Chapter 257

Father's Seven Years is the 257th chapter of Hiro Mashima's Fairy Tail.

After visiting her parents' graves, Lucy, along with Natsu and Happy, heads back to Magnolia, wondering why she couldn't shed a tear for her deceased father. While Makarov, Mirajane and Erza repay the members of the Twilight Ogre guild for all the misery and pain they caused Fairy Tail during the 7 years, Lucy's landlady shows her the birthday presents that her father gave her.

Synopsis
After visiting Jude and Layla Heartfilia's graves at the cemetery, Natsu, Lucy and Happy head back home. On the way, the group overhears two girls gleefully discussing their fathers and how they wish they were dead. While Lucy keeps quiet, Natsu explodes at them for their inability to read the atmosphere, telling them to leave immediately. After the girls leave, Lucy states that even though she didn't much like her father in childhood, especially after the Phantom Lord incident, her relations with him after the incident with Naked Mummy have been better. Though she's sad, she is unable to cry. She wonders if she truly does hate her father, but Natsu tells her that not crying does not mean she hates him.

Meanwhile, Makarov is visiting the Twilight Ogre guild headquarters. The Twilight Ogre Guild Master, Banaboster, demands the money owed to them but Makarov states they will pay back in time and that threatening their debtors will not make them pay up. Makarov states that Fairy Tail always pays back what it owes, including pain. The pain Twilight Ogre inflicted on Fairy Tail in the past 7 years. With their powers, Makarov, Erza and Mirajane cause a ruckus in the guild, much to the surprise of Wakaba and Macao who believed they would just talk. The latter comments that it is making him feel nostalgic.

Elsewhere, Lucy is sitting alone when her landlady appears and drags her back to her apartment. When Lucy expresses her surprise about her apartment being clean, the landlady states that for the past seven years, she was cleaning the house every week and then tells Lucy to look at her desk. Looking at the desk, Lucy finds birthday gifts sent by her dad every year for the past seven years. There is also another letter that came in the morning. After reading the letter in which her dad proclaimed his love for her as his daughter, Lucy starts to cry. Natsu and Happy then come to bring her with them on a job. The landlady suggests that they should take it easy on her for while while stating that the letter had seven years worth of rent in it. Realizing that they are the only ones without money, the two prepare to set off and promise to buy food for Lucy. However, she yells for them to wait for her so she can come with them.

Magic used

 * Titan (巨人, Jiyaianto)
 * Take Over (接収 (テイクオーバー), Sesshū (Teiku Ōbā))
 * Requip (換装, Kansō)
 * The Knight (騎士, Kishi)

Spells used

 * Satan Soul (サタンソウル, Satan Sōru)

Armors used

 * Purgatory Armor (煉獄の鎧, Rengoku no Yoroi)