Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master-Chapter 272: At least one of you should stay behind

"It's perfect in every way... except for this part," Mira said, scrunching her nose as her eyes landed on a specific word. "'Rat infestation'?"

Though she wasn't your typical dainty girl, Mira had a strong aversion to two things: rats and cockroaches.

She leaned back with a small grimace. "Can't we just send Happy to do it?"

"Happy would die," Rhodes replied flatly.

"But he's a cat."

"A cat can't take on an entire swarm of rats. Especially not mutated ones. And this job might even have a rat king involved."

Mira sighed. "How about we get Elfman to take one in?"

Rhodes gave her a big thumbs up. "Solid idea. But if Elfman ends up Receiving the rat king... are you still letting him in the house?"

Mira answered without hesitation, "Then I'll just kick him out."

Taking on this kind of mission was definitely not glamorous.

"Are you two really siblings?" Rhodes muttered, slipping his arms around her from behind. He gently took her hand and said in a soft voice,

"This isn't just about a few rats. If we don't act fast, the village could lose its entire harvest. Their food stores could get wiped out. People might starve."

Mira's playful mood faded as she heard the seriousness in his tone.

Being mischievous and kind-hearted weren't opposites, and Mira understood hunger far too well.

She sighed, "Alright... but next time, I'm picking the mission."

"Deal. And if you're still upset, I'm offering free kisses on demand."

"Hmph. Keep dreaming." She grabbed Rhodes by the cheeks and gave them a playful tug.

Later, Rhodes approached the Guild Master to report that he and Mira would be heading out on a mission together.

Normally, they wouldn't need to announce it, but since they were both strong assets to the guild, Makarov needed to be informed, especially if both were leaving at once.

"No!" Makarov wailed, dramatically clutching Rhodes' legs. "It's the end of the month! You can't leave me now!"

"Master, please, your dignity..." Rhodes tried to pry him off. "We'll finish everything today and leave tomorrow."

But Makarov wouldn't let go. He flailed like a child.

"The end of the month means the start of a new one! You can't both disappear on me. At least leave Mira behind, you can handle a rat problem on your own, right?"

"No way," Rhodes replied firmly. "We're a team. Can't just ditch your partner."

He wasn't wrong. They'd taken plenty of smaller jobs together in the past. Their teamwork was well documented in the mission logs. No one could dispute their partnership.

Mira leaned over sweetly and added with a grin, "Master, if you keep complaining, I might just invite Erza along too~"

"Absolutely not!" Makarov yelped, releasing Rhodes immediately.

If Rhodes and Mira left, he could still manage by calling on Erza. But if she left too, the guild would descend into chaos.

Macao and Wakaba could help with clerical stuff, sure, but managing all the rowdy troublemakers in Fairy Tail? That was another story.

"Fine," Makarov relented with a huff. "But you two better come back soon!"

Deep down, he knew he couldn't stop them from taking jobs. They were mages after all, and this was Mira's first official mission since regaining her S-Class status.

Rhodes was probably trying to help her get back into the swing of things, right?

Makarov observed the two of them working, practically glued together. He couldn't quite put it into words.

Still, it was a sign they were growing up. And that was a good thing.

'Wait a minute... Mira was already an S-Class wizard. So, if he had to pick someone to succeed him...'

'Wouldn't either of these two be a fine choice?'

'Hmm... something to think about carefully—very carefully.'

Now, if only Gildarts would return soon, Makarov sighed and wondered how the guy was doing out there.

...

June 1st .

Rhodes woke early and, instead of heading to the guild as usual, made his way straight to Mira's house.

Elfman opened the door, still in his pajamas with a toothbrush hanging out of his mouth.

He gave a casual wave and went back to brushing, leaving Rhodes to see himself in.

Elfman had pretty much gotten used to this.

These days, Rhodes showed up every morning to pick his sister up for work. At first, Elfman used to tag along, but eventually, he just gave up and let them go without him.

Then came the day Rhodes showed up a little early, and Mira invited him in for breakfast.

And that turned into a daily routine.

Now, they practically ate breakfast together every day.

Elfman briefly considered charging Rhodes for meals... but then remembered Mira always dragged him along to buy groceries, and Rhodes usually paid for part of it anyway.

At this point, the guy was practically living with them.

After all, Mira was clearly going to marry him.

Lately, Elfman had even started wondering if it was time for him to move out, didn't feel right sharing a house with his married sister.

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Meanwhile, Rhodes had no idea what Elfman was thinking.

He stepped into the house, swapped into indoor slippers like a pro, and headed straight for the kitchen.

Mira was there in a homey dress, apron on, her long silver hair tied up under a headscarf. She was preparing breakfast and packing a lunch for the road.

Rhodes stood silently in the doorway, just watching her for a moment. His heart thumped just watching her move around the kitchen.

When she noticed him staring, he offered, "Need a hand?"

Not that it mattered, at his current skill level, his "help" usually just meant staying out of the way.

He still had no idea how Elfman managed to cook so well.

Sure enough, Mira just smiled sweetly and said, "Just be patient."

"Okay," Rhodes replied obediently, still standing at the door, eyes on her.

Feeling slightly flustered, Mira grabbed a piece of fried sausage with the tongs and popped it into his mouth.

"Alright, go wait outside. There are magazines on the table. Breakfast'll be ready soon."

Rhodes grinned and gave her a thumbs-up as he chewed, then wandered off to flip through a magazine while thinking:

'I really should ask Elfman to teach me how to cook one of these days..'

'Mira shouldn't have to do it all on her own.'