The end of May was approaching, and it had been nearly a month since Rhode and Mira officially started dating.
Rhode had been experiencing a bit of a small dilemma recently.
On one hand, his training was progressing well, but it would still take some time to meet his expectations.
On the other hand, there was his relationship.
Lately, things like hugging and holding hands were fine, but there was less of a deeper intimacy.
Rhode pondered on how to take the next step and eventually thought of going on a trip.
Not just any trip, but taking on a task farther away and teaming up with Mira to go there.
They had already discussed this before, but hadn't found anything interesting.
Just as well, Rhode hadn't traveled far since the last incident with the Demon's Heart, over a month ago.
Mira had been indoors even longer than him, and both of them wanted to go out.
It was on the last day of May that Rhode finally spotted a suitable task.
The destination could be reached by evening if they set off in the morning.
Time-wise, Rhode estimated it would take two to three days if everything went smoothly, and he deemed the difficulty as pretty average.
The reward was 200,000 J, which was quite decent for an ordinary mage.
Rhode immediately pointed this task out to Mira.
"It looks good on all fronts, except for the part where it mentions..." Mira hesitated a bit when she saw the words 'mouse infestation.'
Though she wasn't an ordinary girl, she really disliked mice and cockroaches.
Mira suggested, "Why not ask Hapi to catch them?"
"Hapi would die."
"But he's a cat."
"A cat can't handle that many mice, especially since there might be mutant species among them, and possibly a Mouse King."
"Let's have Elfman take them in."
Rhode gave a thumbs-up, "Great idea, but after taking in the Mouse King, would you still allow Elfman in the house?"
Mira didn't hesitate at all, "I'll just kick him out."
This task-solving method was a bit hard on her brother.
"Are you two really siblings?" Rhode teased, as he hugged Mira from behind, holding her little hand, and said warmly,
"This is a mouse infestation, which is quite troublesome. If not addressed in time, that village might end up with no harvest this year, and the villagers might even lose their stored food to rats, leading to who knows how many deaths from starvation."
Being cunning and kindhearted aren't mutually exclusive. Once Mira realized the seriousness of the situation, she stopped making jokes.
She had experienced hunger before.
Mira sighed softly, "Alright, but I get to choose the next task."
"Sure, and if you're not happy, you get a free kiss right here."
"Hmph, wishful thinking." She pinched and tugged hard at Rhode's cheeks as a form of punishment.
Rhode blushed while talking to the President about teaming up with Mira to take on a task.
Anyone else wouldn't matter, but since he and Mira were leaving together, he felt he had to inform the President to prepare him mentally.
"Noooooo!" Makarov exaggeratedly clung to Rhode's leg, crying and sniffling, "It's the end of the month! What will I do if you both leave?"
"Please, President, mind your image. We can finish up today and set out tomorrow," Rhode tried to pry off the President, but the old man's strength was impressive.
Makarov didn't care about any image, behaving like a child:
"But right after the end of the month is the start of a new one! At least keep Mira here. You can handle that task on your own, can't you?"
"No way, we're a team. We can't abandon a partner."
Rhode firmly stated, and indeed it wasn't the first time he and Mira teamed up, though their previous tasks were minor.
Their task record was verifiable, and no one could argue against them being a team.
Mira chuckled, "If you keep this up, President, I'll invite Erza to come along with us~"
"No way!" Makarov immediately released Rhode.
With Mira and Rhode gone, he could still have Erza fill in, but if Erza was gone too, the Guild would be in chaos.
He could ask Macao and Wakaba to handle the daily affairs, but those troublemakers... the two of them couldn't manage it, especially since Makarov often had to go out. The Guild would be doomed.
Makarov relented, "Just make sure to come back soon!"
As the President, he really shouldn't stop the kids from going out on jobs.
Besides, this was Mira's first task since resuming her S-Class status. Rhode insisting on teaming up with her was likely to help her quickly regain her footing, right?
Makarov glanced at the two of them almost sticking together while working... It was hard to say.
But it did show that the kids were growing up, which was a good thing.
Oh? Makarov suddenly thought, now that Mira was already S-Class, perhaps...
Who to choose out of the two was the same?
This required some serious thinking.
If only Kildas could come back soon, who knew how he was doing out there.
...
June 1st, and the weather was gloomy.
Rhode got up early, not heading to the Guild as usual, but straight to Mira's house.
Elfman opened the door, wearing pajamas with a toothbrush in his mouth.
He casually greeted Rhode before turning back to continue his morning routine, leaving the door open for Rhode to enter by himself.
Elfman had almost gotten used to it, seeing that person coming to pick up his sister for work every day recently.
Initially, when he picked up his sister, Elfman would tag along, but eventually, he couldn't be bothered.
One day, Rhode came a bit early, and his sister invited him inside for breakfast.
And now... they almost had breakfast together every day.
Elfman pondered whether he should charge him for meals, but since his sister was always accompanied by Rhode when shopping for ingredients, she said Rhode had already contributed.
That person was just short of moving in together.
Sister would eventually get married someday.
Elfman started contemplating saving money, as continuing to live with his sister after she's married didn't feel right.
Unaware of Elfman's thoughts, Rhode slipped off his shoes, switched to slippers, and headed straight to the kitchen.
Mira, dressed in casual home attire with an apron, had her long hair tied back and neatly tucked under a headscarf.
She was preparing breakfast and packed lunches for the road.
Rhode stood silently at the kitchen door, savoring the thrill of his racing heart, until she noticed him and asked, "Need any help?"
Though that question was more rhetorical, his best contribution was to not get in the way.
Rhode couldn't quite understand how Elfman mastered such impressive culinary skills.
As expected, Mira just smiled, "You just stay put."
"Oh," Rhode replied, watching her from the doorway.
Mira felt a bit uneasy under his gaze, so she popped a small sausage into Rhode's mouth:
"All right, go wait outside, there's some magazines on the table. It'll be done soon."
Contented from being fed, Rhode started flipping through a magazine, thinking he should find some time to learn how to cook from Elfman.
Having Mira do all the cooking was a bit too much work.