Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master-Chapter 278: Kiss

To be honest, even though Mira's hair smelled sweet, it still felt a bit awkward being carried like a princess in her arms.

Especially with all the passing glances from the villagers, some amused, some understanding, and the knowing look from the village chief. It made Rhodes feel... well, mildly embarrassed.

Mira, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy it more and more.

The warm glow of torchlight flickered over her smile, softening her expression and hiding the rosy blush on her cheeks.

Thankfully, the chief's house wasn't far. When they reached the door, Rhodes finally insisted on getting down. He had his pride. No matter how weak he felt, he wasn't about to be carried across the threshold like a bride, unless Mira received Satan Soul and forced it.

Jasper, having clearly picked up on their relationship, had arranged just one room for them.

After all, wizards often shared rooms on jobs, especially when they were partners.

Even if the room only had a single large bed.

It was totally normal... Mira told herself this confidently as she opened her suitcase and took out toiletries and pajamas.

Rhodes caught a glimpse of two pieces of clothing that were suspiciously black and lacy.

Before he could say anything, Mira clutched the garments to her chest, slammed the lid shut, and shot him a warning look before quickly heading to the bathroom.

If it were any other mission, she wouldn't mind skipping a bath for a day. But today had been all about rats, and if she didn't wash off the smell, she wouldn't feel right.

Rhodes collapsed onto the bed, half-laughing at himself. Who goes snooping through someone's suitcase anyway? Still, Mira's reaction had only made him more curious about what she was hiding.

Not that he had the energy to do anything about it.

Losing so much magic power at once took a serious toll on the body. If he hadn't expected this, he probably would've passed out already.

How long did girls take to shower again?

To kill time, he summoned Warm.

"Woo~" Warm flopped down next to him on the bed, the plush mattress bouncing slightly under its weight.

Rhodes absentmindedly rubbed its belly, smiling at the soft, familiar texture.

He held up his hand to compare sizes and realized Warm's body length almost matched the length of his own torso.

"You know... when you grow a bit more, I might be able to ride you to work," Rhodes muttered playfully.

"Woo?" Warm looked up in shock, ears twitching.

'Me? You want to ride me? I'm cute! I'm fluffy! I'm not a mount!'

Rhodes tugged gently on its cheeks. "What's with that look? I carried you when you were small. When you're bigger, it's only fair you carry me, right?"

Warm wiggled its ears in protest, mentally weighing the idea of cutting back on snacks so it wouldn't grow too fast.

But... give up food?

Never mind. Let Rhodes ride.

By the time Mira emerged from the bathroom, Rhodes was already halfway asleep.

Unfortunately for him, there was no reward tonight. Mira was wearing simple beige pajamas decorated with a blue, heart-shaped cross on the front.

Rhodes squinted at Mira's pajamas, feeling a strange sense of familiarity. He couldn't quite place it—until a thought struck him like lightning: 'Wait... aren't those the same as Erza's?' The words nearly escaped his mouth, but he wisely swallowed them down.

"Huh~" Warm chirped happily at Mira, waddling over to her. She often fed him treats, after all. As far as he was concerned, this future mistress was perfectly qualified.

Mira strolled over, drying her damp hair with a thick towel. "Warm, there you are. Hungry? I brought some snacks."

That was as good as a command, if Mira asked whether Warm was hungry, then Warm was hungry.

She pulled out a small pouch from her bag, opened it up, and started feeding Warm piece by piece. Of course, she didn't forget his master, Rhodes got a few bites, too.

"Now go take a shower and get some rest," Mira instructed, ushering him away. She handed the rest of the snacks to Warm, then sat down in front of the mirror and started blow-drying her hair.

Rhodes came back in under ten minutes, already clean and refreshed. Mira, however, was still working on her hair.

She had her head tilted sideways, her arm twisted behind her head at an awkward angle to reach the back. It looked uncomfortable.

