Simple Happiness and Hellish Standards

The S-Class Mage Promotion Exam is an annual grand event for the Fairy Tail guild.

To ensure the smooth conduct of the exam, Jiang Bai and his team, acting as examiners, needed to arrive at the exam location— Tenrou Island —a day earlier than the participants to carry out relevant preparations.

However...

When Jiang Bai, Erza, and Mirajane leisurely arrived at Hargeon Port, they found that the vast port was deserted except for the cries of seagulls and the sound of waves crashing.

Where's the agreed meeting point?

Where are the other examiners?

The three people stood on the dock, looking at each other, the sea breeze blowing, and the scene was somewhat awkward.

After waiting for quite a while, not a single person appeared, not even a ghost.

What's going on?

Jiang Bai finally lost his patience.

He pulled out a palm-sized magical communicator from his personal storage space and skillfully dialed Gildarts's number.

The screen flashed, and the call connected.

In the scene, Gildarts' unkempt old face and Laxus's ever-arrogant handsome face appeared on the screen at the same time.

And behind them, the backdrop... was the rapidly receding blue sea.

Those two guys didn't fail to arrive; they've already sailed away!

Jiang Bai's forehead veins bulged instantly, his teeth clenched into shark-like jaggedness, and he Roar into the communicator.

"Hey! You two bastards! Why did you run off without waiting for us?!"

On the other end of the communicator, Gildarts, facing Jiang Bai's anger, showed no remorse whatsoever, but instead revealed a sly smile.

"Hey, Jiang Bai."

He picked his nose and said lazily, "The old man, the guild master, will be setting off with Natsu and the others. As for Laxus and me, we don't want to be huge third wheels in front of the three of you. So we'll head out first."

"Oh, right," Gildarts added, as if remembering something.

"We've also booked the most luxurious boat for you at the port; I've already paid for it. Enjoy your time together, oh no, the three of you, Jiang Bai."

After saying that, Gildarts abruptly and decisively hung up the communication with a "click".

"..."

Jiang Bai held up the communicator, now with a black screen, and was speechless for a moment.

After hearing Gildarts's reasonable explanation, Jiang Bai's anger subsided considerably.

After all... what he said wasn't wrong.

Now, there were truly only the three of them left on the ship bound for Tenrou Island.

That feeling... it doesn't seem so bad?

After Jiang Bai and his two companions boarded the "luxury" cruise ship that Gildarts had mentioned and sailed some distance towards Tenrou Island, the weather became increasingly hot.

"Where's the luxury in this ship? It's that Gildarts guy's fault!"

"And the sun is so strong today!"

Jiang Bai lay on a deck chair on the deck and casually made a comment.

"Indeed," Mirajane nodded in agreement.

"The president said that the climate on Tenrou Island is like summer all year round and it's even hotter than here. But today's temperature is indeed a bit high."

As she spoke, Mirajane, without any hesitation, took off her dress right in front of Jiang Bai.

The scenery at that moment made Jiang Bai, who had just put on sunglasses, subconsciously take them off again.

"Honestly, what are you thinking?" Mirajane noticed his undisguised gaze, a blush creeping onto her face as she playfully scolded him.

I was wearing a swimsuit underneath.

That's what he said, but Jiang Bai didn't seem to want to put his sunglasses back on. Instead, he openly admired his girlfriend's beautiful figure.

Mirajane, a frequent cover star of "Sorcerer Weekly," naturally has a great physique.

In addition, thanks to Jiang Bai's tireless and diligent care during this period, her complexion has become increasingly rosy, and her original gentle temperament has been enhanced with a captivating and charming wifely aura.

"Requip!"

Erza, on the other side, was equally formidable.

With a familiar magical light, her armor vanished instantly, replaced by a sexy swimsuit that perfectly accentuated her figure.

That's exactly what she wanted to do—to show her most beautiful side to her lover.

Looking at the two stunningly beautiful women before him, each with their own unique charm, Jiang Bai couldn't help but sigh inwardly once again at how correct and farsighted his initial choice of "I want them all" had been.

Because he had already paid his dues last night, Jiang Bai was already content just looking at it.

Sometimes, a man's happiness is that simple.

Finally, after several hours of pleasant sea voyage, a huge, lush island appeared on the horizon in the three of them.

We've arrived at Tenrou Island.

Erza and Mirajane also put their clothes back on.

As the ship slowly approached the shore, Gildarts and Laxus, who had been waiting on the bank, came to greet it.

"You're here! Let's go get ready!" Gildarts greeted.

Jiang Bai walked past him and turned his gaze to Laxus, who was standing silently to the side, and said, "Laxus, don't go easy on me in this exam just because you feel a little guilty."

"Hmph!" Laxus snorted coldly, his face full of arrogance.

"I won't joke around with the lives of my guildmates. Anyone who doesn't meet the strength requirements is disqualified!"

"Oh, just assess their strength and character to see if they're up to par," Gildarts chimed in, trying to smooth things over.

"There's no need to be so strict."

Erza, on the other hand, greatly admired Laxus's impartial and incorruptible approach.

She stepped forward and said firmly, "No! We must be strict! If they become S-Class Mages without sufficient strength, they will only harm themselves when facing more dangerous missions!"

Gildarts scratched his head. "That's why I was just trying to make a judgment..."

Erza completely ignored what he was saying. She surveyed the crowd and, with an undeniable queenly aura, directly set her standards:

"If they can't defeat me, it means they're not qualified to be S-Class yet!"

Upon hearing this, not only Gildarts, but even Laxus had just been looking serious, was dumbfounded.

No... big sister, I just wanted to be a bit stricter!

If you have to defeat us to advance, then unless another monster like Jiang Bai appears in the guild, I doubt anyone will be able to pass the S-Class Exam in the future, right?