Lucy didn't rush back to find her companions right away. Instead, she changed into her usual clothes.
She picked a bouquet of flowers and made her way to her mother's grave, softly whispering all the things she wanted to say.
The Heartfilia family cemetery was as grand as one would expect. There were dedicated caretakers who tended it daily.
Even from outside the gates, you could see the intricately carved statues standing on the hillside, and Lucy standing in front of one, holding the bouquet and speaking gently.
Rhodes held Happy by the tail with one hand and had his other arm hooked around Natsu's neck to keep the two from barging in recklessly.
Only when Lucy bent down to place the bouquet at the statue's base did Rhodes release the two eager troublemakers.
"Lucy!"
"Lucy!"
Just as Lucy turned around, Happy flung himself into her arms, and Natsu ran up right behind him.
"You guys have no sense of place," Rhodes muttered as he climbed the steps. He looked at the name on the tombstone and bowed respectfully.
Layla Heartfilia, X748–X777. Died at age 29.
It had already been seven years. Lucy had only been ten at the time.
Erza stepped forward first and bowed her head. "Sorry, Lucy. We were a little noisy."
"It's alright. Mom would be happy," Lucy said with a soft smile. Her tears had already been shed long ago. Now, she just wanted her mother to see her happy and surrounded by friends.
"I'm the one who should apologize. I made everyone worry."
Gray silently took the clothes that Rhodes tossed to him and got dressed again. "Well, it wasn't a complete waste of time. Honestly, it was kind of nice."
Rhodes added, "We overreacted and broke into your house without permission. That was on us."
Lucy gave a helpless smile. "Natsu and the others have always been like this. I'm kind of used to it."
Happy rubbed against her cheek and purred, "Aye, because we were worried about Lucy."
Natsu grinned. "Yeah. Happy was so nervous he cried!"
"I did not!"
…
They all watched silently as Lucy said her final goodbye to her mother. Afterward, they set out together, heading back toward the guild.
This time, Lucy rode with Natsu and Happy, while Rhodes shared a crab with Erza and Gray.
The two crabs strolled along the quiet road. At first, a few of the Heartfilia estate servants tearfully came to see Lucy off. But after a while, there was no one left behind them.
Gray glanced at the wide, empty land around them and asked, "Why is your town so big, but there's barely anyone living here?"
"Huh? Oh, this isn't a town," Lucy explained, pointing toward a distant mountain. "From here to the other side of that mountain is all part of my family's estate."
"…"
All five of her companions froze, their minds going blank for a second.
"Huh? What's with all of you?" Lucy asked innocently.
Natsu gawked at the mountain and shouted, "Rich girl alert!"
Gray pointed in the same direction. "You just casually dropped something unbelievable!"
Erza put her hands on her hips and stared up at the sky. "Ah… the sky is so blue today… what a beautiful sunset…"
"Even Erza broke!" Happy tugged on Rhodes's sleeve. "Rhodes, say something!"
"Lucy…" Rhodes said calmly, much more composed than the rest. "Are you… hiring a bodyguard?"
"Huh?"
"Or maybe a driver? I could work as an accountant too."
He had always known Lucy came from money, but this was something else entirely. Rhodes' concept of wealth simply didn't stretch this far. Poverty had thoroughly limited his imagination.
If Lucy hadn't been so serious about it, he might have thought she was reciting a comedy sketch. Something like, "you have to drive to get to the bathroom, and turn back halfway because the tires went flat…"
The "rich girl" conversation didn't last long. Just a little joke to lighten the mood.
Once they were fully out of town, no, out of the house, Lucy began worrying about rent again.
Rhodes offered a very practical suggestion. "Why don't you make Natsu and Happy help pay? They live there too, after all."
Lucy refused immediately. "No way! That would make them feel entitled!"
"As if they don't already," Rhodes said.
"Th-that's not the point!" Lucy stammered, cheeks reddening. "If they start paying, then that means… that means…"
"That we're officially roommates?" Natsu grinned slyly. "If I'm paying rent, that bed of yours is basically mine."
"We call dibs on the kitchen and dining room!" Happy added with a flourish.
"I said no!" Lucy shouted, flailing.
"Then we just go back to doing jobs the honest way," Rhodes said with a shrug. "The bad news is, I already picked out all the best-paying ones. At this point, they've probably been scooped up by everyone else."
"What?! No!!" Lucy clutched her head. "Why would you do that?!"
Rhodes raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you complain yesterday that you were desperate for money? I did it to help people like you. And then you ran off without a word."
"I'm sorry…" Lucy looked devastated. She was on the verge of tears, but they wouldn't come.
Natsu gave her a gentle pat on the back. "It's alright. We'll take the tough missions."
"But hard missions don't make good money…" Lucy groaned in defeat.
…
By the time they returned to the guild, the sun had already dipped below the horizon.
But there were still plenty of people at the construction site, or more accurately, gathered around the open-air bar that had popped up in the middle of it.
These were Fairy Tail wizards, after all. As long as there were tables, stools, drinks, and friends, they didn't care how basic the setup was.
"We're back!" someone shouted.
But instead of a warm welcome, the first response they got was from a group of slightly tipsy voices.
"Where the hell have you guys been? Can't even handle a bit of work before disappearing?"
"Trying to slack off already?"
"Elfman picked up Rhode's workload. What, were Natsu and Gray off napping somewhere?"
"Who's slacking?! We'll do double tomorrow to prove it!" Natsu snapped back. And just like that, the others agreed, backing Rhodes up without hesitation.
Wait, what?
Rhodes glanced at Elfman, then at Mira.
Elfman was casually looking up at the sky. Mira covered her mouth with her hand and giggled.
Earlier that day, when Rhodes wrote the note to explain their absence, he had mentioned he was worried everyone might think he was slacking off. Mira, half-jokingly, said they could make Elfman do double the work to cover for him.
Rhodes had thought she was kidding.
"No, I was going to do it myself," Mira said with a mix of smile and mock frustration. "But after I carried just two pieces of wood, Elfman told me I was 'manly.' So…"
Rhodes winced. "Right. Guess it's time to redeem myself."
He hurried behind Mira and began massaging her shoulders. "Oh no, you must be exhausted after lifting two planks. Let me help you relax."
Elfman, without looking, lifted a mug and drank in silence.
Truly unbearable.
Everyone was watching. Mira gently slapped Rhode's hands away and shoved a stack of paperwork into his arms.
"Welcome back. Now get to work," she said, then softened her tone. "Did you eat yet? Are you hungry?"
"We rushed back too fast. Didn't get a chance to eat." Rhodes sighed, regretting missing out on the Heartfilia chef's gourmet meals.
"I'll get you something." Mira stepped out from behind the counter, greeted Lucy along the way, and headed toward the kitchen.
Gray called out after her, "Mira, anything's fine. I'll take two servings. Actually, make that three."
He hadn't eaten lunch earlier either.
Mira nodded, but raised an eyebrow. "Alright, but I think you'll only need two."
"Why?"
Because a second later, a lunch box was silently handed to Gray.
He looked down, stunned.
Mira smiled sweetly. "You shouldn't let someone else's kindness go to waste~"
...
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