"Want me to help?" Rhodes offered, stepping closer.

"Sure," Mira said with a small smile, handing him the hair dryer. Then she settled in and watched him in the mirror.

The dryer was clearly a custom model, powered by a rechargeable lacrima crystal embedded in the handle, a magic prop made for long journeys.

Rhodes tried to remember how stylists handled this back in Magnolia, but his mental image of Tony the barber was fuzzy at best.

Well... time to wing it.

He gently took hold of a strand of Mira's long white hair and flipped the dryer on.

WHIRRRR!

The strong gust of wind blasted forward, whipping her damp hair into her face like fluttering ribbons.

"Wuh—!" Mira squeaked, closing her eyes and raising her arms to shield herself.

Panicking, Rhodes moved the dryer away, only to blow her bangs completely out of place. He quickly turned the dryer off.

"Oops!" he said, a bit too gleefully.

Mira stared at him through her now-messy fringe and muttered, "I thought you knew how to dry hair."

She patted her bangs back into place and gave him a half-annoyed, half-amused look in the mirror. "You're still laughing?"

"Sorry, sorry. This is my first time drying someone else's hair," Rhodes admitted sheepishly.

Mira sighed, then chuckled and took on the role of teacher. "Okay, listen. For long hair, you have to do it like this. Right, now spread your fingers and comb through it gently while you dry. The airflow should follow the direction of the hair, so angle it back. And when you're working on the ends, hold them like this. You can use a stronger breeze here."

Rhodes paid close attention, following her instructions carefully.

He never realized how much work went into taking care of long hair.

He glanced at the bottle of conditioner on the table and frowned. It seemed like she skipped a couple of steps... or maybe applied it earlier? Either way, this was definitely more effort than he expected.

It's not easy being a beauty, he thought to himself as he looked at Mira through the mirror, gently smoothing down her bangs.

That gave him an idea.

"Is there a spell that helps with hair care?" he asked curiously.

Mira raised an eyebrow and caught his gaze through the mirror. "There is. Want to learn it?"

Rhodes grinned. "Sure, but honestly? I'd rather help you do this every day myself."

Mira let out a soft laugh. "You're just saying that to sound sweet." She stood up and gave him a little push. "Now it's my turn. Sit."

"My hair's practically dry already," Rhodes protested as she pushed him into the chair.

"No excuses. You're not going to bed with damp hair."

Left with no choice, Rhodes sat obediently. He watched in the mirror as Mira gently tousled his short hair with her fingers while the dryer hummed softly. One of her hands scratched his scalp in slow, circular motions.

'If my scalp didn't feel so good right now, I'd think she was just taking advantage of the situation,' he thought, amused.

It didn't take long to finish. But even after the dryer stopped, Mira didn't move away.

Instead, her hands kept playing with his hair, stroking, fluffing, smoothing it down again.

"Okay, that's enough," Rhodes said, chuckling as he caught her hand and pulled it forward.

Mira leaned in, wrapping her arms around him from behind, and rested her chin on his shoulder. Then she leaned a little closer and kissed his cheek.

The warmth of her touch against his back and the kiss on his face made his heart flutter.

Rhodes turned to look at her, and this time, instead of overthinking, he kissed her properly, right on the lips.

Mira's breath caught for just a moment. Her cheeks flushed a brilliant red. It was their first kiss, unexpected, yet somehow... exactly right.

She didn't pull away.

There was no reason to run. So instead, she closed her eyes and leaned into it, letting herself melt into the moment.

Rhodes shifted gently, turning to face her more fully. He wrapped his arms around her waist, lifted her up, and settled her carefully on his lap.

"Hmph," Mira huffed softly as she bumped her forehead into his by accident. Their teeth clicked together awkwardly mid-kiss.

Both of them froze. Then laughed. A little embarrassed, but unwilling to let it spoil the moment.

Without saying anything, they leaned into each other again and simply hugged.