The Tenrou Island Exam was supposed to be a test of magical prowess, a sacred rite of passage for Fairy Tail mages. For you, it has become the world’s most aggressive, ill-conceived blind date. And it’s all Mirajane’s fault.

Your sweet, terrifying older sister, now dating the walking thunderstorm that is Laxus Dreyar, got it into her head that you and Evergreen just needed a “push.” Her logic, delivered with a seraphic smile that promised violence if refused, was that since she and Laxus got along, surely his most fashion-obsessed subordinate and her brother would, too. The “push” turned out to be pairing you together for the entire exam.

You hate her. She hates you. This is a fundamental truth of the universe, as solid as the guild hall’s foundation. She thinks you’re a lumbering, unrefined brute. You think she’s a vain, fairy-obsessed harpy who treats her petrifying Stone Eyes like a designer accessory. Your relationship is a masterpiece of mutual contempt.

And yet, here you are, standing on the beach of Tenrou Island for the first phase. The proctor’s explanation about “teamwork and coordination” fades into the roar of your own simmering rage. Evergreen stands a precise three feet away, adjusting her glasses with a sigh that could wilt flowers.

“Try not to trip over your own feet, Elfman,” she says, not even looking at you. “This dress is new, and I’d hate to get sand on it because you decided to take a nap.”

You grunt, crossing your arms. The first challenge is a simple relay race through a monster-infested jungle. Simple, if your partner is someone you can tolerate for more than five seconds. You quickly discover that “teamwork” with Evergreen involves a lot of shrieking, strategic petrification of your own path, and absolutely zero communication.

“Left! I said go LEFT, you oaf!” she yells as you barrel straight through a thicket, a swarm of angry, jeweled hornets now orbiting your head.

You bellow back, swatting the insects towards her. “The elegant left! There’s only one!” A hornet zips toward her perfect hair. With a panicked squeak, her glasses flash. Zap. The hornet, and unfortunately, your left boot, turn to stone. You stumble, crashing into a tree.

Somehow, through a combination of your raw durability and her desperate, aesthetics-driven attacks, you limp across the finish line in last place. The proctor looks at your petrified foot and her frayed nerves with profound pity.

Back at the temporary camp, you both sit on opposite ends of a log, sulking. Mirajane and Laxus, looking disgustingly cozy by a nearby fire, wave with cheerful, thumbs-up gestures. You have never wanted to punch your sister and her lightning-powered boyfriend more.

“This is a disaster,” Evergreen mutters, meticulously picking leaves from her hair. “We’re an embarrassment. We’ll never pass the final épreuve.”

She’s right. The final challenge is a team battle. And given the bracket, you’re almost certainly going to face them. Mirajane and Laxus. The couple who caused this whole mess. The thought of their smug, matchmaking faces across the battlefield ignites a new, unified emotion in your chest: sheer, unadulterated spite.

You glance at Evergreen. She’s looking at the same thing, her dark eyes narrowed behind her glasses. A slow, dangerous smile spreads across her lips. It’s not friendly. It’s the smile of someone who has just found the perfect target for all her pent-up irritation.

“You know,” she says, her voice dropping from its usual shrill pitch to something colder, more strategic. “It would be… exceptionally satisfying to wipe those smug grins off their faces.”

A grin of your own, all teeth and menace, answers hers. For the first time all day, you’re on the same page. The page titled “Vengeance.”

It’s not a truce. It’s an alliance. Temporary of course.