บท 57: Chapter 57: A Little Surprise
"So, did I win?"
"Tsk, I lost."
Mira was delighted. Jenny's unwilling but forced-to-admit-defeat expression was too amusing.
"Now, it's time for punishment."
"Pun... punishment? That wasn't mentioned before!"
Mira, with a matter-of-fact look, replied, "Since it's a competitive match, how could there be no punishment? Alright, don't move."
"..." Jenny watched as Mira reached out toward her face, nervously closing her eyes.
Her frightened expression was somewhat adorable, and the crowd's eyes couldn't bear to look away.
Mira curled her fingers and flicked her forehead with a thunk!
A red mark appeared on Jenny's forehead, and she clutched the spot Mira had flicked. "That hurts!"
Mira imitated Rhodes' earlier tone: "Alright, loser leaves!"
"Damn it, I'll win next time!" Jenny stormed off, fuming. To flick her forehead in public, as if she was a child—she vowed to have a rematch and set an even more humiliating bet, making Mira lose face even more!
"Sorry, I got carried away and took up so much time," Mira said to Rhodes.
"It's alright, we're out here having fun anyway. It was quite entertaining."
Rhodes felt he didn't lose out; watching Mira's fashion show was a treat.
(Jenny: "Did I not participate?")
Mira looked at the store, now crowded with people, and suggested, "Shall we go to another store?"
Rhodes nodded. "Good idea."
The clothes and accessories that Mira and Jenny had tried on earlier instantly became popular items, snatched up by young men and women.
The store owner and staff managed to maintain order with great difficulty, but when they tried to find Mira and Jenny, they were already gone.
...
"What do you think of this one?" Now that the distraction was gone, Mira could finally seriously shop for clothes.
The main purpose of coming out today was to buy clothes for Elfman.
"A suit? I don't think it fits Elfman very well."
Rhodes tried to imagine Elfman wearing a suit, but the next image that came to mind was him doing a bodybuilder pose and bursting out of the suit in a second.
"But I kind of want to see what it looks like," Mira thought for a moment, "How about you try it on for me, Rhodes?"
"Me? My build is very different from Elfman's."
"It doesn't matter. We can buy it a little bigger," Mira said. "Come on, help me out."
"Alright." Rhodes took the clothes and headed toward the fitting room.
"Wait." Mira called him back, picked out a pile of small items,
"Here are the matching shirt, tie, brooch, and handkerchief. Put them on as well."
"...Alright." Rhodes took everything into the fitting room. A few seconds later, he peeked his head out again.
"Mira, don't you have transformation magic? Couldn't you just change into Elfman's form like you did before?"
"That's true..." Mira thought for a moment, "But I've used transformation magic too many times just now, and my mana is running low."
"Really?" Rhodes was skeptical. Was transformation magic really that draining?
Mira put her hands together, pleading, "Yes, please."
"Okay." Rhodes pulled the curtain back.
When he came out, he was dressed in a suit, looking upright and confident.
Mira's eyes lit up. Rhodes in formal attire gave off a completely different feeling from usual.
However, there were some details left unhandled.
Rhodes held a tie in his hand, looking somewhat embarrassed. "I don't know how to tie it."
He had taken a social etiquette class this semester, and apparently, they'd learn about suits, but they hadn't gotten that far yet.
Mira smiled. "Let me help you."
She approached, turned up the collar of his shirt, and stood on tiptoe to wrap the tie around his neck.
The almost-hug-like gesture made Rhodes' heart skip a beat, the scent of Mira's hair seemingly lingering at his nose.
He didn't catch how she tied it, but with a light pull, the knot was formed and pushed up to his collar.
Rhodes used adjusting his collar as an excuse to hide his awkwardness.
Mira gently adjusted his suit jacket, tucking in the end of the tie.
That wasn't the end. Mira removed the misplaced brooch from Rhodes' coat and pinned it properly on the lapel. She also neatly folded the handkerchief and placed it into the breast pocket, leaving a small part visible.
After everything was done, Mira gently smoothed the creases on Rhodes' suit, stepped back two paces, and looked at him carefully.
This... this scene of a wife helping her husband dress before he leaves, this déjà vu, it was overwhelming.
Feeling a bit uncomfortable, Rhodes asked, "How do I look?"
"Very handsome. You've matured a lot instantly, and this color doesn't look old either. You look like a social elite."
Mira gave her evaluation and then added, "But it doesn't suit Elfman... Is it hot in that suit?"
"Uh... yeah, a bit." Rhodes turned his head, tugging at the collar, "Let's try something else."
"Alright, I'll keep troubling you~"
Rhodes continued acting as a mannequin. Though it was a bit troublesome changing clothes repeatedly, he found joy in it.
After a while, Mira finally chose two outfits, selecting the size based on Elfman's build and asking the staff to help pack them.
Seeing the time, it was almost time to prepare for the evening event, so the two left and headed back to the hotel.
Just as they were leaving, Rhodes suddenly noticed that Mira was carrying three bags.
"Oh? You noticed?"
Mira turned slightly, her face showing a hint of disappointment that the surprise was found. She leaned forward slightly and handed one of the bags to Rhodes, "This is for you."
Reaching out to help with the bags suddenly turned into reaching out to receive a gift. That feeling of surprise was indescribable.
Mira continued, "It's that suit you tried on just now. Since it looked so fitting on you, consider it a thank-you for helping me try on clothes."
"This is too valuable... Well, thank you." Rhodes decided to accept the gift.
Even though the more he thought about it, the more it felt like a scene of a poor boy accompanying a wealthy girl, who casually gifted him a luxury item...
Well, he'd make sure to return the favor properly later.
According to the guild master's assessment, Rhodes was already capable of handling jobs with decent pay.
It was time to take on a real mission when they got back.
Play it safe, and it'd be best to find a strong teammate.
Based on their history, asking Erza for help might be feasible.
While pondering, the two returned to the hotel.
In the lobby, people were coming and going, and many stopped to greet Mira when they saw her.
Judging by their appearances, they were most likely journalists and editors from the magazine, who had come early to prepare for the event.
The two went upstairs, took a short break in their room, and prepared to head to the banquet hall for the evening celebration.
At Mira's request, Rhodes changed into the newly-bought suit and left his dangerous bag in the room.
However, Rhodes didn't feel quite secure, so he slipped a thinner magic book into his pocket.
Before leaving, Rhodes rearranged the furniture, making enough space, and summoned a crab to guard the bag.
Luckily, the room was spacious enough—otherwise, it would've been hard to even let the crab out.
ความคิดของผู้สร้าง 
ahan5000
ahan5000 Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!
สถานะพลังงานรายสัปดาห์
-- การจัดอันดับด้วยพลัง 
-- หินพลัง