Elfman was pushing a wheelchair over.
Under Mirajane's guidance, he helped Rhode onto the wheelchair and pushed him around the guild.
Actually, Rhode felt like he should be able to walk; it's just that his left leg was a bit sore.
But since it was a kind gesture from others, he accepted it willingly.
The first place Elfman took him to was — the restroom.
Rhode felt a bit embarrassed but had to thank the thoughtful consideration; he indeed needed to address a small problem.
The restroom, bathroom, infirmary, library, kitchen — the guild had all the necessary facilities, and if there was a need, one could definitely live here as if it were home.
Following through the corridor, Elfman pushed Rhode to the main activity area of the guild members — the task hall, which also served as a pub.
In the center of the hall were over twenty long tables, with round tables at the edges, and a dozen stools placed at the counter. Accommodating a hundred people drinking together was no issue.
Since it was already late, the once bustling pub had quieted down, with only a purple-haired girl wearing red butterfly glasses adjusting the tables and chairs.
Mirajane waved at her, "Thanks for your hard work, Laki. Has everyone left?"
"Everyone's gone home. It was super busy today, but thankfully, there weren't many fights."
Laki kept moving, pushing the chairs under the tables, "I'll be heading home soon to refresh myself with some water."
Elfman remarked, "What she means is she's going to take a bath, right?"
Mirajane was already accustomed to Laki's way of speaking, "Sorry about today. The President asked me to handle some matters, leaving the pub duties to you."
"It's alright... So that's the task the President requested? Seems quite impressive, who exactly is he?"
"Even I don't know," Mirajane glanced at Rhode and smiled apologetically, "He's still in the phase of learning the common language."
"Oh~~ Sounds troublesome," Laki said no more, placed the last chair in order, "See you tomorrow then."
"See you tomorrow."
Usually, the guild doesn't keep anyone overnight, but given Rhode's condition, it was clear he'd have to stay.
Leaving him alone wasn't appropriate either, so Mirajane decided to stay the night with Elfman.
After a brief tour of the guild, Rhode followed Mirajane for an evening lesson.
Rhode noticed there wasn't much in terms of electronics here; on the table and hanging on the walls were oil lamps or candles.
But previously in the pub, he seemed to have seen ceiling fans; he wondered what powered them.
During the lesson, Elfman returned briefly, likely to fetch things needed for staying overnight.
At night, Rhode slept alone in a sick room while Mirajane and Elfman found another room to rest.
"Good night, I'm right next door, call my name if anything happens," Mirajane used gestures along with words, managing to make Rhode understand.
"Thank you." This was one of the few phrases Rhode had learned, he must have said it countless times today.
The lights were already out, the moon's glow from the sky streamed in through the window.
Rhode leaned against the bedhead, turning his head to gaze out the window, here there's no sudden beam from automobile headlights, no rumble of engines, nor the annoying hum from outside air conditioner units.
Many things he once disliked were gone, yet he couldn't feel happy.
Outside... it was a completely unfamiliar world.
When a person is idle, they tend to overthink, curious yet fearful of the strange world, expectant yet uneasy about the unfamiliar surroundings...
During the day with Mirajane, Lidas, and Elfman around, he didn't feel much.
But at night, as the lights went out, and alone in the darkness, all sorts of thoughts uncontrollably surged in.
Could he return, or would he stay here forever?
What would life become in the future?
-----------------
"Good morning! Did you sleep well last night?"
"Good... morning."
Rhode unsurprisingly didn't sleep well, but with someone coming to check on him first thing, he could only muster the energy.
Yet, his answer wasn't important, as it was already written on his face.
"Finding it hard to adjust, are you?" Mirajane noticed the fatigue on his face and encouraged him,
"Today you'll be able to move around a bit, Elfman, could you take Rhode to freshen up?"
Elfman flexed his muscles, "If you're a man, let's perk up quickly!"
Rhode shrank back slightly; arm wrestling? His injuries weren't fully healed yet.
"Elfman~"
"I understand, sis."
Today's plan was similar to yesterday, just eating, drinking, learning, and trying to communicate.
Except today, Rhode could move, although his left leg was still a bit stiff, he could already walk to the pub up front, sitting by the counter observing the busy waitstaff.
The sun rose higher, and the guild became lively.
Some ordered breakfast and chatted with familiar friends, others went to the bulletin board to look at the papers posted.
Occasionally someone would tear off a sheet and head to Mirajane to register, then rush off.
Some just stood there and looked.
Yesterday, Lidas, whom Rhode had met, also arrived at the guild early, set up his easel, mixed colors, and began painting.
With a sunny smile, Mirajane carried out her duties — serving plates, wiping tables, registering tasks. Sometimes she chatted a bit.
Once there was free time, she'd come over to teach Rhode a few words.
Rhode curiously observed each person entering the guild, attentively listening to conversations, hoping to find someone familiar or capture a few words he could understand.
Most times, though, it felt like watching a foreign film without subtitles; although the language sounded more familiar, extracting understandable parts was still difficult.
And although many who came in had distinctive features, Rhode couldn't recognize anyone.
Until a boy with cherry-colored hair kicked open the door, shouting, "Old geezer! Where's the dragon? Where's the person attacked by the dragon?"
"Natsu, don't be so noisy first thing in the morning!"
"Buzz off, Macao!" Natsu addressed the purple short-haired middle-aged man, "Quickly tell me, where's the old geezer, where's the person attacked by the dragon?"
A blue cat followed Natsu in, jumped on the table explaining to a middle-aged man with an airliner hairdo smoking a pipe:
"Aye! Natsu heard outside that the President rescued someone attacked by a dragon, so he rushed over."
"Dragon? Is it true?" Wakaba exhaled a smoke ring, "I did hear about ferocious beasts rampaging in the eastern forest, destroying a large area of woodland."
"That's it!" Natsu leaned forward on the table with both hands, eagerly asking, "Then, was there a dragon? Did the old geezer fight it?"
"How would I know," Wakaba shrugged, "The President went to attend a routine meeting yesterday, he didn't look like he battled."
"But, the President did bring back someone," Macao caught on and thumbed towards the counter at Rhode, "That's him, seemed badly injured yesterday... Hey...
Natsu already dashed to the counter.
Rhode was staring at Natsu, cherry-colored hair, mesh-pattern scarf, black jacket, this must be Natsu.
Realizing his location once more, Rhode was unsure whether to feel happy or not.
Happy because he remembered hearing Tatsuya mention once that Fairy Tail had a happy ending and a bit about BGM where nobody else wins in a fight against me.
Which meant staying here probably ensured safety wasn't a major concern.
Unhappy, however, was the reality; being thoroughly confirmed to be in another world, although there were a few name-known individuals, in reality... there wasn't a single familiar person.
At this moment, Natsu already rushed up to Rhode face-to-face: "@#%*..."
Though Rhode could discern the urgency on Natsu's face, he genuinely couldn't understand what he was shouting; he could only look towards Mirajane for help.
Mirajane stood next to Rhode, "Natsu, calm down, Rhode still finds it hard to understand our language."
Natsu froze, "Huh? What does that mean?"
Mirajane replied, "Perhaps his native language and writing system are entirely different from ours here. He's already trying to learn."
"…" Natsu clenched his fists, unwilling, "It's hard to come by information on dragons, what a joke?
"Natsu, your expression is too fierce," Mirajane signaled Natsu to be gentle so as not to scare anyone,
"Try seeking help from Lidas, otherwise, we'll have to wait for the President to return or for Reby to try."