— — — — — —
"This time, old man, I'll let it slide for your sake. But with Laxus' attitude, a beating's just a matter of time."
"You should've let me slap some sense into him."
Kazuma watched Laxus leave without stopping him. If the two had actually gone at it, the damage would've been catastrophic. They were still in the middle of town—any real fight would've dragged innocent people into it.
"I know," Makarov sighed. "I'll give him some missions outside the city, let him cool his head and learn a bit. But Kazuma… always remember that Laxus isn't an enemy. He's just… lost."
He rubbed his forehead, looking suddenly older. Laxus hadn't always been like this. He'd been a good kid once—until the day Makarov expelled his own son and Laxus' father, Ivan Dreyar.
Everything had changed after that. Laxus became obsessed with strength, forgot what Fairy Tail really meant—that the guild was family.
"Old man," Kazuma said quietly, "the more you try to protect him, the more he sees it as a cage. One day, he's going to cross a line you can't imagine."
He wasn't trying to be cruel; it was just the truth. Sooner or later, there would be a rebellion. It wasn't just a personal grudge between grandfather and grandson—it was a clash of ideals that could shake the whole guild.
When that day came, Makarov would be heartbroken. The little old man already carried too much.
"If that day really comes," Makarov said after a long pause, "I'll stop him myself. But if I can't… then I'm counting on you. Hit him hard. Make him wake up."
He looked straight at Kazuma, his voice calm but heavy with resolve. He wasn't sure that day would come—but if it did, he'd do everything in his power to stop Laxus. And if he failed… he'd trust Kazuma and the others to finish it.
"Is that… an official request?" Kazuma asked, half-smiling.
"Yeah," Makarov said with a small chuckle. "A personal one, from me to you."
"Well then, as a reward... you owe me one. Fair?"
"Hah! Only a favor? I thought you were going to demand I hand over my guildmaster seat."
Kazuma grinned. "Nah. That seat? I'll earn it myself. When I become the Guild Master, it'll be because I earned the right to hold the position, not because you gave it to me."
"Hahaha! Good. With a mind like that, you really are suitable to be the future guild master," Makarov chuckled.
The kid was a headache sometimes—but damn if he didn't like him.
"Alright, I'm heading out. See ya."
Kazuma waved lazily, summoning his shadow soldiers before leaving to start his daily training. No matter how powerful his Gate of Babylon was, he'd never let it make him arrogant.
Neglecting his own body would be suicide. One weakness was all it took to lose everything—and Kazuma didn't intend to have any.
After he left, the guild finally calmed down again.
"Mira, here's my completed mission. I'll take this one next."
Mystogan handed Mirajane a form, picked up a new quest slip, and turned to leave. "Master. Goodbye."
"So that's Mystogan, huh?" Erza said, switching back into her usual armor. "Doesn't talk much. Comes in, grabs a mission, and walks right back out. What a loner."
Makarov nodded. "Can't be helped. We've got more than our share of weirdos in this guild."
But after saying that, Makarov gave Erza a strange look but kept whatever he wanted to say to himself. Then he plopped down at the bar, ordered a drink, and started sipping it slowly.
---
That night.
After a long day of training, Kazuma was about to turn in when someone knocked at his door. When he opened it, Mirajane was standing outside.
"Mira? What brings you here this late?"
He frowned, puzzled. Whatever it was, it had to be something unusual.
"You probably haven't eaten yet, right? Look what I brought—fresh meat! Let's have a barbecue tonight!"
She smiled brightly and breezed right past him into the house, holding up a bag of ingredients like a prize.
"Out of nowhere, you show up at night wanting to grill meat with me. Not that I'm complaining, but what's the real reason?"
Mira let out a soft laugh. "It's just a thank-you for sticking up for me earlier. What Laxus said really stung. So… yeah, thanks. It meant a lot."
"To show my gratitude, I decided I'd cook you a proper dinner myself."
She looked genuinely sincere, but Kazuma narrowed his eyes. "You couldn't just wait till tomorrow at the guild to treat me? Be honest—why are you really here?"
Her words and expression were flawless, but something felt off. His instincts—the observation sense honed through countless battles—were buzzing. Not quite reading her mind, but close. His subconscious had already picked up something strange.
"Ha, caught me. You really do have sharp senses," she admitted with a playful smile. "But I didn't lie. I did come to thank you. I just also wanted to check on you—make sure you didn't go out in the middle of the night to beat Laxus up."
She stuck out her tongue, grinning mischievously.
"I'm not that petty. I wouldn't just—wait, actually, I might've."
Kazuma scratched his head. He had thought about paying Laxus a late-night visit… but training got in the way.
"Exactly. You're the 'strike first, ask later' type," Mira teased. "So I figured I'd better keep an eye on you."
"But since you're still here, I guess I worried for nothing. Now let's cook, yeah?"
Before he could answer, she was already inside, looking around for the kitchen.
"Wow, your kitchen's huge—and spotless."
She started unpacking ingredients, humming softly. She'd even brought her own portable grill, and from the looks of it, she planned to make a few side dishes too.
"Oh, right," she added casually, "your kitchen's clean because you never use it. You just eat the food I make at the guild every day."
She said it like she'd just remembered a fun fact.
"Something about that sounded weird," Kazuma muttered. He couldn't put his finger on it, but it definitely sounded… off.
He shut the door behind him, took a step inside—then froze as another knock echoed through the house.
.
.
.