"Oh~ isn't this Mirajane? So, you received an invitation too?"
Rhodes hadn't even left the suite when he heard a rather flirty female voice in the hallway.
He rushed out in three quick steps, positioning himself in front of Mira, holding the pendant in one hand and raising an explosive magic crystal in the other.
Standing before them was a girl with long golden waves, wearing a purple low-cut wrap dress, her face delicate yet with a sharper edge compared to Mira.
At the moment, the girl looked visibly startled seeing Rhodes suddenly appear.
"Who are you...? No, wait," she looked at the dangerous item in Rhodes' hand, "what do you mean by that??"
"Wait, Rhodes." Mira hurriedly grabbed Rhodes' right hand, afraid he might throw the explosive magic crystal. "She's not an enemy; she's Jenny from Blue Pegasus, and she's also a Sorcerer Magazine model."
"Sorry, Jenny. This is my companion Rhodes, a bit of a misunderstanding because you showed up suddenly." Mira only introduced Rhodes after making sure he put away the dangerous items.
"Oh, I remember now—Jenny Realight, the face of Blue Pegasus."
Rhodes had gathered information on this person in his notes. Since she belonged to the same guild as Hibiki, Rhodes had paid a little extra attention.
Like Mira, she wasn't known for her combat prowess but was highly famous as a model. Currently, she topped the list of "Most Wanted Mage as a Girlfriend."
However, recently Mira's popularity had soared, posing a slight threat to Jenny's ranking—though Mira didn't care much about such superficial lists.
"My apologies; I'm a bit on edge, that was quite rude of me." Rhodes apologized for having pulled out a "hand grenade."
"It's beyond rude, isn't it?! That's an explosive magic crystal, right? It definitely is!"
Jenny looked like she was about to lose her cool. Who in their right mind would suddenly pull out an explosive magic crystal in a hotel?!
She had heard rumors that people from Fairy Tail were reckless, but this was beyond expectation.
Rhodes frowned; something didn't feel right. When the magic crystal was pointed at her, she made no move to react—was her awareness that low? And afterward, she merely complained without any sign of preparing for either attack or defense. Was this reasonable behavior? "I'm really sorry, I was just a bit paranoid from traveling," Rhodes continued to apologize, and with Mira gently explaining, Jenny's anger soon subsided.
"Hmph~ I'll let it go."
Rhodes nearly threw the explosive magic crystal in her face, yet Jenny brushed it off so lightly.
She seemed genuinely unconcerned and even brought the conversation back on track immediately.
"Anyway, you're here for the Sorcerer Magazine anniversary celebration, right?"
"Yes, I assume you are as well?"
"Of course!" Jenny suddenly became full of energy. "Tonight, I'll be presenting the best fashion show, and I'll definitely beat you!"
Mira responded unhurriedly, "Oh, but isn't tonight just a celebration? There won't be any judging, right?"
"Too naive!" Jenny pulled out a small fan from who knows where and pointed it dramatically. "Sorcerer Magazine is releasing a special issue for its fifteenth anniversary, and we invited guests will definitely be featured in it. And then... I will beat you with absolute popularity and hold my position as number one!"
Mira showed an expression of sudden realization, "I see. Well, good luck!"
Jenny's energy instantly deflated, and she said, somewhat frustrated, "What kind of attitude is that? Get serious, will you!"
"Unfortunately, I don't plan to do a fashion show today, so I can't compete with you."
Mira wasn't particularly interested in photoshoots or modeling; she only did it as a part-time job by invitation. Being ranked on that chart was just an accident—she didn't care about it. "Well then, we have some things to do. See you tonight."
Mira smiled and bid her goodbye, then turned to Rhodes. "Let's go."
"Wait, you..." Jenny stomped her feet in frustration.
...
"Doesn't she have a strong competitive spirit?"
"Perhaps so; I've only met her twice," Mira said. "So, what do you think? Is she prettier in person than in the magazines?"
A deadly question.
Rhodes thought for a moment. "Well, I didn't really notice because she was just too strange."
"Strange?"
"Yeah, when she saw a stranger pull out an explosive magic crystal, shouldn't she have immediately run away or taken me down?
Why did she just stand there frozen? She's a mage too, right? Such a low sense of danger—is that really okay?"
"Hmm..." Mira wasn't sure how to respond—normally, no one would expect a stranger to suddenly pull out an explosive magic crystal.
Moreover, Jenny was a famous beauty; shouldn't someone seeing her get excited and rush over for a handshake or autograph? Judging by Rhodes' reaction, he clearly recognized her, but his attitude never changed at all.
As Mira pondered, Rhodes realized something troubling. "Does that mean I'm the weird one?"
Mira suddenly stopped, clasped her hands together in a prayer gesture, tilted her head slightly towards the guild's direction, and said, "Thank goodness, Master... your goal is finally accomplished..."
"Uh, Mira," Rhodes reminded her, "the master is still alive."
"That's not the point. The master specifically pushed you out to take on a mission so you'd learn that normal mages live more relaxed lives like Jenny.
They don't necessarily need immense power; they don't need to carry enough firepower to blow up a village when traveling."
After thinking for a moment, Mira added, "Of course, being cautious during a mission is important. Even if you went a bit overboard today, it does provide a different sense of safety."
"Hmm... I get it." Rhodes said, "Thank you, and thanks to the master as well. In the future... well, I'll observe a bit more."
Mira: "..."
That works too. Just the fact that he was willing to leave Magnolia was already a good start. Perhaps after more experience with missions, he'd naturally ease into normal behavior... right?
With the scent of flowers filling the air, they strolled through the streets, watching people come and go, enjoying the birdsong and flower fragrance.
The grand palace at the city center couldn't be entered freely, but seeing it up close was good enough.
Mira calculated the time and suggested, "It's still early. Why don't we head to the shopping street? Since we're here, I'd like to buy some clothes for Elfman."
"Sure." Rhodes didn't mind where they went, but he did feel a bit envious of Elfman—having an older sister like that must be nice.
Though she often watched Elfman get beaten up in fights without intervening; though she laughed when the master slapped Elfman into the ground... Uh... well, that's how older sisters are, right?