When Raizel returned to the guild, even before pushing the door open, he could hear three people shouting loudly.
As soon as he pushed the door open, the chaos greeted him.
"A real man whips cream!!!" Elfman stood directly on a chair, his spiky sea urchin hairstyle defying gravity and his expression deadly serious.
"I'm definitely faster than Natsu!!!"
"I'm clearly faster!!!"
Natsu and Gray both wore ferocious expressions as they screamed at each other.
"Natsu, go for it! You're definitely the fastest!" Happy waved a small flag, cheering Natsu on.
Natsu, Gray, and Elfman were whipping cream with such intensity that their arms spun so fast they seemed detached from their bodies.
"I'm betting on Natsu—his cream is the thickest!!!" Wakaba slammed 2000J down on the table.
'Damn... You guys even set up a betting pool for whipping cream? Seriously?' Raizel thought as he watch them.
He estimated they'd all have arms like Popeye tomorrow—or perhaps more like limp, floppy noodles.
At least there was one sane person present: Laxus, who was also whipping cream.
He had been abruptly summoned.
Originally deep in training, he had received an urgent letter and rushed back after Makarov gravely called for him.
Thinking something major had happened—perhaps an enemy attack—he had hurried over as a bolt of lightning.
Only for Makarov to ask him to help whip cream!!!
'I'm going to kill him,' Laxus thought, stirring aggressively. 'I'm going to shock the old man until his mustache falls off.'
Initially, Raizel thought Freed, who was sitting next to Laxus, was whipping normally, but his eyes were anything but normal!
Why was he looking at Laxus so tenderly while whipping cream?!
Ever since meeting Freed, wherever Laxus went, Freed followed.
Raizel and the other two stood dumbfounded in the doorway, watching the scene with a mix of disbelief and unspoken complaints.
"They started competing while whipping," Ur explained to the stunned trio who had just returned.
She, Wendy, and Carla had been watching the cream-whipping spectacle, while others were busy with their own tasks.
Though Wendy was very interested, she was still too young to help much for now.
On the other side, Mira, Erza, Levy, and Lisanna were busy making chiffon cakes.
They were currently separating egg whites from yolks. All of them wore chef's uniforms and hats, looking utterly professional.
If they were going to make a cake, it had to be the Fiore Kingdom's number one!
"Not a bad composition," Reedus remarked, framing the scene with his brush before starting to sketch.
After Raizel and the others had left earlier, the group had discussed it: if they were making cake, they might as well make plenty for the whole guild to try.
That was why Makarov had tricked Laxus into returning—he knew if he told Laxus to come back just to whip cream, Laxus would likely ignore him entirely.
By making several cakes, everyone could have a slice later.
Seeing the grand scale of the operation, Raizel felt relieved they had picked extra Giant Strawberries earlier.
Those dozen or so Golden Strawberries alone would never have been enough for this crowd.
"We've brought back the Golden Strawberry. Cana, please bring it out." Raizel pointed to an empty table to signal Cana.
"Leave it to me." Cana quickly materialized the sealed Golden Strawberry and Giant Strawberry from her cards.
"It actually glows!" Lisanna gasped.
The Golden Strawberry placed atop the Giant Strawberry was quite eye-catching.
"And the best part," Ultear added, smiling at Erza, "is that we successfully grew a test batch. We can farm them ourselves from now on. No more lotteries."
"WOOOOO!!!"
Not only was Erza excited, but Natsu and Gray were also thrilled—finally, no more waiting in line!
"Now that we have the strawberries, let's hurry up and make it." Mira, Lisanna, and the others shifted their focus back to the baking.
Erza took out an electronic scale, her eyes fixed intently on it as she cupped her chin with her right hand, nodding occasionally with a studious expression.
"The proportions must be extremely precise; not a single mistake is allowed."
"If any of you don't know how, just follow my lead." Mira had already asked around earlier—aside from Erza's one attempt, none of them had ever made a cake before.
Erza also kept hidden the fact that she had failed at the very first step.
