"Ahhh!!!"
"Oooooh!!!"
"Let's gooo!!!"
Gray and Natsu had flipped their battle switches on from the crack of dawn.
True to their word, they were working at double pace, not just compared to regular people, but double their own usual workload.
Since they had plans to team up with Lucy and head out on a mission that afternoon, they were determined to finish the afternoon's share of work in the morning. That meant handling four times the normal amount.
And of course, Erza wasn't about to fall behind. As the unofficial forewoman of the site, her pride wouldn't allow it.
With Natsu and Gray working like lunatics, she refused to slack off herself.
"Guys, try not to overdo it. What if a fight breaks out later and you're too exhausted?" Rhodes cautioned, not wanting anyone collapsing from effort, especially when he was partially responsible for hyping them up.
"This is nothing!" Natsu and Gray shouted together in perfect sync.
They glanced at each other, and just like that, the challenge was on. Now they were trying to outwork each other.
Erza turned to Rhodes. "Don't worry. If it's just physical labor, all they need is some food at noon and a nap on the road. If they still can't recover, it means their training's not enough. They can treat it as extra practice."
That logic was… unbreakable. Since Erza had spoken, Rhodes let it go.
"Hey… hey…!" Happy strained as he tried to lift a heavy plank of wood. But no matter how hard he tugged, it wouldn't budge.
Tears welled up in his eyes as he looked to Rhodes for help. "What do I do? I can't move it…"
Even Happy was trying his best. Rhodes smiled and gently patted his head. "Why don't you go help Lucy with the inventory and task tracking?"
"Aye, sir!"
…
The meeting Master Makarov had attended at the Council yesterday must have wrapped up. That morning's newspaper finally printed the full story behind the Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord conflict.
Of course, the published reason was a sanitized version: a long-standing grudge between the two guilds that eventually boiled over into open hostility. It made no mention of Lucy.
Probably out of respect, or pressure due to the Heartfilia family's influence, that part had been deliberately left out.
Still, the article made it clear that Phantom had been the aggressor, and that Fairy Tail had repelled the attack without their Master's involvement.
With one of the two guilds previously tied for number one in Fiore now disbanded, Fairy Tail was officially recognized as the strongest guild in the country.
Possibly because of that, commissions had poured in all morning, more than usual.
If Rhodes hadn't been there for the whole incident, he might've believed this had been an intentional business ploy by the guild to crush a rival and rake in contracts.
While sorting through requests, Rhodes came across one that caught his interest. Unfortunately, he couldn't leave the guild just yet, so he passed the job to Elfman.
His brother-in-law had been working hard these past few days, it was time for him to stretch his legs.
Rhodes had long since accepted his role as brother-in-law.
After two straight hours of steady labor, he finally paused and made his way to the counter to get some water.
"You've been working hard," Mira said, pouring him a cup of warm water with a pinch of salt added for recovery. She turned to grab a towel.
After he drank, Rhodes didn't reach for the towel. Instead, he leaned his face toward her, smiling slightly.
Mira giggled and gently wiped the sweat from his forehead herself.
Sure, he could have wiped it on his own, but getting pampered like this filled his heart with happiness.
"Look." Mira gestured discreetly toward Bisca.
The green-haired sharpshooter was watching the two of them with envy… and quickly looked away when Rhodes caught her staring, cheeks flushing red.
Rhodes turned back. "She and Alzack still haven't made progress?"
Mira sighed softly. "They were so close to making progress."
Rhodes poured himself another glass of water, curiosity rising. "What happened?"
She loved that curious expression on his face. Mira's eyes lit up, shifting into full gossip mode. "So, I heard that Bisca bought flowers recently."
"Bought flowers…?" Rhodes raised an eyebrow. "Wait, is she trying to follow your example?"
Are all the girls in Fairy Tail this fierce?
Mira lightly smacked him. "What does that have to do with me? Well, maybe a little," she admitted with a slight pout, lips pressed and lower lip jutting out just enough to look adorably annoyed.
"Alright, alright, I'm listening. Go on."
Mira leaned closer, her voice turning mysterious. "It's connected to Erza, actually. You know Bisca and Erza are on good terms, right?"
Rhodes nodded. "Yeah."
"She asked Erza for advice, but Erza just told her she was useless when it came to love. Still, Bisca worked up the courage, bought a bouquet that night, and planned to confess the next day."
"And then?" Rhodes asked.
Those two words, "and then," were like a magic trigger for Mira. The moment she heard them, her eyes sparkled even more.
"Then… then…" Mira dramatically paused, savoring the moment, before finally letting out a helpless little sigh. "Then the guild got attacked by Phantom Lord."
"Wait." Rhodes blinked. "She planned to confess the day before the Phantom attack?"
Mira nodded with a sympathetic expression. "Yep."
It was just bad timing. After something like that, there was no way to go through with a love confession.
Then came the guild battle, the Council's investigation, the stress, the fatigue. The flowers Bisca had bought had long since withered.
At first, she had been brave. Then her courage wavered. And now, she was just emotionally drained. Not quite at her limit, but clearly not in any shape to go through with it.
Poor Alzack. Or maybe lucky Alzack, depending on how you looked at it.
Rhodes let out a deep sigh of disappointment.
What Rhodes and Mira didn't know was that Bisca had originally wanted to talk to Mira about her feelings. Unfortunately, both Mira and Rhodes hadn't been at the guild at the time.
And that infamous line Erza gave? She'd only said it because she got flustered… and she even brought up, "Maybe you should learn from Mira."
Rhodes raised a brow again, clearly intrigued. "Wait, how did you know all this? I doubt Bisca would go around telling people. She'd be way too embarrassed."
Mira gave him a playful smile. "Hehe, that's a girl's secret."
In truth, when that many girls live together in the dorms, secrets don't stay hidden for long. Someone always knows something. And when that someone says, "I'm only telling you," well… it usually doesn't end there.
Just then, Lucy walked over, holding a notebook. "Miss Mira, Mr. Rhodes, we finished logging the materials that arrived this morning."
"Aye! I helped too!" Happy chimed in proudly.
"Thank you both for your hard work," Mira said kindly, placing the notebook aside and pouring juice for the two of them. She even dropped in a few ice cubes.
"Actually, Lucy, there's something else I wanted to ask you about," Rhodes added, suddenly remembering something important.
"What is it?" Lucy tilted her head.
"Mira's hair got a little singed during the last battle. Think you could ask Cancer to help with it?"
"Of course!" Lucy turned to her key pouch without hesitation. "Open, Gate of the Crab, Cancer!"
With a burst of light, the flamboyant celestial spirit appeared, twirling his scissors. "Need a cut?"
Lucy gestured toward Mira. "It's for Miss Mira today."
Cancer paused, then brightened. "Ah, I remember you! The lovely lady who wanted to learn magic from me. By the way, let me say again, your hair is gorgeous."
"Thank you," Mira said with a soft smile as she sat down, letting Cancer tend to her hair.
Her gaze drifted toward Rhodes as she smiled again, her eyes sparkling with quiet joy.