"Are you hinting that I am going to be one of this year's S-Class candidates?"
"I never said that. The S-Class candidates will only be announced on the day of the exam."
After saying that, Makarov slipped away in a hurry, not giving Kabe any chance to keep asking.
That guilty, covering-it-up attitude left Kabe completely at a loss for how to even start roasting him.
Only when he watched from upstairs as Makarov rushed out of the guild did he finally turn to go back down.
Suddenly his steps halted, and he slapped his forehead hard.
"Ah, I think I forgot to talk to him about how to split the money."
His expression changed in an instant. He hurriedly swung himself over the second-floor railing and jumped down, sprinting after Makarov.
"Wait, Master! Out of that five million J, four point nine million is mine. You have to tell Master Bob that, alright?!"
In the guild hall, Mira, who had been enthusiastically boasting to her younger siblings about her glorious exploits, listened to the echo of that shout fade away.
Her expression darkened instantly until it was as black as the bottom of a pot.
"Kabe!!"
...
"Jerk! Even if I did not contribute that much on this mission, I still worked my butt off. And you only plan to give me a hundred thousand?!"
At the table, Mira slammed her hands down hard, accusing him of being endlessly stingy.
Kabe, who had a heavy cost of living and was personally extremely short on money, was not about to back down. He thumped the table right back.
"One hundred thousand? Not all of that is yours. There is still Karen's ten thousand in there.
And do not forget who begged me before we left, saying that even if she did not get a single coin of the reward, she still wanted to come along."
Under Kabe's questioning stare that clearly said, "Trying to go back on your word?", Mira felt a guilty twinge in her heart.
"B-but that is ten million, you know..."
"Even if it was one hundred million, it has nothing to do with you. I earned that money with my own skills."
Kabe raised his chin proudly and jabbed his thumb at himself.
At the table next to them, two of the older guild geezers watched the iron-willed cheapskate Kabe with speechless faces and muttered quietly,
"What is wrong with that idiot? The girl practically handed herself to him on a plate and he is not even trying to act gentlemanly."
"Nothing to be done. He is still a brat after all, way too green."
They were not speaking loudly, but Kabe's ears twitched and he caught every word clearly.
At once he turned his head, the corners of his mouth drooping in disdain.
"Huh? Two single, useless old men talking about love?
How old are you? How many girlfriends have you had?
Have you ever gone on a date with a girl? Held a girl's hand?
Do not tell me you have never done any of that and are still virgins even now?
Tsk, tsk, tsk... when I grow up, I definitely do not want to become pathetic adults like you."
Crack.
There were two faint but very real sounds, as if something inside them had just shattered.
The two uncles, who had just been laughing at how "childish" Kabe was, suddenly slumped over the table like they had been stabbed right in the heart.
Seeing how fragile they were, Kabe clicked his tongue in contempt and turned back to face the completely stunned Mira.
"Do you still have any objections? If you do, I can take my time and explain things to you properly."
"N-no, I have absolutely no problem, I will follow your arrangement completely."
Mira shook her head like a rattle drum, not daring to voice even the tiniest hint of disagreement.
She was terrified that Kabe's venomous mouth would fire off a few more soul-crushing lines.
Elfman and Lisanna looked at their big sister, who had just lost the argument at light speed, then shuffled over to Kabe with faces full of admiration, piling on the flattery.
"Brother Kabe, you are amazing. Where did you learn to say things like that? Can you teach me?" Lisanna asked, eyes sparkling.
"Yeah, yeah, I want to learn too," Elfman nodded vigorously.
"Ah!! You two traitors! Instead of helping your sister, you are siding with that jerk?
Get over here and see how I deal with you!"
Seeing that their beloved Big Sis Mira was angry, the siblings' faces turned pale. They immediately turned tail and bolted.
When they did not even listen to her yelling, Mira got even more fired up and leapt over the table to chase after them.
In an instant, the previously quiet guild was filled with the joyful noise of the three siblings chasing and bickering, and the hall regained its usual liveliness.
Kabe tilted his head, smiling as he watched the Strauss siblings play and fight, and once again felt that special warmth this guild gave him.
In a corner of the guild, Reedus, who had not yet turned into a chubby giant, seemed to find inspiration.
He picked up his brush on the spot and began painting the warm scene in front of him onto his canvas.
...
Over the next few days, Kabe did not take any jobs. Instead, he went out alone beyond the town to train.
The rest of the guild, like Macao, Wakaba, Erza, Gray, Natsu and the others, threw themselves completely into work.
Every time they came back, they would stay no more than an hour before taking another request and heading out again.
This strange sight left the newly joined Mira siblings, as well as Levy and Laki, utterly bewildered.
That night, in Mira's home...
Under the five pairs of eyes brimming with curiosity, Kabe put down the rice bowl that was bigger than his face and finally explained,
"You still do not know? It is because the guild's S-Class Promotion Exam is about to start.
Everyone is working hard to become S-Class mage candidates."
"S-Class mages?!"
The five little ones gasped together, then immediately started chattering and bombarding him with questions.
The first to ask was Lisanna, and she threw out two questions in a row that made Kabe want to laugh and cry at the same time.
"Brother Kabe, what is an S-Class mage?"
"You know, you cannot just play all day. Even basic things like this, you need to understand."
He flicked her gently on the forehead. Lisanna let out a soft little "Ow" and clutched her head.
After giving her that tiny lesson, Kabe still patiently explained.
"S-Class mages are those who have been acknowledged by the master, who are strong enough to take on S-Class missions, or even more difficult and more dangerous ones.
Right now in Fairy Tail, the only ones who meet that standard are Gildarts and Laxus."
At the sound of those two names, everyone present looked completely blank.
Kabe suddenly remembered. Gildarts had gone off with Cana to visit his late wife after they reunited, so Levy and Laki had probably not seen him yet.
As for Mira and her siblings, they had met Gildarts, but Laxus was still away on a long mission, so they had not seen him in person.
"Well, on a lively day like the S-Class exam, they will definitely come back. You will get to see them then."
Hearing that, the five all started looking forward to that day with shining eyes.