Together We Are Strongest

"You know," Rhodes said with surprising seriousness, still lying on his back in the sand, "from a medical standpoint, lying flat like this isn't good for the curvature of the cervical spine. It also doesn't help relieve neck muscle fatigue."

"Oh really?" Mira replied, clearly amused.

"Yes. Prolonged posture like this can affect blood flow. In extreme cases, it might even reduce oxygen supply to the brain. Ideally, you should elevate the head slightly with something soft to relieve pressure inside the skull."

She tilted her head. "And what exactly are you trying to say?"

Rhodes licked his lips, shamelessly continuing, "So, medically speaking… I think the best solution is, your lap. Could I borrow it? For, uh, spine health."

Mira stared at him for a moment, then burst out laughing.

"Seriously? You gave me a whole anatomy lecture for a knee pillow?"

Rhodes wanted to say that skipping the preamble would make him look like a total perv, but before he could, Mira was already kneeling on the beach beside him.

She slid her hands under his arms, pulled him gently, and rested his head onto her lap. "There. Like this?"

"Yeah… that's perfect." Rhodes sighed contentedly. 'Normally I'd scoot myself over, why does it feel like I just got suplexed into this lap pillow?'

His girlfriend, strong enough to crack stone and still soft enough to soothe him... it was a contradiction he was getting used to.

And honestly? It was really comfortable. Plus, the angle let him admire Mira's face up close, not a bad view at all. If it weren't for that tight sports vest holding her back, he probably wouldn't even be able to see her face past her—

Mira reached down and gently brushed his cheek with her fingers, her voice quiet with concern. "Sorry… I shouldn't have used that spell."

"It's fine. Didn't really hurt me," Rhodes replied, taking her hand and flipping it over in his. "Still, I probably shouldn't have used red buff either."

Even though Mira had deliberately missed her target by a wide margin, her spell was so strong it launched Rhodes from the training yard straight into the lake.

Thankfully, the soft sand cushioned the impact. It still hurt, but not in a broken ribs way. If she had hit him directly, he was pretty sure he'd be out cold.

So he did what any reasonable person would do after losing a spar with their girlfriend: accepted defeat and lay there like a log. Worked out fine, he even scored a lap pillow out of it.

He didn't win the fight, but the post-battle reward was definitely worth it.

Rhodes studied Mira's slightly bruised knuckles while she examined the scrapes and welts on his shoulders.

Two people, worrying about each other, beside the calm lake. The one who'd really have something to cry about tomorrow would be the guildmaster.

Because Mira's "I'll go easy on you" move? Yeah, not so easy after all.

Where Rhodes had once punched a hole through the wall, Mira had now effectively leveled the guild's back entrance.

The yard had a new crater. Training equipment? Gone. Vaporized. The back door was nothing but splinters, and the wall connecting the first and second floors now had a crack that ran all the way up like a lightning bolt.

They held hands and walked back to the guild only to find the destruction in full view.

Mira winced. "Oof… maybe I went a little overboard."

Rhodes sighed, looking at the devastation. "Yeah. Looks like I'm gonna be busy with repairs tomorrow."

By all logic, the rule of "you break it, you fix it" meant that most of the repair work tomorrow would fall squarely on Mira's shoulders.

But Rhodes wasn't about to sit by and watch.

Given the scale of the destruction, it looked like they'd need to enlist the whole guild's help just to get things back in order.

For now, the two of them worked together to sweep up the debris that had flown inside and piled it in a neat heap in the courtyard. Then Rhodes used his Brambleback form to grow a tangle of thick vines, weaving them into a makeshift barrier across the shattered wall. The actual repair work could wait until tomorrow.

On the way back, they grabbed a ride on the crab. Mira had insisted.

She clung gently to Rhodes' arm, resting her head against him.

The warmth of her leaning into him wasn't just comforting, it was dangerously distracting.

"You okay?" Rhodes asked softly when he noticed her breathing had grown slower, more relaxed.

Mira nodded with a tired smile. "Satan Soul takes a lot out of me."

That made sense. The moment she activated that form, her speed, strength, and magic output surged, and on top of that, she could fly and unleash powerful attacks. Even without the spectacular finishing move, just the burst of power from the transformation alone told you how taxing it was.

Despite Mira's S-Class-level reserves of magic, endurance had always been her weak spot.

Rhodes had also realized something else during the fight, he still lacked a true "finishing move."

Sure, he'd been refining his skills. His strongest offensive combo so far was when he boosted his magic in Brambleback form for a crushing claw strike. Combined with the Red buff's true damage, it packed a serious punch.

But when compared to Mira's explosive attacks?

It didn't feel like an "ultimate" move at all.

A real finisher should be something that pushes your power to the limit, that surging, game-ending magic blast that turns the tide.

He needed to improve. If wild monster-based skills weren't going to evolve quickly enough, he'd have to look elsewhere. Maybe even ask Master Makarov if it was possible to learn Fairy Law or Fairy Glitter.

Of course, both were legendary spells, "super magic" that few even dared to touch.

In all the time he'd spent at Fairy Tail, Rhodes hadn't heard of a single person aside from the Master himself who had ever used one.

Still...

"Next time," Rhodes said with a thoughtful smile, "I'll let you fight me while wearing the Blue buff."

He meant it. If Mira had that kind of sustained magical support, the kind that restored her stamina and magic as she fought, she'd be terrifyingly powerful.

She grinned and teased, "what if I win?"

Rhodes replied without missing a beat, "You win, obviously. But I still get half the credit. Based on the guild's reward-sharing policy, I say I deserve half the prize."

In other words, if she wins, she gets it all, and if she loses, he still gets half. It was a flawless strategy. Rhodes always wins.

Mira smacked him lightly in the chest.

They both knew this kind of training would continue in the future, but next time, definitely not so close to the guild hall.

...

The next morning, the guild was in an uproar over the destruction.

"Who did this?! Someone actually attacked our guild?!"

"Did we get invaded while no one was here?"

"Damn it, was it overnight? Is anyone hurt?!"

Everyone clearly remembered the guild being completely fine when they left yesterday. But now? One wall was practically demolished, the back door was off its hinges, and part of the yard looked like a cratered war zone.

"Did they sneak in after hours? Cowards! Coming in through the back when no one's around, how shameful!"

Even Makarov was dismayed, though he kept his cool. He cared deeply about the guild, but he wasn't about to lose his temper over some sneaky saboteur who didn't even have the guts to strike when people were present.

Then Rhodes raised his voice. "Well… actually, sorry, everyone. Mira and I were the last ones to leave yesterday…"

But before he could finish—

"Rhodes, you don't need to apologize!"

"That's right! It's not your fault. You can't be here guarding the place 24/7."

"We have to find whoever did this!"

Apparently, in everyone's mind, if Rhodes had been present, the culprit would've been apprehended on the spot. And since no one had been caught, then clearly, Rhodes wasn't there when it happened.

Their complete and overwhelming trust in him was so intense that even his attempts to be vague were buried under their assumptions. Rhodes found himself steamrolled by the sheer weight of their faith in him.

Then Mira, looking a little awkward, quietly admitted, "Actually… I was the one who destroyed it."

The crowd fell silent for a beat.

Then came the laughter.

"Good one, Mira!"

"You're just trying to calm us down, right?"

"Yeah, come on, that excuse is even worse than blaming Rhodes!"

Rhodes wanted to raise his hand and say that, technically, he contributed to the structural damage. In fact, if they really wanted to get into percentages, he was responsible for about half the destruction.

With no other choice, Mira calmly stepped forward and activated Satan Soul.

The chatter died instantly.

...

[Bonus Chapter]

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