The interior of the Blue Pegasus guild was every bit as luxurious as its reputation suggested, though the type of luxury felt rathe, misplaced.
When Rhodes first stepped inside, he honestly thought he had wandered into the lobby of a high-end karaoke bar.
The vast hall was divided into cozy lounges. Each area had a cluster of sofas and low glass tables, and every sofa was occupied by elegant pairs, handsome men and beautiful women chatting over drinks.
Even without seeing the guild emblem, anyone could tell at a glance who belonged to Blue Pegasus.
Under Ichiya's dramatic guidance, Rhodes and Mira took a seat on one of the velvet sofas. The moment he sat down, Rhodes could feel how expensive it was. Plush cushions, polished marble, golden lamps, everything screamed money.
He couldn't help sighing inwardly. 'They really know how to spend.'
Yet amid all the extravagant furnishings, he couldn't find a single bulletin board, the lifeblood of any proper guild.
Was this truly a magician's guild, or some kind of luxury lounge?
"My dear disciples, behold who has arrived!"
Ichiya struck another heroic pose, his entire body seeming to sparkle with starlight. No one in the hall could ignore that deep, melodious voice of his.
Hibiki and Ren immediately turned at the sound. Surprise flashed across their faces.
They said something to the women beside them, who instantly covered their faces with squeals of delight, and then the two men shot across the room like twin whirlwinds.
"Such important guests, and we failed to greet you at the door. A terrible oversight on our part."
Hibiki placed a crystal glass in front of Rhodes and bowed with perfect courtesy. "A special drink as an apology."
Rhodes sighed. "So this is what passes for Blue Pegasus professionalism, huh?"
Ren set another drink on the table, then turned his head away and pushed it toward Mira in a deliberately casual motion. "It's not specially made for you. Just… try it if you want."
Mira smiled gently. "You two are still as entertaining as ever. How have you been lately?"
"Nothing worth mentioning," Ren said stiffly, still refusing to look their way. "I'm not exactly pleased by your concern."
Rhodes compared Ren's awkwardness to Gajeel's attitude and decided that even tsundere came in different breeds. Ren's was the painfully rigid kind.
Hibiki chuckled. "We've been fine. But what about you? That commotion with Sabertooth… are you all right? The whole kingdom's been talking about it."
Rhodes waved it off. "It's basically settled. Just a misunderstanding." He glanced around. "By the way, I don't see Master Bob."
"Today's one of his regular meetings," Hibiki explained. "He left early this morning."
"Another routine meeting already?" Rhodes counted the dates in his head and realized it lined up perfectly. "Good. Saves me from giving the old man a heart attack if he heard I demolished someone's guild again."
At least when Bob got back, he would only have to worry about Natsu and the others' usual disasters.
A soft, teasing voice interrupted their chat. "My, my. Isn't this the Duke and Duchess themselves? I thought you'd settled down in the Joya Kingdom by now."
Rhodes turned as Jenny sauntered over in a rose-colored gown with a daring slit up one side, her smile sweet but her eyes sharp.
Mira covered her mouth and laughed. "Oh, I don't even know how it happened. One day I just found myself a Duchess. I was worried I might be too young and lacking the grace of a noblewoman. Wouldn't want to embarrass my husband, after all."
She lingered ever so slightly on the word young.
Jenny's smile stiffened. Once upon a time, Mira had been a year older than her. Now, somehow, she looked five years younger.
Jenny's teeth clicked together behind her perfect grin. "Your concern is understandable. Women our age grow more elegant with maturity. Don't you think so?"
Mira leaned closer to Rhodes, her tone sugar-sweet. "Darling, is that true?"
Rhodes rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Well… if both sides were evenly matched, perhaps. But you've surpassed the comparison by quite a bit."
Jenny's forehead almost bulged with veins. This man was so obviously biased again!
Before she could fire back, Hibiki slipped an arm around her and gazed at her tenderly. "Darling, I feel exactly the same about you."
"Darling," Jenny breathed, the anger vanishing from her face. She met his gaze with equal affection.
The distance between them closed, and under the stunned eyes of Rhodes and Mira, the two began kissing right then and there.
"???" Rhodes and Mira froze. What on earth was happening?
"MEN~!" Ichiya appeared at the perfect moment, posing with radiant confidence. "Hibiki and Jenny got engaged last week!"
"!"
Neither of them had heard a single rumor. Just two months ago, when Jenny had attended their wedding, she'd looked ready to bite someone's head off the moment anyone mentioned boyfriends.
'How did they jump straight to engagement?'
'Was this a secret relationship?!'
The couple kept kissing for so long that when Jenny finally came up for air, she shot Mira a triumphant look. "If there's another contest like last time, I won't be short on help anymore!"
Then she cupped Hibiki's face and dove right back in.
Mira: "…"
Rhodes: "…"
Truly, these Blue Pegasus people were completely unrestrained.
Rhodes leaned closer to Ichiya and whispered, "Wait, didn't Hibiki maintain several relationships at once for six years? I even heard rumors about him in Joya Kingdom."
Ichiya nodded gravely. "Indeed, but the woman Hibiki truly loves is only Jenny. That, my friend, is MEN~!"
Rhodes's simple understanding of romance took a direct hit. He decided to say nothing more. After all, Jenny clearly didn't mind.
"Hey, you two," Ren muttered irritably, "could you at least pretend to be aware of your surroundings? I thought you said you weren't ready to go public yet."
"Ah, I forgot," Hibiki said, smiling sheepishly. "Because..."
He tightened his embrace around Jenny. "My love for Jenny burns too passionately to hide."
Jenny's eyes sparkled. "Hibiki~"
They kept flirting until even Ren couldn't take it anymore and stormed off to meet a client.
Mira leaned forward, whispering with interest, "Why does Mr. Ren seem so irritated?"
Jenny, delighted to have a new topic, grinned. "Of course it's because of Sherry. Ren's been dating her for a while now, but Master Ooba from Lamia Scale doesn't approve. They've secretly agreed to get married next year."
"Oh~" Mira's eyes lit up; gossip was her weakness. "Sherry used to like Lyon?"
"Mhm."
"She also has a powerful cousin?"
"Yes, though that's classified information, she's a God Slayer."
"Oh, I see! Don't worry, I won't tell anyone!"
The two women dove straight into their gossip session, chattering excitedly like old friends.
Rhodes scratched his head helplessly. Just a while ago, these two had been exchanging sarcastic barbs, Mira vowing to make Jenny serve her tea and water. Now they were laughing and whispering like lifelong companions.
'Women's friendships,' he thought, 'were truly unpredictable.'
...
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