New Year Is Coming

After listening to Mira chat about countless little things, Rhodes began teasing her with playful expressions, occasionally chiming in to banter, and even laughing as they speculated on how tough it must be to design Erza's armor sets.

His mood had clearly lifted.

To have someone like this by your side, someone who can put your heart at ease when you're weighed down by emotions, is a rare and precious blessing.

"Thanks."

Mira leaned sideways against the counter, resting her cheek in one hand as she gazed at him with a playful glint in her eyes. "Thank you for what?" she asked, feigning innocence.

Did she know how pretty she looked like that?

Rhodes gave her a sidelong smile as he swirled the drink in his hand. "Thanks for buying me juice."

"Hehe." Mira grinned, but continued pressing him. "Is that really all?"

Rhodes hesitated for a beat before asking, "Did the Master and Erza tell you about the S-Class exam?"

"Mm, just a bit. The Master said you performed really well," Mira replied. Then she tilted her head. "Are you still wondering if you didn't do enough to help Cana pass?"

Rhodes thought for a moment. "Well, not exactly."

Mira offered gently, "Then maybe it's something else. Like, even though you were prepared, actually realizing that you couldn't beat Laxus with your own strenth, even after giving it your all, it stung a little, didn't it?"

"Maybe a little," Rhodes admitted. "But it's not the end of the world. I've got a clear idea of what I want to work on and where I need to improve, so I'm not going to let it get me too down."

Considering he had only been practicing magic for six months, being able to go toe-to-toe with S-Class mages was already a huge accomplishment. He was proud of that.

He wasn't strong enough yet, but he was getting there.

"In that case," Mira's eyes shifted toward the bar, where Cana sat with a barrel of booze. "What's really bothering you is Cana, isn't it? You're afraid she might not bounce back from this."

Rhodes turned to look at her. "You reading my mind now?"

Mira smiled. "I don't know that kind of magic. But anyone who's paying attention could guess."

Just show a little care.

"It's her mindset that worries me," she continued. "If she were like Warren or Mickey, blowing off steam and getting into a few brawls, I wouldn't be so concerned. But instead she's drowning herself in alcohol. That's not healthy. And I've tried talking to her, but…" Mira sighed.

Rhodes remembered the expression Cana wore on the day of the exam. Haunted. Hollow. He knew she wasn't blaming him. If anything, she was looking inward, trying to shoulder all the blame.

And when the guilt became too much, when the pressure reached its limit, she numbed herself the only way she knew how.

He had seen it before. People breaking down after failing something important. Back in his original world, some had even taken their lives over failed college entrance exams.

Cana was only seventeen.

That meant she had been taking this exam and failing it every year since she was fourteen. And this year was another blow.

How could anyone not worry?

"Have a little more faith in her," Mira said gently. "Besides, she's not alone. Everyone in the guild cares about her."

She tilted her head toward the bar. "Look."

Rhodes turned. There, across the room, Macao was sitting with Cana, a glass of wine in his hand, quietly talking to her.

Cana barely responded, but when she reached to pour herself more from the barrel, Macao firmly placed a hand on top of it to stop her.

Cana muttered a few drunken complaints under her breath.

Macao just kept talking to her with a gentle smile, unfazed.

Not long after, Wakaba strolled over and sat beside them, puffing on his ever-present pipe.

Cana waved her hands in disgust, trying to shoo away the smoke, and Macao immediately joined her in mock outrage, dramatically fanning the air. The two of them ganged up on Wakaba, scolding him together.

Naturally, it devolved into their usual back-and-forth—bickering, throwing playful jabs, and eventually grappling like kids. But after a few minutes, they both settled down and resumed their seats.

Mira chuckled softly. "Those two old men might act silly most of the time, but when it counts, they can be pretty reliable."

She looked toward Cana with a fond smile. "You know, she's been with the guild for eleven years now. She practically grew up under their noses. I think, deep down, they both see her as family. Maybe even like a daughter."

"So don't worry too much. Give her a little time."

Rhodes looked at Macao and Wakaba again. Even while wrestling, they still kept their eyes on Cana. Maybe they really were reliable after all.

Then, without warning, a heavy paw landed on his shoulder.

"Rhodes! Let's spar!" said a voice with blazing determination.

