enough. Lucas was part of the crowd alongside Asta and Yami. Sol was nowhere to be seen but that was because…

"Okay, Sis, let's see what we're working with here…". The Earth mage was in one of the rooms behind the stage, rummaging around through the wardrobe.

Whilst she did, Charlotte tapped her on the shoulder. "I've got to ask - You tell men that women aren't objects but isn't this contest specifically to be looked at?"

"You have a point. Even though that's the case, I think showing your beauty, in the way that you're comfortable with, is different than to just be randomly ogled at", she said before finding an outfit. "Oh, how about this? What's better than playing someone at their own game?"

A few minutes passed and the red curtains opened, revealing the first contestant.

"The first entry onto the stage is… none other than the captain of the Blue Rose Knights, Charlotte Roselei! Tonight she's dressed as… my God, a witch?!" Finral was speechless as the blonde walked through. She was wearing a black and dark-purple outfit with a witches' hat on top of her head which was the same colour. "She's definitely got this outfit on lock!"

"Oh no, oh no, what am I doing?! I'm so not used to clothing like this but… if it's something that Yami likes, then maybe it's not so bad?" Charlotte panicked before putting her right hand on her hip.

"Woah, she is beautiful!" One member of the crowd shouted.

"A witch is so daring, so mischievous, so…. hot!" Another member cried out.

The Dark mage put his hand to his chin. "Hm, not bad. I didn't think someone like Charlotte would be comfortable in an outfit like that but I was wrong".

"What do you think, Asta?" Lucas turned to the swordsman.

"Hm, it is a nice outfit, but I think Vanessa pulls it off better", he replied.

Finral grabbed the mic once more. "The second entry is about to appear. What will Vanessa Enoteca of the Black Bulls be wearing…? And oh my word! It is something that we never expected!"

As the witch appeared, she was wearing anything but. The Thread mage chose to wear a simple, black nun's outfit. Her hands were kept in front and holding onto each other.

"I bet no one thought this of me! That's what a smart person would do - get everyone used to a certain way of dressing and then bam! Turn their heads by wearing something completely different!" Vanessa smiled, focusing her smiles towards the crowd.

The crowd, just like Finral, were shocked.

"I've seen that woman around but never thought she could pull something like that off!"

"It's simple, but it's definitely super effective!"

Asta jumped up and down. "Now that's what you call an outfit! A nun… It seems like all of them are beautiful!"

Lucas awkwardly smiled. "You seem to like your nuns, huh?"

"Yeah, I keep asking a nun at Hage to marry me but she's always refusing! Soon, though… it'll be my time!" He replied, putting his hands into fists.

The Dual mage thought to himself. "Shall I tell Noelle to dress like a nun? Maybe that's how she can impress Asta!"

Finral started announcing again. "That was Round One of the Cosplay Contest. Come on now, all of you, it's time to… cast your mana!"

Different sets of colours, all representing different mana and magic types started rising up from each individual's hands. Many of them flew over to Charlotte, and many flew over to Vanessa. The containers that they were standing next to all started filling up.

"I guess you're voting for Vanessa as she's wearing the nun outfit", Lucas said to Asta.

"I will be voting for her but it's not because of the outfit, it's because she's part of my squad and a great friend!" Asta replied, toothily.

Yami nudged the teen's back. "That's a nice sentiment and all, but this is a cosplay contest. It's about the clothing they wear".

Asta thought for a while. "Hm, that is true. Well, the vote goes to Vanessa anyway".

The Dark mage paused before looking over at both teenagers beside him. "Did we just forget that Asta has no mana? How is he going to vote?"

The two rookies face-palmed as they realised they forgot that key detail. Out of the two, only Lucas could vote.

He mulled his decision over. "Captain Charlotte looks good, but so does Vanessa. I guess I could just vote for Asta's squad mate but then it wouldn't be my own decision. Still, I think I'll vote for…". He held out his two palms and sent out a mix of blue and yellow mana towards a container.

"For Prickly Queen?" Yami questioned as he saw the mana fly over.

"Y-Yeah, she was the first captain to raise her hand that day", he thought back to the entrance exam. "Not to mention that she supported me quite a bit at the start".

"Fair enough. I don't think I'll vote for either", Yami replied.

Finral's voice was heard all around. "Now that the votes are in. We'll have to wait till the end of Round Two, which is also the last one! We're in the endgame now, cast your mana after that to find the winner!"

Behind the stage, Charlotte and Sol were looking through dresses again. The latter kept picking out some clothes but throwing them back into the wardrobe as she didn't think they were the best for her captain.

"Sol is going all out for me. She seemed so excited about all of this since the start with how she had that dress prepared beforehand. What if I… give her something back?"

Charlotte checked through the wardrobe again and found a slim, sky-blue dress that looked like it would fit Sol rather than herself. She walked behind Sol and flung the dress in front of her so that she could see her reflection in the mirror.

"What do you think? You'll look good in this", she smiled before moving it around, seeing what angle would be nice if a painting were to be made.

"It's a nice dress but I don't think it'll suit you, Sis", Sol replied.

"I'm not talking about myself, I'm asking about you".

