Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master-Chapter 287: I hope everyone is OK

Rhodes picked Happy off his shoulder and yelled into his ear, "This is the new outfit Mira gave me!"

"Aiye~~~" Happy fluttered like a flag in the wind, apologizing incoherently. "Sorry~~~"

"Ahahaha..."

Happy was flattened by Rhodes, but Natsu didn't even try to help, he just burst into carefree laughter.

It was pure bliss for him to see two of his closest troublemakers struggling together.

Meanwhile, Mira wasn't the least bit angry. She smiled secretly as she watched Happy being punished.

In the end, Rhodes couldn't bring himself to really hurt Happy. After giving him a good scolding and a few light thumps, he tossed him back to Natsu. "Take him and scram!"

"Mira, my clothes are ruined..." Rhodes tried to throw himself pitifully into Mira's arms to cry.

Unfortunately, they were still in the guild, and he had to watch his image a little.

"It's fine, it's fine," Mira reassured him sweetly. "It's just a little Happy drool. Maybe you'll smell a little... fishy."

"..."

Rhodes didn't mind at first, but now he suddenly felt gross. "I'm changing."

She definitely did that on purpose.

"By the way, there's something important too."

"What is it?"

"I've been away so long, my place was not cleaned. It'll take forever to clean, and I won't be able to rest properly." Rhodes put on his most sincere expression. "So... is it okay if I stay at your place for a while?"

Mira wrinkled her nose at his obvious excuse. "I can approve you to leave work early."

"That's so considerate... but I can't dump all my work on you."

"Then you stay at the guild, and I'll help clean your house."

"How about a compromise? We clean it up together."

"Hmph~" Mira gave a soft laugh but didn't refuse.

That night, after finishing his daily meditation and practice, Rhodes lay on his bed thinking about how to push their relationship even further.

Even though it was bound to happen eventually, how could he not be impatient at a time like this?

The next morning, Mira really went out with Erza, one smiling sweetly, the other full of grim determination.

Everyone in the guild noticed and started whispering.

Before long, they all came to Rhodes, curiosity burning in their eyes.

And so, they learned the bombshell news, Erza was going to do a photo shoot!

"What?! Seriously? With Mira?!" novelbuddy.cσ๓

"What issue is it going to be?"

"If it's for July... that's the second!"

Macao and Wakaba grinned at each other knowingly. "We have to buy that issue!"

"Wakaba, you're fine, but Macao, don't you have a girlfriend?" Rhodes delivered two drinks to their table and raised an eyebrow.

"What does that have to do with buying magazines?" Macao shot back. "Did you stop looking at models in magazines after getting a girlfriend?"

"Excellent point!" Rhodes gave him a thumbs-up, smirking. "Which reminds me, should I introduce you to my girlfriend?"

"Bastard! Get outta here!"

"Scumbag!"

They cursed him together, only to remember, Rhodes' girlfriend was Fiore's number one model, Mirajane Strauss.

And not only had Mira not lost her popularity after cutting back on photo shoots, she'd become even more famous.

Macao and Wakaba scowled as Rhodes walked away with a triumphant wave.

Macao turned to Wakaba and slapped him on the back. "Think positive, Wakaba. Rhodes might want to look at the magazine, but Mira would clobber him if he tried."

"You're right!" Wakaba nodded furiously, but immediately shoved Macao away. "Still, you're a traitor! You just started dating a younger woman yourself! Don't talk to me!"

"What did you say? You were the one who came here first today!"

In Fairy Tail, you didn't need a big reason to fight, just disagree a little, and fists would start flying.

After being held back for days under Erza's strict reign, everyone was itching for a good brawl. They didn't need an excuse, they just needed a spark.

One by one, more guildmates found random reasons to jump into the chaos, and soon the guild was in complete uproar again.

"Rhodes, over here!" Cana called out.

Today, surprisingly, she didn't join the madness. Instead, she quietly picked a job off the board, wanting to head out.

"Let's see..." Rhodes glanced over the request. It wasn't particularly difficult, but it was a long way from Magnolia.

"You're going that far? I don't think the reward's enough to cover your drinking bill on the way," Rhodes teased.

