Sensing the air around them turning a little heavy, Gray, who was really not good at comforting people, could only change the subject.
"R-right, anyway, didn't we say we were going to help you awaken your magic? Since you've eaten your fill, let's get started. Come with me, I'll take you to the lakeside behind the guild to train. It's spacious there, and the scenery is unbelievably beautiful."
As he spoke, he quickly shot a look at Erza and Cana.
The two girls understood at once and, without giving Kabe a chance to refuse, they pushed him from front and back and simply rolled him straight out of the guild.
Kabe, who had been silent since earlier, could feel the pull and push of the three around him. Although nothing showed on his face, in his heart he could clearly sense each of their different kinds of concern.
'Honestly, if you guys keep this up, it is going to be really hard for me to prank you in the future.'
For the first time, he truly felt the warmth and charm of the guild called Fairy Tail. It was a feeling that went beyond the images on a screen, something you could only understand by being there.
It was enough to move even an old fox and attention seeker like Kabe, who had lived a full life before transmigrating, for a brief moment.
So, once they stepped out of the guild, he spoke up on his own.
"Alright, alright, I am not that fragile. Besides, this is all the Master's fault anyway. He was the one who insisted on dragging me back here and even tried to turn me into a mascot."
The three of them all paused at that. They carefully watched Kabe's expression and only after confirming that he really was not forcing himself to act strong did they quietly let out a breath of relief.
Seeing this, Kabe shamelessly reached out and ruffled Cana's deep brown hair and Erza's crimson hair, one after the other, then hooked an arm hard around Gray's neck.
"You talk like such grown-ups for a bunch of kids. You're all just little runts, but you act like you are so mature."
"What are you talking about?"
Gray slapped the arm hooked around his neck in annoyance and grumbled,
"Before you lecture us, think about your own age. You are the one pretending the most."
"It is different for me. Big brother here may be young, but my mental age is already that of a full-fledged adult."
"Where do you even get this kind of twisted logic..."
Gray pouted, cheeks puffed up in irritation.
Cana quietly smoothed down her hair where Kabe had messed it up. She felt a little annoyed at having her lady-like head patted without permission, but when she watched the way the two boys bickered in front of her, she could not help it and laughed.
'You are blending in really fast, Kabe.'
Thinking that, she turned her head toward Erza, only to find the corners of Erza's lips curved in a faint smile as well.
It seemed Erza had felt her gaze, because she looked back at Cana. The two girls met each other's eyes, then shared a brief smile before quickly speeding up to catch up with the two boys ahead.
They lined up shoulder to shoulder and joined in the argument over whether Kabe counted as a "grown-up" or not.
...
"Wow, what a spectacular sight."
When they reached the place Gray had mentioned, Kabe looked at the vast, clear lake stretching out before them and let out a heartfelt sigh. In his previous life, he had never had the chance to see the ocean in person.
"Heh, not bad, right? This is my favorite spot to practice magic while facing the lake."
Gray puffed himself up a little, speaking with the air of someone showing off a secret treasure.
Kabe nodded again and again in agreement.
"It really is a great place. With such a beautiful lake, if you set up a fishing rod here and fished for a whole day, that would be the happiness of life."
"Hey, hey, why are your hobbies so uncle-like too? Is it really like you said, that inside you're already an uncle like Macao and the others?"
The three of them could not figure it out at all. What was so fun about sitting there with a shabby wooden pole all day, staring at the water and catching nothing?
But for Kabe, who had started fishing with his grandpa at eight or nine and had more than ten years of experience in his previous life, fishing was not just a sport. It was an art that tested patience, technique, and perception.
Of course, now was not the time to indulge in that.
He took a deep breath, quietly fixing this beautiful scene in his mind, then turned around, itching to get to the main business.
"Alright, which of you is going first? I am warning you, my punches hit very hard. If you get beaten up, don't start crying."
He had barely finished speaking when Gray stepped forward and took a stance opposite him.
"Obviously I am going first. I'll return those words to you exactly as they are. Even if I do not use magic, there is no way you can beat a real mage like me!"
He still had not forgotten the earlier prank. He had already been itching to teach Kabe a good lesson.
Cana and Erza, seeing this, quietly stepped back to give the two boys space.
Cana still could not help but call out,
"Gray, Kabe, it is just a training match, so be careful and don't hurt yourselves."
Erza did not say anything. She stood off to the side with her arms crossed, watching Kabe with a serious expression.
'Anyone who can stand up unharmed after a punch from Master is definitely not simple, magic or no magic. If Gray underestimates him, he will definitely pay for it.'
In the clearing, the two boys each got into their fighting stance.
Gray's was a standard hand-to-hand posture. His feet were slightly apart, his right fist forward and left fist back, carefully guarding his face and especially the jaw.
By comparison, Kabe's stance looked strange and full of flaws, yet at the same time carried a kind of inexplicable pressure.
He had only ever fought in kindergarten and primary school brawls. He knew nothing about formal fighting stances. He had just suddenly recalled that classic pose from Goku's fight with Vegeta.
So he simply started copying it.
He stepped forward with his left leg, right leg behind, knees bent slightly so his weight settled on his back leg. His upper body leaned forward just a little. His left hand curled the ring and little fingers back while the other three fingers spread like a claw in front of his face to guard it. His right hand clenched into a fist and stayed at his waist, storing power.
Combined with the confident grin on his face, it was enough to make the three onlookers doubt their own eyes and completely fail to judge his level.
"Hey, what kind of weird pose is that? It looks full of openings."
"None of your business. Just come at me."
Hearing that, Gray swallowed his curiosity and focused.
He took a deep breath. Then his legs exploded with power as he sprinted toward Kabe with big strides. His right fist drew back, his waist twisting as he drove his entire upper body behind the punch and shot a straight blow at Kabe's face.
From the moment he had taken his stance, Kabe's heart rate had been rising rapidly. The surge of adrenaline forced him to push down the instinctive fear of fighting.
Seeing Gray's straight punch flying at him, his body reacted on its own. He raised his left arm to block in front of his face. Without checking if he had actually caught it, he swung his right fist, which had been loaded behind him, with all his strength.
Because Kabe did not know magic, Gray had subconsciously held back his strength. Even so, when he felt his own punch get caught and gripped tightly by Kabe's left hand, then saw the other fist rapidly growing larger in his vision, he could not help cursing himself inwardly.
'Damn, I underestimated him!'
"Ow!"
With a single miserable shout, Gray's feet left the ground. His body traced a perfect arc in the air before crashing hard onto the ground behind him.
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