It's said we'll leave tonight, but it's not that urgent.
Mira first sent Rhode to his room, helped him take off his shoes, hesitated a bit but didn't take off his clothes, just covered him with a thin blanket.
Before leaving, she sat by the bed and stared at Rhode's face for a while, gently kissed his lips, then closed the door and left.
Mira doesn't plan to take Rhode back.
Because she guessed that Rhode must have been on alert these past couple of days, organizing various documents for the President, and hadn't gotten a good night's sleep at all.
So, she might as well use sleep magic to let him rest well.
And when he wakes up and realizes he's been messed with, he might take the opportunity to cause mischief.
Better to avoid it for now and let him calm down a bit.
...
"President, before Rhode wakes up, not even a drop of alcohol, okay?" Mira repeatedly reminded President before getting in the car, even giving a tiny threat at the end, "Or else, hmm~"
"Got it, I'll bring him back exactly as he is." Makarov sighed, looking up to the sky.
This President has no authority whatsoever, getting his head smacked by Natsu, bumped by Erza, and now threatened by Mira.
It's really sad.
Jenny also came to see Mira off: "I'll have a match with you again in the future, and I'll definitely win next time!"
"Mm-hmm, good luck!" Mira laughed, "I haven't done much modeling work lately, why not try competing with Erza?"
"Oh? A contest? I'll give it my all!" Erza recalled her last performance was great, and the readers' reaction was positive too.
She just didn't understand why she hadn't received another invitation from the magazine.
Is it because the magazine wants to keep things fresh for the readers?
"Your attitude is really frustrating."
"Then I'm looking forward to your new work?" Mira smiled, "I'll watch it with my boyfriend then."
"..." Jenny felt even more depressed.
Both Rhode and Mira are quite the chatterboxes.
"See you at the guild, President!"
Everyone said goodbye to Makarov and got on the magic four-wheeled vehicle that Kagayama had driven over.
Natsu was reluctant: "I want to ride Rhode's giant crab."
Mira smiled: "He's resting, don't disturb him, okay?"
Erza frowned: "Hurry up, don't waste time."
With the two of them giving two different looks, Natsu quickly caved.
Gray sat in the car, gloating: "See, this is what you should have done earlier, fire flame idiot."
"You want to... mm..."
As soon as the car moved, Natsu lost the energy to argue with Gray.
Gray laughed and patted Natsu's head: "What do you want to say, why not finish it?"
Natsu, covering his mouth, mumbled: "Just you wait..."
Too bad Lucy and Hapi hadn't woken up yet, or Gray would have had more fun.
Mira, Erza, and Gray took turns powering the magic four-wheeled vehicle with magic, driving it all the way back to Magnolia along the railway.
It was much faster than a train.
Although a large section of the railway was destroyed at the Kroba Grand Canyon, the bridge wasn't completely taken down, so it was still passable.
They got back before midnight, so they had time to wash up and get to bed.
The morning in Magnolia began with Lucy's scream:
"This is... my room! Why are you all here?! And how did I get back?!"
"Yo, Lucy."
"Yo... my foot!"
...
Around the same time, Rhode slept until he woke up naturally.
When he got up for breakfast, the President told him everyone had already gone back.
He really wasn't on guard against Mira; otherwise, even if targeted specifically, he probably could have shut her up hard before falling asleep.
Rhode touched his face, feeling like someone did something while he was asleep.
Going back, he'll have to figure out a way to get even.
Despite a little incident yesterday, the routine meeting still concluded as usual.
But at noon, a team from the Advisory Council arrived to investigate.
The Presidents didn't look too happy and were clearly emotional during questioning.
The people from the Advisory Council... could only endure it.
Because ultimately, this incident was the Advisory Council's negligence.
Their oversight almost got the Presidents cursed to death by Iron Forest.
If that really happened, the Advisory Council wouldn't be able to handle the pressure, and the evaluator in charge of this area might have to resign out of accountability at best or face severe punishment at worst.
In severe cases, heads might roll.
So, essentially, they owed Fairy Tail a favor this time.
But they might not admit it.
Rhode helped smooth things over according to the 'President's intention,' and after getting a 'we'll investigate seriously' response, everyone just about turned the page.
Then Makarov signaled for Rhode to report the detailed events.
What Erza told the President before she left was now retold by Rhode.
When discussing such matters, it was inevitable that some personal bias crept in.
For example, the panic and damage at Onibus Station were due to Ailiger of Iron Forest using everyone at the station as hostages, and Erza chose the most efficient way to evacuate people.
Or, the railway was damaged during battle to prevent Ailiger's plots and prevent greater destruction.
If Erza's original words focused on describing the facts, then Rhode's report emphasized the intentions and final outcomes more.
Our starting point for everything was to protect ordinary people's lives, and ultimately, we succeeded in doing so.
Kagayama had nothing to say about this.
Because he felt that's truly what Fairy Tail thought, and when he goes in for questioning, he might even speak in their favor.
He should be considered a bit clever, being an accomplice in this incident and having decided to reform. After serving his sentence, he should be able to live a good life.
After Rhode's report, he added: "If we hadn't learned that Iron Forest had already obtained Lalabai and the situation was urgent, we would have reported first before taking action according to the rules."
Whether that could actually be done is another story, but the attitude is there.
The people from the Advisory Council were already a bit ashamed, and with so many Presidents watching, they couldn't shirk responsibility.
They ended by just saying thank you for cooperating and that they might send someone to Fairy Tail later to get more detailed information from Erza and the others.
As for the repair costs for Onibus Station and Kroba Grand Canyon railway bridge, they said Fairy Tail doesn't need to worry.
When the Advisory Council people took Kagayama and Lalabai away, Makarov almost kissed Rhode.
Causing such damage but not having to pay restitution was nothing short of a miracle.
And if the venue for the routine meeting had been wrecked, it might have been a different situation entirely.
Thankfully, with Rhode here, they might not even need to write a report when they get back. How wonderful.
...