"Mira! Rhode! You're finally back!"
Makarov was so happy that he jumped directly down from the second floor. In his excitement, he hadn't even stood steady, and fell face-first to the ground.
It should be said that, as expected of the Ten Wizard Saints, at 88 years old, he tumbled down from the second floor and only ended up with a red face.
He bounced up like nothing happened, wanting to hug Rhode's leg and cry.
—Hugging Mira might get him kicked away.
Makarov occasionally hoped that someone pretty, with a good figure and a good temper, would join the guild someday.
"Isn't it a bit much, President? We've only been away for a few days?"
Rhode still wasn't used to being as casual with the President as Mira and Natsu were, and in these kinds of situations, he never knew how to push him away.
Makarov complained, "It felt like a century has passed! Do you know how I've been living these days? Every day, Erza kept pushing me to do my presidential duties, and wouldn't let me drink until I finished!"
Rhode thought for a moment, "Isn't that a good thing? Doesn't Mira often restrict your drinking too?"
"That's different! With Mira's limits, I can just sneak a drink. With Erza, as soon as I lift the glass, her sword comes swinging at me!"
"Oh~" Rhode pondered, making a mental note to himself that the President sneaks drinks when Mira forbids it.
"And she even checks my self-reflection papers, and if there are typos, she makes me rewrite them, saying my attitude isn't serious enough!"
Rhode nodded, "That does seem a bit excessive. Those reflection papers are just to fool the Advisory Council, not an application to join a party."
"Right?" Makarov, feeling he had found a kindred spirit, continued to list Erza's 'crimes'.
Actually, if this were any other guild, Erza's demands would be quite normal. Some might be a bit strict, but they help curb the guild's problematic habits.
The problem is that this is Fairy Tail.
Normal demands here seem like harsh laws.
Rhode now roughly understood why everyone was so happy when he and Mira returned. They were all eager for Erza to hand over her duties quickly.
Meanwhile, the person being complained about by the President was chatting with Mira.
"That outfit really suits you, Erza."
Erza was pleased, "Really? I insisted on keeping it because I liked it so much at the time."
"Yeah, but why did you suddenly decide to be a waitress?"
"Because you and Rhode asked me to temporarily handle your duties, and being a waitress is part of your duties."
"You didn't have to take it so seriously..."
"No, since I promised to manage the guild well while you're gone, I must take every task seriously!"
That's just Erza's personality; she often takes things too seriously.
So Mira came up with a good idea, "Speaking of which, I have a modeling job. Erza, would you like to try it?"
"A model? Oh, right, a letter arrived from the magazine the other day, inviting you to shoot a swimsuit photo for the July issue."
"Ah, what a shame. I'm not planning to do those kinds of shoots right now, but it's not easy to refuse outright." Mira feigned a troubled expression, "How about I introduce you to the editor?"
"Can I?"
Erza was a little interested, but not enough to volunteer.
The magazine likely didn't dare approach the Fairy Queen, so she had never been invited before.
Plan successful, Mira smiled sweetly:
"Sure, I'm really looking forward to Erza's swimsuit photo."
Even though Rhode didn't hear what Mira and Erza were discussing, seeing Mira's smile, he knew she was up to something.
Rhode didn't mind; whatever, as long as it wasn't directed at him...
Though, come to think of it, it had happened before, but the outcome was debatable if it benefited him.
From the President's complaints and Erza's amicable exchange, Rhode and Mira gathered some insights about the guild's current state.
To be honest, Erza's capabilities were perfectly fine. She kept all the accounts and task records in meticulous order.
However, her overly serious nature meant she was involved in every detail, big and small, appearing somewhat severe.
Mira, in contrast, let everyone run wild most of the time, enjoying the chaos to the point of involving herself for the excitement.
Comparing the two, Erza was like the strict father figure, while Mira was like the indulgent mother. (Rhode: ?)
Judging by everyone's reactions, they apparently hoped the 'strict father' would hurry to work and leave the 'indulgent mother' at home.
Mira and Erza arranged to meet the editor tomorrow, and Erza began handing over her work earnestly.
Rhode flipped through the task records from the past few days and found it surprising.
From what the President and Erza said, it seemed like there were lots of troubles, but not a single mission had failed.
For instance, Loki, escorting a female performer to a commercial show, gracefully thwarted some harassers, and even wooed one of them.
After completing the mission, he even successfully pursued the granddaughter of an evaluator.
Then there was Natsu, who had fought the Devon Thief Clan, capturing every single thief.
However, he also destroyed three houses and a clock tower in the process, though fortunately, no innocents were hurt.
Reading all this made Rhode fretful, "Loki, I can understand, but Natsu is back to his old self?"
Can the reward for these missions cover his damages?
Mira said, "I think Natsu has reined it in. He might have done something even more outrageous before, like burning down an entire street."
Erza, feeling remorseful, said, "Does that mean Natsu wasn't giving it his all in battle? Even though I told him to put his full effort into his work!"
Rhode realized these two had a... well, Mira was normal, better to poke fun at Erza: "So you're the culprit!"
Erza replied, "No, I think the problem lies with you, Rhode."
"Huh?" Rhode was confused, "I wasn't even here the past few days."
"It's been an ongoing issue for quite some time." Erza recalled and said seriously, "It started when you assisted Mira with the task registration.
You seem to enjoy helping everyone analyze the data, suggesting where they should start the tasks, advising them to choose battle locations wisely, how to avoid danger, and minimize property damage."
"...Isn't that a good thing?" Rhode asked, puzzled, "I want everyone to work smoothly and minimize unnecessary risks and losses."
"In terms of results, it's certainly good, but these are things they should figure out themselves.
Giving their all to analyze situations, giving their all to fight, completing missions entirely their way, that's what I mean by giving it all!
It's the only way everyone can grow through missions, but you're trying to think for them, which might lead them to think, 'Just do what Rhode says' over time.
While it might boost work efficiency in the short term and reduce incidents, I believe it's detrimental to their growth in the long run!"
Rhode frowned, sure that he never intended to hinder anyone's growth nor desired control, simply hoping everyone could stay safe outside.
He hadn't expected to be criticized by Erza for this.
She likely meant no harm, perhaps just a difference in philosophy.
Trying to recall, why did this come up?
Oh, because of Natsu... Is Natsu already influenced by him?
What about the others?