Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master-Chapter 257: Soul of Satan

Such a kind and graceful sister, surely even if she did get mad, it couldn't be that bad, right?

But Elfman, being the dependable younger brother he was, didn't want to risk upsetting her. So he obediently walked over.

Mira, still smiling, asked casually, "So? What did he ask you about?"

"He said you've been acting strange lately and wanted to know if I noticed anything," Elfman reported honestly.

"Strange?" Mira blinked, touching her cheek. She couldn't think of anything she'd done differently.

"Nope," Elfman shrugged. "Everyone thinks you've been normal."

Then he squinted a bit. "Unless... is he staring at you a lot lately?"

"Of course not!" Mira quickly denied it, but a faint blush crept onto her face. "We're always professional when we work together."

Still... she did have a hunch he had been glancing her way when he thought she wouldn't notice.

How did she know? She just knew.

In truth, Mira's emotions lately had been a tangled mix of anxiety and quiet happiness.

Out of everyone in the guild, he's the only one who noticed something was off...

Elfman tilted his head. Now he was the one finding his sister strange.

"Wait, Sis... you haven't told Rhodes about that, have you?" he asked carefully.

Mira looked troubled. "Not yet... I haven't figured out how."

Elfman frowned. "It's just magic, right? I don't think he'd care."

"I know. But still..." Mira hesitated.

What if he hates demons?

What if he thinks I'm frightening?

What if... he starts avoiding me?

All those what-ifs haunted her.

Elfman sighed and crossed his arms. "Look, even if you don't say anything, he's gonna figure it out eventually. He's the 'Fairy Strategist of the New Era,' remember? You sure picked someone complicated to like."

Mira glared at him. "Troublesome? If you don't like the 'Fairy Strategist,' then what—'Beast King Manly Man'? 'Manly Beast King'? Seriously..."

She sighed. "I really need to find my brother a girlfriend."

"Head home early today."

"Alright."

...

"Gray, Loke? You two back already?" Rhodes asked as he returned to the guild and saw them dropping off a mission form at the counter.

"Rhodes!" Loke immediately ducked behind Gray. "Gray, I've got a sudden stomachache, I'll leave this to you!"

And just like that, Loke bolted.

Mira smiled warmly. "Looks like Loke's 'Fear of Rhodes Syndrome' is getting worse."

"Why is that even a thing..." Rhodes muttered. "What's up with him this time?"

Gray rubbed the back of his neck. "We heard some people calling you the 'Fairy Strategist' while we were out. After that, Loke got even more freaked out."

"Did he borrow money from me and forget to pay it back? Or maybe he's hiding some terrible secret... Wait—" Rhodes paused, then leaned closer to Mira. "Did Loke... ever try to hit on you?"

"Hmm..." Mira tapped her chin thoughtfully. "And if he did?"

"Well..." Rhodes said seriously, "there's the lake behind the guild, the canal in town, or the sea over in Hargeon. Which one do you think is better for dumping him?"

Gray stared, stunned. "Whoa, that's a little extreme, don't you think?"

"There's no need to overthink it." Mira nodded with a calm smile. "Why not just split him into three and use all three locations?"

Gray was in disbelief. "You two are terrifying, do you even hear yourselves?!"

"Good point," Rhodes said, nodding. "I'll just hit him with a club."

"Hey! Guys!"

Gray looked like he wanted to run after Loke himself.

"Alright, alright, jokes aside," Rhodes said, waving his hand. "Let's talk about your mission. Wasn't it supposed to be a two-day job? How'd it turn into a whole week?"

Gray sighed. "The client said our impact was too good. They extended our stay and basically kicked the original model out."

Rhodes blinked. "Wait, what? You two did too well?"

Mira chuckled. "It's true. The client sent over bonus pay and a formal extension request, along with some customer complaints."

Rhodes glanced over the paperwork and shook his head in disbelief.

The shop was supposed to specialize in men's fashion, but after Gray got there, he had a bad habit of stripping off anything he wore within minutes. Loke would rush in to hand him a new outfit, only for Gray to take that off too.

As a result, word quickly spread through town that two ridiculously handsome guys were modeling fashion in the middle of a shop.

That, of course, led to a flood of female customers, and their reluctant boyfriends being dragged along for the ride.

Gray found the attention exhausting, but Loke? Loke thrived in it. This was his element.

Eventually, the men's clothing store pivoted entirely, investing in racks of women's apparel to keep up with the new demand.

And while they were at it, Loke was busy collecting phone numbers alongside their sales figures, many of which came from girls who hadn't exactly arrived alone.

In the end, the store turned a massive profit, showered the two of them with praise, and sent their thanks to the guild. As for the complaints? Well, those were... unsurprisingly self-explanatory.

Rhodes gave Gray a thumbs up. "You're incredible. You actually changed their whole business model."

Mira giggled. "Isn't that a good thing?"

Gray scratched his head. "I'm not even sure anymore. The client was happy, so I guess it worked out."

He conveniently ignored the complaints. That was Loke's problem now. Let the Master chew him out.

With things in the guild calming down for the day, Rhodes found himself sitting off to the side, watching Mira work. Feeling awkward just sitting there, he picked up a magazine to pretend like he was reading.

He peeked again.

Yep, she was still as beautiful as ever.

"Mira," Rhodes finally said, trying to sound casual.

But she cut him off with a smile, without looking up. "If you've got time, can you help sort the monthly accounts? I've got something I want to show you later."

"Sure."

Was he that obvious? He hoped his face wasn't as red as it felt.

Still, her words only made him more curious.

...

After closing time, everyone went their separate ways. Elfman stopped by briefly to say he had something to take care of, so training was off for the night.

That left only Rhodes and Mira.

They headed to the training yard together like usual.

Rhodes stretched his arms. "Alright, what's this big mystery about?"

Mira clasped her right arm and looked him in the eyes. "It's... me."

"What?"

"The thing I want to show you. It's a part of me I haven't shared."

She raised her arm. With a soft flash of light, her pale skin shifted, morphing into a demonic claw, dark and sharp, adorned with glowing purple crystal-like veins that pulsed with raw magic.

She turned her head slightly, unable to meet his gaze.

Mira, once fearless as the "Demon" of Fairy Tail, now hesitated. She was afraid....afraid of what he might see. Afraid he'd flinch. Be disgusted. Afraid he'd...

She had dreamed of this moment for so long, when her power returned, when she could once again protect those she loved.

But now that it had finally happened, she found herself scared of showing it to him.

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If Elfman hadn't reminded her, she probably would have kept hiding it.

'If I keep this to myself, and he finds out later, he might think I didn't trust him. He'd be hurt.'

And that scared her even more.

So she chose to show him, this side of herself that she feared was monstrous.

"You can use Take Over magic?!"

The voice that met her ears wasn't harsh. It wasn't fearful.

It was just... surprise.

...

Bonus Chapter