A new day arrived, and Rhode awoke to the sound of pattering rain, feeling a soreness in his legs as soon as he got out of bed.
Perhaps it was because he was stimulated yesterday, or maybe he secretly made a determined resolution; Rhode gritted his teeth and ran until he collapsed on the ground and couldn't get up.
He even had to summon the Gorge Swift Crab to wrap him in its tendrils and carry him home.
Before going to sleep, Rhode made sure to use a wet towel as a cold compress and found some anti-swelling medicine from the big box of supplies Erza had given him.
In hindsight, it seemed he had made a wise choice.
Dragging his sore legs to the bathroom to take care of personal matters and freshen up, Rhode decided to apply some more medicine afterward.
"Oh no, I forgot to bring in the clothes!"
Rhode went to check the balcony and, sure enough, the rain last night was heavy, soaking all his clothes.
He had no choice but to gather them up and soak them along with the sweat-soaked clothes he wore yesterday in a basin.
Staring at the basin in a dilemma, Rhode reluctantly sat down to wash the clothes.
There was no other way—besides these two sets and his pajamas, he only had one set left in the wardrobe, which felt perpetually empty every time he opened it.
If anything unexpected happened again, Rhode would immediately face the predicament of having nothing to wear.
"I'll get a couple more sets once I have some money to spare."
Rhode rinsed and wrung out the clothes and temporarily hung them in the laundry room.
He considered taking them to the guild to have Natsu dry them, but quickly dismissed the idea—the risk was too great to take a gamble.
After a flurry of activity, Rhode gathered his things and headed downstairs to go to the guild.
However, the rain showed no signs of letting up and even seemed to be intensifying; even Goodman was absent from his usual spot today.
Opening the front door, Rhode realized a new problem—he hadn't bought an umbrella yet.
"This is so hard..." Rhode sighed in impoverishment.
"Hey!"
At this critical moment, Warm emerged from a corner on the first floor, clutching an umbrella.
"Well done!" Rhode praised, summoning a River Crab, and jumping on it while holding the umbrella to head for the guild.
Before leaving, he didn't forget to leave a note for Goodman, telling him about borrowing the umbrella without permission.
The Gorge Swift Crab leisurely made its way down the street at Rhode's command, seemingly unfazed by the rain and even finding the environment more comfortable.
Rhode sat cross-legged on the highest point of the Swift Crab's shell, tilting the umbrella in the direction from which the raindrops came.
Magnolia's streets were much quieter in the rain, with the usual morning cries of peddlers practically non-existent, and only the occasional pedestrian passing by.
These people either carried umbrellas, wore raincoats, or rain boots and hurriedly walked through the water.
Rhode had seen many such scenes before he traveled here, only... Looking down at himself, he felt out of place.
Indeed, he was originally an outsider in this world.
However, this bit of sentimentality completely disappeared as he arrived at the guild's entrance.
Because just then, Laki approached from the northwest corner with a wooden umbrella and wooden boots, carrying a wooden box in the other hand.
Her purple hair gently swayed, looking particularly friendly amidst the rain curtain.
Meanwhile, Gray also walked over with a delicately crafted, beautiful Ice Crystal Umbrella from the other side.
Raindrops flowed off the umbrella without freezing or melting the ice, merely adding a beaded curtain-like decoration to it.
Noticing Rhode and Laki, Gray casually raised his hand: "Hey!"
Laki energetically responded: "Morning!"
"Morning!" As the Swift Crab disappeared, Rhode planted his feet firmly on the ground, smiling involuntarily at his two equally 'odd' companions.
This, too, was the essence of what the guild was all about, right?
As the trio entered the guild's doors, Laki looked at the floor near the entrance: "Looks like we'll be mopping the floor nonstop today."
Rhode thought about how cafeterias and supermarkets handle rainy days and suggested: "How about laying a few hardboard sheets at the entrance?"
"Great idea, let's do it. But..." Laki opted to use magic, "Wood-Make: Pure Love Unsoiled!"
Swish, swish, swish... Inside and outside the guild doors, thin wooden boards appeared simultaneously, and the top side was deliberately made quite coarse.
"Shaping Magic is indeed convenient," Rhode remarked once again, secretly wanting to criticize the name.
Calling it 'Clean Foot Soles Unsoiled' might be more fitting.
There wasn't much going on in the morning, and after getting slightly busy, Rhode sought out Gray.
"Natsu's weakness?" Gray blurted out, "Irritable, quick-tempered, and an impulsive Fire Flame idiot."
"But..." Gray pondered, "That's true ordinarily, but in battle, it's different.
Often, his intuition is as sharp as a beast's, and fighting him seriously is quite challenging."
Despite often calling him an idiot, and their personalities and magical aspects clashing, if Gray had to seriously evaluate Natsu, he'd undoubtedly give a high assessment.
Unless Natsu was right in front of him.
"That's bad, I'm bound to get beat up again today," Rhode fretted, "Isn't there some real, obvious, instant weakness?"
"Oh, Natsu challenged you to a duel today!" Gray said with a sudden realization, intrigued by the prospect of helping someone pound Natsu.
"If you want an obvious weakness, there is one!" Gray revealed, "That guy can't handle transport vehicles; if you create a vehicle under his feet, you've got a guaranteed win!"
"Good idea, but I can't use Shaping Magic!"
"I'll teach you right now!"
"Right now?"
"Yes, right now!" Gray enthusiastically raised his hand, his shirt vanishing into thin air, "Follow my lead..."
Rhode glanced at Gray's bare torso: "Sorry to bother you, I might not be suited for learning Ice-Make."
Becoming a pervert to defeat Natsu... Rhode felt it wasn't worth it.
"..." Gray, who had just started positioning his right fist against his left palm, looked puzzled at Rhode's retreating figure, "Huh? I haven't even started teaching yet."
Taking advantage of Natsu's absence, Rhode decided to find a quiet place to meditate for a while.
"Rhode," Laki called out to him, handing over the wooden box she brought, "Inside are the magazines you wanted."
Rhode felt the weight of over fifty magazines: "Thanks... Why doesn't this box have an opening?"
"Since it was raining, I was worried about them getting wet, so I didn't make an opening," Laki explained, "When you return to a place where you can relax, just give the box a good hit."
"...I see, you really thought of everything."
By that, she meant breaking it open when I get home, right? Rhode, whose common language skills were lacking, took a moment to understand her meaning.
Also, it turned out the box was something she made on the spot before leaving; Wood-Make Magic is incredibly practical for daily life.
Rhode set the box down, ran to the library's entrance, and sat in lotus position, closing his eyes to meditate.
Feeling the gradual growth of Magic Power, Rhode felt a sense of rewarding fulfillment.
I wonder when the next Summoned Creature will arrive; by then, I should have at least a little Attack Power, right?