"Pervert!"
"I am a pervert."
"Bad guy!"
"I am a bad guy."
"Annoying brat!"
"I am an annoying brat."
Mira's vocabulary was exhausted, so she could only punch Rhode's chest and bite his shoulder.
Strictly speaking, this fell into the category of an excited thug's punch.
Rhode chuckled foolishly. This was Demon Mira. If she didn't punch him flying, it meant she didn't want to hit him. Let her act spoiled all she wanted.
"You're still laughing!"
"Okay, I won't laugh."
At most, he wouldn't laugh out loud.
Mira was also tired. She grabbed Rhode's hand to stop him from casually kneading her anymore. "What do we do now?"
Rhode thought for a moment, "Take a bath and go to bed."
Mira got up; she definitely needed a bath, but she couldn't sleep here. Who knew what he would do later?
Although... but...
Anyway, she couldn't sleep here.
She tugged at her clothes, which were in a mess. The top was manageable, but the bottom was unwearable.
Mira glared at Rhode. She could wear his outerwear, but what about underneath?
"Actually... I have something."
Rhode pulled a small bag from the deepest corner of his wardrobe. Inside were two sets of underwear that looked very similar to what Mira usually wore.
Mira's eyes widened even more. Rhode wouldn't be dumb enough to give her someone else's clothes, so he must've bought them purposely!
"You've been plotting this all along!"
"Just being prepared. Remember when Ghost happened? Clothes were ruined and had nothing to change into."
Rhode handed her the items. "Don't worry, I washed them after buying them."
He even knew they needed to be washed!
And he's even knowledgeable about this kind of stuff.
Mira pouted, not sure if this was good or bad. She'd have to interrogate him later about whether he'd taken classes or had countless girlfriends.
She took a set, thought for a bit, and shoved the remaining set back to Rhode.
Then she didn't say anything, barefootly walked to the door, and wore Rhode's slippers.
Rhode held the underwear she returned. Was this an implication? Or a clear sign?
He looked at Mira's fair little feet and suddenly had a daring idea again.
No, no. Rhode put the clothes away, slapped his face to wake himself up.
He wondered if something was wrong with him, as he constantly thought about that when he was with Mira lately.
Weird thoughts kept popping up...
Or... wasn't it more strange not to think about it?
Someday he should chat with the experienced old men in the guild about their love stories and life journeys, subtly getting some veteran advice.
Maybe he could sell the Blue Pegasus voucher at a lower price to them for a bit of extra cash.
For now... he needed to change the bedsheets.
"Give it to me." A small hand reached out to Rhode, and he almost handed over the voucher.
"What?"
"Clothes." Mira didn't believe he only had those, given he even prepared underwear.
"..." Rhode thought briefly and handed her a nightgown.
As she was about to say something, Rhode quickly added, "Actually, I need to wash up too, so why don't we..."
"Don't even think about it!" Mira fled into the bathroom and locked the door.
This time, Mira's bath was notably quicker, likely due to not washing her hair.
The nightgown Rhode bought was just right, not revealing anything, yet it seemed like everything could be seen.
Mira initially wanted to say, "I'm going back," but after sniffing lightly and seeing the changed bedsheets, her cheeks turned slightly red.
She quietly opened the window as wide as possible.
"Why not just stay?" Rhode hugged Mira from behind, gently kissing her earlobe.
"At this hour, Elfman is surely asleep. Going back and opening the door might wake him. If he's awake, it's even worse. Big sis goes out with her brother-in-law at night and returns in a change of clothes. It's too suspicious."
Going back together the next morning would be even stranger, right? Mira's ears tingled, but she neither spoke nor pushed him away.
Rhode continued whispering a hundred reasons to avoid leaving while making small gestures.
Not clear if she was annoyed by his talking or if she was moved, Mira wriggled out of his embrace and pushed him away. "Go wash up quickly, or you're not allowed on the bed."
"I can't even get on my own bed?" Rhode mumbled as he went to the bathroom, unable to keep the smile off his face.
Actually, it was nothing much.
They had shared the same bed during missions and leaned on each other sleeping through the night at the guild.
This time it was just at his place. No big deal.
Mira comforted herself this way.
Only, there was more touching and teasing before falling asleep this time.
No need to elaborate.
...
In September, the summer heat hasn't quite dispersed, and the sun rises early.
By around six, the sunlight was already slanting into the bedroom through the window.
The two people on the large bed lay quietly. Rhode's posture was ordinary, while Mira's sleeping position was a bit unruly.
Her head rested on Rhode's shoulder, her right leg crossed over his, her arms hugging his upper body, her long white hair spread messily on the bed and over Rhode's chest.
She apparently used Rhode as her body pillow again.
Rhode woke up feeling a bit heavy, initially thinking Warm was lying on him.
Opening his eyes, he indeed saw a bunch of white hair, though longer than expected.
As he regained his senses, he remembered crossing the 'no trespass' line before sleeping last night. Seeing Mira's sleeping posture, it was definitely her who crossed over.
Rhode, feeling justified, wrapped his arms around her.
Mira awoke immediately.
She seemed a little dazed, rubbing her eyes and snuggling against her 'pillow.' Only when the texture felt off did she remember where she slept last night, sitting up suddenly.