With Raizel and Ultear absent, no one knew, and no one exposed her.
The group nodded to Mira, indicating they were ready.
"For a chiffon cake, the egg whites and yolk batter need to be made separately. Let's start with the yolk batter first," Mira instructed. "First, add milk and corn oil. After mixing, we'll use a whisk to emulsify them."
Erza and the others did their best to mimic Mira's movements.
"Good. Next, we'll sift in high-quality low-gluten flour using a sieve. Watch how I do it first." Mira slowly sifted the low-gluten flour into the mixture, stirring in a zigzag pattern.
"Third step, add the egg yolks. Again, stir evenly in a zigzag motion. This completes the yolk batter." Mira set the bowl aside.
"Take another empty bowl and make sure to wipe off any oil or water inside."
"Ur, could you please chill the egg whites a bit? Lower the temperature, but don't freeze them."
They were too pressed for time and had to do it this way.
"Next, we'll whip the egg whites. Not too fast, but not too slow either. When it reaches the coarse bubble stage, add the sugar for the first time."
"Once it turns into fine bubbles, add the sugar for the second time."
"Look, when these streaks appear, add the sugar for the last time. Whip until the meringue forms stiff peaks that curl like an eagle's beak—then it's done."
"Now comes a crucial step. Pay close attention and watch how I do it first." Mira demonstrated while explaining to Erza and the others.
Erza's expression suddenly turned more serious.
"First, take a small portion of the meringue and add it to the bowl with the yolk batter. Use a spatula to fold it in evenly," Mira explained. "Then, pour all the contents from the yolk batter bowl into the meringue bowl. Use the folding technique to mix them thoroughly."
"Final step: pour the fully mixed batter into the cake mold. Lift it a bit higher to help break any large air bubbles inside." Mira gently tapped the filled mold on the tabletop to release any large air bubbles.
"And that's it! All that's left is to bake it in the preheated oven."
"Clap clap clap."
Wendy looked at Mira with starry-eyed admiration, applauding continuously.
She had decided—she would definitely learn to make cakes from Mira in the future!
The Guild members also applauded enthusiastically to encourage Mira and the others; after all, they were just there to enjoy the fruits of their labor.
Once baked, Erza once again showcased her knife skills with the Giant Strawberry.
She made four cake bases, which were enough to share after slicing, but there was a problem: the Golden Strawberries were insufficient.
The Golden Strawberries were small, and once cut, there wasn't much left.
"Let's draw lots."
...
The drawing was intense.
Raizel pulled a stick. Short.
"Dammit," he sighed. His E-Rank luck struck again!
Erza pulled a stick. Long.
"YES!" She held the stick aloft like Excalibur. "Victory is mine!"
Ultear pulled a stick. Long and she high-fived Erza.
Finally, Natsu and Happy stood before the box.
"The moment to test our friendship has come, Natsu..." Happy whispered with tears in his eyes.
Natsu pulled. Long.
Happy pulled. Short.
Silence.
Natsu received his slice of cake. A glowing Golden Strawberry sat atop the mound of cream.
Happy received a slice with a Giant Strawberry piece.
Still delicious, but not The Golden One.
Natsu looked at the berry. He looked at Happy.
"Natsu..." Happy held out his paws. "Sharing is caring?"
GULP.
Natsu opened his mouth wide, unhinging his jaw like a snake, and swallowed the entire cake slice—strawberry and all—in one bite.
"Mmph. Delicious!"
Happy froze. His color drained away, turning him grey.
"WE'RE DONE, NATSU!!!"
Happy screamed, turned around, and sprinted toward the guild doors. Tears flew from his eyes like waterfalls, sparkling under the magic lights.
"Wait! Happy!" Natsu yelled, mouth full of cream.
"Don't talk to me! You traitor!"
The guild erupted in laughter.
Raizel leaned back in his chair, eating his (still delicious) cake.
'Ah,' he thought. 'Just another peaceful day in Fairy Tail.'