Loke is here again

"So many requests this time?" Mira asked as she took the thick stack of mission requests Rhodes had brought back.

"Yeah," Rhodes replied. "This is a critical period. We need to crack down hard on any dark guilds that dare to stir up trouble."

"Then let's get them posted right away," Mira said, grabbing a few sheets of parchment. She began copying the missions one by one into the proper guild commission format.

"Sis Mira! I want a roast chicken and a dozen beers upstairs!" came a shout from above. It was Laki's voice, loud and carefree.

Since the guild was rebuilt, the old rule about avoiding the second floor unless you were authorized had been scrapped. Master Makarov decided that restricting movement like that was bad for guild bonding. However, the rule still stood that S-Class requests, now posted upstairs, could only be taken under the lead of an S-Class wizard.

"Got it!" Rhodes called back on Mira's behalf and made his way to fetch the drinks.

As soon as he got upstairs, he was met with a scowl.

"Why are you here? We wanted to see the waitresses…" Warren muttered, clearly disappointed.

Rhodes thudded the tray of drinks down hard on the table. "Wow, you're not even pretending anymore?"

"How's that my fault?" Warren shrugged. "Look at Laki, Sally, and Izzy in those new uniforms. They only wear them two days a week. Except the first week when they wore them every day. Who wants to be served by you?"

Rhodes gave him a flat look. "Good to know how shallow you are."

But before he could say more, another voice rang out. "Roast chicken for table three on the second floor."

It was a girl's voice this time, and before Warren could even identify it, his posture snapped upright like a soldier at inspection.

Rhodes tilted his head at the familiar tone and turned to look.

"Erza? You're back?"

 Erza Scarlet stepped forward with a tray in hand, giving Warren a smile so professional it could have come from a restaurant hostess.

"Thank you!" Warren squeaked, eyes darting nervously but sitting ramrod straight.

Seeing her in a waitress uniform didn't surprise Rhodes at all. "So… you really took the part-time job?"

"I thought the new uniforms were cute," Erza explained, twirling once for full effect. "Mira said if I worked here for a full week, I could keep the dress."

She seemed proud of the outfit, an adorable break from her usual armors. Most of her gear had been damaged during the battle with Jellal and was still off for repairs, so working a side job wasn't a bad way to pass time.

Rhodes realized immediately that this was definitely Mira's idea. Clever move.

"Looks great on you," Rhodes gave her a thumbs-up. "Keep it up."

To be honest, Erza looked amazing. She was easily as beautiful as Mira. But that only made Rhodes want to hurry back downstairs.

"You're not heading to the backyard?" Mira asked as Rhodes returned to her side. "The pool's finally open. Levy, Lucy, and Bisca are back there in swimsuits. Lots of cute girls, you know."

Rhodes grabbed a pen and joined her at the table, helping copy down the remaining requests. Mira worked from the front of the list, and he tackled it from the back.

He responded seriously, "I'm not interested in swimsuits."

"Oh, really?" Mira said with a teasing smile. "Didn't someone stare really hard the other day?"

"I mean it," Rhodes replied with a nod. "Unless you're the one wearing it."

Mira paused to think for a moment. "Then… should we change physical training to swimming from now on?"

Rhodes immediately agreed. "Yes. Absolutely yes."

Mira gave him a playful eye roll. "What are you even thinking? How are we supposed to train like that?"

She handed the copied mission slips to him. "Go post them."

Rhodes strolled over to the bulletin board and saw the familiar sight of Nab Lasaro, the guild's most famous loiterer.

"Nab," he greeted dryly. "Staying busy?"

"Ah, of course," Nab replied with a nod. For him, standing around staring at the mission board was considered staying busy.

Rhodes posted all the commissions at the top section of the board. Taking on dark guilds was no joke. Even if many were weak, every one of them was dangerous in their own way. If someone picked one up later, he'd have to make sure they were reminded to form a proper team.

When he returned to the counter and watched the beautiful waitresses bustling around in their new uniforms, Rhodes suddenly asked, "Do you think I should quit working as a server?"

Mira looked up, surprised. "Why?"

