Elfman arrived, pushing a wheelchair.
Under Mirajane's instruction, he helped Rhodes into the wheelchair and began pushing him around the guild for a small tour.
Rhodes felt like he could probably walk on his own, but his left leg still ached.
Since it was a kind gesture, he decided to accept it.
The first place Elfman took him was the bathroom.
Rhodes felt a little awkward but appreciated the thoughtfulness. He did, in fact, need to take care of so necessities.
The guild was fully equipped with everything one might need—bathrooms, showers, an infirmary, a library, and even a kitchen. If necessary, soone could easily live here as their ho.
Afterward, Elfman wheeled Rhodes through the corridor and brought him to the heart of the guild's activity—the mission hall, which also doubled as a tavern.
The hall was spacious, with over twenty long tables in the center, round tables along the edges, and a row of stools lined up at the front bar. The space was large enough to accommodate hundreds of people drinking and celebrating together.
Since it was late, the once lively and bustling tavern had quieted down. Only one girl remained inside, moving tables and chairs into place.
She had short purple hair tied with a large red bow.
Mirajane waved at her. "Thanks for your hard work, Laki. Has everyone gone ho?"
"Yeah, they all left. It was pretty busy today, but at least there weren't any fights," Laki responded while sliding a chair under the table. "I'm heading ho soon. I need a bath to cool off and wash away the dust."
Elfman, who had long been used to Laki's way of speaking, translated, "She ans she wants to take a shower."
Mirajane chuckled. "Sorry about today. The Master had sothing for to do, so I left the tavern in your hands."
"It's fine. If it was sothing the Master asked, then I can't complain," Laki said, finally turning to Rhodes. She narrowed her eyes slightly, giving him a curious look. "He's kind of handso. Who is he?"
"I'm not entirely sure myself," Mirajane admitted with an apologetic smile. "I'm still in the process of teaching him the common language."
"Ahh, sounds like a hassle." Laki shrugged, placing the last chair into position. "Well, I'll be heading out. See you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow," Mirajane responded warmly.
Most guild mbers left for ho at night, but Rhodes' situation was different. He obviously needed to stay.
Leaving him alone wasn't an option, so Mirajane and Elfman decided to stay as well.
After finishing the short tour of the guild, Rhodes followed Mirajane for another language lesson.
During the lesson, he noticed sothing interesting—there were no electrical appliances anywhere.
The lamps on the tables and walls were oil lamps or candles.
Yet, he distinctly rembered seeing a ceiling fan in the tavern earlier. What was powering it?
Magic?
As he pondered this, Elfman excused himself, probably to gather whatever he needed for the night.
That night, Rhodes slept alone in the infirmary while Mirajane and Elfman found another room to rest.
"Good night. I'll be in the room next door. Just call my na if you need anything," Mirajane said, making sure to use words and gestures so Rhodes could understand.
"Thank you."
It was one of the few phrases he had learned, and he had already repeated it countless tis today.
As the lights dimd, the soft glow of the crescent moon filtered through the window, casting silver beams across the room.
Rhodes leaned against the headboard, gazing out the window.
No sudden flashes of car headlights. No roaring engines. No endless hum of air conditioners.
So many things he used to find annoying were gone.
Yet, for so reason, he didn't feel happy.
Outside lay a world completely unfamiliar to him.
When people have too much ti to think, their minds tend to wander. Curiosity and fear about the unknown, anticipation and unease about an unfamiliar environnt...
During the day, when Mirajane, Reedus, Elfman, and the others were around, those thoughts didn't feel so overwhelming.
But at night, when the lights went out and he was left alone in the darkness, they crept up on him uncontrollably.
Can I go back? Or will I be stuck here forever? What will my future even look like?
Before Rhodes could spiral too deep into his thoughts, a cheerful voice snapped him back to reality.
"Good morning! Did you sleep well last night?"
"Good morning..."
The truth was, Rhodes hadn't slept well at all.
But when soone ca to check on him so early in the morning, he forced himself to act more energetic.
Not that it mattered—his exhaustion was written all over his face.
"You still look a little out of it," Mirajane noted, her voice carrying a gentle warmth. "It's about ti to get moving today. Elfman, can you take Rhodes to freshen up?"
Elfman cracked his knuckles. "If you're a man, you need to toughen up!"
Rhodes instinctively leaned back. Wait... does he want to arm wrestle? My injuries aren't even fully healed yet!
