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

"Why are you working alone today? You're usually with Mira," Cana asked curiously, watching Rhodes dart around the guild hall with sleeves rolled up.

"Did you two have a fight or something?"

Rhodes blinked. "A fight? No way. We just got engaged two days ago."

"Huh? Pfft—cough! Cough!" Cana nearly spat out her rice wine and ended up choking on it instead.

"Careful," Rhodes said, handing her a napkin.

Cana pounded her chest as she coughed, her chest bouncing with the motion. "When did that happen?!"

"Right after you left town. There were even reporters around that day. You might see my proposal photo in a magazine soon."

Now that he said it out loud, Rhodes realized the timing had been perfect. What would've just been big news around Magnolia would now spread across all of Fiore, and probably the entire continent of Ishgar, thanks to the media attention.

He'd even get a magazine copy as a keepsake. Maybe show it to his kids and grandkids one day.

Rhodes chuckled at the thought. It surprised even him that his mind had jumped to future family memories so fast.

"Damn it," Cana muttered, tossing back the rest of her drink. "Something that big, and I missed it?"

Rhodes added casually, "Oh, and I bet you didn't hear about Bisca confessing to Alzack either."

"What?!"

"Yeah. And last night, Mira and the rest of the girls had a pajama party at the dorms, so they'll probably be a bit late coming in today."

Cana coughed again. She'd only been gone for two or three days, but it felt like she'd missed an entire year's worth of drama.

As the sun climbed higher in the sky, Mr. Cook arrived to prep breakfast in the kitchen. Rhodes greeted him, mentioned the rice wine he'd taken earlier, and ordered two breakfasts, one for himself and one to pack into a warm lunchbox.

Cook waved him off, saying it was fine as long as someone paid eventually.

Soon, more guild members began trickling in for breakfast, and Rhodes was pulled in every direction, whirling around like a wind-up top.

Even Cana wasn't spared. He roped her in to help, despite her grumbling. Warm and a few of the small raptors were drafted as mobile serving carts, their tiny bodies balancing trays with surprising coordination.

The sight of animals handling deliveries made breakfast lively, but it also raised eyebrows.

"Where did all the waitresses go?" someone asked.

Rhodes was wondering the same thing.

He briefly considered sneaking into the girls' dorms with the excuse, "I was worried about my fiancée's safety," but after a moment's thought, he came up with a better plan.

"Hey Cana, why don't you go check on them for me?"

"You should've asked way earlier!" she snapped, slamming her tray on the counter. She clearly wasn't a fan of the waitress gig and made a beeline for the door.

But just then, seven waitresses, including Mira and Lucy, burst through the guild entrance in a flurry.

"Sorry we're late!"

"Our bad!"

They ran over, bowing and apologizing to everyone before crowding around the counter and facing Rhodes with guilty looks.

"All of you are late. Wages are getting docked," Rhodes said sternly, slipping into his "manager mode."

Laki grinned playfully. "Even Mira's getting her pay docked?"

"All of you," Rhodes said with a smirk, glancing at Mira. "But since I covered for everyone this morning, that cut in pay will be credited to me."

No loss for our household, he thought.

Mira giggled sweetly. Laki pouted and shot Rhodes a playful glare.

Rhodes pointed at the overworked raptors running back and forth with trays, and at Warm sneaking bites behind the counter.

"Alright, enough slacking. Back to work, or I'll replace you all with my summons permanently."

The guild bustled back to life. Everyone dispersed to their stations. Cana flopped lazily into a chair and resumed drinking without a care. Meanwhile, Lucy turned to leave with the others, only to double back and sit down again at the counter, visibly confused.

Cana glanced over and raised an eyebrow. "Lucy, what are you doing?"

Lucy covered her face in embarrassment. "I followed everyone here without thinking. I thought I was late for work too."

"Pfft—hahaha!" Cana laughed out loud. "You dummy!"

Rhodes finally had a moment to breathe. "Why are you even here so late anyway?"

"I overdid it yesterday. Should've just gone home to catch up on sleep," Lucy muttered, slumping against the counter. She looked vaguely haunted. "I just hope my place didn't get broken into again."

Just then, Mira returned with a stack of dishes in hand. "Two beers for Table 6, three for Table 7," she said, not missing a beat. "Can you handle that, Rhodes?"

"So many people drinking already?" Rhodes grabbed a handful of glasses and started pouring, then paused. "Hold up."

"What is it?" Mira turned back.

"You eat first." He pulled out a warm lunchbox he'd kept aside.

Mira smiled sweetly but waved him off. "I'll eat after I finish this round."

"Nope," Rhodes said, gently pushing her into a seat. "I said I've got it. If you don't sit down and eat now, I'll start feeding you in front of everyone, bite by bite."

Mira giggled. "That's so embarrassing."

But she still obediently opened the lunchbox and started eating.

With a sigh, Rhodes picked up the tray and went back to waiter duty again, even though he'd been trying to avoid it just a moment ago.

Later that morning, when things finally calmed down, Rhodes leaned over to Mira, his curiosity getting the better of him. "So, what exactly happened at your little pajama party last night?"

Mira smiled mysteriously, thinking for a moment. "Oh, you know... cards, drinks, gossip. And a few interesting games."

She winked.

Lucy, who had been eavesdropping nearby, instantly turned red. "Ah! Don't bring that up!"

"Didn't we all agree, if everyone wants it, everyone does it. So why was I the only one?" she cried, burying her face in her arms.

Mira chuckled, covering her mouth as if trying to hide it. "Yes, why was that?"

From the look on Mira's face, Rhodes could tell exactly what had happened. Either Mira had convinced Lucy there were special rules at the party just to prank her, or she'd gotten the whole group to play along in teasing her.

Either way, his black-hearted little fiancée was clearly one of the masterminds.

Still, since it had only been girls at the pajama party, Lucy didn't exactly suffer. At the very least, it wasn't nearly as embarrassing as that incident at the theater.

No, no...what theater? Rhodes definitely hadn't seen anything in the theater.

Clearing his throat, Rhodes asked innocently, "I'm actually more curious about the kind of things you all talked about. And those… 'interesting games.'"

That got Lucy excited. "The best part was definitely the Truth or Dare session! Miss Mira..."

"No! Don't listen to her!" Mira panicked, instantly clamping her hands over Rhodes' ears and even pulling his head into her chest in a flurry of flustered motion.

Rhodes blinked, unimpressed. His heart was steady. He didn't really care much about silly party gossip, but Mira's dramatic overreaction made him very curious.

Wait. No. He shouldn't let himself get distracted by her softness. He needed to know what question had flustered her this much.

Taking a deep breath, Rhodes summoned his willpower, gently pried Mira's hands away, and looked her in the eyes. "What did you say?"

Lucy's eyes sparkled. "We asked Miss Mira if—mmf!"

Before she could finish, Mira zipped behind her like a shadow and slapped both hands over her mouth.

"They were just girl talk! Totally normal! Nothing you need to worry about!" Mira said hurriedly, her face a mix of laughter and panic.

She then started dragging poor Lucy out of the guild, muffled protests trailing behind her.

"Mmmphh… mmphhh!"

Rhodes crossed his arms and watched them go.

The more Rhodes looked at her, the more he felt that Mira was a repeat offender.

...

Bonus