Sense of Crisis

The happy couple didn't get to bask in their moment for long, Mira was quickly ambushed by a swarm of curious girls, buzzing with gossip.

Rhodes, bouquet still in hand, was left behind, frozen like a statue while Mira was dragged off.

Laki led the charge. "Okay, okay! That was super sweet and all, but haven't you two basically been dating for ages?"

Mira giggled softly, her hand brushing her still-warm cheek. "Well... we're officially dating starting today. Or maybe since yesterday."

"Wait, wait, wait, yesterday?! What happened yesterday? How far did it go? Just a hug? A forehead kiss? A real kiss?"

Mira smiled mysteriously. "That's a secret."

"Come on, Miraaaaaaa!" the girls chorused, clinging to her like magnets.

"And hey, who made the first move, huh?" another girl chimed in.

As Mira was swarmed with questions, she eventually gave in and shared the story of how she'd come to fall in love with Rhodes, blushing through all the juiciest parts.

Meanwhile, across the guild hall, the boys were just as curious about Rhodes' technique.

Everyone had their own theories. Alzack believed it came down to Rhodes being cool and attentive. Jet and Droy figured it was the "slow burn" strategy: spending enough time with someone until feelings naturally grew.

Max, on the other hand, went straight to the source. He slung an arm around Rhodes' shoulder, plopped him into a chair, and launched into a rapid-fire Q&A session.

Rhodes thought Max was actually interested—until the conversation suddenly derailed into embarrassing stories about Warren, then skipped over to Natsu, and finally to the quality of Hargeon's seafood.

That's just how Max rolled. The saying went:

"If Max is chatting, who knows what the topic is."

"If Max is chatting, who knows who he's chatting with."

Meanwhile, Rhodes noticed several guildmates staring at him with absolute, soul-consuming envy.

He sniffed the bouquet dramatically and held it up with pride. "Lovely, aren't they? My girlfriend gave them to me."

"ARGH!"

"Get me a barrel of ale!"

"Drinks! I need to drown my emotions!"

Over in the corner, Joey and Niggy approached Elfman with a mischievous glint in their eyes.

"Hey Elfman, didn't you say you wouldn't let anyone near your sister unless they could beat you in a fight? Well? Time to unleash the Beast King Soul and defend her honor!"

Elfman blinked, then lowered his voice. "But... it was my sister who confessed this time."

That memory of Mira activating her Satan Soul again, of showing him that powerful side she'd been hiding, nearly brought tears to his eyes.

"She's finally back," he whispered to himself.

Not just in strength, but in spirit. She'd chosen her happiness.

And Elfman? He was proud beyond words.

"My sister... is a real man!" he bawled, fists clenched and face red with emotion.

Whenever Elfman mentioned the word "manly," people had long since developed a habit of ignoring it. But Niggy, who had just finished talking with him, looked like he had aged five years from mental exhaustion.

Still, Joey wasn't ready to give up the argument. "What does it matter? Either way, he's dating Mira now. Shouldn't we test if he's strong enough?"

Elfman replied flatly, "If you wanna test him, be my guest."

What good would it do? If Rhodes beat you, you'd get pummeled. But if you beat him… you'd probably still get pummeled by Mira.

Either way, Elfman had zero intention of fighting Rhodes anytime soon.

Suddenly remembering he had a job today, he stood up and headed toward the mission board.

Niggy and Joey exchanged a look that screamed: Are we really going to fight Rhodes?

...

Eventually, the excitement died down and things at the guild returned to normal, well, as normal as they could get at Fairy Tail. But ever since the official announcement of Mira and Rhode's relationship, all kinds of curious glances kept following them around.

Still, not much changed between them on the surface.

They just sat a little closer during paperwork, that's all.

Whenever Rhodes grew tired of scribbling reports, he'd sneak his hand under the counter and give Mira's fingers a gentle squeeze.

Most of the time, Mira enjoyed this kind of secret contact. Other times, she'd mess with him. Out of nowhere, her hand would morph into her demonic Satan Soul form and give his fingers a sharp pinch.

Rhodes would retaliate by switching to one of his own take over hands. Sometimes it was a Brambleback claw, sometimes a crab pincer, and if things escalated too far, he might end up with a Gromp-style frog hand.

Then Mira would respond by shifting hers into Demon's fist.

They'd play this shapeshifting slap-fight like mischievous middle school sweethearts.

Rhodes couldn't help but feel like they were reliving the kind of young love he never got to experience. He had seen students secretly holding hands under their desks back in his old world, and this playful affection felt just like that.

Was this his chance to make up for those regrets?

Eventually, after cycling through a few "battle hands," they'd silently revert to their normal ones, fingers laced gently together, palms warm and steady.

But despite the cozy sweetness, Rhodes couldn't shake a subtle sense of crisis.

Right now, in terms of raw magical power and combat strength…

He was totally losing to his girlfriend.

If this kept up, Rhodes had a feeling he'd end up getting overpowered by Mira someday.

Sure, she was usually gentle, soft-spoken, and recently prone to shy glances and flustered smiles. But after today, he had a deeper realization, when Mira needed to be strong, she was strong.

This was a dangerous precedent.

The "Fairy strategist" decided it was time to update his personal training regime. But first, he needed to get a better sense of Mira's current power level.

He had one more reason to train harder now although, admittedly, it was a bit of a strange one.

"Sis, I'm taking this request," Elfman declared.

"Let me see." Mira set down her pen and took the request form from him. "That far away? Are you going solo?"

"Yep! It's a trial of manliness!" Elfman said seriously, thinking this was a good way to sharpen his skills. "I'll be gone for a few days. Don't worry!"

Rhodes leaned over and glanced at the job title. Then, with his left hand, he reached under the counter and pulled out several related documents to inspect more closely.

"Map it," he said, placing the documents in front of Mira and gesturing with his chin.

Mira narrowed her eyes at him. "Where's your other hand?"

Rhodes met her gaze innocently. "You really don't know?"

Their shoulders were practically touching, but Mira still drew the recommended route carefully, her pen moving along the lines Rhodes pointed out.

"Burn this path into your memory," Rhodes said, voice calm but firm. "Keep your guard up when you're outside. And you've only just started using the Beast King Soul, check your magic reserves before pulling it out."

He rattled off a list of additional suggestions, then added, "Swing by the warehouse. Pick up another magic tome, just to be safe."

Elfman paused, then nodded. It made sense. Being overprepared was never a bad thing.

Before he left, Mira fussed over his collar and patted his shoulders. "Be careful, okay? Don't push yourself."

"I got it."

Elfman stepped out into the sunlight. The gentle spring breeze brushed past him, warm and refreshing.

He touched the magic tome tucked under his arm and smiled.

But then he thought back to all the "concerned advice" Rhodes had given him… and how his sister had straightened his outfit like a mother before a school trip.

He hadn't thought much of it earlier, but now that he did...

Was this still about being a younger brother?

Or had he somehow become their child?