The cheerful voice at the entrance belonged to a cute girl working as the store greeter.
Rhodes' first thought? Not as pretty as Mira.
"Would you like to sit here?"
Another adorable waitress led them to a table.
Rhodes' evaluation? Still not as pretty as Mira.
As they passed the cashier counter, the woman behind the register flashed them a warm, welcoming smile.
Rhodes' silent verdict? You guessed it—not as pretty as Mira.
Alright, calm down. Breathe. No need to get carried away.
The dessert shop was bustling with customers, perhaps due to its grand opening. By the time Rhodes and Mira took their seats, not a single table was left vacant.
Most of the patrons were groups of girls chattering excitedly over their sweets, while a handful of tables were occupied by couples. The store played soft, pleasant music, adding to its relaxed, cozy atmosphere.
Mira glanced at the menu. "Iced coffee, hazelnut cookies, blueberry mousse cake..." She picked out two desserts, then hesitated, a conflicted expression on her face.
Rhodes caught the look immediately. "Something wrong?"
"I kind of want to try the cream puffs too," Mira admitted, pinching her waist under the table, where there was barely any fat to begin with. "But I don't want to gain weight."
"Wait, wizards actually worry about stuff like that?" Rhodes mused, then offered a solution. "How about I order some? We'll just share."
Mira's eyes lit up. "Great idea! That way, it doesn't count towards my portion."
Rhodes chuckled. "You know, I just like tasting different foods. And I don't really worry about my figure. I exercise enough that I can afford to indulge."
Desserts aren't about the calories—they're about the experience.
The waitress taking their order shot Mira an envious look before quickly jotting everything down.
"Please wait a moment."
Mira took off her sun hat, setting it aside as she casually swept her bangs back with her fingers. She pulled the hair tie from her wrist and effortlessly tied her hair back into her usual style.
Rhodes noticed something—she actually looked really nice with her bangs down.
"This place has a really nice vibe," Mira remarked. "No wonder it's so popular."
"Yeah, it's definitely quieter than the guild," Rhodes agreed, glancing around at the various groups of friends and couples talking in hushed, cheerful tones.
"Feels like the perfect place for afternoon tea or a date."
Mira's expression shifted slightly. "Oh? So, Rhodes, do you take girls to places often?"
Rhodes' instincts screamed at him—this was a trap question. He immediately responded with firm resolve. "I'm not Loke."
"I never really had many close female friends before," Rhodes continued. "And honestly, I've never been to dessert shops or cafés ."
Before college, dating wasn't really on his radar. And after that? He mostly just hung out with the guys.
Internet cafés? Absolutely.
Mira blinked. "Why do I suddenly feel a little bad for you?"
She laughed. "No wonder you couldn't even look Cana in the eyes at first."
"Let's not bring that up." By now, Rhodes had adapted. Not only could he meet Cana's gaze, he could even spar with her.
Even if he never won.
The waitress returned, carefully placing two glasses of iced coffee and an elegantly arranged plate of desserts on the table.
"Ah, these cream puffs look even fancier than I imagined," Mira said, picking up her fork.
But just as she was about to take a bite, Rhodes swiftly moved the plate away. "Nope."
"I'm still mad about you teasing me."
Mira chuckled, clasped her hands together, and gave him an exaggeratedly sweet smile, her blue eyes twinkling mischievously.
"How about I apologize?"
"Alright, I forgive you."
Rhodes nodded calmly, pushing the plate of desserts back toward Mira before shifting his gaze out the window.
Flirting was downright unfair—he needed to focus on something else to clear his head.
"Wait a second. Is that a stone statue? Or a hill?"
"Hmm?" Mira had just speared a small piece of cake onto her fork but hadn't taken a bite yet. She followed Rhodes' gaze and saw an enormous pile of suitcases and a completely motionless, expressionless Erza standing beside it.
Mira blinked. "Erza?"
Rhodes nodded. "Looks like she's been blocked outside because there aren't any open seats."
