Ignoring Gildarts, who just laughed at my words before continuing his conversation with Gramps, I approached Mira and Erza before grabbing their hair and pulling them apart. "Oi, stop it! Don't fight in the guild; at least go into the backyard and fight." Eyeing my two little sisters, they both glared at each other before eventually scoffing while folding their arms and averting their gaze, prompting me to release their hair. "Haa, why are you two always fighting?" Folding my arms, I looked between the two, waiting for a response, only for Mira to grab my arm and hold it tightly against her chest, angering Erza.
"Hmph, I'm doing nothing, big bro; she's just jealous of how ~close~ you and I have become. She wants you ~all~ to herself." Glancing at Mira, who seductively spoke into my ear, I raised an eyebrow and glanced at Erza, who was blushing furiously while unsheathing her sword and pointing it at Mira. "S-Stupid bitch! S-Stop spouting nonsense!" Gently pushing aside Erza's sword, I rubbed her head, causing her to calm down slightly. "I don't know if Mira is being truthful, but there isn't a reason to be jealous… I'm always here for you." With a faint smirk, I watched as Erza lowered her head while meekly nodding, causing Mira to scoff, though I gently hit her head.
"Now, do me a favor and stop behaving like little children; you two are teenagers." Removing my arm from Mira, I hit both of their heads, causing them to pout while rubbing their heads in pain. Walking away from the two, I was only able to take a few steps before I spotted Evergreen silently blocking my path, causing me to tilt my head before I shrugged my shoulders and rubbed her head as well; however, while doing so Levy, Cana, and Lisanna surrounded me, which slightly confused me though see how they expectantly looked at me while occasionally gazing at Evergreen I just assumed they also wanted their heads rubbed.
After I finished rubbing the four girls' heads, I moved past them before sitting beside Laki, who was the only girl who didn't want their head rubbed. "Yo, Laki, you're a girl… Do you know why all the girls seem to behave so awkwardly around me lately? Did I do something?" Looking at Laki, genuinely confused, I hoped she'd tell me what was happening; I preferred how my little sisters acted a few years ago. "Haa, you really don't know, big bro? I thought you were just acting stupid on purpose this whole time." With a twitching expression, I grabbed her by the nose and pulled, causing her to rapidly apologize, prompting me to release her nose while grunting. "Hmph, not cool, big bro. Just for that, I'm not telling you." Said Laki with a pout as she folded her arms and averted her gaze, causing me to roll my eyes as I gently rubbed her head, causing her to eventually return to normal. "Fine, I'll tell you, big bro." Smirking in victory, I eagerly scooted closer to Laki.
Just as Laki went to open her mouth, Gramps suddenly flared his magic power, causing the guild to go silent as all eyes were shifted to him. "Alright, listen up! In three days, we will have the S-Class Mage Promotion Trial!" Hearing Gramps, my eyes widened as I completely forgot what I had asked Laki. "Eh, what's that, Master?" Asked Erza curiously as she looked at Gramps, who flashed a faint smile while rubbing his chin. "I'm not surprised you guys don't know about it; it's been a LONG time since I think someone is worthy to be considered an S-class Mage." While Gramps was explaining, Gildarts suddenly threw a cup at him, causing his face to twitch. "Oi, I'm not that old, Master! I'm still a youthful man in my 30's."
Gildarts's words prompted Natsu to mock him for his age, which transformed into Gildarts bullying him, and that was pretty amusing to watch, though Gramps quickly regained everyone's attention. "Listen up. For this S-class mage promotion, there are only two candidates… Can y'all guess who it is?" Furrowing my brows at Gramps, I rubbed my chin and pondered who the two, or I should say, one candidate, could be, because I already knew who the other was. 'Laxus is definitely one of the candidates, so who is the other one? Erza? Hmm, maybe, but I still don't think she's strong enough, nor has she done that many missions, so she still lacks experience.'
