Dragged all the way into a corner of the guild by Gray, Ultear looked utterly confused.
She peeled off one of the paper slips stuck across her face that had been blocking her vision and clicked her tongue impatiently.
"What now? My luck was finally turning around. I was just about to make a comeback, and you pull me away?"
Gray glanced at the countless paper strips plastered all over her face and gave her a sincere warning.
"Stop dreaming. I passed by earlier and saw Juvia's hand. Her cards are way better than yours. Even if you went back now, you'd still lose."
Hearing that, Ultear instantly fell silent.
Then, with a dramatic cough, she suddenly changed expressions and smiled warmly.
"But since my adorable junior brother has come asking for help, a mere card game naturally isn't important anymore."
She crossed her arms proudly.
"So? What exactly do you need from your lovely senior sister?"
"..."
Looking at Ultear, Gray genuinely felt a little sad for her.
She used to be such a graceful, intelligent beauty.
How had she turned into this after spending time around Kabe?
Clearing his throat awkwardly, Gray finally got to the point.
"I just want to ask… did Kabe tell you guys something about this year's S-Class Trial?"
"Oh?"
Ultear blinked in surprise.
"So you really still don't know."
She looked Gray up and down twice before suddenly grinning mischievously.
"Well, since you're my junior brother, I'll tell you."
She leaned closer and lowered her voice dramatically.
"The S-Class Trial has already been postponed until mid-January next year."
"And this time, the format is completely different from before. The scale is going to be huge."
"WHAT?!"
Gray let out a shriek so loud his face instantly turned red from rage.
At that moment, he suddenly noticed something.
Mickey, Marcus, and the others he'd questioned earlier were all secretly peeking his way.
And every single one of them was trying desperately not to laugh.
Instantly, fury exploded inside Gray's chest.
His hands slammed onto his waist as he assumed the stance for Ice-Make Magic.
"You bastards actually hid something this important from us?! I'll kill all of you!!"
Facing Gray's murderous aura head-on, Ultear remained completely unfazed.
Instead, she calmly asked:
"Tell me, Gray."
"Do you want to be the only idiot left in the dark while everyone laughs at you…"
"Or do you want to shut up right now and join us in watching everyone else make fools of themselves?"
On the surface, it sounded like Ultear was giving him two choices.
But to Gray, who had grown up in Fairy Tail and treated everyone here like family…
There had only ever been one answer.
"Hahaha… so that's how it is."
Gray suddenly raised his voice theatrically.
"Ultear, you really do love joking around."
The exaggerated tone instantly dispelled the suspicions of nearby guild members who had turned to look after hearing his earlier shouting.
Only after everyone stopped paying attention did Gray lean closer and whisper viciously:
"Damn it… I'm remembering this. All of you just wait."
"Heh. Same to you."
Ultear waved lazily as she walked away.
"And keep your mouth shut. Don't let the others find out."
With that, she happily strolled off whistling.
Gray could only grit his teeth in frustration before returning to Natsu's side.
Resting his chin on one hand, he glanced sideways at Natsu, who was still stubbornly staring at the guild entrance while waiting for Makarov.
'Heh.'
A smug grin slowly spread across Gray's face.
'No matter what, at least I found out before this idiot.'
'Go ahead and keep waiting, Natsu.'
'I'm definitely going to enjoy the look on your face when you finally realize what's going on.'
The moment he thought that, Gray's mood instantly improved.
Unfortunately for him…
That smile hadn't even lasted ten seconds before a small figure appeared at the guild entrance.
The second he saw him, Natsu reacted like a spring-loaded trap.
"GOT YOU, OLD MAN!!!"
Makarov had only just returned from the meeting and was still thinking about the rough details the royal messenger had shared regarding the upcoming tournament.
The sudden ambush scared the life out of him.
Acting entirely on instinct, he threw out a Giant Fist punch.
BOOM!
The "assassin" was blasted straight through the guild wall and sent flying into the lake behind the building.
"Eh?"
Makarov blinked blankly.
"That idiot who attacked me… why did he look kinda familiar?"
Before he could think further, a terrified scream erupted from the bar.
"NATSU!!!"
Happy instantly abandoned the grilled fish he'd been eating and shot out the broken wall, wings flapping frantically.
Only then did Makarov finally realize what had happened.
"Oh… it was Natsu."
He awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
"Honestly, what's that brat even trying to do…"
Meanwhile, the other guild members who had also been waiting to question Makarov about the delayed S-Class Trial immediately swallowed all their doubts after witnessing Natsu's tragic fate.
A few minutes later, Happy dragged the soaking wet Natsu back into the guild.
Makarov, now seated at the bar with a bottle in hand, looked around and confirmed most of the guild members had gathered.
Then he stood up and coughed heavily.
"Ahem."
"There's something many of you may already know."
"But I'll repeat it here officially anyway."
The moment those words left his mouth, Gray instantly sensed disaster approaching.
And sure enough…
Makarov's next sentence completely shattered the tiny sense of superiority Gray had only just gained.
"I hereby announce that this year's S-Class Mage Trial has officially been postponed until January 15th next year."