"Hey, no way, he took a punch from Master and he's just standing there like nothing happened."
Cana clapped a small hand over her mouth and shouted in surprise. Gray's finger trembled as he pointed at Kabe, then he turned to look at the Guild Master and immediately exploded in embarrassed anger.
"Y-you-you, you bastard, you were messing with me!"
As he spoke, he charged at Kabe in a fury, ready to tackle him to the ground.
Before he could pounce, a hand came from behind and pinched the back of his neck. Makarov lifted him like a kitten and stopped him in place.
"Alright, alright, you're all comrades of the same guild from now on. I already gave him a good lesson for you. As a senior, you should at least try to show some restraint."
Gray struggled free from the Guild Master's grip. He was still feeling pretty unwilling inside, but considering that bastard had just joined today, and with the Master trying to smooth things over, he only snorted, turned his head away, and temporarily swallowed his anger.
"Tch. Bastard, remember this. I'll pay you back sooner or later."
After Kabe's little stunt, the guild finally quieted down.
It was just that now, everyone's eyes on him carried a strange, hard-to-describe look. Especially Cana and Erza, the two girls who had been tricked along with Gray. Their gazes were full of embarrassment and anger.
Makarov cleared his throat lightly. Afraid the newbie would be isolated by his comrades the moment he walked in, he hurriedly stepped forward to change the subject and ease the mood.
"Let me formally introduce him. This is Kabe, the fairy I picked up in the forest outside Magnolia."
"Fairy?"
Everyone repeated the word in unison.
Makarov nodded solemnly, confirming it again.
"That's right, the same kind of fairy you're thinking of."
Kabe really wanted to argue that he was definitely not some damn fairy.
But when he felt Makarov's warning gaze from the side, he very sensibly chose to shut his mouth. Deep inside, though, he carved today's humiliation into his heart, vowing that one day he would pay this stinking old man back with interest.
...
"Alright, from today on you are officially a member of Fairy Tail."
Sitting at the bar, Makarov withdrew the magic stamp with a cheerful smile and spoke to Kabe.
Kabe tilted his head, glanced at the black Fairy Tail emblem now printed on his left shoulder, gave a small nod, and silently pulled on a brand new black T-shirt.
The clothes he had been wearing earlier were smeared with dirt from rolling around in the forest. Makarov had already asked someone to take them away for washing. As for the set he was wearing now, they were from Gray.
For reasons the entire guild was very familiar with, that habitual exhibitionist had declared that he did not really need clothes as a concept. So he simply gave them away as a senior's welcome gift to a newcomer.
That generosity moved Kabe deeply for a whole three seconds, and he swore he absolutely would not prank Gray again for at least three days.
Since he had already been branded with Fairy Tail's emblem, Kabe put the idea of leaving on hold for the time being. Whatever else, getting a proper meal to fill his stomach came first.
"Master, could you please get some food for me as soon as possible, I'm about to starve flat."
Maybe it was the way he called him "Master" that hit Makarov right in the heart. The little old man nodded, deeply satisfied, and waved his hand casually.
"Relax, I already had someone start cooking for you. After that, you can settle down and live in Fairy Tail without worries. Before you kids have the ability to go out on jobs, the guild will take care of all your meals and lodging."
"Whoa, really? Free food and a free place to live?! I suddenly feel like I'm starting to really like this guild, Gramps Master!"
Kabe's eyes lit up on the spot. He knew very clearly just how much a Saiyan's stomach could hold.
Having a place like Fairy Tail in the early stage, a safe environment that would feed and house him so he could grow without worry, was honestly way too lovable.
Makarov lifted his chin with a smile and told him to wait at one of the tables off to the side. In his mind, raising a few kids who could not eat that much grain could not cost that much money anyway. As for lodging, the guild already had separate dorms for boys and girls, more than enough until the kids grew up and could stand on their own.
Feeling the Master's goodwill, Kabe sat down at an empty table in the main hall, full of gratitude toward both the guild and Makarov.
His backside had barely touched the bench when two large hands landed on his shoulders from left and right at the same time.
Across from him, Cana, Gray, and Erza sat down together with equally serious expressions, facing him as a united front.
Meeting the solemn stares of the three little ones in front of him, and aware that the two hands gripping his shoulders belonged to guys, Kabe's face straightened. His mouth moved on reflex, rattling off smoothly and rapidly,
"Kabe, male, prefers females, twelve years old. No parents, no job, no car, no house, no bad habits. Only accepts relationships where being kept is a prerequisite."
Cana, Gray, Erza: ???
Macao, Wakaba: !!!
Kabe's smooth, practiced self-introduction left the three kids completely stunned.
But it earned heartfelt admiration from Macao and Wakaba, the two uncles pushing thirty.
Macao slapped Kabe's shoulder heavily and praised him.
"Not bad, kid. For someone your age, your lines are already pretty polished. No problem, with that face and those conditions, you'd be very popular in our circles. If you need it, I can ask around for you when I get the chance, make sure we find you a nice situation."
Watching Macao and Wakaba both give him a thumbs up from either side, Kabe replied with a completely serious expression,
"I'll be counting on you. I was born with a weak stomach. The doctor said I should really eat more soft rice."
His words left the two uncles in awe all over again. After a moment of sighing, they shook their heads and stood up, lamenting,
"He really is a fairy, no mistake. Knowing this much at the age of twelve."
"Yeah, he's not your average brat. I officially acknowledge your title of fairy."
Kabe waved them off politely, saying goodbye to the two men as they walked away shaking their heads and sighing about life.
Then he turned his gaze back to the three kids who still looked dazed and had not fully recovered. Propping his chin up with one hand, he asked lazily,
"So, what do you three want to ask? Hurry up and get it out. Once the food comes, I won't have time for you."
None of these children had yet gone through the washing of time, so there was no way they could catch the conversations that only adults understood. They only felt that Kabe was even more mysterious and unfathomable now, someone who could earn Uncle Macao and Uncle Wakaba's approval with just a few lines.
Sitting in the middle, Cana stretched out a hand eagerly, taking the lead in introducing herself.
"Let me say it again. I'm Cana, this is Gray, and this is Erza. Um, we just wanted to ask... are you really the legendary fairy? Do fairies actually have tails?"
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