After scaring off the Vulcans, Alex and Cana returned to the village. Defeating such simple beasts was hardly a challenge for Alex.
Cana, on the other hand, realized the gap in their abilities. Even though she could accomplish the same outcome with her magic, she couldn't match Alex's speed.
Overwhelmed by mixed feelings, Cana walked back without saying much along the way. Once both of them reached the village, they waited at the train station for Erza so they could head back together.
…..
Back at the hall, Mirajane was carrying plates and beers around the guild, wondering how things had gone for Cana.
Knowing Alex and his ridiculous magic, they shouldn't take too long to return. Right on cue, the guild doors swung open.
"We're back!" Erza announced, stepping inside with a massive backpack on her shoulders.
Everyone: "..."
Mirajane watched Erza, Cana, and Alex walk toward the bar counter. She walked over to Erza to help her put the supplies away in the guild's storage room.
At the same time, she quickly observed the interaction between Cana and Alex to see if anything had happened during the mission.
Cana looked somewhat gloomy, while Alex appeared as calm as usual. They both took their usual seats at the bar counter.
After Erza and Mirajane finished storing everything and taking inventory, they returned to Alex and Cana.
Mirajane asked about the job. "How did the mission go?"
Cana let out a helpless sigh. "It went fine. It was the fastest mission I've ever done in my life."
"It was a piece of cake. Those Vulcans don't pose a challenge to me," Alex said.
"So that's why you came back so fast. I thought you'd take another two hours or so."
Cana shook her head. "If you only knew... Alex finished in less than ten seconds..."
"..."
An uncomfortable silence settled over the bar counter. Erza and Mirajane raised an eyebrow, eyeing Alex with suspicion.
"My, my, Alex... Cana says you finished in less than ten seconds. And here you said you wouldn't be unfaithful to Erza."
Mirajane couldn't resist making a sarcastic comment, staying true to her mischievous nature and stirring up trouble between the three of them.
Erza felt that last remark was directed right at her rather than just teasing Alex.
"What kind of nonsense are you two crazy women talking about?" Alex blurted out. He then stood up from his seat and headed over to Gray and Loke's table to play cards.
Alex sounded annoyed, but truth be told, he felt that if he stayed there a second longer, a whole lot of trouble was about to brew the kind you definitely wouldn't want to get caught in.
As the saying goes, discretion is the better part of valor. So he made a strategic retreat. Combined with the fact that he had accidentally gotten a full view of Cana's breasts, he really didn't want to explain himself.
"Tsk."
"He sure runs away fast," Mirajane said, pouting because her walking source of entertainment had escaped.
"So? What's going on between you two and Alex?" Erza demanded, noticing Cana and Mirajane acting strange.
Not wanting to pick a fight with Erza, Mirajane acted as if she hadn't heard a thing and casually strolled into the kitchen to wash dishes while whistling.
"That stupid Mira, always causing trouble for me." Cana cursed in her mind.
She turned to face Erza, waving her hands frantically in panic. "Nothing happened between us! It must be your imagination, Erza."
Erza kept her glare locked onto Cana, clearly not buying a word of it.
"You know how Mirajane is with her comments. She just wants to stir up drama because she's bored."
"Mmm." Erza knew all too well what kind of twisted personality Mirajane had. She decided to let it slide this time, but something told her this wouldn't be the last time it happened.
"And what did you mean by him finishing in ten seconds? What were you two doing?" Erza asked in a commanding, drill-sergeant tone.
Cana quickly responded, "I meant he defeated the Vulcans in less than ten seconds! I couldn't even help him with my magic. Before I realized what was happening, Alex had already taken down the beasts."
Cana sighed helplessly at being utterly useless on a job she had personally picked out.
Erza calmed down and gave a firm nod of approval. At long last, Alex was taking things seriously instead of goofing off, taking damage from enemies, and reviving like a zombie.
One of these days, acting so recklessly would come back to bite him; Erza only hoped he would change before that happened.
A brief silence fell between the two. With the misunderstanding cleared up, the tension in the air dissolved.
"Don't worry about something like that, Cana. Even I get surprised sometimes when I go on missions with Alex."
Cana took a long swig of her beer, which had magically appeared in her hand.
"Tell me, Erza... do you think the Guild Master will pick Alex for the S-Class Advancement Exam?" Cana asked suddenly.
Erza shook her head. "To be honest, he might, or he might not. Alex has more than enough strength to pass the S-Class exam, but he still lacks a lot of experience as a wizard."
Glancing over at Mirajane, who was busy washing dishes, Erza added, "To prevent accidents like what happened with Mirajane, the Master will avoid letting anyone inexperienced or lacking true resolve become an S-Class wizard."
Or at least, that was how Erza saw it. Even she had to exercise extreme caution whenever she took on an S-Class request.
Even as an S-Class wizard herself, she wouldn't dare claim she could handle every single S-Rank mission out there especially after the recent tragedy in Alex's hometown.
"I see." Cana's expression wavered between hope and uncertainty. On one hand, there was a real chance Alex could be her partner for the exam.
On the other hand, Erza's parting words made her reflect deeply on whether she herself possessed the strength and experience required of an S-Class wizard.
With Alex as a partner, passing the exam was practically a ninety percent guarantee. She had witnessed his terrifying strength firsthand.
Besides, his mission completion rate stood at a flawless one hundred percent. Up to this point, neither Alex nor Erza had ever failed a single job.
Cana could only hope that nobody would beat her to the punch, allowing her to reach her goal and finally gather the courage to say those words to that man.
…..
Well, I'm running out of ideas on what to write next, so it's time for the S-Class Exam and for Cana paying up with half-hour sessions of pleasure. Well, I'm not so sure about that last part, XD.