"Oh, well, to be honest, I don't think anything looks good on me", she smiled.

Even though Sol didn't show even a hint of sadness, Charlotte knew her squad member like the back of her hand. She sensed that something was up, just like she did earlier on but, this time, she chose to ask about it.

"What's going on? You seem… off", she asked, sitting down on a stool nearby.

Sol did her best to not look at Charlotte but she forgot that there was a mirror next to her. The blonde captain looked at her through that and saw that her expression was of a deep frown.

With a deep breath, she replied. "Our squad has the most beautiful women in all of the kingdom, that's what I firmly believe. You're at the top of the pile, but then there's Daisy and Emilia as well who are plenty attractive. But then… there's me", she shrugged.

"You don't think you're beautiful", Charlotte surmised.

"I don't think, I know. Part of the reason that I don't like a lot of men is because of the looks they give you, like you're an object, but then they also give me a look which is different to yours. While they think you're nice-looking, they see the colour of my skin and immediately look the other way", she added. "I don't know, maybe the reason I want to show you off so much is because… I don't want them looking at me", she sighed.

Charlotte put her chin in her hands. "Then back at the House of Mirrors, at the start…".

"Yeah", she blew air out of her mouth. "It was nothing bad or serious that the lady in front did. She said you were beautiful but didn't really look at me at all. Then at the end, with the mirror that made my reflection have spots… urgh, I don't know. It makes me happy that people see your allure, but maybe -".

"- You'd like it if people saw yours", Charlotte finished Sol's sentence off.

"I don't have an allure, Sis", she replied quite coldly.

Charlotte stood up and put her hands on the Earth mage's shoulders, forcefully turning her around. The two looked into one another's eyes but that's not all they did. The blonde patted the top of Sol's black hair and smiled.

"I think you're beautiful in your own right. There's a lot of times that people say I'm pretty or that I'm good looking, but then I think; 'hey, Sol is right next to me and she's much prettier than me!'"

"Really?" Sol asked, puzzled.

"It's like you say, who cares if a stupid man or woman doesn't look at you in a certain way. You respect what I say, right? Well, your captain thinks you're beautiful, no matter what anyone else says", she smiled before putting a finger to Sol's cheek. "Your skin, it's rare to see in the Royal Capital, I understand that. The Common and Forsaken Realms have a lot of people with the same skin colour that are unfortunately overlooked. Beauty can come or be shown in different ways and I think… a lot of yours comes from the fact that you rose up from those types of discrimination and became a beautiful member of the Blue Rose Knights".

At this point, Sol just started crying as she hugged her captain. The two exchanged a short embrace before the Earth mage pulled away. Her eyes were puffy and her nose was red, yet she smiled at the blonde.

"You think I'm still beautiful?" She joked as she pointed at her dry skin.

"Of course", Charlotte smiled.

Then, the two heard Finral's voice behind the curtain through the speakers. They rushed around, trying to find anything to wear. The whole room was a mess but Charlotte's eyes kept looking at the sky-blue dress that she found earlier.

"Wait, I have an idea".

Whilst those two got ready, the silhouette of someone was nearby and she smiled to herself. "This was a contest between me and her, but after hearing that…", she nodded before running to her own room, changing out of the clothes she had prepared.

On the stage, Finral was with the microphone once more. "Round Two, the final round, is now here! Since Charlotte was the first to come out earlier, I'll switch things around and welcome the other contestant! Everyone, ready your hands for Vanessa Enoteca!"

The red curtains shifted, revealing the Black Bull for the last time. She walked out but as soon as the crowd saw what she looked like, they were stunned into silence. Vanessa appeared and she was dressed like a witch.

"Vanessa, everyone! Um, this is what you would call… a traditional witch, I believe? There has to be beauty in the original, don't you all think?"

The Thread mage hobbled out with a walking stick in her right hand. She was hunched over and her face was full with green warts and dead skin. Her nose was almost as long as the tip of her black witches' hat that she was wearing. The clothes that she chose to wear for the final round were a simple, blue rag that reached the floor. It was closed at the front with a few buttons, some of which were hanging by a thread.

"Um", was all that the crowd could muster up.

Yami, Asta, and Lucas were confused but the two Black Bulls homed in on Vanessa's Ki.

"It seems like she's… content with that?"

Finral shrugged his shoulders, understanding that the show must go on. "The last one to come out is…", he stopped as he felt a tug on his shoulder from one of the stage workers. He leaned in close and they whispered to him. "Hm, ah yes, oh right, hm…", he nodded before turning to the crowd. "There seems to be a last minute change. Due to… well, something, Charlotte Roselei is being replaced by another beauty. Give a round of applause to Sol Marron of the Blue Rose Knights!"

The curtains shifted one last time, revealing the third cosplay contestant. She slowly walked out, being careful to take one step at a time and to not fall. The lights from the overhead lights illuminated her and her clothing was revealed. She wore a sky-blue top which revealed some of her cleavage underneath. The top had two shoulder straps of the same colour which held it up. Her stomach was bare but below it were a pair of slim, yet baggy pants of the same colour that went all the way down to her ankles. Her shoes were golden and curled with red beads on the tips. On her arms were sky-blue arm warmers but her hands were left bare. The top of her head wasn't left on its own as there sat a sky-blue band with a blue jewel in its centre.

