Chapter 42: Clumsy? Naive?

The unlucky guild master often drew missions that had low pay but weren't easy. He couldn't personally handle everything, so he could only entrust them to the kids. The ideal candidate was Laxus, but with his personality, it was difficult to make that work.

Thus, Erza, with her strong sense of responsibility and sufficient strength, often stepped in to solve these issues for the guild master.

Rhodes thought about it for a moment—Erza's influence in the guild wasn't just because of her strength.

"Wait, wait!" Rhodes suddenly noticed something odd. "What did Erza mean just now by completing the mission ahead of schedule… Is it what I think it is?"

Erza nodded. "I just took down the entire guild alone; it's no big deal."

"…" Rhodes fell silent. Sure, "no big deal."

Could it be that the outside world wasn't as dangerous as he had imagined?

Rhodes hesitated. "Wasn't that a bit unsafe?"

"Hmm, it was a bit rash to make that decision in haste," Erza admitted seriously, but she quickly added,

"I was just too eager for the strawberry cake from this place—I couldn't wait for backup. I'll think more carefully next time."

"…"

Great. So, because she was eager to get back to eat cake, she soloed an entire dark guild. Makes perfect sense.

Mira wasn't surprised at all; it was just Erza's style.

Plus, she'd read the intel on Scorpion's Tail—Erza could easily handle it.

The waitress soon brought the things Erza had ordered, small plates filling up the entire table.

Erza was immersed in her desserts, occasionally showing expressions completely unlike her usual stern demeanor—cute and full of delight.

Rhodes quietly calculated:

Erza defeated an entire dark guild, and I've been beaten by Erza.

So, my strength is roughly equivalent to that of a dark guild. Perfectly logical.

Haha, stay humble, stay humble.

Rhodes entertained himself after finishing his dessert.

Erza pushed some of the numerous servings of strawberry cake towards Mira and Rhodes. "Eat with me."

Rhodes asked, "Isn't strawberry cake your favorite?"

"That's why I want to share it. Sharing with companions makes delicious things even more delicious." Erza looked ecstatic as she said it, her tone almost monotone.

"Since it's Erza's sentiment, I'll have a bit more." Mira cut a small cake in half and shared it with Rhodes.

Then Erza started to feel something was off: "Speaking of which, why are you two here together… Could it be… a date?"

Rhodes hadn't reacted yet, but Erza's face was already red, her words becoming awkward, "W-when are you two getting married?"

"Pfft…" Rhodes covered his mouth, almost spitting his coffee on her face. "You're jumping way ahead!"

"Is it… not?"

"It's just that Wakaba's wife gave us two complimentary tickets," Mira explained, then put a hand on her cheek, smiling mischievously,

"Well… but if you think of it as a date, I suppose that works too."

"D-d-d-date…" Erza stuttered continuously.

Mira laughed even harder. "Shy Erza is adorable too. Too bad Rhodes doesn't blush anymore; it was more fun before."

Rhodes let out a light sigh—one month of experience had thickened his skin, or maybe he'd grown used to it.

The main thing was… when he left home today, he'd acted as if it was a date anyway.

Now, being teased by Mira like this, there wasn't really any room to feel embarrassed.

Rhodes soon found that Erza was a bit naïve.

When he and Mira had already moved on to another topic, Erza was still confirming with Mira whether she'd been joking or not.

It took a while to clear things up for Erza, and for her to finish her desserts. Then, the three of them left together.

"Please come again!" The waitress at the entrance gave a polite bow, but Erza suddenly stopped and said to Mira and Rhodes, "Wait for me."

Rhodes asked, "What's up with her?"

Mira thought for a moment, "Maybe she wants to pack up some cakes to take home?"

A few minutes later, Erza returned—but now she was wearing the uniform of the shop's waitresses.

Rhodes was completely bewildered. She'd gone in as a valiant knight, and come out as an elegant waitress?

Did she just transform in there?

"Welcome! Would you two like to order something?" Erza gave a slight bow, made a gesture inviting them, then straightened up and asked, "What do you think?"

The greeter girl at the door was already mesmerized by Erza.

"It looks…" Rhodes' words got stuck in his throat. He had intended to say "beautiful," but changed it to, "It suits you well."

Mira smiled and applauded, "It's beautiful. Why the sudden change?"

"Because I thought this uniform was cute, so I asked the owner if she would sell it to me." Erza tugged at the collar,

"She said it wasn't for sale, but if I worked half a day here, she'd give it to me."

Rhodes was a bit stunned. "…So you agreed?"

Erza nodded matter-of-factly. "That's right. So, I'm starting work now—can I leave my luggage with you guys to bring back to the guild?"

"But…" Rhodes' head buzzed.

You're an S-Class mage, making hundreds of thousands per mission, and you "sold" yourself just for a standard uniform?

Mira made no move to stop her; in fact, she encouraged Erza instead, "Good luck, we'll take care of your luggage."

…

In the end, it was the River Crab that took care of everything—not only pulling the luggage cart but also carrying both Rhodes and Mira.

"Do you find Erza's actions confusing?" Mira asked.

Mira sat sideways, her legs together, and her skirt tightly covering them—like a mermaid.

"A little, yeah. Is she really that type of person? It feels a bit clumsy, kind of naïve."

Rhodes thought about Erza's expression—she seemed to be enjoying herself.

Mira said, "I prefer to call it freedom and spontaneity. Erza likes all sorts of unique clothes and loves to try interesting jobs.

As for how much she earns, it's completely out of her consideration. In fact, as long as doing it makes her happy, that's the greatest reward.

Compared to Erza—or rather, compared to most of the guild—you're too tense and worried, Rhodes.

I don't really know what you've experienced, what burdens you carry, so I'm not in a position to tell you to relax like the others.

But at least today, even if it was just that little while in the dessert shop, I hope you were happy."

That same bright smile she had when they first met, the same gentle tone as the first time he heard her speak—each word flowed into Rhodes' heart like a gentle stream.

Soft, warm.

Rhodes finally understood why he had fallen for her.

"Thank you, I… am very happy."

"Every day in Fairy Tail has been happy."

"But today, especially happy."