Rhode and Mira kept their promise and stayed an extra day in Lavender Village.
On the one hand, it was to prevent any unexpected events, and on the other hand, they caught a few more rats.
They couldn't catch up to twenty in a whole day, and their size wasn't as large as before, indicating that the rat infestation was indeed resolved.
Now, as long as the villagers do some slight prevention work, there shouldn't be any more problems.
When the two left the Guild, it was the 1st, and by the time they were about to leave, it was already the morning of the 4th.
The village chief, Jasper, handed them the compensation when sending them off, and many villagers temporarily put down their work to see them off.
But when Rhode accepted it, he found the thickness was off: "Why is there so much?"
"Because you two saved the village, and we only later learned there was a Mouse King and Queen. The original compensation was clearly not fitting for such difficulty, so we together added 500,000 J. Although it's still not much, but..."
"Oh, no, Mr. Village Chief." Mira directly refused his offer, "The compensation was already decided, we cannot charge extra."
"But I'm the client, and I'm requesting to change the compensation. This is a token of our village's gratitude, can't you accept it?"
"Changes can be made before we start the mission, but now that it's completed." Mira's tone was not harsh, but her attitude was firm, "Charging extra in this situation would affect our guild's reputation."
Even though Fairy Tail is quite anarchic, when it comes to tasks, compensation, and responsibilities, they are very serious.
Rhode took out 200,000 J, stuffing the remaining money back to Jasper: "It's settled then, thank you for your kindness. We'll see you again sometime."
The two waved goodbye and boarded the River Crab to leave the village.
"Village Chief, this..."
"Nothing can be done, we can't let them be troubled by this," Jasper thought, "I'll return the money to everyone later, and we'll think of another way to thank them."
On the other side, Mira noticed the River Crab was not heading in the right direction: "Isn't this not the way back to the guild?"
Rhode nodded: "Indeed, it's heading towards Mint Lake."
"The lake that was the source of the rat infestation?"
"Yes, I want to check it out personally and... it's rare to go on a trip together, would it be such a waste to go back so soon?"
Mira pondered for a moment and laughed: "True, indeed."
The initial plan for the two was to have a few days of fun together, but it seemed like they have been working all these days.
Taking this opportunity to visit some nearby cities or attractions would be nice too.
After all, with the President and Erza in the guild, no trouble would arise.
...
A few days quickly passed by.
The two arrived at a small town famous for its clothing manufacturing, and Mira planned to buy a few summer clothes for Elfman.
However, because Rhode casually bought a magazine at a kiosk and after reading a few pages, he realized they had to go back.
Rhode sighed: "Lidas is causing trouble again?"
Mira asked: "Lidas, why?"
"Because Glow Pen hasn't released any new models, so Lidas took a few good illustrator friends to protest at the manufacturer.
Then, fearing they would be ignored, he used magic to create a large crowd, causing some chaos and traffic congestion."
Rhode showed her the magazine, which had a photo of Lidas, who seemed to be apologizing to someone.
"Oh dear..." Mira seemed amused, "So what was the outcome? Did the manufacturer agree to release new models?"
"..." Rhode replied, "Shouldn't you be worried if he's alright first?"
Mira placed her index finger on her face, tilting her head slightly: "I think Lidas would probably care more about that point too."
"Alright then." You're adorable, so what you say goes, Rhode said, "The manufacturer just made some excuses."
Mira smiled: "I thought so. Why don't we bring the whole guild next time to support Lidas' protest?"
Rhode patted her head: "Don't, the President would cry."
Mira didn't brush off his hand but pointed at another photo in the magazine: "Isn't that back view Wolian?"
"Yes, Wolian caused some trouble during his mission, seems like it was due to magic out of control."
"Up high again, huh." Mira guessed that perhaps Wolian had to go to a high place because of some mission issues, "Sounds interesting."
Rhode sighed: "What's even more interesting is this."
"Demon Mira Returns? Water Monster at Mint Lake Defeated!"
Since there was no picture, Mira couldn't recall immediately: "Water Monster?"
Rhode grimaced: "It's me."
A few days ago, while the two were sparring by the lake, someone might have seen them.
Then a reporter interviewed the Pegasus Trio and upon learning they had been to Mint Lake, they asked about Mira, which confirmed the news.
"Hahaha..." Mira kept laughing.
The last time they appeared in the news together, Rhode was rumored as her boyfriend; this time, he was mistaken for a water monster.
Rhode made a fierce face: "Laugh again and the water monster will capture you!"
Mira directly handed her hand to him: "Please, Mr. Water Monster."
"Alright, I'll seize you to the scariest place in the world—Fairy Tail!"
"My, how terrifying... but Mr. Water Monster, could you let me finish shopping for clothes first?"
"Sure."
Rhode enjoyed a fashion show presented just for him, while also being dragged into trying on over ten different outfits.
After picking out a few favorite clothes, the two hurried back to Magnolia.
Although they wanted to spend a few more days, they were also somewhat concerned about the guild.
...
Evening should be one of the liveliest times for the guild.
But today's excitement was rather average.
Partly because of the lady knight behind the counter, and partly because of the recent troubles.
Those who have hit the magazine news aren't the only issues, there are many other problems that were suppressed as well.
For example, Loki has been messing around with some troublesome girls lately, Natsu caused some destruction yesterday, and Alzack and Bisca have received some complaints...
These troublesome children were just taught a lesson by Erza this afternoon, so they dare not act out as much now.
Without the usual noise sources, the guild naturally wasn't as lively as usual.
But having Erza temporarily substitute for Mira wasn't without its perks.
For instance, when she's handling affairs behind the counter, she's in full armor, but when she serves tables, she changes into a waitress uniform.
—A uniform earned while working part-time at a dessert shop last year, though it fits a bit snug this year, it still works.
And she even matches the hairstyle to go with the uniform, sporting pigtails.
The quality of service aside, she truly is a sight to behold, a feast for the eyes for Macao and Wakaba, those aficionados.
Mira already had a boyfriend and wasn't to be bothered, but Erza was still single, after all...
Though they don't dare to hassle Erza, at least there's something to imagine.
The guild doors were pushed open, and Erza immediately shifted to work mode: "Welcome!"
"Erza?" Two people, dressed in matching couple-themed attire, entered and almost didn't recognize Erza in such an outfit.
"Mira, Rhode?" Erza beamed a smile, "Welcome back!"
The two laughed: "We're back."
Mira found it a bit odd, as it had always been her saying this sentence to returning comrades over the past year or so.
Now, thanks to a certain someone, she re-experienced the feeling of hearing others say it to her.
The guild fell into a brief silence, then erupted into enthusiastic cheers:
"Mira (Rhode) is back!"