Time once again moved on, stopping to no one.
And before anyone knew it, the S-Class Trails of the year x871 has officially come to an end.
On the highway that heads to Magnolia, to the home of the Fairy Tail Guild, lies a minibus.
Normally such vehicles like cars and such stand out in a world like Fairy Tail, that is no different to a fantasy and magical world.
And yet, they do exist, such vehicles do exist in this world, but in this world, Earth Land, they are not known as simple vehicles, but special kinds of Magic Items, that known as Magical Vehicles, which came in all different forms.
From the four wheeled types, known as Magical Cars, those that be taken on the seas, Magic Boats, and the ones that soar through the skies, Magic Airships.
Those are the common types, but among them, are sub-types, like besides Magical Cars that used on the land, there also Magical Motorcycles, that are faster and more mobile then Magical Cars are.
And there is another kind of sub-type, a kind that still not known among the series that can be driven on land, they are known as Magical Minibuses, a Magical Vehicle that is designed to allow more than four people to be carried with them.
So, it was no wonder, why the Magical Minibus on the highway to Magnolia, that bares the Fairy Marks on both sides, telling this Magical Vehicle belongs to Fairy Tail itself, is big enough to handle 18 people, more than a Magical Car is capable of.
The thing about Magical Vehicles, since they are known as Magic Items, that meant, they are fuelled by Magic Power itself. That is why they are either fuelled by the Wizard who drives the vehicle via a SE-Plug.
(AN: SE-Plug = Self Energy Plug.)
Or they can be fuelled by a source of Magic Power, like a Lacrima, this is especially true for bigger Magical Vehicles like large versions of Magic Boats, or Magic Airships, they are too big to be fuelled by one person, which is why they often powered by Lacrimas instead.
Another thing to note about Magical Vehicles, while they can be self-powered by the driver, the amount of Magic Power they take to run is no small amount.
Among the Magical Vehicles, Magical Motorcycles are known to be the most cost-effective when it comes to Magic Power usage, 3 times less expensive than a Magical Car would cost.
Take the average Wizard, who has C-Class Magic Power, with that level of Magic Power, they only can power the Magical Motorcycle for at most 30 minutes at normal speed, but as faster a Magical Vehicle goes, more fuel it uses, so at full speed, a C-Class Wizard only can fuel the motorcycle for 3 minutes at most.
This is the reason why, only A-Class Wizards will dare to ride Magical Motorcycles as their main means of transport, while Magical Cars on the other hand, is something only with S-Class level of Magic Power will be able to handle like normal.
However, a Magical Minibus is different, it fuel costs counts on the size, the one that owned by the Fairy Tail Guild, a prototype it is, is a 18 seater Magical Minibus, and due to its size, it uses four times more Magic Power then a Magical Car does.
And 12 times more Magic Power then a Magical Motorcycle.
So, it was no wonder why no normal Wizard will be able to handle a Magical Vehicle of this size, not even a SS-Class Wizard can drive this Magic Item for long, however, to a Saint Wizard like Makarov, the one who driving the Magical Minibus, it was no problems at all to this old Wizard, who can drive this Magical Minibus for hours with no rest.
Not to mention, this Magical Minibus that Makarov took with him to the S-Trails, and even back from the trails, is a protype Magical Vehicle itself, since Magical Minibuses are still in the developing stages among other Magical Vehicles out there.
This is personally the real reason why Makarov taken that as an excuse, to use this Magic Item for the trails, a Magical Vehicle, that may not be as big as Magic Boats or Magic Airships are, but it still the biggest Magical Vehicle that currently can be driven on land.
While driving on the road, Makarov cannot help to cast his eyes towards the mirror, to look behind himself, and looked at those that taken part of this year's S-Class Trails.
Makarov looked at Cana, who seems bitter for some reason, this properly had to do with the fact, that lass has not have a drop of liquor since a week before the trails even began.
The S Trails is the only time of year, when Cana wouldn't touch a drop of any alcohol, telling how serious this lass takes this trail.
Cana Alberona, while she is the same age as Gray, unlike Gray, Cana has potential to become a S-Class Wizard, even if she does not look like it.
After all, Cana's Magic Power itself is only A-Class, but her control is only C-Class, making her in terms of combat a B-Class Wizard, like Natsu, Zack, and Gray.
However, that is not the reason why Cana can take part of the S-Class Trails, if that was the reason, Natsu and the other two can also take part of the trails that already had ended.
No, the real reason why a B-Class Wizard in terms of combat can take part of the trails, is because her of Magic itself.
Cana Alberona's main Magic system is Card Magic, a complicated Magic system where one has to create their spells personally in forms of Magic Items known as Magic Cards.
This is the reason why Card Magic is known as a Holder Magic system, due welder of Card Magic has to have a source to cast this Magic, and in Cana's case, the sources are Magic Cards, each Magic Card is a spell, created by the welder of Card Magic to either attack, defend, or support.
That is why, Card Magic can be regarded as an all-rounder Magic system, and also one of the two reasons why Cana Alberona can take part of the S-Class Trails, even if she a B-Class Wizard herself, when it comes to combat.
That is because via Card Magic, Cana had created the Tarot Cards, advance version of Card Magic, that allows the ability of Fortune Telling.
Fortune Telling, is a rare ability, even among Wizards, counting on the nature of the Fortune Telling source, in Cana's case, the Tarot Cards, one can tell others' future, show others' their inner desires they not even aware of, as well locate anyone via this ability.
