Macao and Wakaba had simply waved off the rest of the assessment the moment Kabe walked out.
Now that they heard he had become S Class, after a brief twinge of disappointment, the two of them adjusted their mood at once.
They strode up, one on each side, hands clamping down on his shoulders as they whooped:
"S Class, no matter what you say today, you are not escaping this round of drinks."
"Just treat it as comforting our wounded hearts. Brat, you are absolutely not allowed to be stingy."
Kabe had finally become the S Class mage he had dreamed of being, and he was now carrying a cool eight million in prize money. His heart was brimming with the swagger of a rich man from Hargeon.
"Say no more. Tonight, I'm covering every last thing you lot drink. Everyone, get loud!!!"
"Whoa!!"
"Kabe! Kabe!"
"S Class! S Class!"
Listening to his name being shouted by everyone in the guild, his grin almost split his face all the way to his ears.
Compared to the others, who were mostly focused on the fact that he had passed the exam, Mira and Erza were the first to rush to his side.
Seeing his back, the charred cloth and torn fabric, Erza asked worriedly,
"Are you hurt? The clothes on your back are all burnt to pieces. Do you need bandages?"
"Uh, no, no, I'm perfectly fine, healthy as can be. Not a problem at all."
After experiencing being wrapped up like a mummy last time, Kabe absolutely did not dare trouble Erza with bandaging him again.
Mira circled around Kabe to check him carefully. Then she suddenly noticed something, puffed up her cheeks, and stormed over to Laxus, scolding,
"You bastard, what did you do to Kabe?! The hair at the back of his head is all singed!"
"Pff!"
Already in a foul mood and staring up at the ceiling with a face like thunder, Laxus spat out a mouthful of blood when he heard that.
Injured in several places and barely able to move, he could only glare viciously at Mira and roar,
"What do you mean by that, rookie?! Are you saying my attack only managed to burn a little bit of his hair? Are you looking down on me?!"
Mira had just started to nod when Laki hurriedly dragged her back, hands flying to cover her mouth.
Laki stole a glance at Laxus' sour expression, then whispered,
"Stop talking, Mira. Look at him, he's already been beaten that badly. You should maybe spare him a few words."
Laki nodded again and again in agreement.
"Yeah, yeah, we really shouldn't provoke him anymore."
They thought they were talking very quietly, but every word still landed clearly in Laxus' ears.
His face darkened even more at once, and he ground his teeth, cursing,
"Who asked for your pity, you three brats?!"
Seeing the usually proud Laxus being driven up the wall by three little girls, the rest of the guild burst into laughter and started teasing him together.
Makarov was also secretly holding back his laughter.
"All right, enough, say no more, brat. There is no alcohol for you tonight."
With that, he hopped up onto the bar counter and gave Laxus a firm smack on the back.
Laxus' face twisted in pain, and he turned back to glare daggers at his grandfather.
Watching this scene, Kabe could not help but smile.
This version of Laxus, who had not yet gone to extremes, was actually quite fun to mess with. He just did not know if, when the guy was older, he would still be this way.
But even if Laxus did briefly go off the rails like in the original story, Kabe was not too worried. He believed that his own Iron Fist of Love would be more than enough to knock some sense back into him.
He quickly shook off these random thoughts.
Throwing an arm around Natsu and Gray, who were chattering noisily at his side, he called over Cana, Erza, Mira, and the others, then started loudly bragging about how he had pounded Laxus into the ground.
His exaggerated retelling drew wave after wave of gasps, along with heartfelt exclamations of pure admiration.
Laxus, who had been bickering with Makarov, suddenly turned his head and looked at Kabe, who was surrounded at the center of the crowd.
In his eyes, the unwillingness of someone who had been defeated flickered faintly, along with a fleeting touch of envy and confusion.
Makarov followed his gaze and immediately understood, sighing inwardly.
"This idiot is still as stubborn and prideful as ever."
The S Class banquet went on deep into the night. Most of the men in the guild ended up passed out on the floor, tables and benches knocked over in all directions.
Bottles, cups, bowls, plates, and even leftover food were scattered everywhere.
Looking at the chaotic scene, the guild hall almost turning into a rubbish dump, Laki, Levy, Lisanna and the other girls who also worked part time as waitresses all pulled a bitter face, their little cheeks full of anger.
"These bastards, every time they drink they turn the guild into a total mess."
"They just cannot behave themselves. Cleaning up after them is so much work every single time."
"When they wake up, I'm definitely going to give them a good lecture."
The girls joined the other members who were still sober and started putting the tables and chairs back upright, arranging them properly.
The companions who were lying all over the floor were hauled up and dumped on top of the tables.
Once those "not-important-for-now" guys were dealt with, Mira skillfully hooked an arm under Kabe, lifting him up from the floor. She slung his arm over her shoulders and turned to Laki and the others with a smile.
"We'll head off first. Laki, Levy, take a day off tomorrow. The day after, the three of us will go on a job again."
Her two teammates both had small faces flushed with the tiredness that comes after excitement. Hearing Mira's call, they nodded weakly one after another and waved goodbye.
"Mm, bye. See you tomorrow."
"Lisanna, Elfman, remember to get up early tomorrow and come help with the cleaning."
"Got it, Laki, Levy. You two should go to bed early as well~"
Not far away, Cana watched as the Strauss siblings finished their farewells and started helping Kabe out of the guild.
She first draped a thin blanket over the completely drunk Gildarts, making sure he was covered.
Only then did she walk over to Erza, who stood with arms crossed, silently watching the scene. Cana bumped her shoulder lightly into Erza's.
"Hey, Erza, what exactly are you thinking?"
"What?" Erza turned her head, confused, not understanding what Cana meant.
"That thing, of course," Cana said anxiously, leaning in close to whisper in her ear,
"You and Kabe, what do you think of him? Everyone says you are his little girlfriend, you know. Now that Mira has already started making her move, are you really planning to just stand there and watch without doing anything?"
"Eh?" Erza tilted her head, looking at Cana with a puzzled expression.
"If you put it that way, aren't you one of his little girlfriends too? And what exactly has Mira done? What is it you want me to do?"
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