The area near the window was slightly bright, indicating that the curtains hadn't fully blocked the sunlight.
Mira rubbed her eyes, yawned, and belatedly realized that it might also mean it was already late.
"!" Is it already morning?
She woke up and saw a familiar sleeping face.
Yesterday seemed to be too...
Mira's cheeks flushed as she carefully moved the arm draped over her, lifted her side of the blanket, and moved a leg that was pressed against her own.
She quietly got out of bed, tucked Rhode in, and then opened the wardrobe door barefoot.
She rummaged through her intimate apparel, took out a slightly transparent black lace one, bent down and lifted a leg to put it on, thinking that he seemed to like this one.
Pff, pff, pff, she picked it just because it was comfortable to wear.
... She decided to wear the same color on top.
Mira irritably hid her burden, tossed her long hair over her right shoulder to the front, and reached her arm back to fasten the clasp.
Her movements suddenly paused as she felt her hands being held.
Sure enough, a familiar voice came to her ear: "Why not ask for my help?"
Mira let go and handed the task over to him, complaining, "Why do you walk so quietly?"
"You also walked quietly," Rhode said, helping her fasten the bra hooks and straightening it a bit, running his hands along the straps from her back to her front.
"Hmm... it feels a bit loose, it should be on the second row. You need to work hard to..." Rhode commented seriously, only to get elbowed.
"Stop fooling around, it's time to go to work," she said.
It didn't hurt at all, and Rhode whispered in her ear, "We haven't resumed our positions yet, what work?"
"..." Indeed, Mira paused.
The president and Rhode, citing unfamiliarity with the current situation upon returning, had temporarily pushed off responsibilities, keeping the guild management as the 'original team.'
Currently, the affairs in the guild were being handled by Macao, Wakaba, and Laki; there was no shortage of personnel in the tavern, so they didn't seem to be in a hurry to go to work.
Yet Mira still grabbed Rhode's hands to stop him from acting up, "Al-ready too tired, let's wait till tonight."
"Hmm—" Rhode pouted, until Mira turned her head to give him a little peck, only then did he reluctantly let her go.
"Alright then."
After dressing up, the two tidied up the house slightly before heading downstairs.
Mira called out to Elfman and Lisanna, but there was no response.
Rhode saw a note pinned under a mug on the dining table:
"Sister Mira, brother-in-law, Elf and I went out first. We've left breakfast for you in the thermal box, take care and rest well, hehe~"
Mira blushed upon reading the note, thinking her sister was impossible.
Rhode wondered, "Why does Lisanna seem to know a lot?"
Mira thought for a moment and said, "She's been chatting with Bisca a lot recently."
As she spoke, it was like a trace of murderous intent floated around her.
Oh~ someone with experience, is this what happens when a mother becomes an expert?
Rhode remembered the time when Bisca would get shy and steam up just seeing Alzack... and could only sigh at how times have changed.
...
After finishing breakfast, the two headed to the guild. They thought coming in so late would attract some extra attention, but as soon as they walked in, they heard:
"COOL! Cool! Cool! COOOOOL!"
Mira chuckled, "A very familiar catchphrase."
Rhode pondered, "Isn't that from the Wizard Weekly reporter?"
Sure enough, a yellow-haired reporter with an antenna hairstyle was excitedly holding a notebook, interviewing Makarov in the guild.
Recently, news of Fairy Tail's return had spread within a certain range.
However, no matter which newspaper published it, it was purely text or occasional photos of individual members being caught.
This time, Sosala had sent Jason over, presumably for an exclusive interview.
For Fairy Tail, this was probably good news, a perfect opportunity to step back into the public eye and increase requests.
Rhode snapped his fingers lightly, and the Ten Wizard Saints' cloak appeared on him, with a medal appearing on his chest.
Even though it was made six years ago, luckily it was stored away in a warehouse and preserved fairly well.
Though his physique had changed slightly, it'll have to do for now, he could get it altered later.
Luckily it was a cloak.
Mira seemed to understand Rhode's intention, tidied up his clothes inside and brushed his hair, making him look more spirited and heroic.
Rhode's status as one of the Ten Wizard Saints was different from others, as when his formal appointment was announced, he was already gone, which had the sense of a posthumous honor.
In terms of fame and prestige, he probably couldn't match up with the others, so now that he's back, he needs to show off his best appearance and properly advertise.
—Having the youngest of the Ten Wizard Saints in the guild should be a nice bonus for clients.
"COOOOL!!!" Jason seemed to have used some acceleration magic as he zipped over, "Lord Rhode! Miss Mirajane! So you guys survived too, this is so COOOOL!"
"Thank you." He was probably trying to express 'that's great', the two knew Jason's way of speaking and politely thanked him.
"Can you talk about your impressions of Acronologia?" Jason started off with a serious topic.
Mira's beautiful brows furrowed as she recalled the scene of that time and instinctively clung to Rhode's arm, "Very strong. So strong that even just with a playful attitude in battle, he could make us helpless."
"No wonder he's the Black Dragon capable of destroying a nation single-handedly," Rhode added seriously.
"He... with every move, it was like a powerful destructive magic, as if born for destruction.
"The most terrifying thing is his dragon scale defense; whether it's wind, fire, thunder, water, light, or any other magic, it was almost ineffective against him.
"Even Dragon Slayer Magic, which could fight against dragons, was no different. We gave it our all, and in the end, only caused a few minor injuries.
"I couldn't determine his magic's exact attribute. Perhaps he had them all, or none. His breath... gave me the feeling of facing Magical Elf Power."
Rhode rattled off a bunch, spilling out his impressions of the Black Dragon, descriptions from Elemental Sub-Dragons, and his thoughts and analyses over the past six years.
He hoped to utilize the magazine's reach to publish this information, so mages could be somewhat prepared, at least not to provoke the Black Dragon casually when encountering it.
Jason carefully recorded everything Rhode said; to avoid missing anything, he even took out a small recording device.
When Rhode finished speaking, Jason suddenly felt that this stuff could easily be tidied up and submitted to the Advisory Council as an "Acronologia Investigation Report".