When I joined the guild, it was early July. Now it's the end of December, from summer to winter, and Rhode has been living here for half a year.
At that time, he was all alone, with no one to turn to.
Now, there are many friends to chat with in the guild, buddies who joke around with arms over shoulders, and comrades who have fought alongside each other...
He also has someone he likes.
In life, he added some convenient magical 'appliances' at home, gradually starting to pursue a more comfortable living environment.
In his career, he is working hard to enhance his own strength, reading as much as possible to increase his knowledge, slowly increasing the frequency of taking on tasks, and gaining more experience.
As for his feelings...the person he likes is almost always by his side, and they often have some special understanding between them. Sometimes, just going out for a cup of coffee together can make him happy all day.
Although there are still some difficulties, Rhode enjoys the process of slowly working towards them.
Perhaps because Mira mentioned that the New Year was approaching, Rhode silently made an end-of-year summary for himself.
Overall, his life is very fulfilling and happy now. And because he has clear goals, he is full of energy when doing things.
Mira leaned forward a bit and looked at him, tilting her head: "Why did you suddenly start smiling so happily?"
"It's New Year." Seeing that she coincidentally wore a matching coat today, Rhode smiled even more, "Will everyone gather together to celebrate?"
Mira thought for a moment and replied, "Well, many people celebrate at home, so it won't be as lively as the Harvest Festival."
Rhode looked around: "Judging by the atmosphere on the street, it feels like the New Year isn't as important as the Harvest Festival."
Mira said, "That's because the harvest is the most important thing of the year. Moreover, the Magical Parade attracts a lot of tourists, so the atmosphere is naturally more lively."
Rhode nodded in understanding, realizing that the Harvest Festival, in a way, has become a well-known tourist attraction, while New Year remains an ordinary holiday.
Though both holidays are worth celebrating, their level of liveliness and importance naturally differ.
However, this city of Magnolia does not have to worry about not being lively because...
"Fire Dragon's 'Snow Fist'!"
"Natsu! You'll get scolded for ruining other people's snowmen!"
"Don't sweat the small stuff, Hapi!" Natsu made a snowball, "Take this!"
"Launching a sudden attack is so underhanded!" Hapi flew to the roof, sweeping his wings to 'splash' the snow, "Snow Mist Attack!"
Natsu raised his fist angrily, "Hapi! Not using snowballs in a snowball fight is cheating!"
"What about hiding a rock inside the snowball?"
"That's even more disgraceful than cheating!"
The two bickered, throwing snowballs at each other as they walked towards the guild.
"Those two...so noisy so early in the morning." Rhode suddenly grabbed Mira's arm and pulled her towards him.
A snowball flew past where Mira had just been standing and landed on the ground behind them.
Unprepared, Mira bumped her shoulder into Rhode's chest.
She quickly steadied herself and tidied her hair by her ear, "It's just a snowball, no need to be so tense, right?"
"I'm used to it." Rhode added, "Plus, who knows if they hid a rock in their snowballs."
Mira glanced at him before turning to greet the two troublemakers, "Natsu, Hapi!"
"Aye!"
"Oh~ Mira and Rhode!" Natsu lifted a snowball, eagerly asking, "Want to join?"
"It sounds fun." Mira declined, "But we have other things to do."
Rhode said, "You two be careful, don't break someone's window."
Although breaking a window with a snowball isn't that easy, with Natsu...it's not surprising if he brings a house down during a snowball fight.
Rhode is a kind person; he doesn't want the President to have to write a report on New Year's.
Natsu pulled a face, "Nagging Rhode, you're turning into Erza."
"Aye! Rhode's getting naggy."
"If Erza were here, she'd definitely change into a snowman costume and bury you two with snowballs." Rhode's comment earned him two funny faces.
Mira just kept laughing. If she had Telepathy Magic, she'd probably call Erza to come play snowballs with Natsu right now.
Watching the two troublemakers, plus childish ones, leave, Rhode and Mira officially started shopping.
Besides food and drinks, they also needed to buy festival decorations and replace the batch of recently broken tableware.
Rhode had asked why not switch to all wooden tableware so that broken ones could be repaired by Laki, thus reducing costs.
At the time, Laki pushed his glasses and indicated he wanted to hang Rhode up, so Rhode gave up on that idea.
Using porcelain plates and bowls is quite comfortable; switching to wood wouldn't be as nice. It's not because of fear of any punishment tools.
Per usual, the larger and heavier items were arranged for delivery by the store, leaving Rhode carrying only some lightweight decorations, finally looking like they were out for shopping.
After purchasing the necessary items, the rest of the time was for personal gain…no, a business-funded trip…no, it should be called a 'paid shopping' phase.
Actually, due to complex road conditions in the city during the festival, they suddenly couldn't find the shortcut back to the guild, forcing them to detour several streets.
After wandering around, they happened to pass by where Rhode lived just before returning to the guild, where Goodman was tending the shop as usual.
"Yo, isn't this Rhode, and...Miss Mirajane?" Goodman was obviously a bit surprised.
He scrutinized the clothes on Rhode and Mira, giving Rhode an ambiguous look, "Are you two...out shopping?"
"Hello, Mr. Goodman." Mira greeted politely, having seen Goodman a few times at the tavern, knowing he was Rhode's landlord.
"Brother Goodman, there are items the guild needs to buy. It seems like you're opening later and later these days." Rhode had to admit he was quite happy to be misunderstood—mainly because it's not entirely a misunderstanding.
Goodman said, "Because it's getting colder, there's not much business even if I open early."
Rhode nodded, "That's true. Oh, by the way, I have a heater at my place, should I bring it down to lend you?"
"Thanks, but I've prepared some, no need to worry." Goodman pointed at the stuff on his stall, winking at Rhode, "I brought some new products today, want to take a look? They make great gifts for girls."
Goodman was referring to some hair accessories and bracelets, redesigned by his wife using techniques from the fabrics and weaving products Rhode had given them last time.
They had some characteristics of ancient weaving, yet didn't look out of place when paired with modern-style clothes.
Rhode was easily convinced. He saw some pretty hair ties that seemed perfect for Mira.
Seeing Mira showing interest in these items, Rhode didn't hesitate and picked up the ones he liked:
"This red one seems to match the dress you usually like, this black one is thicker, would suit tying a ponytail, and this one with star decorations is thinner, would look great for braiding."
Rhode babbled on about a lot.
Mira set her bangs down, picked up the black hair tie, and tied a high ponytail, "Like this?"
She looked in the mirror, "Feels quite similar to my previous hairstyle."
"As long as it looks good." Rhode nodded, noting that it just lacked a big bow compared to before.
Mira switched to the red one, pulled her hair to one side and tied it onto her shoulder, moving her bangs to both sides, asking, "How about this?"
This dangerous hairstyle...
"This looks... very (virtuous), very beautiful!" Rhode's heart raced, the hairstyle was so great it made him want to confess.
He whispered 'virtuous' softly, but Mira heard it very clearly, her face slightly blushing.
She loosened her hair again, finally picking up the thin hair tie with small decorations recommended by Rhode, "Braiding might be a bit troublesome, some other time."
"Hmm, hmm, hmm..." Rhode nodded quickly, buying all three hair ties before she changed her mind.
Goodman made a fortune, but Rhode also felt he gained a lot.