The relationship between Hibiki and Karen wasn't exactly a secret within Blue Pegasus.
After all, it was a private matter, and the guild wouldn't interfere.
Both young mages were outstanding, making them a well-matched pair.
Aside from their numerous heartbroken admirers, no one else had any objections.
"Young couples are bound to have their quarrels," Ichiya explained, already planning to have a serious talk with Hibiki later.
How could the boy fail to comfort his girlfriend?
It seemed he'd need to impart some wisdom—though truth be told, Ichiya himself didn't have much experience to share.
"Let's go meet master Bob," Marco said, shaking his head.
He didn't pay further attention to the young couple, having little interest in gossip.
He had initially thought there might be a fight, only to find out it was just a lover's spat.
"Right, let's go."
Ichiya led the way, though he couldn't help but wonder what had gone wrong between Hibiki and Karen.
The two had always gotten along well before—despite Karen's extreme personality, Hibiki had never minded and had always handled her with care.
Today's outburst was a first.
But with Marco here—and clearly uninterested—Ichiya couldn't very well abandon him to investigate.
He wasn't that rude.
Under Ichiya's guidance, Marco soon met with master Bob.
In fact, they had already encountered Bob the moment they returned to the Blue Pegasus guild.
Hearing the commotion outside, Bob had learned of Marco's visit from the chattering guild members and had been waiting in the main hall.
"Little Marco! Have you finally come to your senses? Have you decided to leave Fairy Tail and join Blue Pegasus?"
The moment he saw Marco, Bob eagerly posed the question, his hopeful expression making Marco's eye twitch.
"Sorry, master Bob, that's not the case," Marco immediately denied.
He had to shut it down fast—the surrounding Blue Pegasus mages had nearly erupted into cheers, almost taking Bob's words seriously.
"Is that so? What a shame."
The flamboyant Bob let out a long sigh, looking genuinely disappointed and wounded.
"..."
Marco gritted his teeth.
Though he had mentally prepared himself beforehand, he still wasn't great at dealing with this type of elder.
"Alright, alright, I won't tease you anymore. Come with me."
Seeing Marco's discomfort, Bob chuckled and beckoned him before turning toward the guild's administrative area, his tiny angel wings fluttering behind him.
Marco glanced at Ichiya and signaled for the older man to follow.
Of course, Ichiya—Blue Pegasus's strongest mages and an S-Class mage—could be privy to the matter of the S-Class exam.
"Me too?" Ichiya pointed at himself, surprised.
He hadn't expected to be included, assuming Marco had only come to see Bob.
"Let's go. master Bob will probably ask for your opinion too." Marco spoke up, signaling for Ichiya to follow him.
"Alright, I'm quite curious about what this is about." Ichiya didn't hesitate.
Although he was equally curious about what had happened with Hibiki and Karen, Marco specifically coming to find Bob made him even more intrigued.
Marco and Ichiya entered master Bob's office together, and the decor inside made Marco's teeth ache.
The room had an overall pink and soft color scheme, resembling a little girl's bedroom or tea room.
Paired with Bob as the owner, it was enough to give anyone goosebumps all over.
"Go ahead, little Marco. What's the matter?" Bob poured two cups of tea, handed them to Marco and Ichiya, then sat back in his armchair, sipping his tea as he spoke.
Marco took the tea, had a sip, and quickly explained the matter.
Having already gone over it once at Quatro Cerberus, he was now quite familiar with the details, making it easy for both Bob and Ichiya to understand.
"This sounds very interesting!" Ichiya was the first to speak up.
He found the concept quite engaging, with its competitive pressure, and believed it would surely boost everyone's motivation to train.
Even if just to earn some pride for their guild during the assessment, the examinees from each guild would strive to improve themselves.
"This was your idea, wasn't it?" Bob smiled as he looked at Marco.
The more he looked, the more he wished he could just forcibly keep Marco at Blue Pegasus.
Unfortunately, even if he could keep the person, he couldn't keep the heart.
Besides, at this point, he might not even be able to keep the person.
"It was my idea." Marco nodded.
There was no point hiding it.
"I knew it. That old man Makarov would never come up with something like this." Bob chuckled.
He had guessed right away that these new ideas weren't Makarov's.
That old man only ever drew from decades of past experience.
That's how they all were—hardly inclined to try anything new anymore.
"Blue Pegasus will participate." Bob gave his answer outright.
If Goldmine could see the benefits, of course he could too.
This would undoubtedly have a positive impact on the growth of the younger generation across the three guilds.
Moreover, if handled properly—keeping the competitive tension under control—it could also foster better communication among the younger members, helping them build friendships faster, get to know each other, and carry forward the camaraderie between the guilds.
"Good. I'll head back and make the arrangements. Once we've finalized the process and other details, we'll notify you and master Goldmine about the specific timing. Then you can just submit the list of participants for the assessment."
Having successfully completed his task, Marco let out a sigh of relief.
He could tell that whether it was Makarov, Bob, or Goldmine, what they truly cared about was how this would strengthen the bonds among the younger generation.
They were all getting on in years, and there would come a day when they had to step down.
Whether the relationship between the three guilds would remain as harmonious then would depend on how well the younger members got along.
Every time the guild masters held their routine meetings, they would bring along the most outstanding members of their guilds.
The essence of this was to allow the younger generation to interact and at least get to know each other.
"Then I'll take my leave, master Bob, Ichiya-san."
Having achieved his goal, Marco naturally had no intention of staying any longer.
Every extra second he spent here made him feel as if ants were crawling all over him.
Honestly, among all the enemies and magic beasts he had encountered, none had given Marco the same level of "oppressive feeling" as Bob.
"Go ahead. We'll see each other during the exam." Bob smiled as he bid Marco farewell.
Though he really wanted to keep Marco there, he knew it was impossible.
After saying goodbye to Bob, Marco and Ichiya left the Blue Pegasus guild together.
On their way out, they happened to run into Hibiki Lates, who was returning alone.
The handsome young man looked utterly dejected.