Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master-Chapter 252: Is Miss Vina Pretty?

"I know what you're thinking," she interrupted softly. "But Elfman is strong. He can handle himself. You don't have to carry the burden of protecting him."

She gave her younger brother a quick glance.

"No matter what sort of 'tacit understanding' you two have, "Elfman puffed out his chest and flexed. "Don't underestimate me! I'm a man!"

"Keep your voice down. Don't wake Miss Vina."

Mira's tone turned slightly stern, but then her gaze softened again as she looked at both of them.

"The important thing is you're both safe."

Rhodes didn't respond. Somewhere between the warmth of her voice and the gentle hum of the moving vehicle, he had already drifted off.

Maybe it was because, for the first time that day, he no longer had to worry.

There had been battles, injuries, frantic escapes, moments of doubt, and too many near-death experiences. His body and spirit were completely drained.

Magic and wounds could recover with time. Exhaustion like this was another matter.

Rhodes leaned back, resting against the window. His head tilted to the side, and he began to snore softly.

Mira watched him in silence, a little ache blooming in her chest. Then, gently, she guided his head to rest on her shoulder.

"Sis..." Elfman spoke up in a hushed voice, "Everything that happened today... it's thanks to Rhodes."

Mira blinked. Praise from Elfman, especially about Rhodes, was rare.

"Whether it was the magic book, the explosive lacrima, or the last-minute escape... he thought ahead for all of it."

Elfman clenched his fists. He knew that if Zancrow hadn't been a God Slayer, the twin lacrima would've probably finished the job.

"I see..." Mira's lips curled into a small, proud smile. "So that's what happened."

She slowly lifted her right hand, then paused. She wanted to ruffle Rhodes' hair just a little, but it was awkward with how he was leaning.

"Do you want to take a nap too?" she asked her brother.

Elfman shook his head. "I'm not as tired as him. My wounds have already mostly healed. I'll rest later."

Mira chuckled softly. "That's good. I'm not tired either..."

"By the way, Sis..." Elfman's voice rose slightly, but he quickly lowered it under Mira's gaze. "Today..."

He paused, hesitant for a moment, but then pushed through, "Today I used Full Body Take Over... Beast King's Soul."

Mira visibly trembled. "You..."

"I'm sorry, Sis. I know you didn't want me to use that form. I lost control last time and Lisanna..." His voice faltered.

Mira immediately grasped his hand. "It was never your fault, Elfman," she said firmly. "Back then, you were just doing your best to protect us."

"Lisanna died... because I failed to protect you both."

"But you did protect me. And this time, you protected Mal and Vina too."

Mira's voice softened, full of warmth and pride. She was truly happy, not just because her brother had gained control over the form that had haunted him for years, but because it meant he had finally accepted himself.

As a sister, she didn't want Elfman living in guilt that didn't belong to him.

"Elfman... live proudly. For Lisanna too, okay? Let's keep moving forward together."

"Yeah." Elfman nodded, and then, unable to hold it in anymore, tears spilled from his eyes.

"Waaahh! I'm just so glad you're safe! I missed you so much, Sis! Aaaahhh!"

"Don't start crying out of nowhere," Mira said gently, though her eyes shimmered with tears too.

...

The magic four-wheeler rolled to a smooth stop in front of the town's hotel.

Cana hopped out and stretched, groaning. "It was so noisy the whole ride. What were you guys talking about back there?"

Mira smiled and gave her a playful wink. "That's a secret."

Cana laughed and teased, "Just make sure to show Rhodes that expression more often. He'll be over the moon."

She fished out a small bottle of wine from her bag as she glanced at the sleeping Rhodes, then muttered with a sigh, "I can't believe he managed to sleep through all of Elfman's yelling."

Elfman gently hoisted Rhodes onto his back and declared with pride, "That's what a manly man does!"

"What does that even have to do with being manly."

...

Mira, seated beside the bed, smiled softly. "You woke up at just the right time. Dinner's about to start."

"Perfect." Just the sight of her was enough to lift Rhodes's spirits. He sat up, stretching slightly. "By the way, if you're here, who's looking after Miss Vina? And where's Elfman?"

"Oh my~" Mira placed a finger to her chin, pretending to ponder. "Worried about Miss Vina the moment you wake up? She is quite the beauty, after all."

"I—it's not like that! I'm not—!" Rhodes was still groggy from sleep, and her teasing hit him like a sneak attack. How was this the first thing he had to defend himself against after waking up?

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Mira giggled behind her hand. "So you can get flustered. Interesting."

"Well, you know..." Rhodes tried to gather his thoughts. "Technically, I'm still on the job. Like, a good bodyguard checks in on the cargo. Professionalism and all that."

"Yes, yes," Mira waved it off, still smiling. "Let's go eat. Don't worry, Cana is taking care of Vina, though Erza did confiscate her wine flask."

"Wait, I wasn't worried about her drinking," Rhodes said quickly.

"In fact, what I really wanted to ask... was how Elfman's doing. Y'know, save the important questions for last."

Rhodes scratched the back of his head, feeling like his words were getting tangled. But he didn't want to back down.

"And, uh... I wanted to ask if you were tired. After driving all that way."

Mira found his awkward attempt at concern endearing, but before she could tease him again, Rhodes's stomach let out a very loud growl.

"Ahaha, all right, I'll spare you," Mira said warmly. "Elfman and Natsu already left. If we don't hurry, they'll eat everything good."

"Right!" Rhodes pushed aside the blanket, then froze. "Wait... before I do something stupid. I am wearing clothes, right?"