Nothing else happened on the way back. The three of them rode the train east for days, and finally, on the third day, returned to the small town of Magnolia.
"This place is a lot livelier than I imagined."
Dragging her suitcase along the main commercial street, Sorano looked at the crowds of pedestrians and travelers. Even her mood grew lighter with every step.
Juvia followed closely behind, carefully gripping her umbrella, practically walking in Sorano's shadow.
This was the first time in her entire life she had ever walked down a street under the sun.
Seeing relaxed, laughing townsfolk who did not need to flee from rain or complain about the weather made her genuinely happy. It all felt so unreal, like a dream.
Kabe, though, was long used to this sight.
Hands in his pockets, he walked beside the two girls. Every now and then a few familiar faces passed by. He would nod and exchange a couple of casual greetings.
Thanks to that, the girls kept hearing the townspeople throw out lines like:
"How come you did not run back this time?"
"So when did you change girlfriends again?"
"Exactly how many wives are you planning to take?"
That sort of nonsense.
Following him like that, they eventually stopped in front of an old building that had clearly stood there for many years.
The sign above the entrance read "FAIRY TAIL."
Seeing it, both girls tensed up.
Kabe turned back and held a finger to his lips.
"Do not say anything. Wait here for a moment."
He tiptoed off to the side of the guild, sneakily poked half his head around the corner, and peeked inside.
After observing for a few dozen seconds, he let out a quiet breath of relief.
"Good. Mirajane and Erza are both gone. They must be out on jobs."
Muttering to himself, he straightened up, then gestured for the two to follow and proudly marched to the main doors.
He reared his leg back and kicked them open.
"Trash, I am home!!"
Sorano, Juvia: "...!!"
Not even glancing at the two girls turning to stone behind him, Kabe swaggered into the guild with all the arrogance of a conquering warlord.
At the bar, Wakaba almost choked to death on his drink from the sudden shout.
After a round of violent coughing, he finally caught his breath and roared back:
"Kabe, you bastard! Do you have to make such a scene every time you come back?!"
"Yeah! Do you have any idea how many doors you have already kicked off their hinges? Try holding back a little!"
"And you, you little idiot, who are you calling trash?!"
As Wakaba started yelling, Macao, who had been bragging with some others, who had been dancing on a table, all joined in, shouting back in unison.
"You three sure have guts, talking back to a noble S Class mage like that.
Sounds to me like next S Class exam, I will have to give you all some very special attention.
Oh, sorry, I almost forgot. You lazy bums probably will not even make it into the exam in the first place."
Every word hit them right in the lungs.
The veins on Wakaba's forehead bulged. He and the other two exploded on the spot.
Without needing any signal, the three vaulted over tables, leaped through gaps in the crowd, and charged at Kabe with fists swinging.
One second later, they flew back at an even faster speed.
Their bodies crashed through several tables in a row, dragging half the guild into the mess.
The spectators who had only planned to watch the show suddenly found themselves pulled into a full scale brawl.
"You bastard Macao, pay for my drink!"
"What, are you blind?! Did you not see Kabe punch me over here?!"
"Shut up! I cannot beat Kabe, so of course I will make you pay!"
"Oh? You saying you could beat me then, you punk?! I will kill you!"
As Macao started fighting someone else, Wakaba and Vijeeter were also swinging at their own opponents.
In the blink of an eye, what had begun as a small scuffle between a few idiots turned into yet another guild wide melee.
Tables flew, chairs shattered, shouting and screams overlapped into one huge roar.
Kabe finally nodded in satisfaction at the chaos and smiled.
"Now that is more like it. This is the Fairy Tail I know."
He turned and waved at Sorano and Juvia, who had completely frozen at the entrance.
"Alright, stop spacing out. Come on in…"
Clang!
A serving tray nailed the back of his head with perfect accuracy. At the same time, Laki's angry voice rang through the hall.
"You idiot, you have barely stepped back in the door and you already turned the guild into a war zone!
Guess who has to waste her magic fixing all the furniture this time?! Me!"
Kabe rubbed the back of his head with a dark expression.
"If you are going to sweat, then just say sweat. You do not have to make it sound so weird."
"You mind your own business! That is just how I talk!"
With that, Laki hopped out from behind the bar and started immobilizing guild members one after another with her magic, hoisting them up in green light like tangled puppets.
Ignoring the crowd now hanging and squirming midair, Kabe turned back to the two girls again.
"Okay, now you can come in. Find any place to sit.
I am going to look for the Master."
The guild hall was a disaster. Tables and chairs lay smashed everywhere. Sorano's face went completely black.
She suddenly felt like she had come to the wrong place.
These people were really supposed to be mages from a legal guild?
Even dark guilds or Phantom Lord would not wreck their own base like this.
With mixed expressions, hesitating at every step, the two girls slowly made their way to the only undamaged spot left in the whole place: the bar counter.
They sat down there, surrounded by flying splinters, hanging idiots, and the uniquely insane atmosphere called Fairy Tail.