บท 137: Chapter 137: If She... He Definitely Would...

The crisp autumn morning, with its warm sunshine, was quickly cooled by the breeze. The delicate cirrus clouds in the sky were untouched by the wind below, while only the golden leaves on the roadside trees briefly danced with it.

Being the considerate wingman that he was, Rhodes didn't arrive ahead of time but instead made sure to be right on time.

He originally wanted to give the two some alone time. But when he arrived at the guild, Alzack and Bisca were standing more than a meter apart, awkwardly staring into space.

Bisca leaned on her sniper rifle, occasionally spinning it, while Alzack kept his hand resting on the holster at his waist, now and then scratching his cheek with his finger.

Every so often, one of them would steal a glance at the other, only to quickly look away, terrified of being caught.

Rhodes couldn't help but wonder what had become of all that "concealment and observation" technique that Alzack supposedly had.

Standing at the guild entrance, the two of them looked like a pair of gate guardians—one with the title "Clueless" and the other named "In Over His Head."

Rhodes sighed and stepped forward to break the awkwardness. "Sorry, I'm late."

"No..."

Alzack and Bisca both spoke at the same time, then both stopped, exchanging glances before falling silent again.

Rhodes looked at them helplessly.

Finally, Bisca continued, "Actually, we arrived early. You're right on time."

Alzack added, "Right."

Rhodes had arrived at precisely the right moment in more ways than one. If this continued, he would have felt the urge to run away himself.

"Shall we get going?" Rhodes waved to the guild members inside before leading the two out.

The two shy individuals followed behind Rhodes, still keeping that meter of distance between them, looking very much like bodyguards to his left and right.

This wasn't going to work—it was way too awkward.

Rhodes thought for a moment and asked, "Why don't we take a carriage? Which kind do you usually prefer?"

"A standard two-horse carriage," Bisca replied. "I like horses. Actually, if possible, I'd rather ride one myself."

Rhodes looked at Bisca's outfit—it matched Alzack's cowboy style perfectly.

But Alzack didn't even respond to her comment, so Rhodes spoke up, "You seem so quiet in the guild, but you're actually pretty cool, no wonder you get along with Erza so well."

Bisca blushed a little and said, "That's not the reason. Actually, I knew Erza before joining the guild…"

Bisca began to recount how she met Erza and how she ended up joining Fairy Tail.

Seeing Rhodes listening attentively to Bisca, Alzack felt a wave of superiority—Ha! I already know how Bisca joined the guild. Rhodes knows nothing!

Rhodes glanced at Alzack. This kid was hopeless.

Just ask her some questions, would you? It doesn't matter if you already know—asking shows interest! Things heard from others and things learned by talking to her aren't the same!

You're making it seem like you aren't interested in her at all! Rhodes felt mentally exhausted. He attentively listened to Bisca and smiled, "I'm surprised you impersonated a Fairy Tail mage and Erza didn't beat you up."

Bisca laughed nervously. "At that time, I didn't understand what a guild represented. I just thought Fairy Tail had a big name and seemed cool.

Plus, being an immigrant from the western continent, I didn't have many skills to earn a living, so I had to impersonate a mage to get by.

Thinking back now, I probably gave the guild a bad reputation…"

No, no, Rhodes shook his head. In retrospect, just scamming a few meals, collecting protection money, and playing the bully wasn't that much of a stain on the guild's name.

Looking at the guy next to him who only knew how to stay silent and grin foolishly, Rhodes decided to lend him a hand: "What about you, Alzack?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm also an immigrant from the western continent, just like Bisca…" At least he knew to add "just like Bisca," and Rhodes was somewhat relieved.

But after Alzack finished his story, he asked, "Actually, if we're going to Swenflor Village, wouldn't it be faster to take the train to Onibas and then switch to a carriage?"

"..."

Rhodes was silent for a moment before replying, "You both have guns—riding a train might scare the other passengers."

Bisca wanted to mention that she could use her Requip Magic to store her sniper rifle since she just carried it for the cool factor and could put it away at any time.

But she was clearly more tactful than Alzack and agreed, "You're right. Taking a carriage directly would be more convenient."

Seeing Bisca agree, Alzack quickly nodded, "Y-yes, that's true."

Rhodes: "..."

Next time, someone else can take this job. I'm not doing it again.

Not even for extra pay.

The three rented a carriage, and Rhodes was the first to get in, making sure to put his bag down on the seat beside him before Alzack could sit next to him.

He hadn't expected that the seat-saving technique he had honed since university would come in handy today.

Alzack awkwardly sat next to Bisca, not knowing where to put his hands.

Bisca wasn't doing much better—there was even a deliberate gap between them.

Rhodes decided to just enjoy the show, casually resting his hand on the window frame, grinning as he waited for the carriage to start moving.

Sure enough…

"S-sorry!" Alzack scrambled back to his original position, sitting as properly as a primary school student during a principal's lecture.

"It's… it's okay…" Bisca adjusted her hair, telling herself that it was just a normal occurrence.

As soon as the carriage moved, the two, who were completely unprepared, bumped into each other and blushed simultaneously.

Rhodes found it quite amusing. If strangers bumped into each other, there wouldn't be any awkwardness; if close friends did, it wouldn't be a big deal either.

But for people with a budding mutual attraction, even slight physical contact would make them blush...

Although he wasn't really in a position to say anything, it was fun watching others go through it.

Rhodes thought that if Mira were there to watch this with him, it would be even more entertaining.

It was now 8:11 in the morning, eleven minutes since he had left the guild. He already missed her a little.

The guild had been bustling for a while. Mira had just wiped down the counter again and set the cloth aside for a break. "I wonder how Alzack and Bisca are getting along."

Laki teased, "Mira, are you thinking about Alzack and Bisca, or about the one teaming up with them?"

"Don't say such nonsense." Mira threw the cloth at her. "Of course, I'm thinking about Alzack and Bisca. I imagine their reactions on the way must be quite interesting."

"Yeah, I think those two suit each other very well." Laki giggled, caught the cloth—which still looked clean—and decided to use it to wipe the tables.

Mira rested her chin on her hand, looking towards the guild entrance. The person there watching Alzack and Bisca must be having a lot of fun right now.