Chapter 534: It’s like another Rhodes
A new member had arrived at the guild, but her situation was rather unique. Still shy and uneasy, it didn’t feel right to throw her into a raucous Fairy Tail-style welcome party just yet."
And so, for once... Fairy Tail skipped a banquet.
After asking a few questions about Kinana and finding that even Makarov didn’t know much, Mira poured a glass of juice, grabbed a plate of snacks, and went over to chat with the girl herself.
Thus, in a span of minutes, Kinana went from becoming "same-aged" best friends with Wendy to meeting Mira, a gentle "older sister" who was technically a year younger than her.
The age dynamics were officially a mess.
"Master," Rhodes asked, watching Mira head off, "where did Gildarts disappear to? Don’t tell me the Council locked him up for wrecking their halls?"
Makarov scoffed, face full of envy. "Hah! As if! He said since we were already in the general direction of Blue Pegasus, he might as well drop by and have some fun."
Rhodes stared at him blankly.
"That’s not even remotely on the way."
Of course, Makarov knew that too. Truthfully, he’d wanted to swing by and visit his old buddies at Blue Pegasus as well, but someone had to be the responsible one and escort Kinana safely back to the guild. That someone ended up being him.
"Oh, right," Makarov suddenly said, as if remembering something, "about the S-Class Exam... well, I’ll explain later. Just don’t take on any long-term missions for now."
He gave Rhodes a thoughtful look, sighed meaningfully, and then walked upstairs with his hands clasped behind his back.
Rhodes watched him go, frowning. "Don’t just say half of what you mean..."
In the morning, he’d teased Mira by intentionally leaving a story unfinished. Now, karma had come full circle. Makarov was dangling suspense over his head.
If it were anyone else pulling this stunt, he’d have already punched them and interrogated them mid-beating.
Truth be told, Makarov had planned to let Rhodes take the S-Class Exam this year, but then the Council suddenly pulled this stunt on him.
What if Rhodes passed the Wizard Saint assessment but failed the S-Class Exam?
A Wizard Saint who wasn’t good enough to be S-Class in Fairy Tail?
The thought gave Makarov a wicked little thrill. At the next Magic Guild Masters’ meeting, the bragging rights would be delicious.
He even toyed with the idea of making the exam harder just for the fun of it.
But then again... that might mean the other kids would have to wait another year, and Makarov didn’t have the heart to do that.
Besides, the test schedule hadn’t even been finalized yet. He’d give Rhodes a proper surprise later.
Back downstairs, Rhodes sighed and rubbed his forehead.
"So this is what it feels like on the receiving end."
Just then, a soft voice greeted him.
"Hello, I’m Kinana."
With the help of Mira, Wendy, and Carla, Kinana had started to relax a little. When she spoke to Rhodes, her voice wasn’t as tiny or timid as it had been when she first arrived.
"Hello, I’m Rhodes, Mira’s..."
"Fiancé!" Kinana answered quickly.
"You know already?"
"Miss Mira just told me," she said with a smile.
Rhodes shot a glance at Mira, who was grinning behind Kinana, clearly enjoying herself. He then asked gently, "Do you know what a fiancé means?"
Kinana blushed slightly. "It means... a future husband. Someone who will have babies with Miss Mira."
"Babies...?" Wendy, who had been standing nearby, immediately turned bright red and collapsed with embarrassment.
Rhodes stared at Mira from across the room, eyes full of silent accusation: ’You two got into that much detail?’
Mira’s own cheeks flushed as well, and she quickly defended herself, "I didn’t teach her that!"
Rhodes gave it a moment of thought. Kinana did say she used to be nine years old, so it wasn’t completely unexpected that she’d know such things.
Worried he might start getting the wrong idea, Mira quickly shifted gears. "Alright! Let’s get her guild stamp ready."
"Got it," Rhodes said, pulling out the official Fairy Tail emblem stamper.