"Mickey?" Rhodes blinked. "Huh? Why?"

Mickey cracked her knuckles, fire in her eyes. "Because I'm in a bad mood! Why did we get knocked out in the first round, while you guys made it to the third? And look at your face—you're all gloomy like you lost everything!"

She slammed her fists together. "You've beaten us more times than I can count. And now you're walking around all mopey? Nope, not happening. I'm dragging you to the training yard right now!"

Rhodes groaned. "Wasn't it Warren and Max who beat you?"

"They can wait! You're up first!" Mickey marched off toward the backyard, already assuming Rhodes had accepted the challenge.

Mira grinned. "Go get her."

"You just want to see a fight," Rhodes muttered, though a smile tugged at his lips.

Mira winked playfully. "Maybe. But you've noticed, haven't you? I'm not the only one who cares about you."

Rhodes glanced toward Mickey's retreating figure, then back at Mira. After a moment, he smiled. "Guess I owe her a good sparring session."

A few minutes later...

The heartless Rhodes gave Mickey a solid beating.

Well, she asked for it.

The whole thing started because Mickey got annoyed that Rhodes had used the Krug to spar with her and took it as an insult, as if he didn't think she was worth his full strength.

Even after he had the Murk Wolf spar with her next, she still wasn't satisfied. She insisted on trying out the same combo moves that Rhodes used against Laxus.

Left with no choice, Rhodes summoned the Blue Sentinel and sent her flying straight out of the guildyard and into the lake behind it with a single punch.

Thankfully, he didn't hit her too hard and even gave her a heads-up before striking, so she wasn't hurt. Just thoroughly soaked.

But Mickey was nothing if not easygoing. She clapped Rhodes on the shoulder with a grin and ran off to pick a fight with Warren instead.

Just as Rhodes was about to warn her about the cold, a glimmer of light flickered over her body, and her dripping wet clothes instantly dried.

No, it wasn't some drying spell. It was a full outfit change.

Like Mira had said before, a lot of girls in the guild had picked up a little bit of wardrobe magic. It was just too convenient not to.

...

A few days earlier, it had snowed heavily. Time had flown by, and now it was already late December. The year X783 was almost over.

The snow still blanketed the town. When Rhodes took Warm downstairs, he spotted a snowman standing in front of the first-floor door.

It was built the day before yesterday when Bayer had come over to play. Originally, the snowman had a scarf and a little hat, but Mrs. Molly had "borrowed" them yesterday. Probably for her laundry line.

To be honest, Rhodes sometimes got the childish urge to kick other people's snowmen when walking through the streets. But he managed to restrain himself.

Warm, on the other hand, had no such self-control. Thankfully, Rhodes always managed to catch him before he caused too much chaos.

Over the past two weeks, Rhodes had teamed up with Elfman on two different requests. Both were jobs he'd picked deliberately, where the client had at least two children in their household.

Mira had hesitated a bit when she saw the missions he'd chosen, but eventually gave her approval.

In the end, though, they were just simple errands. Rhodes couldn't force sentimentality, and there was no way to engineer an emotional breakthrough. All he could do was keep paying attention.

He wasn't sure if Elfman had noticed the pattern, but Rhodes could feel that Elfman was slowly and steadily growing stronger.

"Hurrulu~"

As soon as Mira opened the guild doors, Warm immediately scampered over, eager to cuddle up to her. After Mr. Cook, Mira was the one who sneaked him snacks the most, so of course she had to be high on his suck-up-to list.

"Good morning," Mira greeted with a warm smile, crouching down to pat Warm's head.

Warm was getting noticeably heavier these days. Mira was starting to avoid picking him up unless absolutely necessary.

"Morning," Rhodes replied, noticing her coat and scarf. She looked ready to head out. "Wait, am I late?"

Mira chuckled. "No, it's just New Year's. The guild's planning a little celebration, so I'm heading out to buy a few things."

"Ohhh." Rhodes gave Warm a knowing pat, and the little guy scampered off to play with the others in the guild.

Then, without much else to say, Rhodes walked out onto the snowy street with Mira.

...

You all know the drill, right? 😉 Time to yeet those powerstones. Let's slap our way into the top 20 this week, one shiny stone at a time! 💎💎💎