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

The entire magazine, aside from a few standard ad pages, was dedicated entirely to Fairy Tail.

The first half featured interviews with some of the more well-known members such as Erza, Natsu, Elfman, Gray, and others. Up until the section about Rhodes proposing to Mira, the content mostly contained introductions and positive highlights about the guild.

Then came the fun part, a section filled with so-called interesting news about the more chaotic side of Fairy Tail.

Naturally, most of that came from Natsu. Jason, the ever-enthusiastic reporter, always wrote about the things Natsu smashed, wrecked, or exploded. To the average person, these looked like negative headlines full of destruction and trouble.

But Jason saw things differently. He believed it was cool. He even described the punch Natsu once gave him as "the hottest greeting in history."

In his eyes, this kind of wildness was what made Fairy Tail special. He wrote everything with passionate flair, hoping readers would fall in love with the guild the way he had.

People who were already familiar with Jason or Fairy Tail probably understood what he meant. But to newcomers, it likely sounded more like sarcasm.

As everyone flipped through the pages, they eagerly searched for mentions of themselves. When someone found a flattering line, they proudly showed it off to their friends. And when they found someone else's embarrassing moment, they read it out loud to get a good laugh.

Of course, things got a little rowdy during the more exciting reveals.

Makarov didn't bother stepping in. Sitting upstairs with a copy of the magazine, he sighed.

He could tell the reporter truly admired the guild, but still...

"Let them enjoy themselves," he muttered with a soft smile.

The guild hall stayed noisy all morning and well into lunch.

But by the afternoon, things quieted down. That was when Gajeel returned from his long mission.

Although he was officially a member now, his presence still made others uncomfortable. Most of the guild still didn't know how to interact with him. Aside from Makarov and Juvia, few people welcomed him warmly.

Gajeel clicked his tongue and walked straight to the counter, pulling out a completed task form.

Rhodes followed protocol, registering the completed mission and handing over the reward.

Gajeel had taken on a mission involving a Dark Guild, just like Cana. The difficulty and distance were about the same. But unlike Cana, who had wrapped it up quickly, Gajeel took four or five days longer.

Rhodes looked at him and asked casually, "Mission didn't go well?"

"Huh?" Gajeel blinked, clearly surprised that Rhodes was even speaking to him. "Nah, it was easy."

Rhode looked him over. No visible wounds, no signs of a fight. But the delay still didn't make sense. Was he just being stubborn? Or was there something else?

Either way, the Master had assigned someone to keep an eye on him. Let the old man worry about it.

After claiming his reward, Gajeel slapped a large request down on the counter.

"This is still a tavern, right? I want meat. And wine."

In truth, Gajeel also wanted to snack on some iron, but he figured there was no way that would be on the menu.

Most people in his position would try to sit somewhere low-key, maybe off in a corner. But Gajeel Redfox wasn't like most people.

He marched straight to the very center table of the tavern without even blinking.

The people who had been sitting there exchanged looks and were clearly annoyed, ready to shoo him away. But when they glanced at the Master's face and saw his unspoken warning, they swallowed their complaints and stood up, quietly moving to another table with gloomy expressions.

Gajeel didn't care in the slightest. He dug into his food, scarfed it down like a wild animal, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and stood up to leave without a word.

"Hold on a second," Mira called after him.

Gajeel stopped and instinctively took a half-step back. He remembered very clearly how this woman had almost shattered his iron scales with a single punch. His bones still remembered the pain.

Realizing he had just backed away, he immediately stepped forward again, trying to save face. He straightened his back and put on a cocky smirk. "What? You got a problem?"

Mira didn't flinch. She pointed at the broken fork handle still sticking out of his mouth. "Don't walk off with the utensils. Where's the knife?"

"Huh?" Gajeel blinked, pulling the fork out of his mouth. Or rather, what was left of it. Only the handle remained.

Mira sighed, remembering that this guy was an Iron Dragon Slayer. "You'll need to pay for the broken tableware," she said, shaking her head. "Also, just out of curiosity, how many pounds of iron can you eat in one meal?"

Gajeel frowned. "Why are you asking?"

"Our cook can already make things like the Flame Grilled Set for Natsu," Mira explained patiently. "I figured a Steel Meal might be doable. I'll check with the kitchen later."

"You…" Gajeel stared at her. There wasn't an ounce of hostility in her voice. She sounded… normal. Friendly, even.

Compared to everyone else in the guild who still looked at him like a ticking time bomb, Mira's tone actually felt… gentle?

Was this really the same demon woman who cracked his armor and left him aching for days? The one who almost beat him senseless in their first encounter?

"Once you're part of the guild," Mira said with a calm smile, "you're one of us. The guild's things belong to everyone. So next time, just order properly instead of chewing the cutlery."

'Thanks.' The words caught in Gajeel's throat. He felt like he should say it, but it wasn't easy.

"I got it. I'll pay for the fork." He tried to keep his usual gruff tone and, without missing a beat, chomped down the rest of the fork handle with a loud crunch.

Then he pulled out a large bill, tossed it onto the counter, and waved his hand behind him as he walked away. "For a bunch of loudmouths, this guild's surprisingly naggy."

The nearby members couldn't hold it in anymore.

"What did you say, jerk?!"

"Mira was being so kind to you! What's with the attitude?!"

"Yeah! Apologize to her already!"

But Gajeel didn't stop walking. He kept striding forward and only turned back briefly at the door.

"Doesn't matter. I just came here to pick up jobs. I'm not trying to make friends."

With that, Gajeel left without a second glance.

"What a rude guy!" some of the guild members muttered, still glaring at the door. "We should teach him a lesson one of these days."

"It's not that serious," Mira said with a gentle smile as she collected the empty dishes. "Maybe he's just not used to it yet."

Gajeel seemed like someone with a hard time opening up. Mira figured what he really needed was a good sparring match or two with his fellow guildmates. That might help him start fitting in.

She wondered for a moment whether she should ask Rhodes to challenge him. Gajeel definitely hadn't gotten over their last fight.

Just as Rhodes was about to say something to her, Master Makarov came walking down from upstairs, holding a folded magazine under his arm.

"Master?"

"I'm going to talk to Gajeel," Makarov said calmly. "He just needs a little more time."

…

The next morning, Rhodes had breakfast at Mira's house before heading to the guild.

Rhodes was holding a bouquet he had picked out earlier. Before they went too far, he held it up for Mira to inspect. "What do you think?"

The bouquet was made of yellow and white chrysanthemums, with a few sprigs of eucalyptus for decoration. It was wrapped with white snow pear paper on the inside, black wrapping paper on the outside, and tied neatly with a ribbon.

Mira looked it over carefully, then gave a small nod. She took Rhodes's arm and smiled.

Today, they were going to visit Lisanna.

For them, it was never really about the flowers. As long as they were white or yellow and heartfelt, it was enough.

But even so, Mira was genuinely happy that Rhodes had put so much care into it.

...

Bonus @2000

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