Kabe had already guessed what they were going to ask.
'Knew it would be this...'
Still, he answered honestly.
"Whether fairies have one or not, I do not know. What I do know is that I definitely have one."
As he spoke, his tail slipped out from the back of his pants, swishing into view right behind him.
"Eh, it is real!"
Cana gasped and immediately tried to lean over the table to grab it. Even Erza, usually so serious, was drawn in by the fluffy tail and reached out as well.
Unfortunately for them, Kabe's tail was as nimble as an extra arm. It twisted and flicked away, neatly dodging both their hands.
At the same time, he put on a very offended expression and scolded them.
"Hey, hey, this is not some toy little girls can just grab however they like, it is really sensitive, alright? If you want to play with it, at least wait until you grow up into curvy, sexy women, then you can..."
"Puwaaah!"
His head got smashed from above again. He flew straight down, slamming into the table and punching a basin sized hole into the surface.
The one who hit him this time was still Makarov. Because Kabe was new, he had been secretly watching to make sure the boy could fit in.
After observing for a while, he discovered that Kabe was not only way too precocious, he was also trying to fill Cana and Erza's heads with questionable ideas.
So Makarov could not hold back and moved in once more, cutting off the second half of that filthy line.
"You little brat, where did you even learn to talk like that?! If I hear you say that kind of nonsense again, I will throw you into the lake behind the guild and scrub all that filth out of your brain, you hear me?!"
"Yeah yeah, I get it, what a naggy old man."
Kabe replied weakly, then lifted his head. As always, he was completely uninjured.
Makarov's mouth twitched at the sight and he cursed silently.
'Little monster.'
Once the fuming Master had stormed off, Kabe lost the mood to joke around. He looked at the three kids and spoke frankly.
"Honestly, I am just a relatively rare special race. That old geezer must have had something wrong with him, saying I am a fairy and dragging me into Fairy Tail to be the guild mascot."
Gray, who had still been sulking because Kabe had tricked him earlier, burst out laughing the moment he heard that.
"Pff, mascot? You? Hah, now that I think about it, it suits you pretty well, hahaha!"
Once Gray started laughing, the two still somewhat naive girls could not hold back either. They knew it was a little rude to laugh at a new friend, but the idea that this cocky boy had been brought in as a mascot by the Master was just too funny.
Kabe had fully expected this reaction. He sighed with a tragic, world weary tone.
"Go on, laugh. Laugh while you can. I will definitely get my dignity back one day."
...
Even though he had become the butt of their jokes, their conversation had at least brought the four of them closer together.
They still felt a little disappointed about not having seen a real fairy, but soon enough the three kids had all shifted their attention to their new companion.
"Can you tell us what kind of magic you use? Since we are all in the same guild, we might go on jobs together someday. So I think it is necessary to know more about our comrades' magic."
This was the first time Erza had spoken to Kabe on her own. From Kabe's guess, she had probably only joined the guild not too long ago either, but she was already starting to turn into the serious, upright Erza he knew.
The problem was, this question was hard to answer. To be precise, even Kabe himself did not know yet what he could really do.
"How should I put it... right now I cannot use any magic. I am just physically stronger than average. If I have to put a label on it, then I am currently studying my race's unique kind of magic."
"Eh? You cannot use magic?"
Cana planted her elbows on the table, propping her cheeks in her hands, her little chubby legs swinging back and forth under the table. Her voice was full of surprise and disbelief.
"But even if you cannot use magic, you must already be really strong. Even Macao and the other uncles get hurt when Master punches them. You have taken two punches and you are completely fine."
Kabe shook his head. He did not let her praise go to his head.
"It is not the same. I can feel it, the Master was holding back. If he had hit me with the same strength he uses on Macao and the others, I would already be face down on the floor."
The three of them were not sure if he was just being modest or telling the truth.
Still, knowing that Kabe could not use magic yet made all three of these "seniors" start scheming in their own way.
Gray clenched his fist and spoke up first.
"It is fine even if you cannot use magic yet. I will be your sparring partner. That race magic of yours might awaken in battle."
Kabe rested his chin in one hand and tilted his head, eyeing Gray, whose fighting spirit was ignited, with suspicion.
"You are not still hung up on that prank from before, are you? Planning to use sparring as an excuse to beat me up and vent?"
Gray's grin froze. He looked away guiltily.
"O-of course not. I am just trying to help you. If you don't want it, then forget it."
"You really have zero talent for lying."
Kabe shook his head, speechless. He had not expected Gray to be this simple as a kid.
"Quit talking so much. Just say yes or no!"
Gray stuck his neck out stubbornly and stared at Kabe, as if Kabe would not be a man unless he agreed. It was ridiculously childish.
Unfortunately for him, Kabe happened to need someone to test himself against right now. If Gray was volunteering to be a live practice dummy, there was no reason to refuse.
"Fine, I agree."
"Alright, you cannot back out now!"
Gray jumped up, cheering in excitement.
Cana, on the other hand, looked worried.
"Gray, Kabe is a newbie and he cannot use magic yet..."
"It is fine, it is fine."
Before she could finish, Gray waved his hand confidently.
"If it comes down to it, I will just not use magic either. Even without magic, I am still really strong."