While looking at Minerva, who was depressed from my loss, I stood up, only for Gildarts to wrap an arm around my shoulder while using his other hand to dig his knuckles into my scalp. "Heh, it doesn't feel good, does it, big bro?" Levy eyed me with a victorious smirk, causing me to roll my eyes.
"Haha, don't be so sad, little Missy. At this rate, Cooper will definitely surpass me in a year… Well, that's if I continue slacking off. I can't let myself get outdone by a brat. Where would my pride as a senior go?" Grinning down at Minerva, cheering her up slightly, I freed myself from Gildarts and slicked my hair before pointing at Macao and Wakaba.
"Heh, tell that to them; those two old men must have no pride." "Oh, you're asking for it, I'll only allow so much disrespect." "Yeah, it's about time we showed you who your seniors are." Hearing Macao and Wakaba, I raised an eyebrow and narrowed my eyes at them, causing them to awkwardly cough before suddenly hitting Nab and Warren.
"You little punks, don't ever forget, we're your seniors!" "That's right! Now get us a drink!" As the two of them abused the innocent Nab and Warren, I shook my head in amusement.
"Anyway, I see we got a lot of new faces, but we're lacking a few? Where's that arrogant Laxus? Do I also need to teach him a lesson?" Once Gildarts finished speaking with all the recruits, he scanned the crowd while knocking Orga to the ground. "Heh, no need, I did that. You could say he's been grounded." Folding my arms with a smirk, Gildarts glanced at me with a raised eyebrow before hitting my head, forcing me to the ground.
"Damn bastard, what was that for!?" Pushing myself up, I shot him a glare. "Hah, because you stole my job. As the Senior, it's my duty to discipline your misbehaving juniors, now I've nothing fun to do… Maybe I should just discipline you twice?" Seeing Gildart dangerously rub his hand, my face twitched. 'Why do I get punished twice!? Damn, Laxus!'
"Well, I'll save that for later. So, where's little Mira at? Lisanna? She must've grown into a beauty, right?" Gildarts, like usual, sported a perverted expression, yet he was met with awkward silence. "Eh, why did everyone go quiet?" Clenching my fist, I violently punched the ground, cracking it where we all stood before standing up and walking away.
"Tch, just shut the hell up!" As I walked away from the group, I could faintly hear Mira explaining to Gildarts, causing me to grit my teeth as I flooded my body with magic before sprinting off, heading to who knows, just a place far away and silent.
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The Next Day
"Get the hell out already!" Groaning softly, I rose to my feet, spotting Porlyusica staring at me with a livid expression, causing me sit upright. "When did I get here?" "Last night! You barged in! Now get the hell out before I start putting holes in your body!" Furrowing my brows as the memory of what occurred last night resurfaced, I nodded and stood up.
Stretching under Porlyusica's furious gaze, I walked to the entrance, though just as I was about to, I stopped. "Um, Porlyusica, has anyone told you anything about me? Like a secret?" At my question, a faint blush crept onto her cheeks while she gnashed her teeth. "That you think I'm sexy!? Yeah, that old fool told me days ago! You, freaking disgusting beast."
"Hey! Why are you calling me disgusting when I complimented you!? You should be happy!" "Why would I be happy!? Just get the hell out! As a matter of fact, never return again unless you're dying! I want to personally watch the life fade from your eyes!" "Fuck you, you old woman!"
Gnashing my teeth with a deep blush, I slammed the door shut and stormed off. "Stupid woman. Old woman. Sexy woman. ARGHH! Stop it!" Grabbing a tree, I slammed my face against it, eventually breaking it, while my gaze hardened. 'Gramps. This is your fault!'
Focusing on the target responsible for this, I left the forest, dashing back to Magnolia; leaping over the city walls, I sprinted across the building before landing just outside the guild.
"GRAMPS! Get your ass down here! When I'm finished with you, we'll be discussing a new Guild Master!" Kicking the doors down, I scanned the guild, looking for Gramps, only for my eyes to narrow on his figure in the distance.
