Carla patted Wendy's leg and said gravely, "Wendy, you must remember this lesson. Stay far, far away from men like him."
But Rhodes must have his reasons," Wendy said weakly, though even she didn't sound convinced.
Lucy sighed and cupped her face. "Even if I did agree to this ridiculous plan, we don't have any bee-patterned clothes. Are we supposed to go shopping for them?"
The very thought made her shudder. It reminded her all too well of that one time Natsu and Happy had tricked her into dressing like a maid for a "mission."
As suspicion dawned, she squinted at Rhodes. "You're not trying to pull another one of those stunts, are you?"
The quick-witted Rhodes immediately switched tactics. He unleashed a string of smooth, Mira-tested compliments, only slightly reworded to sound spontaneous.
In no time at all, Lucy's suspicion melted into flustered delight. She twirled her hair and looked away shyly, completely forgetting why she was mad.
Rhodes seized the opportunity. "As for the outfit, that's easy, just have Virgo help. Doesn't she love making you new clothes?"
"Oh, right!" Lucy brightened, fishing out her silver key. "Open, Gate of the Maiden, Virgo!"
With a flash of light, the pink-haired maid appeared, complete with her usual spiked collar and a washboard tucked under one arm. She scanned the area, found no enemies, and immediately knelt.
"Princess, is today's outdoor training session starting?"
"No! It's not that!" Lucy hurried to explain the request.
Virgo nodded seriously. "Understood, Princess."
Rhodes added casually, "Make two sets."
"Yes, Master. I'll return immediately." Virgo vanished in a sparkle of stars.
Lucy frowned. "Two sets? Why?"
"Because we'll have Gemini transform into you," Rhodes explained. "That way, they can lure enemies from the opposite direction and boost our odds of success."
The team waited patiently. But as the minutes ticked by, Lucy's doubt began to creep back.
"Mr. Rhodes… are you sure this plan isn't a joke?"
Rhodes crossed his arms and replied with perfect seriousness. "Of course it's not. This strategy is built on solid theoretical foundations."
"Then explain them!" Lucy pressed.
He waved a hand mysteriously. "Unfortunately, part of the theory is confidential. I'll share the rest after we succeed, and the rest of it… once I've verified it at the guild."
Even Carla faltered. 'Was he serious? Or just teasing Lucy again?'
About eight or nine minutes later, Virgo reappeared in a flash, holding two neatly folded bee-striped dresses.
Another unsummoned arrival. Rhodes noted the timing and blinked. Six seconds of Realm time? Efficiency like that's illegal.
"You really do have every outfit under the sun…" Lucy muttered, snatching the clothes and dismissing Virgo before she could say anything else.
Then she called out, "Open, Gate of Gemini!"
Two small, floating, chubby figures appeared, spinning cheerfully. "Chirpy~ Chirpy~"
"Okay, listen up," Lucy began, explaining the decoy strategy. "You two will transform into me."
"Chirpy~ Understood!"
In a blink, Gemini transformed, into Lucy herself.
Except… this Lucy was still in her casual clothes.
"Hold on, we need to match outfits!" Gemini declared proudly, and immediately grabbed the hem of her shirt to strip.
"Not now!" Lucy yelped, grabbing her double's hands. But of course, they had equal strength.
Panic-stricken, she dashed in front of Rhodes, waving her arms frantically. "Don't look! Don't look!"
Rhodes had already turned away. "Relax. She's wearing underwear. There's nothing to see."
Gemini, in Lucy's voice, added sweetly, "Then I'll just take that off next~"
"Don't say it out loud!" Lucy screamed.
Gemini tilted her head. "What's the problem? We're all comrades!"
"Not even close!" Lucy cried, her voice cracking.
Rhodes rubbed his ear, deadpan. "Lucy, do you have any idea how it feels to hear someone arguing… with herself?"
Lucy groaned. "I don't want to know."
At that moment, Wendy, ever the voice of reason, tilted her head. "Um, Miss Lucy… can't Gemini just copy you after you change clothes? They can just touch you once and match automatically, right?"
Lucy froze. "Ah!"
Then she spun toward Rhodes, her eyes blazing. "That's what we should've done from the start! Why did you make Virgo bring two sets of clothes?!"
Rhodes blinked innocently. "I didn't think of it. Don't you know your own Celestial Spirits' abilities better than I do?"
"..."
Lucy slumped to the ground in defeat.
At this point, she had to admit, it really was her own fault for walking straight into the trap.
Gemini reverted to its original form, and Lucy resignedly changed into the Bee Zodiac outfit.
The costume consisted of a yellow-and-black striped top paired with a matching knee-length skirt. Long striped socks hugged her legs, translucent bee-wing ornaments fluttered faintly on her back, and a pair of tiny antenna-shaped hair clips perched on her head.
When Rhodes was finally given permission to look, even he was momentarily stunned.
'Cute. Way too cute.'
He quietly tucked away the spare Bee Zodiac outfit. Maybe, he thought, Mira might like it too.
They waited a short while before the Bacchus trio arrived.
The three men froze when they saw Lucy's attire, each wearing the same bewildered expression, like they'd stumbled upon a humanoid Bee Zodiac Star Spirit.
Rhodes quickly stepped forward and explained the plan in detail. Once everyone understood their roles, preparations began.
The battlefield was divided into two areas:
Battlefield One: the hillside where the Three-Headed Dog and the apple tree had appeared.
Battlefield Two: the valley where they had fought the bee swarm yesterday.
Rhodes established a pair of Hex Gates at both sites, linking them through runic resonance. Gemini would head to Battlefield One, while Lucy herself took position at Battlefield Two.
The Bacchus trio were assigned to the first location, Bacchus himself eager for a rematch with the Hellhound.
Meanwhile, Rhodes, Wendy, and Carla remained at the second site to personally protect Lucy, the bait, from becoming literal bait.
To ensure all 33 main bodies of the Bee Zodiac appeared at once, Rhodes had stationed groups of wild monsters as hidden auxiliaries across the terrain.
Because none of them possessed invisibility magic, he enveloped both teams in Alchemical Mist distilled from the Chemtech Dragon. It shimmered faintly before cloaking everything in a ghostly haze.
For most of them, it was their first time experiencing such a blunt form of "stealth."
When both sides were in place, Rhodes released the signal.A small illusion of a bee, no larger than a fingernail, fluttered before each Lucy in a lazy figure-eight before vanishing.
That was the cue.
Both Lucys began their performance.
Only then did Rhodes realize something new, Lucy could dance. And not badly, either. Her steps were smooth, her gestures fluid, and her expression... surprisingly enchanting.
He couldn't help but watch, equal parts amused and impressed.
Switching his perspective through the River Crab at Battlefield One, he saw that Gemini, utterly unburdened by human shame, was dancing even more boldly than the original.
Wendy peeked through her fingers, face burning red. "M-Miss Lucy is so... so daring!"
Rhodes crossed his arms, genuinely puzzled.
'When she tried seduction tactics before, why did they always fail?'
Then came movement.
At Battlefield One, a lone daylily in the corner began to sway unnaturally, but instead of transforming into a bee, it simply flickered out of existence.
Moments later, faint barking echoed across the hillside.
Gemini, still in Lucy's form, didn't flinch. She continued dancing, calmly waiting for the Hellhound's approach.
At the same time, dark specks began dotting the sky above Battlefield Two. The low, rhythmic buzz of wings grew louder and louder, until the air itself trembled.
Lucy froze mid-step, her face pale.
"T-They… they're actually coming!"
...
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