The once resolute Rhode, who swore off hangovers... ended up with another hangover.
When he opened his eyes, it was already broad daylight. He was covered with a blanket, and next to him was a cup and a kettle of hot water.
Looking back, he saw Erza and Mira squatting on the ground, enthusiastically drawing on Gray's face.
Quite a few people nearby had already been 'messed with' by them.
"Oh? Rhode, you're already awake? That's impressive." Erza gave Rhode an appreciative look, leaving him somewhat bewildered.
Mira looked at Rhode and laughed, covering her mouth.
She walked over and poured a cup of hot water for the still-drowsy Rhode.
"Thank you." Rhode drank some water, feeling a bit better and much more awake.
Oh~ so that's what Erza meant.
She actually still believes that drawing on everyone's faces after the party is to test their alertness post-drinking.
'Just how naive could she be?' Rhode tried to ask Mira with his eyes.
But he couldn't get a valid response.
Because Mira kept staring at his face, trying not to burst out laughing.
Rhode understood something: "I'm going to the bathroom."
After returning, Rhode looked at Mira with a face full of resentment.
He could tell it was Mira's handiwork just by looking in the mirror. Although Erza's drawing skills were just as abstract as hers, there were differences even among abstract artists.
Mr. Rhode was confident his visual judgment wasn't wrong.
Where's the trust between people?
Mira clasped her hands together, shook them lightly, and tilted her head slightly to apologize: "Sorry, Erza's suggestion was too interesting, and Rhode's sleeping face was so cute."
When apologizing... cough, but she said I was cute...
Rhode tried hard to keep a straight face, preventing himself from smiling:
"Actually, back in our hometown, there's a custom where girls apologize by making a rare hairstyle, preferably using that kind of hair tie from a few days ago."
Mira didn't need to think to know that Rhode was making things up. She took something out from the counter below and pretended to be troubled, "But I was planning to give you a present, what should I do?"
"Thank you! Oh, it's no problem at all!" Rhode thought even hesitating for a second would be a betrayal to himself and immediately took the thing from her.
It was a blue and white scarf, with yarn that felt handmade.
He looked at Mira as if to confirm.
Mira said, "I'm not very good at these, so some parts aren't done well."
"I think it's great everywhere!" Rhode hung the scarf around his neck, was about to move but stopped, "Actually..."
Mira quickly said, "You don't mean to say that, actually, back at your place, when girls give boys a scarf, they need to tie it for them, do you?"
"How could that be..." Rhode refused to admit he was caught and made up an even more far-fetched reason, "Actually, I've never worn a scarf before, so I have no idea how to tie it."
Mira's face was full of disbelief, as she stared into Rhode's eyes.
Rhode gradually felt guilty, looking up at the ceiling.
When he could barely hold it anymore, Mira, with a bit of a smile, said, "Alright, with your head raised so high, I can't help you."
Rhode happily looked at her, confirmed, then sat down.
Mira leaned over, took off the scarf, folded it, and put it back on, threading the end through the fold, "There, it's done."
She took a couple of steps back to check, then came back, "But with the clothes you're wearing now, another style might suit you better..."
Rhode sat there quietly waiting for Mira to adjust the scarf, really wanting to hug her.
He controlled his restless urge, deciding to wait a little longer and try harder.
"Done." Mira looked Rhode over again, smiling, "Though saying this does sound a bit like self-praise, it suits you well."
"Hmm." Rhode touched the scarf, nodding gently, "It's very warm."
Warm in every sense of the word.
"Alright, it's about time to start working."
"Let me help you."
"Go help Erza." Mira pushed Rhode's back, shooing him away, "Come back later."
"Oh..." This time Rhode didn't get it, and could only follow her instructions.
Drawing on everyone's faces; is it more important than helping her work?
Mira returned to the counter, gently touching her cheek while bending to get the ledger.
She needed to calm down a bit too.
How strange, when they went to the Royal Capital together last time, helping him with his clothes and tie didn't seem like a big deal.
This time... feels so strange.
-----------------
Due to Erza's antics, a commotion ensued once everyone woke up.
——The root is Rhode, and the accomplice being Mira is not really worth mentioning.
Anyway, the initiator of this graffiti act was Erza.
After the commotion comes 'post-disaster rebuilding', and Erza once again rose to the position of foreman.
If Rhode didn't know Erza well enough, he would even suspect she did it on purpose.
Today is January 1st, the first day of the year X784.
Many people wanted to rest a bit more, while some needed money and went to work right after eating.
Rhode was among those who wanted to rest a few more days.
Then, this afternoon, a mailman delivered a piece of mail to the Guild, handing it to him at the door.
"Fairy Tail, Miss Mirajane Strauss"
Rhode passed it to Mira.
"It should be a magazine, go ahead and open it for me." Mira was jotting something in the logbook with her head down.
"Alright." Rhode nodded, who doesn't like opening mail, "Is the Sosala Weekly this thick?"
Mira pondered, "Today is New Year's Day, and it's Wednesday, so besides the regular issue, there should be a special issue too."
Rhode opened the package, finding indeed two magazines inside, one regular issue, and one New Year special.
A bit strange, shouldn't they be combined into an expanded issue?
He flipped through the magazine and a letter fell out: "There's a letter."
Mira stopped writing, took up the envelope and looked: "It's from an editor, maybe they want to commission something?"
She seemed to have not done any photo shoots for a while, mainly because after winning a prize at the Harvest Festival beauty contest, her family wasn't short on money.
Mira unfolded the letter and read for a while, then said:
"Heart-shaped Cross (HEART KREUZ) wants to collaborate with Sosala Weekly, and they're inviting me to model the new fashion collection, to be featured on the cover of the next issue."
"Heart-shaped Cross... that's the famous fashion brand, right?" Rhode had heard of it, "Why not advertise in the New Year special?"
"Maybe they have other contracts that aren't finished yet." Mira said, "The pay is really good, as expected from a big brand."
Rhode asked, "Are you going?"
"Hmm..." Mira thought for a moment, "Either way is fine, what do you think?"
"Me?" Rhode didn't expect she'd ask for his opinion, hesitated a bit, and then smiled, "Opportunities to work with such a big brand are rare, right? As long as you like it, I'll support you."