As a young man full of energy who had just tasted the forbidden fruit, waking up in the morning and being sweetly called "husband," how could one endure it?
Without thinking, Rhode pulled Mira back into his arms, his hands roaming up and down.
Mira couldn't help herself either.
Unfortunately, before they could really get into it, she caught Rhode's mischievous hands.
"Stop it, don't you have to go to the Council today?"
"I think I can go tomorrow. They only said to come by sometime soon."
Rhode once thought he had cured his procrastination and gotten rid of his habit of staying in bed, but now it seemed to be relapsing.
"That's no good. I have to go to work. There's a lot to do at the Guild."
"There's still time," Rhode said, glancing at the clock. "It's only eight..."
"Oh no!" Mira showed a panicked expression. Late!
Being late wasn't the issue, but with everyone else sleeping at the Guild, the fact that only the two of them left and came late in the morning...
Everyone might guess what happened!
Mira likes gossip and doesn't mind being the subject occasionally, but this one would make her die of embarrassment!
Mira struggled out of Rhode's embrace, threw on one of his jackets, and began searching for her clothes.
But when she found them, they seemed unwearable.
She could only look at Rhode and hold out her hand: "Clothes."
Surely, Rhode had extra clothes for Mira here, all brand new from inside out.
Rhode grinned as he handed the clothes to her. This was the right use for spare outfits.
He just needed to reflect on one thing, his choice of lingerie wasn't as sexy as Mira's usual wear.
A major oversight.
Mira quickly dressed and hurried off to freshen up. Being familiar with Rhode's place, she had her set of towels and toothbrush there.
Last night before sleeping, she wanted to make breakfast at his place, but now there's no time for that.
Mira felt a bit dejected, missing the chance to show off her girlfriend prowess, although she often did that enough already, it was still such a pity.
Left without his pillow, Rhode lay in bed pondering his life for a while, before getting up.
While he was washing up, Mira finished washing the clothes and hung them to dry, leaving Rhode to head to work alone.
But as she left, Goodman's knowing look made Mira feel awkward, making a hasty exit.
Rhode wasn't bothered, he strolled to buy breakfast and then headed straight to the Council.
The weather was sunny, and so was Rhode's mood.
...
Eventually, you have to face what's coming. Mira stood at the Guild's entrance, gave herself a little pep talk, then summoned the courage to push the door open.
As expected, the Guild was in the situation she feared most—many people were already awake.
And they were urging others to get up and work.
Laki, Lisana, and Ginanna, the waitresses, had naturally started working.
Mira's entrance at this time drew a lot of attention.
Many noticed Mira had changed her outfit, innocently assuming she had just woken up early, slipped home and freshened up a bit.
Lisana was the first to think this, and she complained, "Sister Mira, why didn't you take me with you when you went to change?"
Mira awkwardly replied, "Ah... because... you were sleeping so soundly, I didn't want to wake you."
No longer the sister who couldn't stop sticking to her sister as she was a few days ago, she had even learned to lie to her without any teacher.
"I also want a shower."
Lisana didn't see anything wrong with her sister changing clothes; she tugged at her sleeve. During yesterday's fun, it got stained with alcohol. Though it had dried overnight, the smell remained.
Mira quickly helped with cleaning the Guild: "Finish up quickly and you can go change too."
"Mm..." Lisana nodded, continuing her work, but a few seconds later, she looked around and asked, "Where's brother-in-law? Haven't seen him all morning."
"He's at the Council, got the invitation letter, didn't he?" Telling the truth made Mira more at ease, and she didn't even pause her work.
"Right." Lisana nodded, genuinely happy for her sister. "That's great, Sister Mira."
Mira smiled gently.
Lisana: "!"
Something was off.
Although she had recently confirmed her sister had become gentler (mostly gentle), the smile just now definitely had something unusual.
Should she describe it as seductive or something else? Lisana didn't know what was going on, nor could she think of the exact word.
Could it be brother-in-law's achievement that put her sister in a good mood?
...
At the Fiore Kingdom's Council branch, Rhode had been here more than once.
There seemed to be more guards outside than before, the atmosphere inside seemed more serious, and people seemed more 'proud' than before.
Thankfully, that pride wasn't directed at Rhode.
As Rhode arrived at the entrance, two Frog People came out to greet him.
"Mr. Rhode, please follow us."
Rhode nodded, asking, "How will the Magic Power test be conducted?"
"Probably using the Magic Power Tester MPF, it's an instrument currently for internal Council use only. The Evaluators' Thought Bodies will later be present to personally witness the testing process."
"What are the test standards?"
"Sorry, since this is the first time conducting such a test, we're not sure either."
Rhode nodded and asked no more questions.
The Fiore branch beneath was like a disc-shaped building, with a suspended part above; usually, for matters, one needs to take an elevator up to the meeting room or Judgement Court.
This time, the two Frog People led him to stop on the underside's disc platform.
At that moment, a team of nearly a hundred was training there, the soldiers constantly shifting attack and defense formations under the Captain's orders.
"This is one of the Strong Detention Team's training grounds, please wait here."
One of the Frog People went to speak to the Captain.
The Captain glanced in Rhode's direction, ordered his subordinates to line up, and retreat to the side.
Then he called two more subordinates forward to the warehouse and brought out a box, placing it in the middle of the training ground.
The soldiers, unaware of what was happening, retreated to the edge of the field, curiously watching Rhode's direction.
They recognized the box, it contained an instrument occasionally used. Was the young man here to join the Strong Detention Team and was here for a Magic Power test?
But even if there was a new recruit, there was no need for them to wait so far away, right?
Could he be someone with connections, like a relative of an Evaluator?
Some also recognized him as the rumored boyfriend of Miss Mirajane from a while ago.
But recent rumors said he had become her fiancé.
Damn, so envious!