While this ability offers no combat ability, it still a desirable ability that barely anyone could learn or understand them, making the first real reason why Cana Alberona can become S-Class support type Wizard.
While the second reason why Cana Alberona is able to take part in the S-Class Trails, is because she has learned that 'Magic'.
When it comes to top tier Guilds like Fairy Tail, they often have their own unique Magic systems or spells belonging to them.
Fairy Tail also has such a thing, and those unique Magics are known as the Three Great Spells or Magics of Fairy Tail, certain spells that so complexed and hard to understand to even learn them.
Making only a few among the Guild to even learn them, not to mention, only those that are acknowledged by Makarov, are even permitted to learn them.
After all, these three Spells, might be just a single spell from a Magic System, but each one of them are so powerful, in the wrong hands, there's no telling what will happened.
The reason why Makarov allowed Cana Alberona to learn any of these three Spells, was due to her merit into creating the Tarot Cards, as well her understanding in Magic itself.
That is second reason why Cana Alberona can take part of the S-Class Trails, besides the ability of Fortune Telling, is because, while she cannot use the Great Spell to its full potential, due to her specs.
She already learned the Great Spell, Fairy Glitter, the spell that uses the moon, sun, as well the stars to cast a blinding light, not just any blinding light, a light that spares those she deems as allies and friends and denies those that she deemed as enemies to either herself, or the Guild.
While Makarov thought of Cana and her abilities, the old Wizard himself, cannot helped to sighed, seeing Cana in a bitter mood, after all, it cannot be helped, since Cana wasn't this year's winner.
Even so, the old man just hopes the young alcoholic teenager would be discouraged by this lost, and while still driving the Magical Minibus, Makarov via the rearview mirror, turned his attention to the true winner of this year's S-Class Trails.
For someone who had become an elite among Wizards, one of Fairy Tail's core Wizards, one would think such a person would be over the moon.
And yet, Mirajane Strauss, the one who won this year's S-Class, becoming such an elite, has no arrogance written over her face, nor a smugly smile, like anyone expect she would have.
If anything, the new S-Class Wizard of Fairy Tail looked very distracted, seeing how Mirajane simply stared outside the widow besides her, with an expression, the kind one will have when they lost in thought.
It is not the kind of expression one would have expected from someone who became an official S-Class Wizard.
If Makarov had to guess why Mirajane so distracted, that answer wouldn't be just her siblings, but a certain someone else. Knowing this, a knowing smile formed on Makarov's lips.
However, little did Makarov knew, he is both right and wrong about the reason, why Mirajane is so distracted.
While it is true, the one on Mirajane's mind, is indeed the one Makarov is thinking of, Zack Smasher himself.
In this whole week away from the Guild, it wasn't just Lisanna and Elfman that has been on Mirajane's mind.
There has been many times, when Zack would had entered Mirajane's thoughts, and each time when he does, this always either made Mirajane uncomfortable at times, and yet… strangely comfortable as well.
More Mirajane thought of Zack, and rethink of the past, more these feelings within her got harder to bottle up, more she runs away from these strange feelings, harder they get to hide, to sway, to bottle them up.
But that is to be expected.
No matter how one's bottle their emotions, when it comes to bottles, there always a limit how much one can store.
So, it was no wonder, why those strange emotions, that made Mirajane feel good and uneasy at the same time, are becoming harder to bottle.
No, this was no longer the question of bottling, those emotions, that Mirajane always kept away, are about to overflow.
Which is why, the real question should be… what would happen once those feelings that are bottled up, began to overflow?
That is what Mirajane's current mental state is.
As someone with distrust issues, no matter how much she wanted to deny this, it only a matter of time, when her harden and tighten feelings within her will become unloose.
And that what Mirajane Strauss truly fears… she fears the day, when she no longer can prevent herself from trusting someone else, only to be betrayed in the end yet again.
But that wasn't all on her mind, along with Zack and her uneasy emotions, that are bounded to leak.
There also… the matter with Erza Scarlet.
To Mirajane, Erza is no different to a wall to overcome, to prove to herself, so she can overcome this damned endless rivalry between them.
Or least that how it should be, that what Erza Scarlet should be to Mirajane Strauss.
But lately, unaware to herself, muddy feelings known as jealousy often came to Mirajane, each time when she recalled the times, when she had seen Erza and Zack together.
Each time they talked to each other, smile at each other, or laughed at each other, something felt heavy on her heart, unexplained rage boiled inside Mirajane, who often becomes astray by these emotions of jealousy.
Mirajane hatred it, she honestly hates this muddy feeling, that often makes herself unable to control herself, when it comes to Zack becoming closer to Erza.
It feels like Zack will be taken away from her… why does she feel that why?
How can she stop these unsettling emotions within her, that makes her feel like someone else?
No matter how much Mirajane wanted to deny it, she knew, she truly knew what these emotions are, why she felt this way towards that dumbass.
However, Mirajane herself is afraid, she fears what she will do, when she truly acknowledges it.
And that acknowledgment?
That she has feelings for that dumbass, it wasn't the friendship kind, no it was way deeper than the kind between friends… and that scares her the most, more than anything else in her life, when she comes honest with herself about these feelings.
After all, what Mirajane Strauss truly afraid of, is not those feelings themselves… but what will come afterwards when she accepts and acknowledges them.