Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master-Chapter 207: It’s obvious that they are in love

"Mansi, who claims to be a descendant of General Eri Mansi of the Seven Kingdoms, has been handed over to the local city hall for processing according to the client's request," Erza reported formally at the guild's front desk.

"I believe we should keep an eye on how the situation is handled from here. That's all."

Makarov nodded, clearly satisfied.

Erza was the kind of wizard who rarely gave him any reason to worry. And Rhodes, despite his occasional mischief, was the kind who made even the non-troublemakers worry a little less.

He was very pleased with how this pairing turned out.

Not only had they completed the mission perfectly, they had also handled the aftermath smoothly. More importantly, they had helped him beat Goldmine in their little competition between guilds.

Just as Makarov had expected, Erza plus Rhodes was much stronger than Bacchus plus that partner of his.

'Truly a golden team.'

'Next time a similar situation comes up, I'll definitely send them again.'

But just as he was basking in satisfaction, Makarov noticed something odd.

"Why is Rhodes so quiet today?" he asked, puzzled.

"Huh?" Rhodes, who had been completely spaced out, reacted like a student being called on unexpectedly.

It seemed even this energetic kid could get distracted sometimes.

Makarov asked again, "Do you have anything to add?"

"No. Erza explained it perfectly," Rhodes answered, a bit absentmindedly.

"..."

Erza did explain it well, but why did Rhodes keep sneaking glances at Mira?

Makarov squinted but decided to let it slide. He was in too good a mood to start poking around.

"Anyway, good job. Mira, you'll take it from here... Mira?"

"Ah—yes, Master!" Mira straightened up quickly, clearly flustered.

"..."

Makarov's eyes flicked between Mira and Rhodes.

'Oh ho...'

The old master, an experienced man in these matters, instantly guessed what had happened without needing to ask.

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Smiling to himself, Makarov hopped down from the counter, hands tucked behind his back.

"Alright, I'll leave the rest to you."

'It's good to be young.'

Mira quickly lowered her head, focusing intently on writing the mission report. After she finished, she handed the signed form to Erza and Rhodes.

When Rhodes reached out to return the register and pen, their fingertips brushed.

Mira jerked her hand back like she had been shocked, and the pen clattered onto the table.

The two of them stared at each other for a moment. Mira immediately realized she had overreacted. Normally, she wouldn't even notice such small touches.

'Stay natural, stay natural...'

Mira quickly picked up the pen and continued working as if nothing had happened.

Thanks to her flustered reaction, Rhodes started feeling restless too, unsure where to look or what to do.

Meanwhile, Erza watched the whole exchange thoughtfully, her sharp gaze darting between Mira and Rhodes.

"Could it be..." she began.

"No!" Mira blurted out, her voice a little too loud.

At the same time, Erza finished her question, "that you two quarreled?"

Rhodes glanced at Mira's embarrassed face and smiled.

"No, really," he said truthfully.

Mira's cheeks puffed out slightly, her eyes wide with frustration.

"It's good you didn't argue," Erza said seriously, nodding. "We're all guildmates. If anything happens, you should sit down and talk it out calmly."

Then, she added with perfect sincerity, "And if you need a mediator, just let me know."

Rhodes glanced at Mira with a grin.

"Do you need a mediator?" he teased gently.

Mira quickly waved her hand, smiling sweetly but with a certain dangerous glint in her eyes.

"No need."

She tilted her head. "Would you like to help behind the counter instead?"

"Okay." Rhodes felt something ominous in the air but decided it was better not to argue.

As he moved to stand behind the counter, a sudden sharp pain shot through his foot.

"Hiss...!"

He hissed through his teeth, his toes throbbing.

Mira smiled innocently.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just... banged my knee on the counter," Rhodes muttered while reaching under the desk for the ledger.

"Let's start working."

"In that case, I'll head out first," Erza said, gathering her things. She had two armors that needed repairing.

