Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master

Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Wakaba slipped out of the guild without another word. This was definitely not a good place to linger any longer.

Mira's gaze naturally shifted to Elfman. "Are you heading out too?"

Elfman gave a firm nod. "Yeah. Just saw a mission that's perfect for a man."

"Is that so…" Mira thought for a moment, then tossed the task list to Rhodes and grabbed Elfman by the arm. "Come with me. I need to talk to you."

Rhodes quietly glanced over the mission Elfman had picked, then turned to prepare the necessary items for the job.

A little while later, Elfman returned with Mira, took what Rhodes had prepared, and headed out.

Rhodes asked casually, "So, what was that all about?"

"I told him our plan," Mira replied. "And I told him not to be so obsessed with saving money."

"Then why did he still accept the mission?"

"Because," Mira suddenly deepened her voice and struck a pose, imitating Elfman, "Men have reasons to work hard!"

They both burst out laughing.

That counted as getting the family's blessing, at least. And besides…

Mira sat behind the counter with her chin resting on her hand, looking toward Rhodes inside the guild. "When Elfman gets back in a few days, let's visit the cemetery together."

Rhodes glanced back and nodded. "Alright."

Something that important deserved to be shared with Lisanna too.

"I'm back!"

The guild doors burst open with a loud bang. Rhodes didn't even have to look, he already knew who it was.

"Natsu," he called out with a sigh, "is it really that hard to open a door normally? Do you have to kick it every single time?"

Happy fluttered in behind him, cheerfully correcting him. "Aye! This time he kicked it twice."

"Huh?" Rhodes raised an eyebrow.

Lucy followed, exasperated. "He kicked the outer iron door too."

Rhodes glanced at Natsu's feet, noting the worn slippers. Clearly, the guy didn't care if it hurt.

"Welcome back," Mira said warmly, walking over. "Erza, did the mission go smoothly?"

"It went well," Erza replied as she rolled in a luggage cart. "Aside from waiting on two stragglers, everyone else was dealt with quickly."

She stepped inside and laid a few official documents on the counter.

Lucy looked completely drained. She slumped onto a stool, stretched across the counter, and squashed the round bag she'd been carrying.

"Thank goodness those dark guilds love hiding deep in the woods," she muttered. "If we'd wrecked a normal building again, we'd be stuck paying damages."

Natsu tilted his head. "Huh? Why?"

Lucy gave him a tired glare. "Do you seriously not get it? You cause the most damage out of all of us."

Happy chimed in cheerfully, "Aye! That's because if Natsu had self-awareness, he wouldn't be Natsu!"

Rhodes chuckled as he gathered the task slip and the prison receipt confirming the dark guild's detainment. He noted the completion time and began recording the rest of the mission data.

"Mira, go ahead and process their reward."

"Got it." Mira picked up a stack of crisp bills and set them in front of Erza. "Here's your payment."

This mission had been issued by the regional guild alliance. Since some of the smaller guilds didn't have combat-ready members, they pooled funds together to request help from stronger guilds like Fairy Tail. The payment was handled directly by the guild, so no client meeting was necessary.

Big names like Blue Pegasus and the Quatro Cerberus often handled jobs the same way.

"It's the full amount!" Lucy suddenly perked up, her fatigue momentarily forgotten. Full rewards were a rare blessing for her.

But just as she reached out to grab a bundle of fresh bills, Erza gently pushed them back.

"I'm returning these," she said calmly. "Should be enough to cover the damage to the hotel last time, right?"

Mira thought for a moment, then said, "Almost. The rest is technically Gray's share."

Gray had been teaming up with Juvia lately, so he wasn't part of this mission and didn't receive any of the payment.

Erza smiled lightly. "That's fine. Then I'll give all of this to you."

It was an unspoken rule in the guild, when members went out on missions together, the rewards were split evenly, regardless of individual contribution. Likewise, any damages were shared equally.

Take Natsu and Happy, for example. When they earned money, they each got a share. But when there were damages to pay for, Happy still had to cough up his portion.

That's why only the closest friends typically stuck together as fixed teams.

Erza handed the reward money over to Mira and Rhodes without objection from anyone.

Only Lucy looked completely heartbroken. For once, they'd gotten a full reward, and now it had to go toward repairs.

And this time, the destruction hadn't even happened during the mission.

"My rent…" Lucy groaned.

