Laxus was still cringing inside over the fact that he had actually been scared into stopping by Erza's angry outburst. The shame stung more than the lightning.
Now that he saw this reporter, he immediately lost any interest in competing with Kabe for the spotlight. He simply turned away with a cold expression and said,
"No comment."
"Cool! What a cold answer, it is exactly the kind of response I imagined from Thunder God Laxus!"
Jason was completely unfazed. As Laxus walked off, Jason kept snapping pictures of his retreating back, mumbling excitedly as if chanting a spell,
"So cool, so cool, so cool..."
Just then he noticed Makarov, who was hurriedly checking his reflection and straightening his clothes in a nearby mirror. Jason rushed over and crouched slightly, notebook ready.
"Master Makarov, I have heard your name for a long time. May I shake your hand?"
"A-ah, this, of course, no problem."
Faced with the reporter, Makarov looked a little nervous, but he still agreed and held out his hand.
Jason grabbed it with both of his, shaking it with all his strength.
"Cool! This is so cool! I am actually shaking hands with a Wizard Saint!"
Without hesitation, Jason opened his notebook and wrote the words "approachable and kind" next to Makarov's name.
Makarov tiptoed a bit to peek at the page, and when he saw the description his face lit up with delight.
He immediately waved Kabe over, ignoring the boy's unwilling look, and took the initiative to introduce him.
"Mr. Reporter, this is the main star of your feature today.
The finest of Fairy Tail's young generation, and the child I am most proud of, Kabe."
"Uh... hello."
Kabe nodded a bit awkwardly at the reporter, who looked like he had overdosed on excitement potions.
Hearing Makarov's introduction, Jason took one huge step forward, practically shoving Makarov aside as he enthusiastically seized Kabe's hands.
"Cool, cool, so cool!
You are Kabe, the one who rose from mascot to one of Fairy Tail's strongest mages!
This is amazing, I cannot believe I am seeing you in person!"
Kabe's face darkened.
He had not expected the guy to even know about his embarrassing past as the guild mascot.
Instantly, his expectations for this issue of Weekly Sorcerer dropped to zero.
"Drop the flattery. Ask what you want to ask and make it quick. I just got back from a job and I want to go home and collapse on my bed."
His tone made it clear he was trying to rush the man, but Jason only got more excited. His eyes gleamed as he whipped out his notebook again.
"Was this job an S Class mission? Was it your first S Class job?"
"Yes."
"Cool!"
Jason's pen flew over the page as he continued rapidly,
"Are you able to share the details of the job? What kind of request was it?"
"Nothing worth hiding. I just wiped out a dark guild."
"Cool... so cool! A solo assault on a dark guild, as expected of Fairy Tail."
The moment he heard that Kabe had just returned from destroying an entire dark guild on his own, Jason knew he had struck gold.
That alone could be the centerpiece of the whole interview.
He straightened up, eyes sparkling.
"Please tell me the details of the battle. Our magazine has received a lot of letters from your fans, you know. They all want to know more about their idol."
Kabe had been fully prepared to refuse and go home to sleep, but the words in the second half made one eyebrow twitch upward.
"My fans? Are there any girl fans?"
Jason put on a serious face and lowered his voice as if sharing some secret.
"A lot. Most of the letters are from them."
"...In that case, I suppose I can reluctantly cooperate.
Master, we will borrow the second floor."
With a casual shout to Makarov, Kabe led Jason upstairs to the second floor, a place regular members usually could not enter.
Jason followed, shouting "Cool!" over and over the whole way up.
Seeing Kabe take the reporter away, Makarov finally let out a long breath of relief.
Then he practically skipped toward the kitchen, determined to personally prepare tea and snacks for their guest.
Not far away, Laxus leaned against a pillar, watching his grandfather's busy, delighted figure. He curled his lip.
"The old man is really getting senile. To be that happy over something like this..."
As the thought surfaced, he glanced up toward the second floor and suddenly remembered the promise Makarov had tossed out while begging Kabe earlier.
"The next guild master, huh. I am not going to sit back and just watch that happen."
This Laxus had not yet gone completely off the rails. He still dreamed of fair competition with Kabe for the future of the guild.
He had no idea that Kabe had absolutely no interest in being guild master, and would rather stay as far from that position as possible.
Resolving to train even harder, Laxus shoved his hands in his pockets and headed for the door.
With the tea tray ready, Makarov caught sight of him from the corner of his eye and called out at once,
"Laxus, you are still here, perfect timing. Help me carry this upstairs."
Laxus waved a hand dismissively.
"Serving tea and snacks is your job, old man.
I have something to discuss with my father."
"Ivan? That brat is back?"
The moment his son's name came up, Makarov's smile faded.
Over the years, Ivan had rarely been at the guild. His personality had grown darker and more extreme.
More than once he had tried to pry secrets about the guild from Makarov, to the point where the old man could not help but suspect his intentions.
"If you see Ivan, tell him to come back tonight. There are some things I want to talk to him about."
Laxus did not think much of it. He simply agreed and strode out of the guild.
Watching his grandson's back as he left, Makarov stood rooted to the spot for a long moment.
Finally, he clenched his fists and made up his mind.
"Forgive me, Laxus.
If Ivan really has gone down the path I fear, then even if it hurts you, I will have to be ruthless this once."
Even so, it was only a suspicion. In his heart, he still wanted to trust his son and hoped he was wrong.
Pushing those thoughts aside, he forced his smile back on, then cheerfully carried the tea tray up to the second floor himself to personally supervise the interview.
...
While the exclusive feature was being recorded upstairs, Laxus followed the directions his father had given him and walked into a certain café in town.
There, he met Ivan.
And the first words out of Ivan's mouth made Laxus' eyes go wide with shock.
"Laxus, my son, come with me.
Let us leave this childish little play-acting guild behind."