"Elfman~"
"I know, sis," Elfman grumbled, relenting imdiately.
The day's schedule was much the sa as yesterday—eating, drinking, studying, and struggling to communicate.
But today, Rhodes could walk.
His left leg was still stiff, but at least he could make his way to the tavern on his own. He took a seat at the counter, quietly watching the guild's morning routine unfold.
As the sun slowly rose, the guild ca to life.
So mbers ordered breakfast and chatted with friends, while others gathered near the notice board, scanning the requests posted on it. Every now and then, soone would tear off a paper, register the mission with Mirajane, and rush off.
So people simply stood around, observing the chaos.
Reedus, whom Rhodes had t the day before, arrived early, setting up his easel and carefully mixing colors before beginning a new painting.
anwhile, Mirajane worked effortlessly, carrying plates, wiping down tables, and registering missions—all while maintaining her usual sunny smile. She paused to chat with guild mbers here and there, adding to the lively atmosphere.
Whenever she had a spare mont, she would co over to teach Rhodes a few more words.
Rhodes watched the people coming and going with curiosity, listening to conversations in the hopes of catching sothing familiar.
But most of the ti, it felt like watching a foreign movie without subtitles. He was starting to pick up on patterns in the language, but fully understanding was still a challenge.
Even though many of the guild mbers had distinct appearances, he couldn't recognize any of them.
At least, not until the door suddenly slamd open.
A young man with spiky, cherry-colored hair burst into the hall with a loud yell.
"Old man! Where's the dragon? Where's the person who got attacked by the dragon?!"
"Natsu, stop making so much noise this early in the morning!"
"Quit talking nonsense, Macao!" Natsu shot back at the middle-aged man with short purple hair. "Just tell already—where's the old man? And where's the guy who got attacked by a dragon?"
A small blue cat followed closely behind Natsu, leaping onto the table with ease. Turning toward another middle-aged man with a crew cut and a pipe in his mouth, the cat explained in a cheerful tone:
"Aye! Natsu overheard that the Master rescued soone who was attacked by a dragon, so he rushed over right away!"
"Dragon? Are you sure about that?" Wakaba exhaled a ring of smoke, frowning slightly. "All I heard was that so massive beast rampaged through the eastern forest and tore down a whole stretch of trees."
"That's it!" Natsu slamd both hands on the table and leaned forward, his voice filled with excitent. "So what happened? Did a dragon show up? Did the old man fight with it?!"
"How would I know?" Wakaba shrugged. "The Master left yesterday for the guild eting. Doesn't seem like he was in a fight."
"But he did bring soone back," Macao added, nodding toward the front counter. He casually pointed his thumb at Rhodes. "That'd be him. He was pretty banged up yesterday... Hey, wait—"
Before Macao could finish his sentence, Natsu had already dashed across the room.
Rhodes stared at Natsu.
Sakura-colored hair, a checkered scarf, and a black coat—there was no mistaking it.
So, this was the Natsu Dragneel.
Once again, the reality of his situation settled in.
On one hand, he felt sowhat relieved. He recalled a conversation with his roommate, Tatsuya, who once ntioned that Fairy Tail had a happy ending. There was even a joke that the Fairy Tail battle the made its characters nearly unbeatable.
As long as he stayed here, he probably didn't have to worry too much about his safety.
But on the other hand... this confird it.
There was no denying it anymore.
He was in an entirely different world.
Even though he knew the nas of a few people, he was still surrounded by complete strangers.
By now, Natsu had reached the counter and was standing right in front of Rhodes.
His expression was eager, and he was speaking—no, shouting—sothing at him.
But Rhodes didn't understand a single word.
Seeing his confusion, he instinctively turned to Mirajane for help.
Mirajane, who had been standing beside him, quickly stepped in. "Natsu, calm down. Rhodes is still struggling to understand our language."
Natsu froze. "Huh? You an... he can't speak?"
Mirajane nodded. "It's possible that the language and writing from his holand are completely different from ours. He's already working hard to learn."
"...You've gotta be kidding ," Natsu groaned, clenching his fists in frustration. "We finally got a lead on a dragon, and now this happens?!"
"Natsu, your face is way too intense," Mirajane scolded playfully, motioning for him to relax. "You'll scare him at this rate."
Taking a deep breath, she continued, "Try asking Reedus for help. If that doesn't work, we'll just have to wait for the Master to return. Or maybe Levy can help when she gets back."
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