Over the next three days, Hope gradually adapted to life at Fairy Tail.
He was mainly responsible for miscellaneous tasks now: sweeping the hall, tidying tables and chairs, assisting Mirajane with reception work, and occasionally accompanying Mirajane out to purchase supplies.
The work wasn't heavy; he even had time to read in the library or exercise in the backyard.
This peaceful life over the three days allowed Hope to better observe this marvelous magical world and the Mages in the guild, who were distinctly characterized... or rather, eccentric.
"Hey! Hope, bring the drinks!"
Cana looked at Hope, who was dressed in a bartender's uniform, shaking the empty bottle in her hand—a bottle as thick as a calf—and said in a very familiar tone, "This Lady hadn't had enough yesterday, but Mirajane sent me home. Since she's out doing a photoshoot today, I must drink my fill!"
"Erza isn't here, and the Master is out visiting a friend, so I, Cana, am invincible now!"
Hope looked speechlessly at the chuunibyou-acting Cana, who had over a dozen empty bottles scattered haphazardly on and under her table, and said with a troubled expression, "Cana, drinking harms your health. You need moderation."
"You dare doubt my drinking capacity?"
Cana shouldered the empty bottle like a baseball bat and declared proudly, "There's no one in the entire guild who can outdrink me, so there's no need to worry. Hurry up and bring the drinks."
"No, I'm just doubting whether you still have money to buy alcohol."
Hope wasn't worried about whether Cana's body could handle it. Yesterday, he personally saw this female drunkard chug two large barrels of alcohol in one go and still be perfectly fine.
Hearing that Hope was merely doubting her ability to pay, Cana immediately became displeased.
As a dignified Fairy Tail Mage, she could earn tens of thousands just by doing a simple mission. How could she not afford a little bit of alcohol money?
I've really been underestimated!
Seeing Cana's indignant expression, Hope calmly took a small notebook from his pocket, quickly flipped open a page, and read aloud:
"March, X782: You drank a total of twenty-eight bottles of whiskey, brandy, wine, and other drinks. Because you didn't have enough money, the Master paid your tab."
"June, X782: You falsely claimed to have sufficient funds and chugged fifteen barrels of draught beer in one sitting, but ultimately couldn't pay the bill, and you tried to deceive us with the clumsy excuse of 'making the Council pay for it'."
"September, X783—last year, that is—you were even more impressive. You snuck into the warehouse late at night when the guild was empty and drank three days' worth of the guild's alcohol reserves in a single night."
"And January this year..."
"Stop... stop talking! Stop it!"
Listening to her "glorious achievements" being recounted by Hope line by line, even Cana's years of practiced thick skin felt her cheeks burning.
Hope closed the notebook, stopping there and not continuing.
To be honest, he was really curious: was it blood or alcohol flowing through Cana's body and veins right now?
After Hope's intervention, Cana's desire to seize the opportunity to drink heavily while the "king was away" vanished without a trace. She hadn't expected the newcomer to be so difficult to deal with.
"Hmph, if you didn't want me to drink, you should have just said so. Why did you have to read out my dark history in public? I'm leaving, I'm leaving."
Cana slung her bag over her shoulder and tried to leave, but as soon as she stood up, a hand pressed her back down.
"You can't leave."
"The alcohol bill hasn't been paid yet."
Hope pointed to the pile of empty bottles on and under the table. "That's 6,000 Jewel total. Will that be Card or cash?"
The previously resolute Cana looked a bit embarrassed.
I'm doomed. I forgot I just bought new Magic Cards. I can't even scrape together a few coins now!
"Uh... Hope."
"As a guild newcomer, shouldn't you treat me, your senior, to a drink?"
Seeing Cana trying to shift the blame onto him, Hope knew she was broke. He immediately raised an eyebrow and stated righteously, "I am a newcomer, yes, but I am a guild employee, not officially a member of Fairy Tail. Simply put, I'm hired help, which is different from an official member."
"If you don't have enough money, Mirajane said the guild allows tabs. Just tell me to write it down in the notebook."
Having said that, Hope took the pen clipped to the notebook, intending to record the incident.
"Please don't! Hope!"
Cana's eyes widened in panic, and she grabbed Hope's arm with both hands. "If Erza comes back and sees this new entry, she'll definitely punish me severely."
As she spoke, Cana felt as if she could already see the terrifying scene of the red-haired demoness holding a sword to her head.
No, I must survive!
When people are desperate, they will do anything.
Cana's mind raced, and she instantly came up with a solution. It's just a mere 6,000 Jewel, right? Watch her earn it back in a moment!
"Hope, stop writing. I already have an idea to make quick cash. I guarantee I can pay off today's alcohol bill."
Five minutes later, on the street outside the Fairy Tail main entrance, a set of chairs and a flag appeared. The simple flag, fluttering in the breeze, read: "Special Price Fortune-Telling, 500 per session."
Hope, who had been dragged along, had a dark expression. Watching the confident Cana, he couldn't help but advise, "Sister, even though we're in a magical world, this is still considered a law-abiding society. You can't just engage in fraud and deception."
"Hmph, the reason I learned 'Card' Magic in the first place was because, besides fighting, this Magic can also be used for fortune-telling."
Cana took a set of Cards from the Card case she carried and shook them at Hope. "Don't worry, it's not my first time setting up a fortune-telling stall."
"When I set up my stall last year, even the Captain of the Security Force came for a reading. The next day, he said he wanted to come and thank my entire family, but someone talked him out of it."
Was that really a 'thank you'... Hope's urge to mock surged, but he held it back.
After dawdling with Cana for a few more minutes, Hope returned to the guild. Since Mirajane was out today for a photo magazine shoot, he temporarily took over as the guild receptionist.
It must be said that the label "Half Price" is attractive no matter what world you are in. Even uninterested passersby would take a look.
Cana had been set up for less than half a day, yet she had received twenty-five customers for fortune-telling. Not only did she make back the money she owed for alcohol today, but she even made a profit.
After sending off the last customer, Cana packed up her stall and rushed back to the guild to find Hope, who was mixing drinks. She triumphantly slapped the alcohol money onto the counter.
"How about that? I'm amazing, right?"
As Hope put the money into the counter drawer, he lamented the superstition of the world. "There are actually people who pay money to be fooled..."
Cana curled her lip. "My 'Card Fortune-Telling' is very accurate. It works exceptionally well on ordinary people; it just doesn't have much effect on Mages."
Speaking of which, Cana suddenly thought of something. "Hope, since this Lady is in a good mood right now, I'll give you a reading too. It's on the house~"
Since she offered, Hope naturally agreed.
Paying for fortune-telling is superstition, but free fortune-telling is different... Cana's Card Fortune-Telling was somewhat similar to Tarot Cards, which Hope couldn't understand at all.
After a showy shuffling session, he followed Cana's instructions and randomly drew a few Cards from the deck she had prepared.
Cana neatly arranged the drawn Cards, flipped them over one by one, and quickly completed the interpretation, but her expression turned slightly strange.
"Hope, the reading tells me that you are currently situated within a massive, layered vortex. Trouble might seek you out in the future, one after another."