Mirajane was shocked—completely caught off guard. Her reaction was almost identical to what Kaien had predicted.
After all, Kaien had only joined Fairy Tail a year ago.
The position of Guild Master was far too important to hand to someone so new.
From her point of view, there were really only two logical candidates to inherit the title.
The first was Gildarts, who had grown up in the guild and was Fairy Tail's strongest mage—trusted by all its members.
The second was Laxus, Makarov's own grandson. It was practically tradition: father to son, grandfather to grandson. It made sense.
And yet, Makarov had chosen Kaien.
Yes, she knew Kaien well. And in many ways, he was the ideal successor. But even so, she couldn't help but feel the decision was a bit… rushed.
Kaien gave a helpless nod.
"Exactly. So tell me—how am I supposed to be happy right now?"
Mirajane couldn't help but laugh a little.
"What's wrong? You really hate the idea that much?"
"Of course I do! You think being Guild Master is fun? It's endless headaches! You have to deal with drama every day, get yelled at by the Magic Council, write apology letters, resolve conflicts between members—or worse, between guilds! Then there's the boring meetings where a bunch of old men just sit around bragging—"
"Ahaha~~!!"
Mirajane burst out laughing. Every complaint Kaien voiced was absolutely true. That was the life of a Guild Master.
"You know… while you don't want the position, Laxus has always wanted it."
"Laxus? That guy's obsessed with being the strongest. Strength isn't something you shout about—it's something you prove. Showing off inside the guild doesn't mean anything. If he's so great, he should go challenge the Four Heavenly Kings of Ishgar or something."
"Ahaha!"
"Also—don't tell anyone Makarov plans to pass the position to me, okay? If Laxus finds out, I'll have to deal with a huge mess."
Mirajane blinked.
"You? Afraid of Laxus?"
She knew Kaien well. He acted cautious sometimes, but deep down, he was fearless—probably braver than anyone else in the guild. He'd taken on an S-Class mission right after joining, for crying out loud.
"It's not fear—it's avoiding trouble. If Laxus hears about this, he'll probably throw a fit and tear down the whole guild again. The old guild already got wrecked. The new one isn't even finished. I don't want to rebuild it a second time. And if I beat him up too badly, how would I explain that to the Guild Master?"
Mirajane chuckled.
True enough. With Laxus' personality, he probably would cause a scene.
"So in the end… did you accept?"
Kaien sighed.
"The old man didn't even give me a chance to say no. But at least I bought some time—two years. He said he'd stay on that long. By then, I'll barely be qualified, I guess."
"Two years, huh… That's fair. By then he'll be almost ninety. It's a good time to retire."
Retirement didn't mean leaving the guild, of course. Just a lighter workload—like what she did now. After stepping back from active missions, she focused on managing the guild's operations.
"Whatever. I'll stop thinking about it for now. Two years from now, if I really still don't want it, I'll just hand the position over to Erza. I'll go back to being a full-time S-Class mage."
Mirajane couldn't hold back her laughter. Most people dreamed of becoming Guild Master. But Kaien? He looked like he wanted to wear a T-shirt that said "I Don't Want the Job."
Eventually, they reached Mirajane's place. Normally, if Elfman was around, Kaien would go straight home. But if it was just the two of them, he'd always walk her back first.
This time, though… neither of them seemed ready to part.
Their eyes met—and the air grew thick with… romance. The unmistakable scent of new love.
"Wanna… come inside for a bit?"
"I mean… isn't it kind of late?"
"Come on. I'm a little hungry."
"...Alright."
Kaien took her hand, and together they walked to his place. He could feel her palm slightly sweaty.
Truth was, he was a bit nervous too.
Before, he'd liked her—but they were more like close friends. Now, they were something more. And that changed everything.
As soon as they entered the room, Kaien wrapped one arm around Mirajane's waist and pressed the other hand to the wall beside her, locking her in with a clean kabe-don.
His eyes burned with desire—anyone with a pulse would know what he was thinking.
Flustered, Mirajane shut her eyes.
"Mirajane… I—"
His heart pounded in his chest. She stood there, waiting.
And then—
BANG—!!
The door burst open.
"Kaien! Something's wrong with Loke—!"
Gray stood in the doorway, looking panicked—then froze as he saw the scene in front of him.
Kaien's face twisted in anguish.
Why—why did someone always interrupt him at the worst possible moment?
He was this close. This close!!
Also… were people just barging into his home now? Was that a thing?
He was seriously considering hanging a sign on the door:
"Do Not Disturb. Seriously."
Mirajane looked at Kaien's frustrated expression and almost laughed—but truthfully, she was a bit relieved. She… wasn't quite ready yet either.
She turned to Gray.
"What happened to Loke?"
Gray still looked flustered but forced himself to focus.
"Loke… Loke left Fairy Tail."
"...What?!"
"Wait, what happened?!"
The smiles were gone now. Both Kaien and Mirajane's expressions turned serious. Loke was someone they knew well. Why would he suddenly leave?
"I don't know. Everyone's out looking for him. He's been acting weird lately."
As one of Loke's closest friends, Gray had noticed. But he hadn't thought much of it—until tonight, when he returned to the dorms and found a note that simply said:
"I'm gone."
Mirajane's eyes widened.
"Actually… a group of women came by the guild this afternoon. Said they were Loke's girlfriends. Apparently, he broke up with all of them last night."
For a guy like Loke, that was… extremely out of character.
Sure, he was a playboy—but he treated all his girlfriends well. If he was suddenly cutting ties and disappearing without a word… something was definitely wrong.
Kaien's eyes narrowed.
"...I think I know where he is."