Mira tucked her foot back under the counter, feeling a little more normal after that playful moment. Even so, she still wasn't quite sure how to talk to Rhodes after everything that happened yesterday.

Rhodes glanced at her. Seeing that her expression had returned to normal and she was focused on her work, he asked casually, "When was the last time you ordered wine?"

"The day before yesterday."

"And the expenses?"

"The bill's in the drawer. Same for the ingredients I bought yesterday. I haven't had time to record them yet."

"Got it."

They continued working as usual, the atmosphere gradually settling back to normal. Though... their eye contact was definitely more frequent than before.

Just then, Gray approached the counter and placed a commission form down.

"Mira, here's my mission request."

"Alright," Mira said, taking a glance at the form. "Are you going solo?"

"No, I'm teaming up with Loke."

"Loke?" Mira looked around, spotting Loke half-hiding outside the guild doors. He waved sheepishly when he noticed her gaze.

Mira chuckled and commented quietly to Rhodes, "Loke's still like that."

Rhodes shrugged helplessly. "You'd think he'd be used to me by now. Am I supposed to believe he'll just stop working because I'm standing here?"

"Who knows?" Gray replied, then added, "Are you sure you didn't do anything to him?"

Rhodes sighed. "I've barely exchanged ten sentences with him, and half of those were when I first asked him to spar."

Gray laughed. "Want me to mediate?"

Rhodes side-eyed Mira pointedly. 'Why is today all about mediation?'

"If you can manage it," Rhodes said dryly.

Mira glared at Rhodes in return. 'Wasn't he the one suggesting mediation earlier too?'

Suppressing her exasperation, Mira stamped Gray's request form and handed it back. "It's a little dangerous. Be careful out there."

"Thanks." Gray accepted it with a nod and turned to leave. After a few steps, he glanced back suspiciously.

'Something feels off about those two today...'

Outside the guild doors, Loke was waiting with his hands stuffed into his pockets.

"You're slow, Gray," Loke complained.

"Sorry, I just... think Mira and Rhodes were acting weird today."

Loke adjusted his sunglasses coolly. "What's weird about it?"

"It's pretty obvious," he said, grinning knowingly. "They're totally in love."

Gray nearly stumbled. "No way."

Plenty of people in the guild knew that Rhodes had feelings for Mira.

Normally, the two of them were friendly, maybe even a little too friendly sometimes, but it had never been this obvious.

If anything, Alzack and Bisca's progress was much faster compared to those two.

And even though Mira's personality had softened a lot over time, making her more approachable and admired, Rhodes wasn't the only one who harbored feelings for her. Many people were attracted by her beauty.

Still, no one dared to formally pursue her.

Everyone in the guild knew exactly where the title "Demon Mirajane" came from.

In fact, there were still a few people who hadn't completely adjusted to Mira's current gentle image.

Falling in love with Mirajane?

It was something that still felt hard to imagine for some.

"Trust me," Loke said confidently, his glasses flashing with a wise glint. "I'm never wrong about these things."

"It's not easy to hide when you admire someone. There were signs before, but now..." Loke trailed off meaningfully.

"Now what?" Gray asked.

Loke clasped his left hand over his right, flashing a seasoned, knowing smile. "They've made some serious progress."

Gray made a face like he had bitten into something sour. Loke was great at reading people, sure, but when it came to relationships, he was way too into it.

"By the way," Gray said casually, "when are you going to reconcile with Rhodes?"

The ever-smooth Loke immediately stiffened. "W-what reconciliation? There's no conflict between us!"

"Then why are you avoiding him? Don't give me that lame excuse about not getting along with Celestial Spirit Mages. Rhodes isn't one."

"Still... even if he's not a Celestial Spirit Mage, he's a Summoner," Loke muttered, looking away.

He clearly didn't want to talk about it anymore, so he hastily tried to change the subject, blurting out the first thing that came to mind. "That coat over there looks really expensive! Should you really just toss it like that?"

"Huh?!" Gray blinked, caught completely off guard.