For someone like Cana, whose drinking habit could bankrupt a small tavern, taking a far-off mission sounded suspiciously like a scenic pub crawl.

Cana shrugged, gazing at the guildmates brawling around them. "The guild's too noisy. I just want to get away for a bit."

"I get it." Rhodes nodded as he helped her officially register the job. "But seriously, don't get wasted outside. It's easy to run into trouble."

"Relax," Cana said, flashing a lazy smile. "I am a wizard, after all."

She seemed a little lighter, more at ease. She waved casually and started walking away. "See you in a few days... and good luck."

"Huh? Why are you cheering me on for no reason?" Rhodes called after her.

But Cana didn't even look back.

Rhodes chuckled and shouted, "Be careful out there!"

The tavern floor was still a battlefield when Gray appeared, holding a job request in his hand.

"Rhodes! I want to take this one."

Rhodes raised an eyebrow. "You too? What, everyone's suddenly got a burst of energy?"

Gray scratched the back of his head, looking a little sheepish. "Natsu's working hard... and honestly, I don't want to lose to him."

Rhodes took the request slip and reviewed it carefully: "Investigating a smuggling ring selling illegal goods. You're going alone?"

"Natsu's going solo too."

"You two really do compete over everything. And hey, if you say that, Happy's gonna be sad."

Gray gave a helpless sigh. "I wish I had a cat like that too. One a little less... mischievous than Happy. But where am I supposed to find a magical egg like he did?"

Rhodes grinned. "Natsu and Wendy found theirs. No reason you can't too. Keep your eyes open."

He stamped the seal to approve the mission and handed the paperwork back.

"Good luck out there. Hope you find something... or someone."

"Come back and pick up your clothes!"

"Huh?!"

"And be careful when you're out there!"

"I know, you're so naggy!"

...

Mira returned to the guild a little late that day, and she didn't bring Erza back with her.

Noticing the faint, suspicious smile playing on Mira's lips, Rhodes immediately grew wary.

"That's... not a good sign."

"What isn't?" Mira asked innocently.

"You're smiling like you just sold Erza off or something."

Mira's smile widened. "Oh, it was wonderful."

"What was?" Rhodes pressed, now more suspicious than ever.

"Erza's performance! You should've come with me. It was amazing." Mira looked like she was trying hard not to burst into laughter.

Rhodes felt a chill down his spine. "She didn't... flip the entire editorial team upside down, did she?"

"Of course not," Mira said, clearly enjoying herself. "Erza had a blast! She was so into it, no nerves at all like a typical first-time model. She had an incredible sense of... stage presence."

"Where is she now?" Rhodes asked warily.

Mira's smile turned almost devilish. "Still at the shoot. She dragged the whole editorial department into working overtime. Erza said she found the job so much fun that she wanted to keep shooting for three days and three nights straight. And she's insisting that nobody leaves until it's all done."

Rhodes froze. "Did the magazine even agree to that?"

"At first, they said no," Mira said sweetly. "But after Erza had a serious conversation with the editor-in-chief, they agreed."

"..."

Rhodes could only stay silent, vividly recalling how Erza once seriously negotiated a production company into custom-building a full set of armor for her.

It was ridiculous, but so very Erza.

He sighed, offering a quick prayer for the poor, innocent souls of the editorial team.

Mira leaned closer, winking mischievously. "Anyway, you should look forward to the new July issue. Erza in all kinds of swimsuits, she looked absolutely stunning."

At that moment, Rhodes knew absolutely not to nod.

Instead, he chose the safer route: he pulled Mira into a hug, leaned down, and whispered softly into her ear, "Actually, the one I'm really looking forward to seeing in a swimsuit... is you."

Mira's ears instantly turned a soft pink. She tried to keep a straight face but couldn't quite hide her flustered smile.

"You already have a ton of my old swimsuit magazines at home, don't you?" she teased, pretending to pout. After all, she'd seen those stacks herself when she was tidying up Rhodes' house.

"Those don't count," Rhodes said seriously. "Work photos don't have soul."

"Then..." Mira twirled a lock of hair around her finger, shy but smiling brightly, "next time... why don't we go to the beach together for vacation?"

...

Bonus @400 💎💎

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