The undisguised laughter cut like a sharp blade, stabbing deep into Macao's fragile nerves.
His face flushed bright red as he shouted angrily at Chase, "What do you mean 'can't even beat a lousy gorilla'?! I took down nineteen of them in one go, damn it!!"
On matters concerning a man's pride, he didn't care what kind of terrifying monster you were.
"Only someone like you would care about the numbers. If it were me, I wouldn't have needed Natsu and the others to come rescue me."
Cana, sprawled across the bar table, let out a drunken burp and said airily.
Macao's eye twitched wildly. Another arrow pierced his already fragile nerves.
"Come to think of it, Cana, did you ever settle that tab you charged to the Magic Council? You haven't just left it unpaid, have you?" Chase teased with a smile.
At this, Cana paused, then whipped out a card and slammed the table as she stood up. "You bastard Chase, who are you calling poor?!"
Chase completely ignored Cana's alcohol-tinged shouting and turned to look at the others in the guild.
"Vijeeter, I heard you were dancing on the royal castle in the middle of the night, got chased all the way like some pervert, and only escaped by hiding in a garbage pile?"
"And you, Loki, what were you thinking, trying to pick up a Magic Council member's granddaughter?"
"And the one smirking over there with your teeth showing, yeah, you—Alzack, the guy who used a Magic Rifle's scope to peep at the women's bath. Bisca still hasn't blown your head off?"
...
With every word Chase spoke, another Fairy Tail member's face reddened on the spot, their anger meter skyrocketing.
The atmosphere in the guild suddenly grew rather heated.
"It's turned into this situation again, hasn't it..."
In a corner of the guild, Lucy, with her shoulder-length golden hair, sighed as if this were perfectly normal.
"Come to think of it, that man is Fairy Tail's S-Class Mage, the Card Master who causes massive chaos every time he shows up, Chase Lin Edgarhall."
Watching the guild scene before her, one step away from total collapse, Lucy recalled the information she'd read about Chase in the papers and couldn't help murmuring, "That description, in a certain sense, feels strangely fitting..."
As she was inwardly complaining, the sound of boots clicking against the floor grew closer, and a shadow fell over her.
Lucy's senses tingled. She looked up abruptly.
Somehow, Chase, who'd been standing by the entrance just moments ago, was now right in front of her!
"You're... Lucy?"
Chase sat down across from Lucy like they were old friends, crossing his legs. Without a hint of hesitation, he grabbed the chilled orange juice in front of her and downed it.
Are we close enough for you to drink someone else's drink without even asking, hey?!
Despite her inner persona complaining like crazy, on the surface, Lucy maintained the shyness expected of a newbie.
"Um, Mr. Chase, do you... know me?"
Chase set the empty glass back in its original spot, even adjusting the handle to face Lucy, acting as if nothing had happened.
Lucy's eye twitched repeatedly. Her inner persona was about to explode when Chase calmly said, "You've only just joined, a newcomer, but Lucy, you've already made quite a name for yourself."
"Ah, ahaha? Has Mr. Chase even heard of me? Did you see it in the papers? I didn't expect to become famous so quickly!"
Lucy scratched her head rather bashfully, but her chest unconsciously puffed out with pride, her tone floating with delight.
"But but, please don't worry! I definitely won't let it go to my head. I'm still a rookie, and my magic power isn't as strong as Natsu's or the others'. I'll work hard to get stronger!"
Chase: "...I heard about it on the way here."
"Oh, so the people of Magnolia have accepted me that quickly?"
Hehe.
Lucy's smile grew even brighter.
"They said you'd just joined and already trashed Hargeon's port. They were incredibly troubled and worried about it, and even gave me an earful about it."
Lucy's eye twitched. Her smile instantly froze.
Not hehe.
The indiscriminate waves Aquarius had raised vividly replayed in the depths of her mind.
Wait, which bastard has such a big mouth?!!!
"Sumimasen, hontou ni sumimasen! I'll definitely be more careful next time!"
Realization dawning, Lucy panicked, hurriedly bowing to apologize to Chase for dragging him into this.
In her haste, she forgot she was still sitting down, so...
THUD!
Naturally, Lucy cracked her head against the bar table. The crisp, clear sound echoed through the guild.
"Ow ow ow!"
Lucy clutched the lump forming on her forehead, sucking in cold air.
Due to certain... widely appreciated reasons, the custom furniture in the guild was particularly sturdy. Yeah, impact-resistant.
"Even more airheaded than I expected..." Chase remarked.
Lucy, her head still buzzing, didn't catch that. She blinked her long-lashed, big eyes. "Say what?"
"I said, you and Natsu really are birds of a feather," Chase laughed.
Birds of a feather...
Meaning the port destruction thing?
What a terribly bad resume, from every angle.
Lucy's mouth twitched as she stood there awkwardly, powerless to retort.
"Pfft-hahaha!!"
Seeing her weak and flustered like that, the Fairy Tail members finally couldn't hold back their laughter, clutching their stomachs and slapping the tables in amusement.
When it came to causing destruction, Chase was a master ranked above Natsu.
His peak achievement? Receiving complaints and compensation demands from the Magic Council totaling ten separate notices in just half a month!
If not for that, Chairman Makarov wouldn't have sent the guy off on a Ten-Year Quest!
A cheerful atmosphere permeated the entire guild, inside and out.
Only Lucy was hurt in the making of this scene.
"Hey hey, Lucy, Chase is actually the biggest troublemaker in our guild, you know~ The record he set, even Natsu can't break it~"
Happy's blue head suddenly popped out from Lucy's chest.
"Huh?"
Lucy, who'd just been thoroughly embarrassed, widened her eyes. "So Mr. Chase and I really are birds of a feather... I mean, birds of a feather with Natsu!"
Realizing what she'd said, she glared viciously at Happy.
"You could've said that earlier, damn cat!"
"Why does Fairy Tail even have a record like this, taking pride in causing destruction?"
"And don't pop out from weird places!!"
There were way too many things to complain about, making her words come out super fast and sharp.
"Aye! If I'd said it earlier, I wouldn't have gotten to see you looking all embarrassed and guilty, Lucy~"
Happy flew out from that weird spot, covering his mouth with a mischievous grin.
This damn cat...
Lucy clenched her fists, teeth grinding, the anger meter above her head nearing its limit.
The members, the chairman, the S-Class mage in front of her—all of them were so far from the strongest guild in Fiore she'd longed for...
The awkward but polite smile on her face was her last shred of dignity.
"Anyway, Lucy, welcome to Fairy Tail."
A broad hand reached toward her, cutting through Lucy's tangled thoughts.
As if infected by Chase's bright, sunny smile, after a few seconds, she broke into a smile too, reached out to shake his hand, and nodded firmly.
"Yeah!"
Though it was far from what she'd imagined, Fairy Tail really was the best after all!
"By the way, can I ask what your measurements are?"