When Rhode finished his practice and returned to work at the tavern, he instantly felt many eyes gathering on him.
It reminded him of those two glaring 'geese' from yesterday.
What a coincidence, Krof and Nicky were among them.
Flirting with the guild's belle really does anger the crowd.
Rhode clenched his fists and arrogantly said, "Does anyone want to fight?"
Swish, swish, swish!
A dozen people stood up in the tavern, their gazes unfriendly, Macao and Wakaba, who were usually kind to him, were also among them.
A wise man knows when to take a step back, Rhode decisively said, "Then you all start fighting, I don't feel like fighting today."
You must be joking; the guild members' fighting rules implicitly indicate punching and kicking first, then using magic.
Fighting with these dozen people without using magic?
That would be a beating for sure, and a fruitless beating at that.
There's no benefit to it, and to embarrass oneself in front of Mira, unless he's gone mad to do such a thing.
"Damn Rhode, show some backbone!"
"Alright, if you're brave, let's duel in the backyard, using any magic!"
This time, the opponent faltered.
Dueling with Rhode using magic?
Unless they can knock him out in the first instance, the duel immediately turns into a gang fight.
This guy, once agitated, can summon wolves, monstrous birds, and stone beetles to trample over opponents within minutes.
Who in their right mind as a summoning mage can summon over twenty creatures at once?!
Nowadays, whether Rhode challenges others or others challenge Rhode for practice, the rules must be limited.
Only people like Natsu, Gray, and Kana can handle it better.
Because when the wild creatures are all out, Rhode can't last too long.
The small challenge came to naught due to mutual apprehensions, and someone decided that in the next mixed battle, they'd drag Rhode into the water for sure.
Rhode decided he'd better be careful walking alone at night from now on.
Mira seemed a bit busy, with a lot of people wanting to take tasks today.
Probably because it's the start of the month and money is tight, or they're trying to work a bit at the beginning of the month, then be lazy in the middle and end.
Fairy Tail members count over a hundred, about half choose this lifestyle.
They're young, unmarried, just need to consider rent and living expenses.
Since there's no particular financial pressure, usually they just eat, drink, and laugh together at the guild, with many not too invested in improving their power.
Also many eccentric personalities find it hard to make friends outside the guild; it's the most comfortable place to be.
The problem children in the guild are not limited to just Natsu and Gray.
Rhode, being proactive and different in nature from the lazy ones.
Though he doesn't really take on missions either, he continues to make efforts.
Moreover, he never lacks money at the beginning of the month because he receives his salary then.
Last month's end, Rhode missed a few days due to tasks, so he only got a 100,000 J salary.
When Mira calculated his salary, she seemed to go easy on him; he thought he should only get 80,000 J.
To thank her for her kindness, Rhode decided to think about inviting her for dessert sometime later.
"Rhode, we need two orders of pan-seared silver cod here!"
Rhode conveyed it to Mr. Cook at the serving hatch, then shouted to the person who ordered:
"Krof? You dare call me, huh? Believe it or not, I'll add a bucket of chili sauce for you!"
Krof, completely unfazed: "Go ahead and try, Mr. Cook will kill you."
That's actually a problem.
Wasting chili sauce, not to mention ruining his proud creation, would indeed get Mr. Cook chasing him with a knife.
A moment later, aside from sending out the dish, the hatch sent out a Poro.
"Why are you here too, did you get kicked out?" Rhode picked up Warm, noticing the little guy seemed heavier again.
"Purr!" Warm looked delighted, the little horns on its head moving slightly.
It jumped from Rhode's arms, ran back to the hatch, and hooked out a basketball-sized cloth bag with its little paw.
Warm held open the bag's mouth, showing Rhode the contents.
"Is this... Poro Delicacies?" Rhode looked surprised at the biscuit-like food in the bag, "Did it succeed?"
"Purr purr." Warm nodded then shook its head.
For a round and fluffy little furball, performing such a complex motion must have been tiring.
"So it succeeded partially?" Rhode guessed, "Poro Delicacies Version 1.0 then."
"Purr!" Warm held out a biscuit as big as a plate for Rhode to taste, signaling him to try it.
Rhode hesitated for a moment, vaguely recalling Mr. Cook mentioning he wanted to make this a guild special snack.
A taste wouldn't hurt.
He broke off a small piece and fed it to Warm, saying grandiosely, "Poro Delicacies, Poro eats first!"
Dirty human, just worried it might taste bad, using the adorable Poro.
Rhode observed Warm's expression; good, it didn't seem like a bitter, spicy, or any strange taste.
Seeing Warm looking happy, Rhode felt 0.01 milligrams of guilt inside, deciding not to let Warm help clean under the bed next time.
Poro Delicacies melted in the mouth, soft and fragrant like chiffon cake, making for a delightful snack.
The effects were unclear, but judging by Warm's recent growth, it likely aids its development.
The research funding didn't go to waste...
Speaking of which, is it growing from eating Poro Delicacies, or getting fat naturally from hanging around the kitchen too long?
...
Mid-September, Magnolia gradually embraced autumn.
Since the beginning of the month, two light rains fell, nearly washing away all the summer heat.
Taking Warm out, Rhode felt the cool morning breeze and increasingly believed his decision to prepare autumn and winter garments early was correct.
Recently, ads in Weekly Sorashara recommended many new autumn styles, with the town clothes shops trending toward price hikes.
Rhode decided to browse a bit after work today to pick some 'outdated' clothes.
Men's wear, how outdated can it really get?
Choosing simple and elegant styles, avoiding peculiar colors and patterns generally avoids pitfalls.
The downside is a higher chance of running into duplicates.
This isn't really a problem; once bought, clothes can have guild emblems printed on them.
By modifying the emblem's color, position, and size, same-styled clothes can feel different.
And since Mira manages the stamps, he can even consult her during design.
Rhode's straight-man thinking: spending that effort matching clothes is just to be seen by specific people.
Simply have her design it to look pleasing to himself, a sound plan.
Besides solving trivial life issues, he naturally hasn't slackened in his training.
The Swift Crab form of Receiving Magic has reached a good proficiency; Rhode is preparing to receive another wild creature.
Additionally, Summoning Magic has made new progress—new areas in the canyon have lit up, today he will try summoning to take a look.