On the way back, Rhodes kept turning his head, glancing around from time to time. Mira asked him what he was doing.
Rhodes wasn't sure, "I feel like someone is watching us. Did you notice any strange looks?"
Mira shook her head, used to it by now, "There are always a lot of eyes on us, but nothing feels out of the ordinary."
Rhodes suddenly realized, "Ohhh, I almost forgot I'm walking with a famous star."
"That's right," Mira said, putting on an aloof expression, "Would you like an autograph?"
"Yes, yes, of course! But I didn't bring a notebook—sign my hand, I won't wash it," Rhodes stretched out his hand.
"You're saying weird things again." Mira smacked his hand away, "Sign your hand? Ridiculous."
"Seriously though, you're so used to attention, won't you be unable to notice if some bad guy is watching you?"
"There aren't any bad guys in the town." Mira said, "It's probably just someone from the guild trying to play a joke on you again."
"..." It wasn't impossible. Rhodes was somewhat aware of how much jealousy he attracted now.
While it probably wouldn't lead to anything serious, there was still the possibility of two geese jumping out to block the way again.
Yet Rhodes was careful all the way, but nothing happened.
Back at the guild, Rhodes suddenly figured it out—maybe that unknown jerk just wanted to mess with his mood.
How evil.
Once he found out who it was, he would definitely beat them up!
The afternoon was just normal work and training. During his free time, Rhodes still went to the library to find some books to read.
This time, he didn't limit himself to practical books—he also read novels, painting books, and anything related to art.
After all, art was a form of cultural expression, an important channel for spreading and developing culture.
Understanding art was one of the ways to understand the cultural spirit of this world, and it was also an important step for him to integrate into this world.
It was absolutely not because he worried about not understanding movies in the future.
Yes, there were movies in this world, and various entertainment companies (Loke sometimes flirted with actresses).
Movies here were generally recorded and projected using professional magical crystals, and Magnolia even had a cinema.
Rhodes thought about inviting Mira to go there when the time was right.
When it wasn't the right time, he could also use the excuse of "not understanding, never seeing one before, curious" to get her to take him.
No rush for that.
That evening, Rhodes and Mira trained together again. Mira seemed to be more serious when teaching Rhodes fighting techniques and even suggested sparring with him.
Right now, Rhodes could easily defeat Mira if he relied purely on magic and strength to overpower her.
But that wouldn't have any meaning, and he wouldn't be able to bring himself to do it.
So, he didn't use magic and sparred with her like an ordinary person, which made it look more like choreographed fight scenes from a martial arts movie.
Besides, when sparring with her, Rhodes couldn't fully let go, unlike when fighting with Cana, where he could go all out as if sparring with a buddy.
After a while, Mira also found it awkward—it seemed Rhodes couldn't bring himself to attack her weak points…
"How about we wait for Elfman to come back, and I'll teach both of you?"
"Okay."
It was definitely better to have Elfman as a sparring partner.
But that night, lying in bed, Rhodes suddenly regretted it, wishing he could slap himself:
"You had the opportunity, and you blew it!"
"Hrrr…" Worm groggily opened its little eyes. Was the master dreaming of something tasty?
…
The next morning, Rhodes was just about to head to the backyard to train when someone suddenly grabbed him.
"Alzack?" Rhodes stopped, seeing Alzack's hesitant expression, he asked, "What's up?"
"Well…" Alzack hesitated for a moment before saying, "Do you have some time? I'd like to buy you a drink."
"Sure," Rhodes could tell the young man had something on his mind, so he sat down at the counter, "What do you want to drink?"
"No, no, not here. Let's go somewhere else!" Alzack pulled Rhodes away.
"Whoa, whoa…" Rhodes let himself be dragged along, turning back to shout, "Mira, I'm going out for a bit!"
Mira smiled and waved at him but somehow felt something was off.
…
Chico's Cafe.
Rhodes stirred his coffee with a little spoon and sighed, "Why did you suddenly bring me to a place like this?"
Alzack replied, "I thought it was quieter here… Sorry, do you not like coffee?"
"It's not about the coffee." Rhodes looked around at the other customers—the couple in front, the couple behind. "Don't you think it looks weird for the two of us to be sitting here?"
Alzack only just realized, "Shall we change seats?"
"Never mind, let's just stay." Rhodes said, "So, what's the mysterious issue you wanted to talk about?"
Alzack hesitated, "There's something I want your advice on."
Rhodes looked at him, signaling for him to continue.
Embarrassed, Alzack asked, "How do you manage to so naturally invite Mira out… for a date?"
Rhodes felt a surge of caution, almost wanting to snap, "You want to invite Mira out?"
"No, no, no… Not Mira, it's, it's…" Alzack stammered, too embarrassed to say it.
After thinking for a moment, he downed his coffee in one go, as if gaining courage, "It's Bisca! I want to ask Bisca out!"
"Ohhh~~" Rhodes relaxed, almost forgetting that Alzack had a crush on Bisca.
"But shouldn't you be asking Loke for advice on how to pursue a girl?"
Speaking of Loke, Alzack looked troubled, "I did ask him. I asked after the festival—he told me to just confess directly."
To be precise, it was after the Fairy Tail beauty contest, after realizing how much he cared for Bisca, that he went to Loke for advice.
"But direct confessions aren't something normal people can just do. And then that jerk Loke said…"
Alzack pounded the table, "He said that if I didn't make a move soon, he would go after Bisca himself!"
Rhodes could clearly sense Alzack's emotional changes by how his terms for Loke shifted from "Loke" to "that guy" and finally to "that jerk."
Still… It seemed like Loke had said that just to encourage Alzack to muster the courage to confess.
But instead of helping, it made Alzack see him as a rival.
You couldn't really blame Alzack, though—Loke was the kind of guy who'd even dare pursue Erza, so anyone in Alzack's position would have their doubts.
Alzack seemed to still be bitter, "You know how good Loke is at chasing girls. I'm worried he… I can't even concentrate on work lately."
Case closed!
Rhodes suddenly remembered what the guild master had said.
So it was Loke's fault Alzack had been messing up recently!
Though, Alzack himself wasn't blameless either.
"If you're that worried, why not go confess to Bisca?" Rhodes asked.
"I'm struggling because I can't do it!" Alzack ruffled his hair, making a mess of his black locks. "That's why I wanted to ask you—how can I confess naturally, or how can I progress without confessing?"
Rhodes understood his struggle and said helplessly, "But I've never dated anyone either."
Alzack looked at him oddly, "Aren't you and Mira already dating?"
Rhodes laughed, "I'm glad you think so, but strictly speaking, we haven't actually started."
Alzack said, "But you two went out on a date just yesterday. The way you talk and laugh together is just like a couple, the only thing missing is holding hands."
Hahaha, Rhodes couldn't help but laugh—Alzack really knew how to say things.
Wait…
Rhodes slammed the table, standing up, "How do you know all this in such detail?"