"Haa, what's wrong now?" Sighing, Gramps downed the cup while glancing at me, causing me to grit my teeth. "P. O. R. L. Y. U. S. I. C. A." Instantly, Gramp's nonchalant expression stiffened. "Oh. So that's where you had gone too… Well, listen, Cooper, she may be old, but as long as you're happy, I'll support your relationship." "GRAMPS!"
I lunge forward at Gramps, who proceeded to laugh while repeatedly dodging me. "Hahaha, you still got energy? I thought she would've drained you. Well, I suppose she's old." "ARGH!"
For the next hour, I chased Gramps throughout the guild, never once touching him; however, I eventually got hungry, so I stopped. "Tch, this isn't over, Gramps!" "Tell Porlyusica to take some aphrodisiacs next time." Smirking, Gramps sat on the railing of the second floor, leaving me to grind my teeth as I grabbed Gildarts's collar, dragging him from the bar.
"Eh, I was flirting with Mira." "She's not letting a fossil hit!" "Okay, now that's uncalled for. I'm not that old. I'm a young 45." Ignoring Gildarts nonsense, I dragged him out of the guild and down the street before finally letting him go.
"Anyway, you and Porlyusica a thing? I mean, everyone has their own preference." Tossing his empty cup onto the ground, Gildarts skeptically eyed me, causing me to growl. "No." "Well, I won't judge, but you can definitely do better. What about that girl you teamed up with, Lucy? She got some hefty juggs; I wouldn't mind falling asleep in those every night."
As he nudged me with his elbow, I glanced at his perverted expression and rolled my eyes before shaking my head while entering a restaurant, prompting him to follow. "Are you not interested in women your age?" "Meh, I'm past the age for love, all I care about is a woman's appearance, and unsurprisingly, young women look way sexier."
I couldn't argue with his logic as it was sound. Sitting down at a booth, we ordered some food. "You must lean towards older women, right?" Gildarts smirked my way as if he already knew the answer, causing me to snort as I nodded. "Older women are less of a hassle; they're straight to the point." "Heh, you sound just like a womanizer." "No, a womanizer is someone like Loke, I'm only in it for the sex… If anything, I'm a slut." "Touché."
Once our food arrived, we fell silent and enjoyed the meal for a few minutes.
"So, what happened? How'd you get so injured?" Raising my gaze, I pointed at Gildarts's prosthetic arm, missing organ, and gently tapped his wooden peg-leg under the table. "Heh, you wouldn't believe it. Encountered a Dragon." I couldn't help but widen my eyes; Dragons were practically Myths. They existed, but there haven't been any reports of them in well over a century.
"A Dragon?" As he nodded while stuffing his face with steak, I frowned. "I suppose we should be thankful you even returned alive." "Hehe, that was exactly my thoughts… It was terrifyingly strong, Cooper. I didn't live because I was strong enough; I lived because I was so weak it didn't matter whether I lived or not."
His amused smirk quickly vanished, replaced by a somber expression while fear lingered in his eyes. "Listen, Cooper. If you EVER come across a black-and-blue Dragon. Pray. Hope that thing ignores you. There's no fleeing. No fighting. It's a natural disaster." "A Natural disaster can be overcome if you're strong enough." "But are you strong enough?" "... No." "Then listen to me."
I remained quiet, eating my food while a depressed atmosphere lingered. "Just when I think I've gotten pretty strong, I'm humbled… How annoying." "You've got time, Cooper, you're half my age and nearly as strong as me. In a decade, I can't imagine a mage stronger than you." Although I appreciated Gildarts's encouraging words, I just shook my head.
"Do I have time, though? What if that Dragon suddenly wants to wipe Magnolia off the map? What if Alveraz suddenly invades? What about the Dark Guild Tartarus?" When I asked Gildarts, he remained silent, as my worries were all valid. "At this rate, nothing will change, just like that day 18 years ago." Crushing the fork in my hands, I slammed it onto the table.
"For someone who tries not to be stressed, you look awfully stressed right now… All we can do is our best, Cooper, give it everything we have and then some." "If that's not enough?" "That's our motivator."
I softly sighed and continued eating, the two of us cleaning the plates in silence.