Kabe led everyone back to the temporary little bar next door.
A bunch of alcoholics who had gone so many days without a drink nearly started drooling the moment the smell of liquor hit them.
Once the crowd had swarmed in and snatched up the alcohol, Kabe called for everyone to sit down.
"Brothers, no matter what, this victory belongs to Fairy Tail. Let's drink to it first!"
"Cheers!!"
Everyone raised their cups and drank deeply. Even those who normally could not hold their liquor were swept up in the mood and took a few gulps.
...
After half a bottle went down, Kabe let out a long, satisfied breath, then lifted the bottle again.
"No more nonsense. A toast to our comrades, and a toast to Fairy Tail. Drink your fill. The tab goes on the Master!"
Wakaba jumped straight onto the table and raised his bottle with a shout.
"To our generous Master!"
"To the Master!" ×N
Laughing loudly, everyone lifted their bottles and glasses, together thanking Makarov, who was still out in the wilderness somewhere, probably drinking the cold wind instead of alcohol.
For a time, the battered-looking Fairy Tail guild once again rang with the kind of lively laughter and noise that the townspeople knew well and found reassuring.
Outside the guild, Laxus, dressed in a black cloak, heard the uproar coming from within and slowly pulled his gaze back from the guild sign, where he had been staring absentmindedly.
"Tch. Those bastards actually started the celebration without waiting for me. I worked my ass off wiping out so many Phantom Lord branches out there too."
Cursing in annoyance, Laxus tossed a thick stack of Phantom Lord flags into the air, then strode into the guild with his three lackeys behind him.
Not long after, excited cries erupted from inside, followed by an even more energetic round of shouting and commotion.
...
"Damn... my head hurts. Where the hell am I?"
The next morning, Kabe, completely blacked out from drinking, woke up in a bed he did not recognize, one hand pressed against his throbbing head, his eyes full of confusion.
His memory was still stuck at the point where he had spent the whole day going wild, dragging Laxus into a drinking contest.
If he remembered right, he had eventually drunk Laxus under the table, then after that, he had apparently moved on to Cana, who at some point had learned how to drink too.
And then...
Nothing.
"Damn it. Since when can Cana drink this much? Was she born an alcoholic or something?"
In this world, Cana had not developed a drinking habit from childhood.
Which meant he had actually been taken down by a complete rookie who had only just started drinking.
Even if he had already had quite a lot before that, it was still something Kabe found hard to accept.
The moment the words left his mouth, a woman's amused voice sounded right beside his ear.
"The first thing you do after waking up is talk bad about me? Last night, when you threw me onto the bed, that was not what you were saying."
Kabe's entire body stiffened.
He instantly lowered his hand and whipped his head to the side.
Then he saw Cana lying there, turned slightly toward him, one hand propping up her cheek as she looked at him with smiling eyes.
Her hair was loose, spilling over her shoulders, and there was a suspicious flush on her beautiful face.
The blanket had somehow been pulled halfway down. No one knew by whom. It exposed her slender white arms, her delicate collarbone and fragrant shoulders, and even a large expanse of her milky-soft chest to the air.
Kabe was instantly dumbfounded.
He sat there on the spot like an idiot who could only go "uh... uh...," completely unable to understand what had happened in between.
Seeing him like that, Cana found it rather amusing. She immediately wriggled a little closer toward him, her tone turning soft and teasing.
"What's wrong? Don't recognize me anymore? Or are you planning to enjoy everything and then refuse to take responsibility?"
Kabe closed his eyes and rubbed his temples.
Even if he truly had no memory of what he had done last night, he was not the kind of man who would deny everything after the fact.
Without the slightest hesitation, he opened his eyes again and directly pulled Cana's soft body into his arms.
"Ah!"
Caught off guard by that sudden move, Cana let out a startled cry.
By the time she came back to herself, Kabe's face was already right in front of hers.
Meeting those apricot eyes, wide and flustered like a startled deer's, Kabe gave a roguish grin and said,
"What, trying to get the better of me? Do you really think I'm some inexperienced little brat?
A beauty like you delivering herself right to my door? I'd be happy just to take you in. Why would I ever say no?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Kabe lowered his head and quickly stole a kiss from Cana's soft pink lips.
His words and actions completely shook Cana up.
She looked experienced on the surface, but in truth, she was still a complete novice who had never actually been through any of this before.
"W-wait, hold on, you got it wrong. You were completely drunk last night and totally out of it. Nothing happened between us at all."
"Who are you trying to fool? You're naked in the same bed with me, and you're telling me nothing happened?
And even if nothing really did happen, the fact that you dared to tempt me like this means you little lamb aren't getting away today either."