Just as their guildmates watching the fight were still surprised by how Noah had defeated Natsu with a wide-open Flying Kick, Cana had already announced the result of the bet with a laugh.
"Since Noah knocked out Natsu with a Flying Kick and not a punch, the house wins this bet!"
"Thank you all! Please eagerly send me money next time too!"
"What?!"
"Damn it, she found a loophole!"
"..."
Although somewhat reluctant, those who'd placed bets didn't make a fuss. After all, a bet was a bet, and it was only a hundred Jewels.
Although the total amount everyone had bet was only a little over three thousand Jewels, Cana was still very happy. This money was enough for her to have a drink, so she wouldn't have to go on a job today.
Ever since she'd met Noah, Cana seemed to have been infected by his "slacker" virus, making great progress in the art of slacking off.
Cana happily put away the money, then smugly whispered, "What's my relationship with Noah? We're like brothers, alright? Next time, I'll beg Noah to defeat Natsu in a new way when they fight, and then, hehe~"
The alcoholic girl was completely unaware that her quiet mumbling had caught the attention of two other girls.
Erza placed a hand on Cana's shoulder. "Cana, it's about time you paid back the guild for your tab, isn't it?"
Seeing Erza looking at her with a cold face, Cana felt extremely guilty.
As for the reason... two years ago, Cana had accidentally drunk almost the entire guild's wine cellar dry. Makarov, seeing that she was a sixteen-year-old girl who didn't have that much money to compensate, had only asked her to pay back the principal to the guild and allowed her to pay in installments.
However, more than a year had passed, and for various reasons during that time, Makarov had forgotten about it. Cana, of course, had forgotten about it completely as well.
But Erza, who'd appointed herself the guild's "disciplinary committee," remembered Cana's "punishment" perfectly clearly.
"Um... I still have something to do. Next time for sure, next time for sure, okay?" Cana hugged her wine barrel and money and turned to run, only to see Mirajane, who had somehow blocked her escape route.
Nominally the guild's hostess, Mirajane's current job could even be described as the guild's housekeeper, so she naturally knew about Cana's old debts.
Caught between them, Cana had no choice but to honestly hand over the money she'd won from being the dealer, hoping to be let off.
Mirajane took the money, counted it carefully, and said, "You still owe over five thousand Jewels in wine money. I'll round it down for you. Cana, why don't you pay this money back to the guild today?"
"To... today! Wasn't it in installments?"
"Hehe, after all this time, what do you think?"
"Starting today, Cana, you'll be the guild's receptionist for a week, and use your body to repay your debt."
Mirajane's gentle smile, to Cana's eyes, was the wicked smile of a demon.
How black-hearted! Wasn't Mirajane afraid of being hung up like a lamp?
Oh, with her Satan Soul, she really wasn't afraid.
Cana still wanted to find an excuse for "next time for sure," but then she saw Erza, who was always the most rule-abiding, actually approve of Mirajane's black-hearted behavior.
Oh no, when had those two... Cana keenly noticed a terrifying problem: Mirajane and Erza had rarely argued lately.
You know, their relationship used to be a carbon copy of Gray and Natsu's; it was good if they didn't start fighting whenever they met.
"Come on, Cana, put on the hostess maid outfit and start by cleaning the restrooms."
Watching the two of them approach with ill intent, Cana suddenly felt that they might very well be ganging up on her, but why?
"Wah! Noah, save me!"
Noah, who was helping Natsu up, tilted his head slightly. He seemed to have heard something.
Cana? Irrelevant.
"Noah, how did you do that move? It's so cool!" Natsu was truly Natsu; though he'd been dizzy just moments before, he was now full of energy again, pestering Noah.
Noah could tell at a glance that Natsu wanted to learn, but he couldn't teach him. The invincibility of the Flying Kick was more like a rule; even if Noah wanted to teach it, he wouldn't know how.
However, another otherworldly power might be worth trying.
Haki was a power formed by the extension of one's will. Although it was a power system from another world, it might still be effective in Earth Land.
Noah felt he should find a time to publicly discuss Armament Haki with Makarov and hear his thoughts, as his parallel world father.
A lively commotion quickly passed, and the guild hall returned to its previous bustling atmosphere, only with one less drunkard and one more hostess who would secretly drink.
When Noah found Makarov, Nab was also there.
To Noah's surprise, Nab had actually come to Makarov with a request form, indicating that he'd finally found a suitable and challenging job for himself.
"Oh, it's Noah."
Makarov, with a furrowed brow, saw Noah and casually tossed the request form Nab had brought to him. "You brat, you come help me persuade Nab too. This job is too dangerous for him."
Noah looked at the contents of the request form.
"A group of magical beasts called Vulcan has appeared on Mount Hakobe, seriously affecting the lives and safety of the residents. Mages are requested to hunt them down."
"Reward: 550,000 Jewels."
Vulcans were gorilla-like magical beasts. Powerful Vulcans could use Take Over to forcibly take over humans into their bodies, making them terrifying magical beasts.
Most importantly, the Vulcans mentioned in the request form weren't one or two, but a whole group.
Makarov believed that if Nab dealt with a small number of Vulcans, he might have a chance, but if it was a whole group, his chances of survival would be slim.
So Makarov refused to let Nab accept this request, but Nab, having waited for several years to find a suitable job, was unwilling to give up and pestered Makarov to agree.
The two were at a stalemate.
Looking at the two who refused to back down, Noah put down the request form. "Guild Master, let Nab go."
Nab's surprise was evident. He'd thought Noah would agree with the Guild Master, but he didn't expect him to take his side.
Makarov didn't speak. From his understanding of Noah, this kid definitely had more to say.
Noah picked up the request form again. "Nab, this request is indeed very dangerous. I will accompany you as your safety insurance."
"However, whether I intervene or not, I want half of the reward."
Nab agreed without hesitation. What he wanted was to complete a challenging job on his own. If successful, it would be a great honor for him as a member of a wild tribe.
Makarov also agreed with Noah's suggestion. With Noah's skills, dealing with that group of gorilla magical beasts was more than enough. With him watching from behind, Nobb would at least not be in mortal danger.
The reason Noah helped Nab wasn't the Wish request he'd received earlier for Nab to learn boxing, the reward for which was his Magic, "Animal Possession."
Under Noah's guidance, Nobb's boxing skills had greatly improved, and when combined with his Magic, they'd become incredibly fierce.
However, while the boxing was taught, this Wish request had never shown a response. It now seemed to be related to Nobb's true Wish.
What Nobb wanted wasn't merely "boxing" but the ability to prove his own strength.