Back at the guild, hearing Makarov's words, Kira's jaw nearly hit the floor—he never expected the old man to pull something like this. "And... Laxus just went along with it?"
"Of course!" Makarov took a swig of his drink. "To show off in front of you all later, he'd jump in even knowing it's a trap. I couldn't hold him back if I tried."
Talk about manipulation? Talk about persuasion? Was this the guild master's silver-tongued... well, old showman's eloquence?
"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!" Kira stuck out his thumb in approval, nodding like crazy. "I always figured you just spouted those lofty speeches, Master, but damn—you're a natural at the sneaky stuff too..."
Makarov looked a bit miffed. "What're you on about? I've just lived longer, read more, met more folks—that's all!"
"Yeah, yeah, sure..."
Kira quickly flashed a grin and poured the old guy another round. No way was he arguing—this was the real deal, a threat to his "Fairy Tail's top drama king" title. Better stay on his good side, or he'd get played without even knowing it.
"So, that dark guild is..."
"One of the Balam Alliance's iron triangle: the Six Demon Generals!"
No surprise there!
Kira wasn't shocked at all. He remembered the Six Demons arc kicking off right after the civil war one, and thinking about it, yeah—this lined up timeline-wise.
"The Six Demon Generals? They're no pushovers. I recall the council saying it'd take a coalition of guilds to take 'em down, right?"
Makarov kept a straight face. "Yep. Before the main assault, we gotta gather intel first. Plus, the Six Demons have a bunch of subordinate guilds—not super strong folks, but tons of 'em. Ignore that, and it'll be a headache."
"So Laxus's job is handling those sub-guilds?"
It was the only thing Kira could think of. No way they'd send Laxus for intel work; among the allied guilds, there were better fits—like Blue Pegasus's Ichiya, the pro at that stuff.
"Spot on! With Laxus's skills, those underlings are a breeze. Even if he bumps into a Six Demon, escaping's no issue."
Couldn't argue there—the Six Demons' powers weren't overpowered. Laxus playing straight? He'd handle it fine.
Hearing the guild's rowdy noise drifting in from afar, Kira turned to Makarov. "Speaking of, that alliance included the Phantom Lord's Jellal... wait, no, the Dominator of the Ghosts. But Phantom's gone now—how about Gajeel and Juvia fill in?"
Makarov's eyes lit up a bit. He mulled it over. "We don't know the Six Demons' hideouts yet, so picking the alliance team this early is premature. But prepping's smart."
"My take? For the takedown, quality over quantity. Send a tight-knit squad with solid average strength and great teamwork. Laxus and the Thunder God Tribe's one option; Erza, Natsu, Gray, Lucy's another; then there's you..."
Makarov lifted his glass and started sipping. Kira sat across, waiting quietly... and waiting... nothing.
"Me? And then? Who with? Come on, spill it!"
This old coot—always finishing his thoughts halfway? Not like him before!
Finally, under Kira's stare, Makarov drawled, "Truth is, from what I've seen, you mesh well with anyone... or not at all. So for you, pick your own team. Take whoever, or go solo if you want."
Kira blinked. Well, damn—I'm like a utility brick? Where you need me, that's where I go?
"I figure Erza's team can handle it just fine..."
"Won't force you," Makarov said, glancing up. "Laxus is already off crushing the Six Demons' subs, and Erza's crew's on call. Don't blame me later if they beat the Generals and you miss your spotlight."
Kira chuckled. "Alright, Master, I'm not Laxus—that reverse psychology won't work on me."
Seeing Kira unmoved, Makarov inwardly sighed. Too bad.
"Anyway, you telling me all this—Laxus won't mind?"
"No worries—I'm confident in your acting chops!" Makarov said with a smirk.
That vibe left Kira second-guessing. Was the old man really trusting him to play along and fool Laxus, or just stirring the pot for laughs and screwing with him?
"Man, you're one crafty, sly fox..."
Knowing Laxus wasn't pulling shady moves behind the scenes put Kira at ease. He headed back downstairs into the crowd—and right away, spotted Erza laying into Natsu.
"Even making the quarterfinals doesn't make you hot stuff—got it?!"
Erza was radiating icy menace, no sword in hand but pure sword aura. She gripped Natsu's collar with both hands, voice like a whip.
Natsu, all bruised and battered, mumbled through swollen lips: "G... got it! Sorry!"
"Hmph!" Erza stormed back to the bar and chugged her juice.
She'd tossed Natsu to the floor like trash. Next to him? Happy and Gajeel, already out cold.
The folks who'd seen it all huddled, trembling, not daring to speak—just exchanging looks: Guess losing that match pissed her off big time...
Suddenly, Erza whipped around, eyes murderous. The eye-talkers all ducked their heads in sync, pretending to sip their drinks.
"Was that...?" Erza turned back, muttering, "Felt like someone was staring at me all shady..."
With the killing intent gone, they lifted their faces from their glasses, taking a shaky gulp. "Whew, close call—almost busted..."
"Yeah, if she'd caught us, we'd be half-dead..."
"Sigh, Erza's turned away—why're you still hiding?"
"Just... twisted my neck a bit..."
"..."
Kira plopped down in the crowd, glancing at Cana beside him. She was hugging a barrel and chugging away. "Thought you'd sleep till tomorrow. Up already?"
Cana was her usual tipsy self, just with a few pointless bandages slapped on. "What do you know? Booze is the best medicine!"
"Can't argue there—that kinda injury heals with a good nap..."
Nearby, half-sloshed Gray and Rocky clinked glasses again. Their table? A graveyard of a dozen-plus barrels. Looked like they were in for an all-nighter.
"Aren't you guys competing tomorrow? This hammered—okay?"
They locked eyes, pondering for two seconds before it hit 'em: "Competition? Oh yeah, tomorrow's the match!"
"But odds are we'll lose anyway... Just do our best, right? Cheers!"
Tomorrow's quarterfinals: Gray vs. Kira, Rocky vs. Mira. From the looks of it, these two were full-on slacking.
That attitude? It hit Kira like punching cotton—total futility.
No way! As the guild's young-gen rep, he couldn't let his buddies sink into this degenerate routine! Or spout such spineless crap!
"Wake up, you two! Don't be so down—no letting booze kill your fire! Push hard, and who knows? You might have a shot!"
Kira snatched their glasses, grabbed their shoulders, and shook 'em hard—then slapped their faces silly, smack-smack-smack, like he wished he had extra hands!
Man, slapping feels kinda good...
Too bad—they barely budged, looking ready to pass out instead.
"Eh, hopeless. You're doomed!"
Kira shrugged, bored, tossed 'em aside, and turned to knock back drinks with Cana...
Three minutes later...
"Hey, Kira, you sure about drinking like this? Big match tomorrow, y'know?"
Seeing the worry on Cana's face, Kira slurred through bleary eyes, totally chill: "Match? What match? Opponents are already down—why sweat it? Cheers!"
Cana: "..."