Mira gave it a little shake, then asked with a bright smile, "This is the guild’s symbol. Where would you like it, Kinana?"
"Where did Miss Mira get hers?"
"Mine’s on my thigh," Mira replied, gesturing to the spot, though it was hidden beneath her skirt and not visible at the moment.
Kinana glanced around nervously. Taking off her pants in front of everyone didn’t seem like a great idea. After a brief pause, she held out her hand. "Can I have it on my hand instead?"
"Of course!" Mira nodded cheerfully.
"Hmm?" Rhodes raised an eyebrow, looking puzzled.
Mira noticed and turned to him. "What is it?"
Rhodes pointed to the bracelet around Kinana’s wrist, then looked at Mira’s own hand. "That bracelet..."
Kinana beamed and held it up. "Miss Mira gave it to me!"
It was a silver bracelet Mira used to wear often. These days, she preferred the one Rhodes had given her, but today she had pulled this one out to match her outfit, and apparently decided to pass it along to Kinana.
Mira had another bracelet in a different color at home. She figured she could start wearing that one more often again. It might make Kinana feel even more welcome and help ease her nervousness a bit faster.
Back when she was looking after Rhodes, Mira had done similar little things too, small gestures that she wondered if he ever noticed.
She glanced over at Rhodes. ’These things help, don’t they?’
Rhodes was still chatting softly with Kinana, making her feel at ease. After a moment, he turned to Mira and asked, "So, how are we settling Kinana in?"
Mira smiled gently. "To start, I’ll have her work as a waitress in the bar. The more she interacts with the guild members, the faster she’ll get used to everyday life and pick up common sense. I’ll teach her basic knowledge little by little. After a while, once she’s more stable, she can begin learning magic."
"That sounds awfully familiar," Rhodes said with a laugh, realizing Kinana’s path mirrored his own almost perfectly.
Mira chuckled too. The parallel really was uncanny.
"As for her living arrangements," she continued, "we’re placing her in the girls’ dormitory. Chico’s agreed to help prepare her room. Wendy and Carla also promised to look after her, and Laki said she’d lend a hand too."
Truthfully, any girl staying in the dorms, once they understood Kinana’s situation, had offered to help out in some way.
Of course, if any of the more clueless older guys in the guild ended up upsetting Kinana without knowing better, they’d no doubt be mercilessly disciplined by the dorm girls before Mira even had to step in.
So although Kinana was technically under Mira’s care, Mira really just needed to keep a slightly closer eye on her.
As the sun dipped low on the horizon, Kinana, who hadn’t officially started work yet, sat down for her staff dinner.
She ate with such gusto it was almost shocking. With her psychological age lagging behind her actual age, Kinana devoured her food like she hadn’t eaten in days. Once her stomach was full, she looked up at everyone, cheeks red with embarrassment.
"I’m sorry... I’ve never eaten anything so delicious before."
Laki smiled warmly. "Don’t apologize. Honestly, that just makes you even more Fairy Tail."
Carla, however, raised a concern in her usual prim tone. "I still think we should mind her manners a little. Starting tomorrow, let’s begin teaching her proper table etiquette."
"Literacy and literature are more important, don’t you think?" Laki offered. "It’s crucial to nurture hobbies too."
Rhodes raised a brow and muttered, "Let’s maybe skip developing your kind of hobbies."
Laki huffed in protest. "What’s wrong with my hobbies?! My little darlings are absolutely beautiful!"
Rhodes gave her a long, silent look. ’How could I not know? I helped you design half of them.’
Laki seemed to pick up on his unspoken thought. "Then you should appreciate their charm!"
Wendy hesitantly raised her hand. "I support Rhodes."
She had once made the mistake of entering Laki’s workshop and was almost reduced to tears on the spot.
Those who stray from the path find no support; Laki was soundly defeated.
Meanwhile, Kinana tilted her head in confusion. She hadn’t quite caught what everyone was talking about.
’What exactly was wrong with Miss Laki’s hobbies...?’