Inside the guild hall, Natsu sprawled lifelessly across the long table, absentmindedly drawing circles with his finger on the wooden surface.
"This is so weird… this year's S-Class Trial still hasn't started."
He groaned dramatically, face planted against the table.
"They haven't even announced who's qualified to participate yet!"
Across from him, the half-naked Gray wore an equally irritated expression.
"What the hell is the old man doing? Every time I ask, he dodges the question."
A vein bulged on his forehead as he crossed his arms.
"A few days ago he suddenly ran off to some regional guild alliance meeting too. If the Master isn't here, then who's supposed to host the S-Class Trial?"
Of course, that wasn't the only thing bothering Gray.
His eyes casually swept across the guild hall, lingering mainly on Kabe and the girls gathered around him.
Compared to Natsu, Gray was the type who actually used his brain.
And because of that, he had already noticed something strange.
Aside from himself, Natsu, Macao, Wakaba, and a handful of others who were anxiously waiting for the trial to begin…
People like Kabe, his little circle, Marcus, Mickey, and several others all seemed way too calm.
Too unconcerned.
Almost like they already knew something.
The more Gray observed them, the more suspicious he became.
'These bastards… they're definitely hiding something from us.'
"Natsu."
Gray suddenly stood up.
"You keep watching the entrance. The second the old man comes back, stop him."
"Huh? Sure."
Natsu instantly sat upright, flames practically burning in his eyes.
"The moment Grandpa gets back, I'm dragging the truth out of him!"
Completely unaware that Gray had already started piecing things together, Natsu resumed his role as the guild's designated "human guard dog," staring unblinkingly at the front doors.
With him handling lookout duty, Gray finally moved into action.
First, he went to the bar and ordered two strawberry milkshakes.
Then, carrying the drinks, he walked over to Mickey, who was currently feeding nuts to Pi.
Without hesitation, he sat beside her and slid one of the milkshakes across the table.
Mickey narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the suddenly attentive Gray.
Still, she grabbed the drink without ceremony and took a sip before speaking.
"Too bad. If you actually wore clothes properly, I might've agreed to go on a date with you."
Gray's face instantly darkened.
"What nonsense are you talking about?! I'm not here to flirt!"
He pointed aggressively at her.
"And who the hell flirts with guildmates they see every day?!"
"Oh?"
Mickey rested her chin on one hand thoughtfully.
"So you're the 'rabbits don't eat the grass near their burrow' type."
"That's not what I mea…"
Gray stopped mid-sentence before realizing he was getting dragged off-topic.
"Hey! Quit steering the conversation into weird territory! I came to ask you something!"
Suppressing his embarrassment, Gray quickly explained everything.
The suspicious behavior.
The calm attitudes.
The strange atmosphere surrounding the delayed S-Class Trial.
Then he lowered his voice and stared directly at Mickey.
"Tell me honestly. Are you people hiding something from us?"
"Slurp~"
Mickey calmly finished the last of her strawberry milkshake.
Then she pushed the empty glass back toward him and answered instantly:
"Nope. Don't know what you're talking about. You're overthinking things."
"You little—!"
Looking at the completely empty cup, then at Mickey casually turning away to continue teasing like nothing happened, Gray nearly crushed his teeth from frustration.
But her entire attitude screamed:
'The milkshake's gone. What're you gonna do about it?'
And Gray had absolutely no way to deal with her.
"Hmph."
He narrowed his eyes.
"You not answering directly just proves something's suspicious."
"Think whatever you want," Mickey replied lazily.
"I know nothing. I'm also very troubled that the trial hasn't started."
Seeing there was no hope here, Gray decisively gave up and moved on to his next target.
Marcus.
Unfortunately, the result was exactly the same.
His second strawberry milkshake disappeared too.
And his questions remained unanswered.
After that, Gray questioned several more guild members he considered suspicious.
But every single one either claimed ignorance or awkwardly told him not to overthink things because "the Master definitely has his reasons."
The more they acted like that…
The more convinced Gray became that something big was being hidden.
'Something's definitely wrong here!'
Since these bastards refused to tell him…
Then he'd just ask someone who would.
And in this guild, there just happened to be one person Gray trusted completely.
Someone who absolutely, definitely wouldn't hide things from him.
"Senior Sister, come here for a second."
Gray suddenly walked over to Kabe's table and forcibly dragged Ultear away from the card game she was playing with Juvia and Meredy.