Chapter 46: Could it be...

Hiding in the corner, hoping to enjoy some drama, Rhodes now felt like the "drama" wasn't so enjoyable anymore—Levy seemed to be feeling uncomfortable.

It was obvious that she was probably worried that this would affect her friendship with Jet. After all, the three members of the Shadow Gear team had grown up together since childhood.

"Hey, Rhodes," Levy asked in a low voice, "Was I too blunt just now?"

How would I know?! Rhodes had never had a childhood friend, let alone been confessed to by one.

All he could do was carefully reply, "When it comes to feelings, if you don't like someone, it's probably better to be clear about it like you were, right?"

"I know, but still…"

Levy understood this principle, which was why she rejected Jet so decisively. She didn't even touch the bouquet, wanting to avoid any misunderstandings.

She sighed, "I'm just worried that this might break up Shadow Gear. We've always been such good friends. I should've found a gentler way to say it."

"No matter how gently you put it, the meaning is the same. The longer you drag it out, the more painful it becomes."

The situation had already happened, and no matter what the best choice was, Rhodes didn't want to say things like, "You did the wrong thing" or "You really didn't think this through."

That would only make Levy feel even more guilty, and it wouldn't help at all.

"The best choice is the one you just made," Rhodes thought it was important to make her believe that. Only then would she feel a little better.

Once she calmed down, he could help her think about what to do next, if she needed that.

However, what happened next caught Rhodes completely off guard.

Just as Levy seemed to recover a bit of her spirits, Droy showed up with a bouquet of flowers as well.

Compared to Jet, Droy's movements were a bit more awkward, but after taking two deep breaths, he gathered the courage to say the same words that Jet had just said.

This time, it only took Levy one second to reject Droy.

Droy, looking even more dejected than Jet, dropped the bouquet and left with a downcast expression.

Rhodes felt partly responsible—he had just encouraged Levy to believe that rejecting them decisively was the best option for everyone.

It took a while before Levy turned around, trying to control her emotions. "Let's continue practicing."

Rhodes did want to master magic quickly, but under these circumstances, dragging Levy into more lessons seemed a bit...

He thought for a moment and said, "Actually, I've used up quite a bit of magic today. Maybe I should rest for a bit.

How about I treat you to a drink? Just to thank you for your help."

…

A few minutes later, Rhodes and Levy were sitting at the counter.

The two clinked their glasses lightly. Rhodes had barely taken a sip when Levy downed an entire glass like she was possessed by Cana, drinking heartily.

Thankfully, it was just regular beer.

Mira noticed Levy's red eyes and, pretending to be angry, placed her hands on her hips and asked, "Rhodes, did you bully Levy?"

"Absolutely not." Rhodes raised his hand as if swearing, "It's… kind of complicated. I don't even know how to explain."

"It's not Rhodes' fault. I just don't know what to do anymore," Levy mumbled, her face already flushed from just one beer, her alcohol tolerance clearly not great.

She spilled out her frustrations to Mira like a bamboo tube pouring beans, her speech clearly slurred from being tipsy.

"Don't worry, Levy," Mira said gently, "You three grew up together and are close friends from the same guild.

No matter what happens, that bond won't break so easily. Jet and Droy will recover soon enough."

"Really?"

"Of course."

"In that case… another drink!"

After her second drink, Levy slumped over the counter and fell asleep, occasionally muttering in her sleep, her arms and legs twitching slightly.

If she ever improved her alcohol tolerance, she probably wouldn't be the best drinking companion.

Levy was wearing a sleeveless top, and the guild emblem on her left shoulder was quite prominent.

Although it was summer, the ceiling fan was spinning above them. Rhodes wondered if he should cover Levy with something, but he didn't have anything at hand.

Mira, on the other hand, found a light blanket and gently draped it over Levy.

"Rhodes, you've been paying a lot of attention to Levy lately. Could it be that you also…" Mira began teasing again.

"It's not like that. Levy's cute, but she's not my type."

"Oh? Then what's your type?"

Mira's eyes gleamed, as if the flames of gossip were burning within them.

Rhodes almost wanted her to experience the discomfort of being the subject of gossip herself, but he knew that patience was important in the long run.

"Secret. Secrets make a man more mysterious," Rhodes borrowed a line from a detective anime.

Confessions aren't something you should rush into, especially not after what Jet and Droy had just done.

"Ah~ that sounds like something Loke would say." Mira chuckled. "Have you two gotten closer?"

"Not at all. If I get within five meters of him, he runs.

These days, when it's his turn to order something, he even asks Laki to place the order for him."

Rhodes was rather helpless in this regard. After their failed sparring session, all attempts to ease the tension between him and Loke had been futile.

Mira speculated that it had to do with a female Celestial Spirit mage, and knowing Loke's personality, it probably involved some kind of romantic entanglement.

However, she didn't know what kind of painful experience had made him avoid anything related to Celestial Spirit mages so desperately.

Rhodes' approach was simple: if it couldn't be solved, then don't solve it.

Even brothers don't always get along. In a guild this big, it was normal to have a few people you couldn't mesh with.

As long as it was a fellow guild member, Rhodes figured that when Loke needed help, he'd be there.

"Shadow Gear, unite!" Levy suddenly raised her fist and shouted in her sleep.

Rhodes readjusted the blanket that had slipped off her. "Looks like she's dreaming about the old days. When did the three of them start teaming up?"

"I'm not sure," Mira said thoughtfully. "I remember when I first joined the guild five years ago, they were already hanging out together a lot."

"Five years ago… you must have been twelve or thirteen?"

Joining the guild was practically equivalent to becoming independent, and she had brought her younger brother along… Rhodes felt a pang of sympathy as he listened.

"I was thirteen. It wasn't that early. Natsu joined the guild a year before me, and Erza joined a year before that. Gray, Cana, and Levy joined even earlier."

Mira's expression softened with nostalgia. "We were all kids with nowhere to go. Joining the guild was the first time we found stability.

By the way, I've never asked—what did you do before you came here, Rhodes?"

"I… was a student," Rhodes replied. "From the time I was five years old, right up until a little over a month ago, I was always in school."

"Just school for all those years?" Mira looked surprised. When Rhodes nodded, she asked,

"Could it be you were some kind of noble or prince?"