"Don't worry. Just give it your best next time," Erza said, always full of encouragement.

Lucy wasn't so sure things would go that smoothly next time.

Natsu, ever carefree, grinned. "Forget that for now! Let's eat a Flame Meal, I haven't had one in forever!"

"I want Mr. Cook's steamed fish!"

Even though they didn't get to keep the reward, they'd completed the mission successfully. That was worth a little celebration.

Mira handed the whole stack of bills to Rhodes. "Let's save this up together when we have time."

"Alright." Rhodes tucked the money away without fuss.

Wakaba's earlier warning about being the "poorest man in the guild" was clearly exaggerated. Mira wasn't the type to take over their finances unilaterally.

"Mira, I want a strawberry cake," Erza said, then turned to Lucy. "Come on, don't be so down. Eat something and check out the new jobs later."

Lucy sighed. "That's all I can do. Miss Mira, I'll have a grilled steak."

"Okay~ one moment," Mira said, cheerfully jotting down their orders. "Any drinks?"

"Iced coffee," said Lucy.

"Black tea," Erza added.

A short while later, Laki brought over the drinks. But instead of rushing off, she lingered beside Lucy.

"Hey Lucy, don't you have a Celestial Spirit that's a barber?"

"It's Cancer,'" Lucy corrected with a small smile. "He really likes cutting hair."

"Great!" Laki lifted a strand of her long purple hair. "I've been thinking about changing my look. Maybe I'll ask Cancer to help cut it shorter."

"Cut?" Lucy blinked, surprised by Laki's wording, but nodded. "Sure, why not."

"Thanks! Drinks are on me today," Laki grinned, excited at the idea of a Celestial Spirit giving her a new haircut.

"Laki, can you ring this up?" Mira called out.

"On it!" Laki replied.

Lucy noticed how busy Laki was and smiled. "Catch me on your break, okay?"

"Deal!" 

"Why the sudden haircut?" Rhodes asked, clearly confused. He glanced over at Mira's long hair and muttered, "Long hair looks nice..."

"Probably because it's getting hot out," Lucy shrugged. "This stuff on my neck feels like a blanket."

"Ah, that makes sense. In that case, I'll help Mira tie hers up." Rhodes picked up Lucy and Erza's meal orders from the kitchen counter and placed them on the serving tray, then stepped out to where Mira stood.

Lucy rested her cheek on her hand, watching them. "They're so lovey-dovey," she teased.

Not that Rhodes minded. He just grinned and continued working, entirely unbothered by her teasing.

Suddenly, a voice rang out across the guild. It was female, a bit shy but determined.

"Please go out with me!"

Everyone froze.

Erza's hand stopped mid-motion, and her fork clattered loudly onto her plate.

Turning around, she saw Bisca, long green hair flowing behind her, holding a bouquet of flowers, as she confessed to Alzack in front of the whole guild.

Mira gasped softly and whispered, "So bold..."

"You're one to talk," Rhodes chuckled, leaning in to whisper in her ear while tying her hair up into a neat ponytail.

He looked at his handiwork and nodded in approval. His skill was improving, maybe next time he'd try twin tails.

Around the room, all work had come to a halt as people turned to watch.

Bisca's cheeks were crimson. She instantly regretted confessing in front of a crowd, why hadn't she just pulled Alzack aside in private?

But seeing Rhodes and Mira being so open about their feelings reminded her of how decisive Mira had been with her own confession. It gave her the push she needed.

Now, her heart was racing and she couldn't meet anyone's eyes—not even Alzack's.

Why had she done this in the middle of the day, when the guild was packed? She wanted to smack herself.

But it was too late now. The words were out. All she could do was wait nervously for his response.

Alzack wasn't handling it much better.

He had tried many times to gather the courage to confess first, but always backed down. In his daydreams, he imagined Bisca taking the initiative, yet now that it had actually happened, he was completely stunned.

He stood frozen, red-faced, fumbling for words. After several false starts, he finally blurted out, "I-I-I... I do!"

The confession sounded more like a marriage proposal than a date.

Laughter and cheers erupted throughout the guild. Some whistled, others clapped.

The two had been dancing around each other for as long as Rhode and Mira had, but unlike them, Bisca and Alzack were painfully shy. They always took jobs together, but wouldn't even sit next to each other at meals.

It had driven everyone else crazy with secondhand frustration.

