The hotel room was warm and the bed was comfortable, but Rhode's sleep quality was mediocre. Not only did he fall asleep late in the night, but he also woke up once.
When it was time to leave the next morning, he kept yawning.
"Didn't sleep well?" Erza asked, "Was it because I snored while sleeping?"
Rhode waved his hand: "No, maybe I'm just exhausted, and I had a nightmare."
He dreamed that he agreed to share a bed with Erza, scrubbing each other's backs while bathing.
Then suddenly, Erza transformed into Mira and slapped him onto the altar of the Black Magic Sect, where black-robed people began chanting spells to summon a demon.
When the demon was about to eat him, Mira descended from the sky, slapped the demon into a paste, and grabbed Rhode's collar, saying that this was the consequence of flirting around.
Then the black-robed people transformed into the kids Rhode had rescued, jumping around, clapping, and shouting 'big sister hit him.'
Rhode was so angry he wanted to curse them as little ingrates, and then woke up in a rage.
Dreams are usually the opposite of reality; our Mira could never be so brutal.
Rhode comforted himself and leaned inside the carriage to nap after Erza rented it.
Drowsy, the carriage came to a stop, and Rhode woke up to the smell of food; Erza was no longer in the carriage.
Stepping out, he found she had already cooked a pot of rice, made soup and stew, and warmly invited the two drivers to join her for a meal.
Rhode, of course, didn't hesitate and eagerly got off to eat.
"Where did you find the rice and so many ingredients?"
"I bought them while renting the carriage," Erza pointed to her pile of luggage, earnestly saying, "I've reflected on it, and from now on, I'll always bring enough food when I go out to avoid what happened when we arrived."
"..." Rhode didn't know how to comment; this should count as a good thing, right? Better prepared than not.
On the return journey, they weren't in a hurry, taking the route the drivers recommended and stopping at inns whenever they passed a town by dusk.
This way, the return trip took nearly two days.
Not until the evening of the 8th did they return to the guild.
Erza pushed the guild's door open with a smile, only for a plate of warm noodles to land on her face.
Rhode was shocked, wondering who could hit Erza with such a simple attack. Whose subordinate was this?
He didn't have time to think closely and quickly dashed to the counter, grabbing Mira's arm and moving sideways: "I'm back!"
Boom! Crash...
A chair flew by, followed by the sound of bottles hitting the floor.
Amidst the commotion, Mira revealed a sweet smile: "Welcome back."
After not seeing her for several days, she seemed even more beautiful.
Rhode wanted to linger and look a while longer, but sharing in the fun together with her was also worth it.
There was no need to interrogate the culprit who hit Erza; they confessed right away:
"Ai... Ai..."
This idiom, 'Ai Ai,' Rhode understood.
"Erza!" Natsu's terrified voice quickly quieted down the guild.
The smart ones had returned to their positions like obedient students, while only Natsu was stuck moving like an old machine with no oil, his actions awkward and stiff.
Erza's expression turned fierce: "Natsu!"
"Aye!" Natsu produced the sound of Hapi.
Erza walked over step by step and struck Natsu's chin with her fist, sending him flying: "Don't waste food!"
"Aye~~~~~" Natsu produced a long sound as he crashed through the second-floor wall, flying into the lake behind the guild.
Tono, recently added to the guild, quietly said, "Is the focus really on wasting food?"
Mira, smiling, advised: "Erza, don't destroy the guild."
Tono felt something was off: "Miss Mirajane seems a bit off too."
Reby dryly laughed and said: "That's just how they are; you'll get used to it."
"Natsu~" Hapi flew out from the hole, chasing after Natsu.
"Sorry, didn't control my power well." Erza earnestly said to Mira, then started disciplining everyone.
Rhode gleefully watched with Mira as the troublemakers got lectured, betting on whether their old habits would relapse in two or three days.
When Erza finished her 'main job,' she freshened up in the back before returning to discuss the task with Mira.
Rhode was busy looking at the magazine sample Mira gave him.
Since it was early January, Heart-shaped Cross was still promoting new winter attire.
On the cover, Mira wore a gray shearling coat, with a white knitted vest underneath, an A-line skirt and Martin boots on her feet.
She posed with a sideways glance, making one's heart skip a beat.
Erza's eyes lit up: "Oh? This vest looks nice."
"Really? If it's Erza, you seem more suited for cropped tops." Mira irresponsibly suggested.
Rhode thought for a moment, wasn't cropped tops what Mira wore often as a kid?
Is she trying to stir things up again?
The two chatted back and forth about clothes, seeming like Mira was trying hard to get Erza to try some bold outfits.
Rhode thought it was futile; Erza always wore armor anyway.
He even suspected whether Erza had secretly worn armor under her down jacket that day.
After a while, Erza finally remembered to discuss serious matters: "Where's the president?"
Mira replied: "Already went home; it seems Laxus is coming back, and the president said he wants to have a good talk with him."
"Laxus, huh."
Even Erza found dealing with his personality tricky, hoping the president could gradually persuade him.
"Regarding the task, the president already knows all about it. The advisory council says you did a great job," Mira smiled as she spoke, "but the rewards will arrive in a few days."
Rhode suddenly asked: "What was the task reward amount again?"
"2.7 million J."
"2... 2... Are you sure you didn't add an extra zero?"
Mira answered: "Nope, didn't the president mention the reward before you set out?"
"Probably, but I was too focused on the Black Magic Sect's kidnap situation to pay attention."
The inexperienced Rhode asked, "Is this the income standard for an S-Class task?"
Erza denied: "No, S-Class tasks typically have rewards of at least 5 million J. 2.7 million is rare, but it's not unheard of, still far from the S-Class standard."
That's quite a lot!
Rhode calculated that 2.7 million J, split between two, is 1.35 million each. He could finally pay off the debt owed to the president in one go!
Good heavens, ever since crossing over, Rhode had never been this financially comfortable.
Even after debt repayment, there's still enough left for over a year's worth of rent...
Calculating like this, his sense of happiness suddenly dropped.
Paying rent monthly felt like working for the landlord.
"Should I consider buying a house of my own?" Rhode thought, feeling he now had the ability to settle down in this world.
Magnolia is a fantastic city; getting a house here would be ideal.
Preferably close to the guild, for convenient commuting.
But not too close, in case when everybody raises hell, it would be safe from being demolished.
He glanced quietly at Mira; he really should consider saving money for a house purchase.
It'll come in handy sooner or later.