Mira considered the situation for a moment. "Should we invite her in? She can squeeze in with us."
Rhodes hesitated. He wasn't exactly thrilled about it.
But looking at Erza, standing stiffly outside with her mountain of luggage, it was clear she had just returned from a mission and rushed straight here without even heading home first.
She really did look pitiful.
Rhodes sighed internally. "Fine. I'll go call her in."
"Wait a moment," Mira suddenly stopped him, covering her mouth with a mischievous smile.
Rhodes raised an eyebrow. "What now?"
Mira giggled. "I want to watch a little longer. Erza looks really cute ."
Still, now that Mira mentioned it, Rhodes took another good look.
The mighty, intimidating Titania—fairy queen of Fairy Tail—standing there completely frozen, looking dejected over something as trivial as not getting a seat at a dessert shop. It was a rare, almost adorable sight. The sheer contrast made it even funnier.
The "Devil of the Dessert House" finally relented, inviting the "Fairy Queen" inside.
As Rhodes went to call her, he reminded Erza, "There aren't any extra seats inside, though."
But before he could even finish, Erza reached into her mountain of suitcases and, without hesitation, pulled out a folding chair.
It wasn't exactly a casual everyday item. Judging by the patterns and text on it, it looked more like a souvenir from somewhere.
One thing was clear—she really wanted dessert.
Rhodes and Mira remained seated across from each other, while Erza took a spot beside them, immediately flagging down a waiter to place her order.
"Strawberry cake, strawberry pudding, strawberry milkshake."
One after another, she rattled off her choices—every single one featuring strawberries.
Way to keep your preferences subtle, Erza.
The waiter scribbled down the lengthy order and turned to leave. But before walking away, he shot Rhodes a look one filled with silent judgment, as if he were some kind of scumbag.
Rhodes was baffled. Excuse me? Who in their right mind would dare mess around with Erza Scarlet?!
Meanwhile, Mira had already started chatting with Erza.
"Did the mission go smoothly? You're back earlier than expected."
"Yep!" Erza nodded enthusiastically, clenching her fist with determination. Her eyes practically sparkled with anticipation. "I've been looking forward to this place for a long time!"
Mira chuckled. "As expected of Erza. But since it was a mission involving the Magic Council, is it really okay for you to return early?"
Erza's confident expression faltered for a moment. "Well... uh... I hope this doesn't get the Master in trouble..."
Rhodes tilted his head curiously. "What kind of mission was it? Since it involved the Council, is it classified?"
Erza hesitated, glancing at Mira. Technically, she wasn't supposed to discuss mission details until they were fully wrapped up, even with fellow guild members.
But now, all that was left was cleanup work. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩~𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖~𝙣𝙚𝙩
Mira made the call. "Since Erza's part is done, I don't see any harm. Besides, the details will be in the newspapers soon anyway."
She smiled at Rhodes before explaining, "It was a mission assisting the Council in taking down the dark guild, Scorpion Tail."
Rhodes raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't the Magic Council have its own law enforcement teams for that?"
Mira nodded. "They do, but the Council is a continent-wide organization, and there's only one official branch in Fiore. The location where Scorpion Tail was hiding was too remote for them to respond quickly.
"So in cases like these, the Council issues support requests to local Guild Alliances. The alliance then delegates the job to a specific guild."
"Oh, I see," Rhodes mused. "So our guild got chosen because we have a good reputation?"
Erza immediately shook her head. "No, it's because the Master has bad luck."
"The reward for these kinds of Council missions is usually lower than other jobs of the same difficulty. So, unless the mission is particularly dangerous, the Guild Alliance assigns them by drawing lots."
As she spoke, Erza let out a long sigh. "And our Master..."
Mira finished the thought with a knowing smile. "Always manages to pull the worst lot."
Rhodes stared blankly for a moment. "..."
Maybe the Master used up all his luck picking up stray kids and somehow always ended up with an S-Class one each time.