"The water's ready, come take a bath."
In Rhode and Mira's room, a similar conversation was taking place, but the atmosphere was completely different.
The newly built house had enough space, allowing the young couple to enjoy their upstairs bathroom and use the large bathtub at will.
The mist-filled bathroom echoed with the sound of splashing water, accompanied by some other strange noises.
This afternoon, Rhode saw Alzack and Bisca playing hide and seek with Asuka.
The adorable sight of the little girl catching her parents with a blindfold made him envious.
He wanted an equally cute daughter.
Mira wanted one too.
She wanted not just one, but three kids; ideally, two daughters and one son, just like her siblings in the Strauss family.
This way, the children could take care of each other like they did.
The couple was working hard towards this shared goal.
Putting effort from the bathroom to the bedroom.
Due to their eagerness and the lack of proper communication recently, some of Rhode's odd requests were also fulfilled.
After all, her flexibility was excellent, and she had plenty of clothes; if anything was missing, she could always transform them.
...
The next day, Rhode went to work as usual, only slightly late.
——"I was checking some information on Star Spirits at home."
That's what he said when someone asked.
Mira glanced at him with a smile, and Rhode felt that his wife was becoming more and more captivating, even a single look was so lethal.
Lucy arrived accompanied by Erza, each carrying Hapi and Natsu.
Natsu and Hapi were roughly in the same pose now, their heads and limbs dangling like jellyfish, seemingly passed out.
Rhode looked at the big bumps on their heads and asked, "What happened to them?"
Lucy snickered, "They were climbing through my window this morning, and Erza was checking out my wardrobe at the time. She thought they were enemies when she heard the noise, and then..."
"..." Rhode felt a bit speechless, checking out a wardrobe, is that some kind of ritual between girls? They said it so naturally.
Erza seemed to hear the keyword too and casually tossed Natsu onto a bench, saying seriously, "Lucy's taste in clothes is really great."
Lucy modestly said, "Not really~ I learned it all from fashion magazines..."
"I see." Erza nodded thoughtfully, "Was that light blue semi-transparent lace oversized bra pad also recommended by fashion magazines?"
Lucy's face flushed red instantly, as she flailed her arms to stop Erza's words: "Don't be so detailed!"
Macao and Wakaba accidentally overheard Erza's words, and whatever image they imagined made their noses bleed instantly. They gave the girls a thumbs-up.
Rhode gasped, "Is there really something like that?"
"Erza." Rhode placed a hand on Erza's shoulder, "Please take me along next time."
Erza nodded, "No problem."
"Mr. Rhode too..." Lucy ran to Mira for help, "Miss Mira, please stop them, at least stop Mr. Rhode, right?"
"Hmm..." Mira said generously, "If it's Lucy, it's okay."
Lucy was exasperated, "Why is it okay if it's me?!"
"Because..." Mira tilted her head and thought for a moment, then suddenly smiled, "It's trust, I suppose?"
In the Guild, Rhode being close with Erza or Kana wasn't an issue, but anything beyond that would make her uneasy.
But with Lucy, being closer or seeing things he shouldn't see wasn't a problem.
With Jubia, Bisca, Ibarglin, Laki, and Ginanna, they're not so thick-skinned, they'd be cautious themselves.
As for Reby and Wendy... that's a crime.
Mira looked at Lucy, as if to say she absolutely trusted her.
"I don't want this kind of trust..." Lucy sighed tearfully, feeling that something seemed off.
Is the main point whether Miss Mira would doubt me?
Oh well, Mr. Rhode probably was just joking and wouldn't really look through her wardrobe.
Probably.
Suddenly, golden starry light shimmered beside Lucy, and Loki appeared in the Guild.
But his appearance was not as 'Loki' but rather as 'Leo', clearly arriving this time as the leader of the Zodiac.
"Loki?" Lucy wasn't surprised at all by a Star Spirit coming out on its own, she asked, "So, is there a result?"
"Yes, I'm here to convey the message from the Star Spirit King." Loki saw Erza, Mira, and Rhode all gathering around, glanced up at the Guild, and asked, "Is the President in?"
Rhode said, "Not here yet, just go ahead and say it."
Loki nodded without much hesitation, as if the President being here or not didn't matter much.
"First, the target of the abandoned Star Spirits. They are aiming to eliminate all Star Spirit Mages, so before the matter is resolved, Lucy, you must stay safe."
After seriously saying this, Loki flamboyantly wrapped an arm around Lucy's shoulder: "But don't worry too much, your loving knight will always protect you!"
Lucy slapped his hand away, "Get to the point! Why do they have to kill the Star Spirit Mages?"
Loki adjusted his glasses, saying seriously, "There are two reasons, first to affect the trust between the Star Spirit Realm and the Human Realm, so their actions against the Star Spirit Realm won't be hindered by the Human Realm.
"Second, to sever the connection between the two realms. If all Star Spirit Mages are wiped out, the Celestial Spirit Contracts would all disappear. This could highly likely sever the connection between the Star Spirit Realm and the Human Realm completely."
Lucy was even more puzzled, "Sever the connection between the two realms? Why would they do something like that?"
Loki replied earnestly, "One reason is for revenge. Most of the abandoned Star Spirits are old war losers from the Star Spirit Realm, they are dissatisfied with the treatment they've received over the years and want to overthrow the Star Spirit King.
"On the other hand, our speculation is that they might want to find a way to live freely in the Human Realm after severing the connection, maybe even rule the Human Realm."
Rhode questioned, "Rule the Human Realm? Can they really do that?"
No need to mention those unknown gods, but even the undying Black Mage Jellal and nearly magic-immune Black Dragon Acronologia are enough to give them a hard time, right?
But Loki said, "Although they were losers before, there are exceptionally powerful beings among them, one almost on par with the Star Spirit King.
"Moreover, they might have a way to keep their Star Spirit characteristics while staying in the Human Realm—meaning they won't die from mortal wounds but instead revive somewhere in the Human Realm after a period of time!"