The only other person I could think of would be Gray, but he was still too weak, in my opinion, so it couldn't be him. "Oh, I know! It's me and Gray!" Ignoring Natsu's stupid take, I stated the actual two candidates. "Is it Laxus and me?" Raising my hand, I glanced at Gramps, who nodded with a smile. "Yes! The two candidates are Laxus and Cooper! The only ones with the strength and experience necessary to be an S-class mage." Said Gramps; his words caused everyone to glance between Laxus and I, while I looked at him with a smirk.
"Congratulations, big bro!" "Yeah, I'm SO happy for you, ~big bro~" Erza and Mira were the first ones to congratulate me as the latter sat on my lap, which angered Erza, though before the two could start fighting, Cana, Levy, and Lisanna approached. "Congrats, big bro!" "I-I hope you do well!" "Um, c-can I sit beside Mira, big bro?" Faintly smiling at the three, I saw Laki grab her head and sigh from the corner of my eyes, though before I could question her, everyone else quickly arrived and congratulated me while the girls walked towards Laxus, who, ironically enough, wasn't as friendly as me.
Knocking Gray and Natsu's heads together, dazing them, I lifted the Strauss sisters off my lap and tossed them into the air, prompting Mira to catch Lisanna while landing on the table. "Where are you going?" "I'm going to prepare for the S-Class promotion Trial." Waving my hand at Mira, I quickly exited the guild and headed toward the forest, intending to spend these couple of days training with the beasts in the forest; I didn't know what the trials would be, but best to be prepared.
"Evergreen, why are you following me?" While walking through the streets of Magnolia, I looked in the sky and glanced at Evergreen, who was stealthily following me from a distance, though it would be impossible for me not to sense the intense gaze she was giving me. Seeing her float down from the sky and land beside me while her magic wings vanished. "Um, I-I just wanted to watch you for a little bit." Raising an eyebrow, I nodded and shrugged my shoulders before turning around and continuing down the street as I couldn't care less if she watched me; she'd probably get bored anyway. Of course, along the way, I stopped by my favorite food stall and bought several kebabs while giving Evergreen a few.
'This stuff is really good.'
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Three days passed quickly, and the day for the S-class promotion trial arrived; however, to my surprise, the trial wasn't happening in Magnolia. Instead, it was happening on an Island southeast of Fiore; we had to take a ship, which took roughly four hours before we arrived at the island. "Yo, Gramps, does this island have a name?" Sitting atop the railing, I glanced at Gramps, who was sitting on a beach chair on the bow of the ship, before raising my head and shifting my gaze to the island in the distance with the massive tree. "It's called Tenrou Island… Only those bearing the crest of Fairy Tail can see through its magic barrier."
Raising an eyebrow at Gramps, I gazed at the approaching Island, only to yawn as I stood up and stretched before waiting for the ship to dock. Once the boat docked, I was the first one to step foot on the island as I leaped off the railing and landed on the docks, though Laxus, Gramps, and Gildarts all took the ramp down. As for why there were only four of us, only the candidates and S-class mages were allowed on the island; I don't know why the rules were like that, but they were.
"Haa, it's been some time since I've been here." Said Gildarts with a faint smile as he raised his arms and stretched, only to suddenly wince in pain while grabbing his back. "What happened to you being in your youthful 30s?" Chuckling at Gramps, I stepped off the dock and onto the island, only for a weird sensation to briefly engulf me, causing me to raise an eyebrow, though, considering it wasn't harmful, I just ignored it.
"Hmm, my magic just increased." Hearing Laxus, I glanced at him in confusion and focused on my magic power as well, only to notice that it had also increased. 'Cool, I guess.' "Every Fairy Tail is blessed by the first master, Mavis Vermillion, granting them an increase in magic power and preventing anyone from dying." With shining eyes, I swiftly appeared beside Laxus and placed my fist against his stomach.
"So I can punch a hole through his stomach, and he won't die?" Smiling at Gramps, who blankly looked at me while Laxus smacked my arm away, Gildarts patted my shoulder in amusement. "Haha, I love the enthusiasm, Cooper!"