Alzack really had no game. He actually waited for the girl to make the first move.

Still, Mira had done it. Now Bisca had too. The women in Fairy Tail were something else.

So… who would be next?

Someone in the crowd gave them a little push from behind, and the two shy lovebirds stumbled into a hug.

The guild erupted into cheers. Alzack and Bisca smiled bashfully, both of them so red in the face they looked like they might boil over.

Erza didn't even touch her strawberry cake.

She had been getting hit with a lot of romantic energy lately, and it was starting to take its toll.

Even though she had encouraged Bisca to confess, when it actually happened, she was more flustered than Bisca herself.

"Erza? Erza?" Lucy waved a hand in front of her face.

By the time Alzack and Bisca left on their date, the rest of the guild had gone back to their usual business. Lucy had already finished her steak and was sipping the last of her tea, but Erza still sat frozen in place.

Lucy called her name again. "We should probably—"

Erza finally blinked herself out of standby mode. "Uh, thanks for everything today. I… I'll head out first."

She stood up and walked out stiffly, her movements jerky, her arms swinging too wide like a malfunctioning robot.

"pick a new mission," Lucy mumbled, her sentence trailing off as Erza walked away, clearly not listening at all.

Lucy frowned. "Is she okay?"

"She'll be fine. She acted the same way when Mira confessed to me," Rhodes said casually.

"Huh? Miss Mira confessed to you?" Lucy's eyes lit up with curiosity.

Rhodes nodded solemnly. "What can I say? My charm was too overwhelming."

While Mira was out of earshot, he figured it was safe to brag a little.

...

That night, Rhodes dragged Natsu out of the city on a secret trip.

Mira didn't come along. She had asked Lucy to spend the evening with her at the girls' dorm.

Apparently, Juvia was officially moving in and wanted to bond with the other girls, so they were throwing a little welcome party for her. Between that and Bisca's romantic success, they turned it into a full-blown pajama party.

Levy, Laki, Mikki, and Chico were all going. Mira mentioned they'd probably have so much fun they'd end up crashing there overnight.

When Rhodes asked if he should send scuttle crab to pick them up later, Mira gave him a very sweet, very gentle smile.

That was her polite way of saying, "Don't even think about it."

"Why are we being all sneaky about this?" Natsu grumbled. "What's wrong with people knowing about dragons? If I ever find Igneel, I'm introducing him to everyone."

"I just don't want to cause a panic in town," Rhode replied. "Especially not with this new guy I met. He loves to fight. If he goes wild, we won't even have a town left to worry about, just a massive repair bill I can't afford."

"He likes to fight? That's perfect!" Natsu grinned, bumping his fists together with excitement. "Sounds like my kind of guy!"

"We're not doing this in the city," Rhode replied flatly.

"Yeah, I think Rhodes has a point," Happy chimed in.

Natsu couldn't help noticing that whenever he went somewhere with Rhodes, he always seemed to be outvoted.

They were nearly at their destination when Rhodes raised a hand and said simply, "Summon: Infernal Dragon."

The air suddenly turned hot and dry. Flames shimmered around the summoning circle, and even before the massive form appeared, a voice boomed from within:

"I'm here! What's the job this time? Alright, brother, who are we burning today?"

The molten-scaled Infernal Dragon emerged from the flames, smoke trailing from his body like living magma. He looked around and snorted.

"Wait a second... isn't this the same place as last time? Huh?" His eyes locked onto Natsu. "Where'd this little dragon runt come from?"

He leaned down and sniffed the air, his nostrils glowing.

"No way, it's a little fire dragon cub! Definitely one of ours. Whose kid is this?"

Natsu's eyes lit up with hope. This dragon looked and felt like family. "I'm Natsu! Son of Igneel! Do you know Igneel?"

Even though Rhodes had warned him not to expect a connection, since the Earth Dragon hadn't recognized Igneel, he had to try. Maybe this one, being a fire dragon too, would know something.

"Igneel?" the Infernal Dragon repeated, puzzled. "Nah, never heard of him. Who's that?"

"He's the Fire Dragon King! Igneel, the Fire Dragon King!"

The Infernal Dragon burst into laughter. "Fire Dragon King? Seriously? Who the hell's going around calling themselves that? Sounds like someone who needs a wake-up call. Tell him to show up, I'll gladly knock that title off him!"