Seven days passed in a flash. Early in the morning, Mirajane and Elfman were already waiting at the train station.
"Damn it, why isn't Erza, the Iron Plate Woman, here yet?" Mirajane, with her arms crossed, tapped her foot rhythmically on the ground, muttering continuously.
"Sister, there's still a long time before the train departs..." Elfman, as always, tried to placate her with a wry smile.
Not long after, Cana, carrying a backpack, also entered the train station not far from the entrance. Seeing Mirajane and Elfman from a distance, Cana waved her arm high and shouted, "Hey, Mirajane, Elfman!"
"Sister, Cana is here." Hearing someone call them, they looked over and saw Cana approaching while greeting them.
When she came closer, Mirajane's eyes darted, and she smiled as she asked, "Cana, what battle plan did you make with Erza, the Iron Plate Woman, yesterday?"
Upon hearing this, Cana immediately smiled apologetically, "Sorry, Mirajane. Although I really want to tell you, it's a special time right now, so I apologize."
Her refusal didn't surprise Mirajane, so she waved her hand and said, "It's fine, it's only right that you don't tell me. After all, you're on a team with Erza, the Iron Plate Woman now."
"I didn't think you, the crop-top woman, would be interested in our battle plan." Just as she finished speaking, Erza slowly walked over from not far away, dragging a large cart of luggage.
"Hmph, I'm just curious. For something like the S-Class Mage Exam, you still need to make a battle plan? That just shows your strength isn't enough. Look at me, I don't need to make any battle plan at all. I just need to find that Green Wyvern and defeat it." Seeing her arch-rival approach, Mirajane spread her hands, shaking her head, and teased her with feigned nonchalance.
"Whose strength isn't enough? Let's talk about it when the mission is completed. At that time, the loser will unconditionally grant the winner one request. How about it, do you dare?" Erza's lips curled slightly, but her face held a very serious expression as she challenged her.
"What's there to not dare? It's settled then. The loser grants the winner one request." Provoked by Erza, Mirajane, whose temper was still a bit impulsive, agreed without thinking.
Just as the two made their bet, a middle-aged man appeared behind them and said, "Oh dear, is it really alright to make such a bet? The loser not only won't be able to become an S-Class Mage but also has to grant the other person a request."
Suddenly hearing the middle-aged man's voice, the group immediately turned around, only to find it was the guild's veteran S-Class Mage, Gildarts.
"Gildarts, you're too slow!" After realizing who it was, Mirajane immediately complained.
"Ah, sorry, sorry." Gildarts scratched his head, apologizing as if coaxing a child.
While Mirajane, Elfman, and Erza chatted with him, Cana, standing behind the three, looked at Gildarts with anticipation, wanting to get closer but not daring to.
At this moment, Mirajane noticed her unusual behavior and turned her head back with a puzzled expression, "What's wrong, Cana? Why aren't you speaking?"
"Nothing, I'm just very happy." Seeing Gildarts, Cana was indeed overjoyed, but also a bit conflicted; she didn't know what to do.
"Is that so?" Mirajane looked at her with some confusion, then turned back to ask, "Gildarts, why are you back? Where's that old man?"
"The Master? The Master is at the guild." Gildarts replied cheerfully, "Originally, the Master was supposed to accompany you all, but he is getting old after all, so I will be judging the results of the exam."
"Indeed, the Master is already eighty years old. We should share some of his burdens and not let him overwork." After listening, Erza crossed her arms, secretly resolving to properly discipline those guys in the guild and stop them from always causing trouble.
At this moment, Mirajane had a displeased expression, "Tch, he's old but still carries a wine barrel all day, he never listens..."
Although her tone sounded like a complaint, it was full of concern.
After they chatted for a while, a train quickly pulled into the station in the distance. When the train came to a stop, Elfman reported, "Sister, the train has arrived."
"Ah, I see it," Mirajane replied.
Once everyone was on the train, she saw that Erza's luggage alone took up a lot of space, so she asked curiously, "Hey, Erza. You seem to bring a lot of luggage every time you go on a mission, right?"
"Yes, why?" Erza asked, puzzled.
Seeing her confusion, Mirajane continued to ask, "Doesn't your Requip Magic allow you to summon weapons and armor directly from another dimension? Why do you still bring so many things?"
"Everything in here is extremely important. Without them, humans would find it very difficult to survive in this world." Understanding what she was asking, Erza said to her with a very serious expression.
"Is it really that exaggerated?" Mirajane listened, her face immediately filled with doubt.
Erza didn't speak but casually took out a box from among the many pieces of luggage and placed it in front of her.
The others looked at the box in her hand with curiosity. When she opened the box, everyone fell silent. After a while, Mirajane finally complained, "Are all those boxes you brought filled with cake? Besides, it's just cake. Humans can survive in this world even without eating cake, right?"
"Sister, I think Erza isn't talking about cake, but food. Humans cannot survive in this world without food." Just as she finished speaking, Elfman immediately tugged on her arm and quietly explained.
"I know, I know. I was just teasing her." Mirajane nodded, responding casually.
While the three were chatting, on the other seat, Gildarts was already leaning back in the train chair, sound asleep. After all, he had just returned from outside, and before his fatigue had even dissipated, he had to substitute for the Master to accompany and protect the four of them through the S-Class Mage Exam. If he didn't seize the time to rest now, and something went wrong during the exam, he would have no place to regret it later.
And while Gildarts was sound asleep, Cana's eyes remained fixed on him, her gaze revealing a hint of anticipation and timidity...