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

Rhodes wasn't the gossiping type. Since Mira had kidnapped Lucy to keep her from spilling secrets, he didn't press further. Instead, he simply waited until Mira returned, so he could ask the other girls in front of her.

Then, when Mira inevitably panicked and tried to stop him, he'd casually propose a harmless little deal in exchange.

As for what Mira might've said at the party? That was no longer the point. What mattered was what came next.

Over the following week, Lucy found herself alone again.

Natsu had gone into special training mode after getting thoroughly beaten by the Infernal Dragon. Gray, meanwhile, was sticking close to Juvia, at least until the upcoming Harvest Festival. Erza had taken a hit emotionally upon hearing that Jellal had been arrested. Though she didn't say anything, the news clearly weighed on her.

Her method of coping? Designing a brand-new armor set. Since the pajama party, she hadn't even returned to the guild.

That left Lucy spending her days pacing aimlessly around the request board, eyes filled with dread and indecision. In fact, she was starting to look like Nabu 2.0.

It wasn't entirely her fault. With the Harvest Festival coming up, everyone had been snatching up jobs so they could enjoy a few days off. Most of the high-reward, low-risk requests were long gone, and any new ones posted were picked clean by noon.

Lucy's hesitation didn't help. Twice now, she'd spotted missions that seemed doable, only to lose them to someone else while she stood there weighing her options. She couldn't even complain, because technically she hadn't made a decision either time.

"Ughhh… what am I gonna do about my rent…" she groaned, slumping onto the counter with a loud thud.

If there'd been a bed nearby, she probably would've rolled onto it and flailed dramatically.

Behind the counter, Mira had just dropped off a handful of used glasses in the sink and was rinsing them clean. She poured Lucy something to drink, placed it in front of her, and asked gently, "Still haven't found a job you like?"

"I mean… yeah, a few. But I can't take them on alone," Lucy admitted with a sigh. "I really want to do one of those missions where you defeat some bad guys and help people. The noble kind of jobs."

"But I just don't have the confidence to do it solo."

"If only I could summon all my Celestial Spirits at once, like Mr. Rhodes."

Mira chuckled. "Can't Celestial Spirit Mages summon more than one spirit at a time?"

Lucy gave her a weary look. "It's not that simple. Even summoning two gates at once is rare."

"Really?" Mira blinked. "But last time, Rhodes and I met a Celestial Spirit Mage who summoned two spirits at the same time."

Lucy bolted upright. "Wait—what?! Seriously?! Who was it?"

"She was wearing a cloak, so we didn't get a good look at her face," Mira explained. "But she was a girl, and she summoned Gemini and Scorpio."

Lucy gasped. "Two Zodiac Keys?! That's amazing!"

Mira tilted her head. "But don't you have more Zodiac Keys than that?"

"That's true." Lucy smiled a little sheepishly, then admitted with a greedy gleam in her eyes, "Actually, if possible, I want to collect all twelve Zodiac Keys."

"So greedy~" Mira giggled and then offered, "But if you really want to gather all twelve, why not ask Loke and the others where the rest are? Maybe they know who that cloaked Celestial Mage was too."

Lucy waved her hands quickly. "No way! The Celestial Spirit World follows their own version of the Personal Information Protection Act! Loke would never leak someone's location."

Just then, the guild doors slammed open.

"The magazine's out!" a voice shouted.

"This issue's a Fairy Tail special!"

"Everyone who got interviewed is in it!"

Max came charging into the guild, waving a glossy magazine high over his head like a street vendor. The room burst into chaos.

"Where is it? Let me see!"

"Whoa, our guild's on the cover!"

"I was kinda hoping Mira would be on the cover, to be honest..."

"What are you talking about? Even if she is, she's probably with Rhodes."

"Eh, just crop him out."

"Cut the chatter, find my page first!"

"No, mine!"

Everyone swarmed around Max like kids fighting over candy. Those lucky enough to squeeze in huddled close to catch a glimpse. The rest circled and waited impatiently for a turn.

A few gave up altogether and ran out to buy their own copy.

After all, it was a special edition, a commemorative print of Fairy Tail's wildest personalities. Worth keeping, if only to say, "Hey, I was there."

"I kinda want to see if I got mentioned too…" Lucy muttered, watching the ever-growing mob with an overwhelmed expression. She decided not to dive into the fray.

"Mira, aren't you curious at all?"

"I'm alright," Mira said with a gentle smile.

"Oh, right! You're basically a celebrity at Sorcerer Weekly. You're probably used to this by now."

"Still," Mira said softly, eyes twinkling, "I am a little curious about this one."

She wanted to know if the picture of her and Rhodes from that day had made it in.

"It's fine, even if we can't see it now. Rhodes went out to grab something, he'll definitely bring a copy back."

"Yeah, that's true!"

But Mira had underestimated him.

When Rhodes returned, he was holding three copies of the magazine.

"This one's for the keepsake collection," he said casually as one copy vanished from his hands the moment he walked in.

"Here, lend this one to the others," Rhodes said, handing the second magazine to Lucy.

"Then this one's for us." He flipped to the most important page and gently pulled Mira close so they could read it together.

After all, it was only 300J a copy, about the price of a glass of wine. Getting a couple of extras didn't hurt.

"This photo actually made it in." Mira's eyes lit up as she looked at the page. Having such a beautiful moment recorded in a magazine felt incredibly romantic.

The picture showed the exact moment Rhodes lifted Mira up after she said yes to his proposal.

Rhode's arm was around her waist, head tilted up slightly as he gazed into her eyes.

Mira was off the ground, feet tipped back, her upper body leaning slightly as her hands rested on his shoulders. She was looking down at him with a soft blush and a glowing smile. Rhode's face mirrored that joy, his expression was full of happiness and deep affection.

Jason really was a top-tier photographer. His ability to capture these perfect moments was no joke.

Though Rhodes wasn't about to give him all the credit.

He leaned in close to Mira's ear and whispered, "Don't you think my fiancée is stunning?"

Mira pointed at the photo and teased, "Look at my fiancé… doesn't he look a little goofy in this picture?"

"Goofy? That's a handsome smile, thank you very much."

"It's still goofy."

"Say that again?" Rhodes slid his hand toward her waist with a devilish grin, threatening to tickle.

Mira didn't budge. "He's goofy."

But in her heart, she was thinking:

'I love him. I really do.'