Today, Mira wore a white off-shoulder sweater, simple and beautifully patterned. She paired it with deep blue wide-leg jeans and white flat shoes.
The whole look was simple yet elegant and sharp.
But the design of the sweater was quite confusing—its sleeves were long enough to cover half of her hands, while her shoulders and collarbones were exposed. It left one wondering whether it was meant to be for warmth or for staying cool.
After much careful thought, Rhodes finally concluded that the most important purpose of such a design was to look good.
The two set off around noon, leaving the pub in the hands of Laki, Sally, and Liz. Since they'd just received gifts from Rhodes two days ago, they couldn't even complain.
Jealous glances from the others were unavoidable, but no one was about to turn into geese to block their way.
"Are you cold?" Rhodes knew it might be a bit blunt, but he couldn't help asking.
"It's not cold in the guild, and now it's noon, so I'm fine," Mira paused for a moment, brushing her hair back. "Does it look bad?"
Rhodes was a bit surprised—Mira actually asked him that.
He pointed to his eyes, "I thought you'd be able to see the word 'beautiful' written in my eyes."
"Is that so? Let me see carefully." Mira quickened her pace and turned to face Rhodes, her eyes smiling as they looked into his.
Rhodes stopped, meeting her gaze—he looked at her slightly blue eyes, her softly drooping eyelids, her lovely lashes…
He also saw her hand awkwardly lifting to tuck her hair back.
The atmosphere turned a little strange, and Rhodes could feel his cheeks warming slightly.
Staring directly into the eyes of the girl you liked but hadn't yet established a relationship with was definitely not a good idea.
Both of them averted their eyes, not sure whether to keep walking or stop.
"Mira-sis! Rhodes-bro!"
Perfect timing—they both let out a sigh of relief.
"Romeo?" Mira recognized the boy who often played at the guild. "Out playing by yourself?"
Rhodes knew the kid—he was Macao's son, only five years old, and he usually liked playing with Natsu and Happy.
Back when the news of Rhodes being the "strongest newcomer" was trending, Romeo had admired him briefly—but he still couldn't compare to Natsu.
"Yeah." Romeo nodded and asked, "Mira-sis, is Natsu-bro at the guild?"
"Natsu and Happy went on a job, they'll probably be back tomorrow or the day after," Mira said, seeing Romeo's disappointed look. "Your dad's at the guild, you can go find him."
Romeo shook his head, "Dad's got his own things to do—I can't always bother him.
"I'll go find other friends then. Bye, Mira-sis, Rhodes-bro!"
"Bye." Rhodes and Mira waved to him, neither wanting to tell the kid that Macao was only drinking in the guild.
But Romeo probably knew what his dad was like. Right now, to him, that might just be what adults were supposed to do.
Rhodes said, "Romeo seems to be proud of his dad being a Fairy Tail wizard."
"Yeah, unlike Wakaba's daughter." Mira remembered Wakaba complaining about his family recently. "It seems she doesn't like Wakaba much, and he's also been arguing with his wife lately."
"He's really not good at handling family relationships." Rhodes remembered how he and Mira had once helped ease the situation by chance.
They continued chatting about the small gossip in the guild until they found the restaurant Mira had mentioned.
The cuisine here was really diverse—once again, Rhodes realized this.
They had just ordered chestnut chicken stew, cumin mushrooms, pine nut corn, clams in their own juice, stir-fried peppers with pork, and a lotus root rib soup.
Although the restaurant's sign, name, and decor followed the typical style of this world, it was actually a Chinese restaurant!
Since they usually ate at the guild, Mira knew quite well what Rhodes's eating habits and flavor preferences were. No wonder she said he'd probably like this place.
"What's up?" Mira laughed—Rhodes's surprised expression was quite amusing.
Rhodes looked at her, "I'm a bit surprised. Thank you."
"Ara ara, looks like I guessed right." Mira gave a playful wink.
Rhodes wished she knew that such playful charm should be considered cheating.
It was the middle of autumn, and everything they ordered was seasonal, fresh, and flavorful.
Combined with the chef's excellent cooking and the good mood, Rhodes enjoyed the meal immensely.
"Slow down, I'm not going to steal your food."
Mira served a small bowl of soup and pushed it towards Rhodes. She was already used to seeing him so engrossed in eating.
These dishes didn't look too hard to learn—should she maybe…
Maybe wait a little longer.
After a while, they both stopped eating and sipped on their soup while chatting.
A cloaked figure with a staff passed by outside, and upon noticing them, suddenly flicked his cloak, disappearing like a phantom.
Rhodes hesitated, "Was that…?"
Mira replied, "That was Mystogan."
Rhodes complained, "If he's covering himself up so much, why does he use sleep magic every time he comes to the guild?"
That guy was overly cautious—not only did he wear a headscarf and mask, but even his arms and legs were wrapped in bandages, making him look severely injured.
"For safety, I guess." Mira blinked. "I thought you'd understand that."
"How could I understand… Are you categorizing me as some sort of weirdo now?"
"It's not me categorizing—it's everyone." Mira laughed, "And even if you are a weirdo, you're a dependable one."
"…Let's talk about Mystogan instead. Does he always take high-level jobs?"
Rhodes knew Mira hadn't interacted with Mystogan personally, but she had access to the mission records.
And since she loved gossip, she probably paid extra attention.
"No, it's mostly normal jobs." Sure enough, Mira knew. She thought about it and said, "Sometimes he takes on jobs far away, with rewards that don't seem worth it for him. It feels like he's intentionally going far away."
Rhodes guessed, "Could he be someone who loves traveling, using missions as an excuse to tour the country?"
Mira shook her head gently, "But after the festival, while you and Gray were away, he stayed near Magnolia. There's no pattern to it."
"Has he ever teamed up with anyone?"
"No, he's always been alone."
"Feels like he's hiding some big secret." Rhodes thought that someone so secretive wouldn't wander around without a purpose.
Maybe, like Natsu, he was looking for someone important while on missions.
Perhaps it was worth paying more attention to any strange occurrences near the city.
Still, the idea of traveling across the country sounded appealing…
Maybe once he got a bit stronger, he could do that—take on missions and travel, and maybe invite Mira to form a permanent team along the way.