"Liar!" Lucy accused Rhode.
Rhode asked, "Who? I just made a bet with you."
Lucy thought for a moment and suddenly laughed triumphantly, "Then I win, there's no such task!"
"Who made a bet on whether there's such a task? Didn't we bet on whether you could get the money?" Rhode asked, "Did you get the money or not?"
"..." Lucy couldn't deny this. She really got the money, a full 600,000, eight months' rent!
Now she doesn't have to worry about money for quite a while, even if she doesn't work for a few months.
But that was her reward in the first place, and it was shamelessly used by Rhode for a bet, how infuriating!
"A bet is a bet~" Rhode enthusiastically introduced, "That store is just..."
"I know!" Lucy stomped her foot, angrily pocketed her money, and left the guild.
But after she stepped out, her anger turned into a smile. It was the first time she had earned so much money. Treating Miss Mira to some dessert wouldn't be bad.
If she wasn't still rational, today's entire spending would have been on Miss Heartfilia's tab.
It's decided, two servings of dessert! She would eat with Miss Mira, while someone else just watched!
Naive Lucy still doesn't understand what it means to show off affection.
So when she came back afterward, she was shown a lot of it, and the cake didn't even taste sweet anymore.
In the afternoon, Gray came by the guild, and Erza took some time to maintain order before heading out again to check on her armor that had been sent for repairs.
Her battles are quite costly too.
Rhode calmly handed over the rewards to Gray and Erza, which gave Lucy a look of even deeper grievance.
He ignored the grievance in Lucy's eyes and naturally asked, "Where are Natsu and Hapi?"
Lucy said, "Probably sleeping at home, Natsu always likes to eat a lot after getting injured and then sleep."
"When will they be here then?"
"Probably... why are you asking me?"
"Because they might just end up sleeping at your place."
"How can... that be." Lucy wasn't confident herself, she sighed, "Do you guys know where to buy high-quality door locks?"
Rhode cheerfully asked, "Do you need burglar-proof windows too?"
Lucy slumped over the counter, resigning herself to fate.
...
Around four in the afternoon, Rhode and Mira decided to take a little break.
At this time, not many people would come to take tasks, the tavern wasn't busy either, so the two of them greeted Laki and the others and headed out before it got dark.
Today Mira wore a pair of dark blue jeans, with a pink thin sweater featuring the white Fairy Tail emblem on top, a heart-shaped neckline revealing the necklace Rhode gave her, and her long hair naturally draped down.
From afar, the top seemed a bit short, the waistband a bit high, making her legs look particularly long.
As they walked out of the guild, Mira was holding a small mirror to look at herself and asked the person next to her, "Should I try wearing a white beret next time?"
Rhode observed her white hair, "Wouldn't black be better?"
"We'll know once I try." Mira put away the mirror and naturally hugged Rhode's arm.
It's already a bit chilly in late autumn, but her outfit was just right, and so was their close posture.
On the streets of Magnolia, the leaves of the street trees had already turned yellow; despite having been cleared in the morning, by evening, they blanketed the ground again.
Though they were supposedly going to check out a house, their walking pace wasn't quick; they'd been busy recently, fighting here and there, and hadn't taken the time to properly enjoy the city's autumn scenery together.
Strolling leisurely through the streets, crossing small bridges, they'd pause at shops that caught their interest and stop to look at ferries returning to the port.
Rhode and Mira strolled along unhurriedly, not like a couple out to view a house, but more like an old married couple taking a walk.
Following the address Qico gave them, they found the house on Strawberry Street.
From the outside, it appeared to be a very ordinary two-story building, though it looked a bit narrow, narrower than where Rhode currently rented.
Rhode felt it wasn't quite right, but since they were already there, they decided to take a look before making a decision.
He knocked on the door, and the man who opened it was about 50 years old, with short graying hair, a short beard on his chin, looking quite spirited.
"Hello, we heard this house was for sale and wanted to take a look."
"Oh~ Please come in, come in!" the man warmly invited them inside, called his wife over to make tea, and the four of them sat down for a chat.
After exchanging a few words, the man suddenly recognized them, "You... You're Fairy Tail's mages, aren't you? Oh~ Miss Mira and Mr. Rhode!"
The wife also suddenly realized, displaying a surprised look, "Ah... it's you! I've heard from Mrs. Minet that you're engaged, is it true? When's the wedding? Oh~ you're picking a wedding house, aren't you?"
Mrs. Minet is Wakaba's wife.
The wife chatted away with excitement, and in her eyes, Rhode could see the familiar gleam of gossip.
Mira joyfully engaged the lady in conversation, transitioning from guild gossip to topics about themselves, then onto marriage, men, family, children...
Rhode and the man across from him couldn't get a word in, so they just quietly sipped their tea.
However, the two didn't chat for nothing, as at least by just eavesdropping, Rhode learned that they were selling the house to move to the Royal Capital.
Their son was doing business elsewhere, recently made some money, and settled in the Royal Capital, opening a store, and even bought a farm in the suburbs.
The couple planned to move over to help out, and settle down on the farm for their retirement.
—— As they grow older, the noisy and stimulating life of Magnolia was becoming less and less suitable for them.
Regarding the 'noisy and stimulating' aspect, Rhode felt somewhat guilty, as their guild was somewhat responsible for that.
Besides that, he also learned that the neighbor on the left ran a grocery store, the neighbor on the right's house was rented out long-term, and the street behind had a household that raised a large intimidating dog...
All the big and small matters about the vicinity were thoroughly discussed by the two women, even clarifying which neighbors were easy to get along with.
Without even moving his lips, Rhode had a clear understanding of the surrounding environment, only then realizing Mira's penchant for gossip wasn't just a cute trait—it was a real skill.
Once they'd almost run out of things to say, the lady, prompted by her husband, took the two on a tour of the house.
After looking around both floors, Rhode indeed felt the place was somewhat small and outdated.
Mira seemed to read his expressions, only saying they'd consider it before making a decision.
The couple didn't push further, with the man reminding Rhode that someone wanted to buy the place to open a café, urging him to seriously consider.
The lady seemed quite happy, suggesting to Mira that they should visit a newly opened shoe and hat store on the commercial street together next time when they had time.
After spending so much time here, the sky had darkened, and they still needed to return to the guild for their evening shift.
A kind-hearted boatman on a small boat in the middle of the river warned the two young people walking by the riverbank to be careful not to fall in.
Rhode and Mira waved to them, politely expressing gratitude, continuing to enjoy their tranquil moments together.
The night breeze began to blow gently, creating ripples on the canal's water surface, and Mira lightly tugged her collar.
Rhode draped a coat over Mira and gently held her, "Am I being too picky?"
Previously, watching those scenes on TV about house-buying felt so fake and empty, but now, when it's his turn, he realized even if the homeowner spoke well, there would always be unsatisfactory aspects.
Mira laughed, "Because it's our future home, it should be picky. It's alright, I know two more places, we can look at them tomorrow."
She always had unique channels for information.