Rhode and Mira hadn't moved yet, and the wine bottle on the ground was already in Kana's hand, shattering with a bang over the green-haired guy's head.
The green-haired youth rolled his eyes and fell over, shards of glass flying, the remaining wine drenching his head and face.
The blonde who was rummaging through a bag seemed to have grabbed a card, and a golden spark of electricity enveloped his whole body.
The youth collapsed, twitching all over, and in an instant, the blonde turned into a curly-haired guy.
Kana acted like nothing had happened, raising the neck of the bottle in her hand, muttering, 'No more wine, give me another bottle,' and then clumsily fell back asleep.
Rhode now knew why Kana dared to sleep on the street.
But leaving her like this wasn't a good idea: "Should we take her home, or to the guild?"
Mira thought for a moment, then took a wad of cash from her purse: "You go deposit the money first, I can take care of Kana."
"Alright." Rhode nodded.
Taking care of Kana was indeed more convenient for Mira, and there was no need to worry about not being able to move her.
Taking money from Mira outside of a payday situation felt a bit awkward: "Uh, the bankbook..."
Mira had already picked up Kana and didn't bother rummaging through her bag: "Just deposit it into your account, it's all the same anyway."
...
In Kana's bathroom.
Mira soaked Kana's clothes in a basin, then went outside to boil water to make some tea.
She also went to the wardrobe to find a set of clothes to bring back.
Kana herself was soaking in the bathtub, looking much more sober now.
"Mira, will he come back this year?"
"I don't know, there's been no news at all."
Mira knew she was talking about Kildas.
Previously, Kana had told Mira about her relationship with Kildas and had asked Mira to keep it a secret.
Mira was very tight-lipped when it came to important matters like this, so she hadn't even mentioned it to Rhode.
"I see." Kana hugged her legs, letting her long hair drift gently in the water.
In the guild, aside from the President, Mira was the most informed about news. If even she didn't know, there was nothing that could be done.
Mira consoled her, saying, "I think he should be back soon, after all, it's already been three years."
"Hmm." Kana replied softly, followed by a long silence.
Mira thought for a bit, then asked, "What about when he comes back? Will it be like before?"
"Hmm, he's such a strong and trusted mage, if I don't become an S-Class Mage, I won't have the qualifications..."
"Blood ties are determined at birth, what qualifications do you need?"
Mira had mentioned this last time, but Kana just shook her head.
Years of missed opportunities, hesitation, and cowardice made it impossible for Kana to speak up. She had gone from desperately waiting for a chance to seeing becoming S-Class as an opportunity.
But she hadn't succeeded for four consecutive years.
Worse yet, she hadn't heard from Kildas for three years straight.
In the mage profession, no matter how strong you are, you can still encounter all sorts of unforeseen events.
Kana tried hard not to worry, but she couldn't suppress those feelings.
Longing, worry, and inferiority, compounded with an unknown 'heartbreak' she experienced this year, all these emotions together were about to overwhelm Kana.
Only alcohol could temporarily make her forget these troubles and find some brief relief.
This made Mira worried.
In her view, with Kana's strength and experience, she should have the chance to succeed.
But this year it may still be difficult.
Because Rhode had recently mentioned he wanted to pass the S-Class exam, achieving a double celebration.
And Rhode's current strength...
Plus, he had partnered with Kana last year and was well aware of her magic and fighting style.
Unless Kana made a groundbreaking advance in a short time, there was no way she could beat Rhode.
Mira couldn't persuade Kana to give up, nor did she want to hinder Rhode's progress.
All she could do was try to persuade her and wait for this year's exam results.
The more she thought about it, the more frustrated she became. Mira was considering giving Kildas a punch when he returned.
Then have a proper talk with him about why he couldn't recognize his own daughter.
——However, even for her, hitting that uncle would be a bit tough.
Various solutions kept spinning in her mind, and now Mira really wanted to discuss it with Rhode.
After a while, Kana temporarily adjusted her mood, climbed out of the bathtub, and crouched in front of Mira, staring at her face.
"You've only been apart from your fiancé for a little while and you're already thinking about him?"
Mira immediately denied it: "No way, what's there to think about him."
"But you were murmuring his name just now."
Mira threw a towel onto Kana's head: "Hurry up and get dressed, we still have to go to the guild later."
Kana casually wiped her body with the towel, then started drying her wet hair, shaking her head as she did:
"Tsk tsk tsk... The once mighty demon has now become a shy little girl. If it were the old you, you would now..."
Kana tried to imitate Mira's former expressions and demeanor.
She was the first among her peers to join the guild, and she knew what Gray, Natsu, Erza, and Mira all looked like as children.
She had the deepest understanding of their changes, and of course, she also knew the most about their embarrassing moments.
Mira laughed: "Then I'll show you the power of the demon now!"
She extended her 'magic claws' towards Kana.
Kana, who originally stood confidently in front of her, now seemed a bit shy.
She tried her best to dodge: "How are you so skilled at this? Could it be someone..."
Mira also blushed and grabbed Kana for a playful scolding: "That's what you get for saying nonsense!"
"Ah..."
Playful fights like these were nothing out of the ordinary.
The busy and joyful times flew by, and after entering October, more and more people in the guild were drinking, chatting, and brawling every day.
Around this time every year, everyone would tacitly take a holiday, stop taking on missions, and just eagerly await the festival.
Gray, who recently had been teaming up with Jubia, hadn't left home for a few days either.
According to him, teaming up with Jubia was troublesome, and he planned to return to his original squad after the Harvest Festival.
Anyway, it's been over half a month, and after taking Jubia on many missions, she's roughly past her novice period.
After all, she was once part of Ghost's Four Elements, she didn't need much care.
Jubia felt quite dejected after learning this and would occasionally remind everyone not to 'seduce Lord Gray'. She practically told every girl who approached Gray in the guild.
She believed someone was trying to steal her love away.
Her main concerns were naturally Erza and Lucy from the Strongest Squad.
Erza didn't care; when in a good mood, she would ask if there was anything she needed, and when not, she would glare back.
Then Jubia would concoct a dramatic scene in her mind, thinking Erza's response was a rival's taunt or provocation.
Lucy didn't have such a relaxed mindset.
After all, Jubia had once overpowered her with a single move. With Jubia constantly staring at her like that, it sent chills down her spine.
"What should I do, Miss Mira?" Lucy asked in distress, "Is there any way to stop Jubia from looking at me like that?"
Mira didn't plan to help her think of a solution; she just found it amusing: "Jubia just sees you as a rival. Have you tried explaining it to her?"
"I told her I don't feel that way about Gray..." Lucy ruffled her hair, "But she still calls me 'rival' whenever she sees me."
Mira thought for a moment and then said with a smile, "Well... maybe Gray has those feelings for you."
"Eh??" Lucy's face turned a bit red, "That's impossible, right?"
Mira enjoyed the spectacle: "Of course it's possible, because Lucy is very cute."