Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master-Chapter 235: She May Know How Beautiful She Is

When the sleep magic finally wore off, everyone in the guild stirred awake, everyone except Rhodes and Mira, who continued snoozing peacefully, nestled side by side.

While the others had been magically knocked out, these two had simply been genuinely tired.

So, as the guild gradually came back to life, a strange emptiness lingered in the atmosphere.

That was, until Laki, feeling like something was off, wandered over and discovered the pair still sleeping soundly.

"They're practically cuddling."

"What? Let me see!"

"No way, move aside!"

A crowd of curious and mischievous guildmates quickly gathered. The girls were mostly giddy with gossip and romantic speculation, while several of the guys looked like they were about to bite their handkerchiefs in envy.

"Damn that Rhodes... is he faking it? Is he taking advantage of her?!"

"Just wait," someone whispered. "If Mira wakes up and screams, we storm in and rescue her!"

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Just then, Makarov descended from the second floor and waved everyone off. "Alright, that's enough gawking. Let them rest."

He glanced at the counter, where an unfinished ledger and a half-sorted stack of job postings sat.

"These two kids really are diligent..."

He sighed, knowing that the apology letter to the Council still had to be written by him.

Still, he figured, Rhodes had taken on quite a few missions lately, and his strength had been growing rapidly. Maybe it was time to consider him for the S-Class trial.

A little while later, Mira stirred.

She didn't scream. She didn't shove Rhodes away.

Instead, she quietly checked to see if he was pretending to sleep... then gave him a soft shake.

From across the guild hall, there was a collective sigh. "Laki! A dozen beers!"

Clink, clink, clink...

Rhodes blinked, rubbed his eyes, and sat up slowly. For some reason, the sleep spell felt different this time, softer, maybe.

Mira also noticed something strange in the air. "Master... how long were we out?"

"Less than an hour," Makarov replied with a chuckle. "Did you sleep well?"

Mira ignored the question. "What about others?"

"They were only asleep for two minutes," Makarov said casually.

Mira's face instantly turned red. That meant for the better part of an hour, she and Rhodes had been snuggled up in full view of the entire guild.

"Don't worry," Makarov said with a wink. "I've already recorded all the jobs everyone picked up this week."

That's not the problem!

Meanwhile, Rhodes sat upright, blinking slowly. After a few seconds of internal crisis management, he came to a calm conclusion.

No amount of jumping into the river would wash away the implications of this scene.

And honestly?

That was fine.

All in all, it was another good day.

After returning to the guild, Rhodes resumed his training as usual, though with a few adjustments.

Mira had banned any exercises that could aggravate his injuries. That meant more time for meditation and exploring the Summoner's Rift.

There was a curious change in the Rift that day. The three Void grubs near the dragon pit had shifted their positions.

They'd moved closer to the outer edge of the pit, leaving the center completely empty.

A swirling purple light had begun to form in that vacant space, as if something immense was on the verge of being born.

There was nothing Rhodes could do now but monitor the anomaly and continue building his magic reserves.

That night, he returned home to a tidy, spotless house, everything in perfect order.

Everything, except for one thing: the absence of a hostess.

He couldn't help but worry whether Mira might be overworking herself.

But he couldn't keep taking back the spare key to check on her either.

Maybe he could drop by her place soon to help with some general cleaning, as a way to return the favor.

"Warm, what do you think?"

Warm tilted his head. "Hulu?"

"Great. Thanks for the support!"

"Huh?" Warm blinked. 'What did I just agree to?'

...

Soon, March came to a close.

Today was the day of his long-awaited flower-viewing picnic with Mira.

They spent the morning finishing up their usual tasks at the guild before heading out to shop for supplies.

This sort of thing fell squarely under Mira's expertise. Rhodes, as usual, served as a dutiful bodyguard and pack mule.

He was still allowed input on what to eat, though.

Warm didn't join them this time because Happy had invited him to lunch.

Maybe as thanks for all the fish they'd shared recently, Happy, newly flush with mission money, had proudly declared he'd treat Warm to a proper meal.

Not that it had affected Warm's budget at all. Rhodes hadn't cut back his portions.

And the little guy was eating more than ever.

If not for the guild members helping feed him now and then, Rhodes would've been flat broke before he even got the chance to save up.

"How about picking up some strawberries?"

"Sure! Let's grab some pineapple too."

"Good idea. And I'll buy some beef, we can make beef pizza later."

"Beef sounds great. I love beef."

The two of them continued their cheerful shopping, chatting about ingredients while Rhodes' arms slowly filled with more and more bags.

Although they often went shopping together for the guild, this time felt different.

Today, it was just the two of them, shopping for their own lunch, and that small shift made everything feel warmer, more personal.

Especially when Rhodes took out the money while Mira bargained with the vendor, he had a strange sense that life had become easier, lighter somehow.

With their ingredients bought and bags full, they headed to Mira's house.

It was Rhodes' first time stepping into her kitchen. It was spotless, but clearly well-used, signs of someone who enjoyed cooking often.

Rhodes offered to help: washing vegetables, prepping ingredients... but Mira gently nudged him out of the kitchen not long after.

"There are drinks in the fridge, snacks and magazines on the table, make yourself at home and just wait," she said, smiling kindly.

Rhodes, a little sheepish, settled in. He didn't want to make things harder for her.

People had different talents. Some could follow a recipe and make something amazing. Others, like him, could somehow peel half a pound of potatoes into a quarter pound of scraps.

He wasn't bad, exactly... but compared to Mira, he might as well be a beginner.

He was, however, an excellent taste tester.

When she finished cooking, Mira took a moment to change.

She stepped out in a light blouse with frilly sleeves, a short skirt, and a pair of strappy leather heels. Her bangs fell softly across her forehead, a flowered hair clip nestled neatly in her hair.

Even though winter had just ended, Mira, like many mages, was free to wear whatever suited her.

Rhodes, waiting just outside the door, nearly did a double take.

"What is it?" Mira tilted her head, already knowing the answer.

Still, Rhodes answered honestly. "You look... stunning."

Mira smiled and tugged at his sleeve. "Let's go."

She hadn't changed to be complimented, she just didn't want to smell like cooking while out.

Naturally, Rhodes reached to take the basket from her shoulder as they set off side by side.

"I said I'd help, but you ended up doing everything," he remarked.

"Should I punish you for that?" Mira teased.

Rhodes pretended to consider. "Hmm... punish me by making me carry you to the park?"

"Hehe, is that supposed to be a punishment?"

She definitely knew how charming she was.

Rhodes smirked and adjusted. "Okay, then how about this, you can bring food, but I'm only allowed to look, not eat?"

Mira gave him a playful glare. "If you only watch and don't eat, doesn't that make all my effort meaningless?"