"Well… we have enough staff now. And honestly, I feel like I don't quite fit in anymore."

Mira paused for a moment and then clapped her hands together in realization. "Oh! I know! It's because everyone's wearing uniforms, and you're not."

"That's not really the issue," Rhodes replied dryly.

"Why not? Come on, try this on!" Mira said with a giggle, pulling out a paper bag.

It definitely felt like she'd prepared it ahead of time.

Rhodes reached inside and pulled out the clothing. It was the same bright red color as Mira's outfit. But when he unfolded it completely… it wasn't just the color. It was the exact same style.

He held the little skirt up in front of him and gave Mira a helpless look. "You really want me to wear this?"

"Just try it on, just a little bit," Mira said, laughing and covering her mouth.

Rhodes folded the outfit right back up and tapped her forehead lightly with his finger. "Yeah, no thanks."

"Ow…" Mira rubbed her forehead with a smile. "Actually, I did plan to have something made for you, but I think it's better if you switch to wearing a suit and act as the store manager instead."

"Now that sounds much better." Rhodes nodded. He spent most of his time managing guild affairs anyway—calculating income and expenses, organizing missions. When he got free time, he wanted to read or train. Being the "store manager" of the tavern side of the guild wasn't a bad idea at all.

It even felt like a bit of a promotion. And once he had a clearer picture of the guild's finances, maybe he'd give himself a raise. Mira really had thought it through.

"Let's run it by Master Makarov later," Mira suggested, eyes sparkling. She was happy to plan things this way because she believed it truly suited him.

The two of them finished copying the last few commissions and posted them on the board.

Just then, Cana walked by, tore off one of the freshly posted sheets, and declared, "I'll take this one."

Mira glanced at the paper and asked, "By yourself?"

Cana waved it off casually. "It's just a dark guild with nine members."

Cana was strong enough to handle a small-time dark guild on her own, but Mira was still concerned, especially since Cana tended to be drunk more often than not. "It's better to team up with someone," Mira advised gently. "That way, someone can look after you."

"How am I supposed to find a teammate?" Cana muttered, frowning. "I'm in a hurry to earn more money for drinks…" Her eyes slid slyly to Rhodes. "How about lending me your boyfriend for a few days?"

Rhodes sighed. "You're really pushing your luck with that kind of talk."

Cana grinned. "Who's going to get hit, me or you?"

"Alright, enough teasing," Mira intervened, still smiling. "Rhodes has been working hard lately. He deserves a break. Try thinking seriously about who you want to team up with."

Cana looked genuinely troubled for a moment, unsure.

Just then, a familiar voice called out, "How about teaming up with me?"

Everyone turned toward the sound. A stylish man in a green jacket walked up with a relaxed smile. His glasses glinted under the light. "Hey! You're all lively as ever, huh? The guild looks completely different now."

"Loke?" The three were surprised. "Are you alright now?"

"I'm good," Loke replied casually. "Just needed a bit of recovery time in the Celestial Spirit World. I was originally dealing with something involving my girlfriend, but if Cana's in a bind, there's no way I can ignore her."

"But you belong to Lucy now, don't you?" Cana asked. "If you team up with me, won't that interfere with her summoning?"

"I might be Lucy's Celestial Spirit," Loke replied, "but I'm also a Fairy Tail wizard. And don't worry, this time I came to the human world on my own using my own magic. It won't affect Lucy's ability to summon anyone else."

"In that case," Cana said with a shrug, "fine by me." She turned to Mira. "Is it alright if I team up with Loke, then?"

Mira looked toward Rhodes. Before she could speak, Rhodes stepped forward and suddenly threw a punch at Loke's face.

Loke casually raised his hand and caught it.

Rhodes narrowed his eyes and applied more force, but Loke didn't budge. A soft golden light shimmered from Loke's hand as he matched the strength.

After a tense moment, the two simultaneously released their grips, grinning.

"So, you've moved on from being a holding type to a real ability user now, huh?" Rhodes smirked. "You feel stronger."

Loke gave a relaxed smile. "That's because the ring I used before was just a mass-produced copy. Now I've regained my original power."

...

Bonus Chapter