"I can't believe I'm doing this right now. Sis practically pushed me out here since she believed I could pull it off, but… those stares from… all those men and women!" She gulped. Her face was flushed red with embarrassment and her eyes were darting all over the place.

Finral saw how nervous she was and offered a hand. "This outfit, well, it's clearly inspired by the princess of old, Jasmine! Her tales are in the books of Aladdin and while she's not the protagonist, she's appealing and quite capable in her own right! What do you think, guys?"

All eyes were on Sol from the crowd but there was a lot of silence. Part of it came from the fact that a lot of people were looking forward to seeing Charlotte so there were a few disappointed looks.

"I know who my mana is going towards!" A lone voice called out from the side. Not many recognised it but there were a handful who did.

Right next to Lucas was another Blue Rose Knight. She jumped up and down, her orange hair bouncing as she did. She sent her ice-cool mana towards the container where Sol stood.

"You're beautiful, Sol! Wow, I wish I could be as pretty as you!" Daisy shouted, sending Lucas's eardrums for a spin. "Hey, Lucas, come on, help me out here", she whispered.

Lucas looked at the crowd for a second or two but then decided to join in. After all, Sol was up there and she was another one who came to accept him quite quickly.

"My vote is going to Sol! Princess Jasmine, I never thought I'd see her in the flesh!" He shouted, sending his mix of mana at the container.

After that, the crowd started to get loud and rowdy. Plenty more colour erupted from nearby and practically all the votes went to Sol.

"She's different but… it's not like she's not pretty!"

"She deserves this!"

The next few seconds consisted of mana travelling towards their desired targets. While this was a good thing for Sol, her only focus was on Daisy in the crowd, and Charlotte who was nearby, right behind the curtains to the side.

"Sol, I know you're conscious about your skin. You have to remember; every woman in the Blue Rose Knights are like flowers. Some are big, some are small, some are white, some are black, but there's one common idea that I believe unites us - Even a different flower can be beautiful".

"The results are in!" Finral shouted. He motioned his arms towards the very clear winner as their container was almost overflowing. Vanessa had a few but it was nothing compared to her opponent's. "The winner is… Sol Marron!"

Cheers erupted from the crowd and it looked like most of them were happy with the results. Sol's light-blue eyes were pulsating, she didn't think she had it in her to win something like this. She slowly sat on the stage floor as she felt weak in the knees.

"I really... won this? I am... beautiful? Even though Sis helped me with her votes, I didn't think I could win. My skin... it's on show and people liked it?" Sol looked at her hands and then up at the sky, smiling as hard as she could.

Approaching the blonde captain who was back in her original, blue dress from the start, was Vanessa once more who was also back to her original clothing. Instead of the hostile rivalry that was between them earlier, there was only satisfaction.

"Captain Charlotte. Your subordinate is definitely a looker, you'll have to be careful around her", she joked.

"There's no need to. If she understands her own beauty, then that's enough for me", Charlotte smiled. "Thanks for what you did. Perhaps it was self-sabotage, but you had my squad member in your mind".

"We women have a duty to one another, am I right?" She put her thumbs up. "I just worry that she might think I lost on purpose so that the crowd had to vote for her. Maybe I should have worn something normal", Vanessa messed with her hair.

Charlotte chuckled. "I don't think that's a problem. Look at Sol", she pointed with a light nod of her head.

Vanessa peeked through the curtains and saw what the Briar mage was pointing at. Sol was beaming. The container with the mana votes was in her arms and she looked happy.

The witch turned around, smiling back. "Say, want to go for a drink? Let's be friends, captain", the witch asked, pointing to a table a few paces away.

"Friends, huh? Sure. By the way, you don't need to call me that. Just Charlotte is fine", she smiled.

Once the cosplay event ended, the crowd dispersed. All who were left were Lucas, Asta, and Daisy as Yami and a few of the others were at a table nearby, drinking and having fun.

"That was quite the competition, wasn't it?" Daisy said, happy as she looked at the empty stage.

"It sure was. Where are the little troublemakers, by the way?" Lucas asked.

"They're with Becks. They were playing in a fun house for about an hour and a half, it was crazy!" She wiped some sweat from her forehead.

"So, now what?" Asta asked.

The trio didn't even need to wait two seconds before the answer was revealed. A lot of people were walking in a straight line towards Clover Castle.

"They're about to announce the Magic Knights Squad achievements in just a few minutes!"

"After that… It's Shooting Star!"

The trio looked at each other and rushed ahead. "We can't be late for this!"

NOTES:

I hope you liked this chapter. Some canon, some original! I didn't really think about making Sol a big character but maybe I will seeing as how I liked writing with her.

The minor appearance of Letoile! I couldn't really fit her in these chapters but I definitely haven't forgotten about her. We also see some things regarding Melody and this other name - Octavia, hm…

I omitted the Charlotte flashback from this chapter as it would be too long to fit, in my opinion. I'll definitely add it somewhere down the line, though!

Let's go to the awards for Chapter 100!