Chapter 46: Could It Be...
Chapter 46: Could It Be...
Rod, who had been hiding in the corner with a casual observer's mindset, now found that his interest was waning. The reason was that Levy looked like she was genuinely distressed.
It was easy to guess that she was worried about how this situation might affect her friendship with Jet. After all, the Trains Engine Trio had grown up together.
"Hey, Rod," Levy whispered, "Was I too harsh just now?"
I wouldn't know! Rod had never had a childhood friend, let alone one who confessed to him.
He carefully chose his words. "When it comes to matters of the heart, if you don't feel the same way, it's better to be clear and direct, like you were."
"You're right, but..."
Levy understood this, which was why she had been so decisive in her refusal. She hadn't even touched the bouquet, wanting to avoid any misunderstandings.
She sighed. "I'm just worried that this might lead to the Trains Engine Trio breaking up. We've always been such good friends. Maybe I should have found a more gentle way to say it."
"However you put it, the meaning would still be the same. The longer you drag it out, the deeper the hurt will be."
The situation had already unfolded, and no matter what the best choice might have been, Rod didn't want to say things like, "You did the wrong thing" or "You really should have thought about it more." Such words would only make Levy feel more guilty and wouldn't help at all.
The best choice was the one she had already made. Rod needed to make Levy believe this so she could feel better.
Later, when she calmed down a bit, he could offer some advice on what to do next, if she needed it.
But something Rod hadn't expected happened.
Just as Levy was starting to feel a little better, Troy appeared with another bouquet of flowers.
Compared to Jet, Troy's movements were a bit more stiff, but after taking two deep breaths, he mustered the courage to say the same thing Jet had said.
This time, Levy's refusal to Troy took only a second.
Troy looked even more disheveled than Jet. The bouquet fell to the ground, and he left in a daze.
Rod felt partly responsible for this. After all, it was he who had reinforced Levy's belief that a decisive refusal would be best for everyone.
After a while, Levy turned around, trying to control her emotions. "Let's continue practicing!"
Rod wanted to master magic quickly, but dragging Levy into another training session under these circumstances seemed a bit much.
He thought for a moment and said, "Actually, I've used a lot of magic today. Let me rest a bit. How about I buy you a drink? As a thank you for your help."
...
A few minutes later, Rod and Levy were sitting at the bar.
They clinked their glasses together. Rod took a small sip, but Levy downed her drink in one gulp, as if possessed by Cana's spirit.
Thankfully, it was just ordinary beer.
Mira noticed the red rims around Levy's eyes and deliberately put her hands on her hips, feigning anger. "Rod, did you bully Levy?"
"Absolutely not," Rod raised his hands in a gesture of innocence. "The situation is a bit complicated, and I can't really explain it."
"It's not Rod's fault. I just don't know what to do now," Levy's alcohol tolerance was low, and her face was already flushed after one beer.
She poured out her troubles to Mira, her words slurred with a clear hint of drunkenness.
"Don't worry, Levy," Mira said softly. "You three have grown up together and are good friends and guildmates. No matter what happens, that bond can't be broken. Jet and Troy will recover soon enough."
"Really?"
"Of course."
"Then... another one!"
After finishing her second drink, Levy fell asleep on the counter, occasionally mumbling in her sleep and moving her arms and legs.
If this kid can improve his alcohol tolerance a bit more, his behavior while drunk might not be too pleasant.
Reby was wearing a shoulder-baring top, and the emblem on her left shoulder was quite noticeable.
It was summer, but the ceiling fan was spinning above. Rod wondered if he should cover Reby with something, but he had nothing on hand.
Mirajane, however, found a thin blanket and gently draped it over Reby.
"Rod, you've been so concerned about Reby since just now. Could it be that you also...?" Mirajane started again.
"That's not it. Reby is cute, but she's not my type."
"Then what is your type?"
Mirajane's eyes sparkled with the fire of gossip.
Rod really wanted to let her taste what it feels like to have the gossip come back to her, but he knew that sometimes small concessions were necessary for greater goals.
"Secrets make a man more manly," Rod paraphrased a line from a detective anime.
Confessing love on a whim isn't a good idea, as Jet and Droy had already demonstrated.
"Ah, that sounds like something Loki would say," Mirajane remarked. "Have your relationship with him improved?"
"Not at all. He runs away whenever I get within five meters of him. Now, he and the people around him have to ask Lucy to place orders for me."
Rod was also frustrated. Their last attempt to spar had failed, and since then, even if he wanted to mend their relationship, Loki wouldn't give him the chance.
Mirajane only knew that it had something to do with a female Celestial Spirit Mage, and she guessed it was a matter of emotional entanglement.
But it was unclear just how tragic the experience must have been for him to avoid anything related to Celestial Spirit Mages like the plague.
Rod's approach to this was simple: if it couldn't be solved, then it wasn't worth solving.
Even close brothers can have their disagreements, and in a large guild, it's normal for a few people not to get along.
Out of camaraderie, he would step up when Loki needed help.
"Car Engine Formation!" Reby suddenly raised her fist and shouted.
Rod helped her rewrap the fallen blanket. "She must be dreaming about something from the past. When did they start their team?"
"I'm not sure," Mirajane said, thinking for a moment. "I remember that five years ago, when I first joined the guild, they were often together."
"Five years ago... you were only twelve or thirteen, right?"
Joining the guild could be seen as starting to make a living on your own, and she had a younger brother to take care of... Rod felt a bit heartbroken.
"Thirteen isn't that early. Natsu joined the guild a year before me, and Erza joined even earlier. Gray, Cana, and Reby were even earlier."
Mirajane had a nostalgic look on her face. "We were all orphans. Joining the guild was when we finally settled down. Speaking of which, I've never asked, what did you do before joining the guild, Rod?"
"I... was a student," Rod said. "From the age of five until a little over a month ago, I was always in school."
"Ten years, just in school?" Mirajane looked surprised. Seeing Rod nod, she asked, "Were you a noble or a prince or something?"
Fairy Tail trivia: Jet once confessed to Reby and was rejected in just two seconds, setting the record for the fastest rejection in the guild. True to form, the fastest man in the guild.
However, Droy broke Jet's record soon after, getting rejected in just one second.
(End of Chapter)
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