Chapter 42: Airy or Natural?
Chapter 42: Airy or Natural?
The guild master often drew tasks that paid poorly but required high levels of skill. Unable to take on everything himself, he would delegate these missions to the younger members.
The most ideal candidate for such tasks was originally Laxus, but his temperamental personality made him a difficult choice.
Thus, it often fell to Erza, who possessed a strong sense of responsibility and formidable strength, to step up and handle these matters for the guild master.
Rod pondered for a moment, realizing that Erza's influence in the guild might not just stem from her strength.
"Wait, wait!" Rod suddenly caught on to something, "What did Erza mean by completing the mission early... Was it what I think it was?"
Erza nodded, "I just took on the entire dark guild by myself, no big deal."
"..." Rod was speechless. No big deal, indeed.
Could it be that the outside world wasn't as dangerous as he imagined?
Rod hesitated, "Isn't that a bit risky?"
"Yes, my decision was a bit hasty this time," Erza admitted, reflecting on her actions. But then she added, "I was just too excited about the strawberry cake at this shop and couldn't wait for backup. I'll be more careful next time."
"..."
Great, so she soloed a dark guild just to get home faster and eat cake. That's totally reasonable.
Mira wasn't the least bit surprised; this was very much in Erza's style.
Besides, she had reviewed the information on the Dark Guild, the Tail of the Poison Scorpion, and knew Erza was more than capable of handling it.
The waiter soon brought out Erza's order, placing small plates of desserts all over the table.
Erza was lost in her world of sweets, occasionally showing a side of her that was completely different from her usual tough exterior.
Rod did a quick mental calculation:
'Erza defeated an entire dark guild, and I've been defeated by Erza.
So my strength is roughly equivalent to an entire dark guild. The logic is sound.
Ha ha ha, keep it low-key, low-key.'
Rod amused himself after finishing his dessert.
Erza pushed the multiple servings of strawberry cake towards Mira and Rod, "Have some."
Rod asked, "Aren't you the one who loves strawberry cake the most?"
"That's why I want to share. Sharing with my comrades makes it even more delicious," Erza said, her face almost dreamy, her tone almost robotic.
"Since it's Erza's treat, I'll have a little more," Mira cut a small piece of cake in half and handed one to Rod.
As they ate, Erza started to feel something was off, "Come to think of it, why are you two here together... Could it be... a date?"
Before Rod could react, Erza's face turned red, and her words stumbled, "Y-you... w-when are you getting married?"
"Ha ha ha..." Rod covered his mouth, barely managing to keep his coffee from spraying on her face, "You're thinking too far ahead!"
"Y-you're not?"
"We just got two complimentary tickets from Wakaba's wife," Mira explained, then cupped her face with a mischievous smile, "But if you count this as a date, that's fine too."
"D-d-d-d-date..." Erza continued to stutter.
Mira laughed even harder, "A shy Erza is quite amusing. Too bad Rod isn't blushing; it's not as fun as before."
Rod let out a light sigh. A month of training had thickened his skin, or rather, improved his tolerance.
Most importantly... when he left the guild earlier, he had already been treating it like a date.
Now, with Mira's teasing tone, there was no way he could blush.
Next, Rod noticed that Erza had a bit of a clumsy, air-headed side.
While he and Mirajane had already moved on to the next topic, Erza was still asking Mirajane if she had been joking.
It took a while to explain the situation to Erza and wait for her to finish her dessert before the three of them left together.
"Please come again, and have a nice day!"
The receptionist at the door bowed politely, but Erza suddenly stopped and said to Mirajane and Rod, "Wait a moment."
Rod asked, "What's going on with her?"
Mirajane thought for a moment. "She probably wants to take a few pieces of cake home, I guess."
A few minutes later, Erza returned, but she had changed into the uniform of the shop's waitress.
Rod was completely baffled. A fierce female knight went in, and a graceful waitress came out?
Is this some kind of magic trick?
"Welcome back, guests. What would you like to order?" Erza bent slightly, gesturing with her hand, then straightened up and asked, "How do I look?"
The receptionist was already charmed by Erza.
"Very..." Rod almost said "very beautiful," but he quickly changed it to "very suitable for you."
Mirajane clapped her hands and smiled. "Very pretty. Why did you suddenly change into this?"
"Because I thought this outfit was cute, so I asked the owner if she could sell it to me," Erza tugged at her collar. "She said it was not for sale, but if I worked here for half a day, she would give it to me."
Rod was taken aback. "So you agreed?"
Erza nodded matter-of-factly. "Yes, so I'm going to start working. Could you please take my luggage back to the guild for me?"
Rod's head spun.
You're an S-Class Mage, earning millions per mission, and you're willing to work for a regular uniform?
Mirajane had no intention of stopping her and even encouraged her. "Good luck! We'll take care of your luggage."
...
In the end, it was the river crab that had to carry everything, not only pulling the luggage cart but also carrying Rod and Mirajane on its back.
"Still can't understand Erza's actions, right?"
Mirajane sat sideways, her legs neatly together, her skirt tightly pressed, like a mermaid.
"Somewhat. Her personality is like that? She seems a bit scatterbrained and air-headed."
Rod recalled Erza's expression; she seemed genuinely happy.
Mirajane said, "I prefer to call it freedom and spontaneity. Erza loves unique and interesting clothes, and she enjoys trying out different jobs.
The amount of compensation isn't even a consideration for her. In fact, just doing something that makes her happy is the greatest reward.
Compared to Erza, no, not just Erza, but compared to most of the guild members, you, Rod, seem overly worried and tense.
I don't know what you've been through or what burdens you carry, so I don't have the right to tell you to relax like everyone else.
But at least for today, at least for that little time in the dessert shop, I hope you were happy."
The same bright smile as when they first met, the same gentle words, each word and phrase flowed into Rod's heart like a gentle stream.
Soft, warm.
Rod was certain he had found the reason for his heart's contentment.
"Thank you, I... was very happy."
"Every day in Fairy Tail is happy."
"Today was especially happy."
(End of Chapter)
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