"What! I..."
Makarov had just opened his mouth when two sharp smacks landed on his back again.
The pain made him swallow everything he had been about to say.
"What are you all standing around for? Hurry up and thank the master!"
"Yahoo! Thank you, Master!"
"Long live the master!"
The whole guild erupted in cheers in an instant, everyone shouting their thanks so enthusiastically that it left Makarov no room to refuse.
Seeing their excitement, he really could not bring himself to go back on it.
Helpless, he grabbed a bottle of alcohol, jumped up on the table, and shouted at the top of his lungs,
"Brats, raise your glasses.
For Fairy Tail, for our comrades and our family, cheers!"
"Cheers!!"
Everyone in the guild roared back in unison, lifting their drinks and downing them together.
Kabe watched the scene with a satisfied smile.
Laxus' lips also quirked upward slightly, though he quickly hid it, standing up from his seat to leave.
Seeing this, Kabe moved to block him.
"Where do you think you are going?"
Laxus did not even look back.
"A job. I have been resting ever since you beat the crap out of me. If I do not start working again, my body will rust."
"You are really thinking of going on a job in this mood? No way."
Kabe hopped up onto the table and hooked an arm around Laxus' neck, stopping him from moving.
Laxus suddenly felt a weight on him. His footing slipped and he almost fell flat on his face.
"You idiot, what are you doing?"
"Quit talking nonsense. No one is walking out of here on their feet today unless I say so."
Without waiting for a reply, Kabe snatched up a half-full bottle from the table and pressed it to Laxus' mouth, forcing the liquid in.
Laxus' face turned red as he gulped it down, the sound of swallowing loud and fast.
When Kabe finally let go, he grabbed the edge of the table for support and took huge breaths, eyes burning holes through Kabe as he snapped,
"You bastard, are you trying to drown me?!"
With that, he lunged forward with his arms spread, clearly intending to wrap Kabe up and give him a nice, friendly Raging Bolt.
Kabe flipped lightly backward, landing on another table. Before Laxus could charge again, he picked up the now empty bottle and waved it.
"Stop. Today we change the rules. We are not fighting. We are seeing who can drink more.
I want you to understand the difference between us, in strength and in drinking."
Laxus froze mid step, staring at the bottle in Kabe's hand. After two seconds of hesitation, his pride flared up.
"You think I would be scared of you? You are just an overgrown brat running his mouth."
The air between them instantly grew heavy, sparks flying even without magic.
The rest of the guild smelled that tension like blood in the water.
Before Kabe could even give an order, someone had already rushed off and come back with two large barrels filled to the brim with alcohol.
Everyone else quickly surrounded the two of them, cheering wildly for their chosen champion.
The quickest among them had already set up a betting table and started yelling,
"Come, come, place your bets! A brand new showdown between the old S Class and the new S Class.
Do not miss your chance, step right up and bet on your favorite!"
The moment the gambling started, a whole crowd of enthusiastic degenerates swarmed over.
"Five thousand on Laxus!"
"Ten thousand on Kabe!"
"I do not care who wins, just hurry up and start!"
Egged on by the roaring voices around them, the two young S Class mages locked eyes for a heartbeat, then each grabbed a barrel and lifted it to their lips, chugging straight from the top.
The guild exploded. Cheers and screams shook the hall, the noise threatening to drown out everything else in Magnolia.
Only Makarov, watching everyone haul up barrel after barrel of his finest alcohol, sank to his knees in a corner, quietly mourning the death of his savings.
...
In the blink of an eye, those warm, rowdy days slipped by.
Four years passed.
Magnolia, on the outer edge of East Forest.
The peaceful forest suddenly echoed with a loud shout, startling birds into flight and sending beasts fleeing in all directions.
"Ki Disc Slash!"
A golden, rapidly spinning disk flew forward with a harsh whirring sound as it sliced through the air, tearing into the forest.
In the span of a breath, dozens of thick, sturdy trees were cut clean through, toppled in a straight line and leaving behind a long, straight path several hundred meters deep into the woods.
At the source of the technique stood a tall young man, about one meter ninety, bare chested and wearing only light blue jeans. Sweat dripped down the tanned skin of his Saiyan body as he finally let out a long breath.
"No good. I still cannot get rid of the sound when I fire Ki Disc Slash.
With this insane cutting power, it should be a god tier ambush move.
But if it makes that much noise, it cannot fully bring out the advantages of a sneak attack."
Muttering to himself, Kabe lowered his head, pinching his chin in thought, as if he had no idea someone was sneaking up on him from behind.
A short haired girl with white hair tiptoed closer, carefully creeping up behind him, just in time to pounce and scare him.
But the moment she was ready to strike, Kabe suddenly spun around first and yelled,
"Boo!"
"Kya!!"
Already feeling guilty for sneaking around, the girl jumped in fright, stumbled back two steps, then tripped and landed squarely on her backside.
"Oww!" She cried out, then immediately glared at him in outrage.
"Kabe, you have done this so many times. Can you at least pretend to be scared once, just to humor me?"
Kabe turned fully toward her, hands folded over his chest as he looked down at her with a lazy smile.
"I would like to cooperate, but you being scared out of your skin every single time is just too cute.
I cannot help wanting to scare you again."
Over four years, Lisanna had grown into a pretty, delicate young beauty.
Her cheeks puffed out at his words, round and full like a sulky little squirrel.
"Hmph! I am going to tell big sis. I am going to say you bullied me again."
"I would not do that if I were you. Otherwise you will end up scolded, then come running back to complain to me anyway."
Kabe understood her personality all too well.
With one sentence, he left Lisanna completely at a loss for a comeback.
She let out an annoyed huff, then, seeing that Kabe still had not offered her a hand, she pushed herself up from the ground.
After patting the dirt off her backside with both hands, she glared at him again.
"Hurry up and go home. Big sis Mira told me to call you for lunch."