On this day, everyone in the empty new guild partied until late, even though members of the Strongest Squad weren't there. However, Macao, Kana, Loki, and others were present, maintaining plenty of joyous atmosphere.
The idle residents joined the fun for a while but left when it got late.
They envied the atmosphere but certainly couldn't be as wild as the mages.
Rhode, who promised never to get drunk again, ended up with his head spinning this time.
There are bad influences among the crowd, as the two uncles, Macao and Wakaba, kept trying to get him drunk, and Kana joined in with a barrel of wine.
"I'll finish a barrel, you finish a cup, cheers!"
So cheers it was, after all, Rhode was genuinely happy.
By the end, people were sprawled all over the place, loosely scattered; anyway, there were no decorations, and the space was vast.
Mira helped Rhode sit down against the wall, and he held onto her, refusing to let go, mumbling in his drunken stupor, "Why are you absolutely fine?"
"Just a little dizzy," Mira said, playing with Rhode's hair.
"Ho-how come you have such a high tolerance?" Rhode tried to grab her hand but missed twice.
Mira caught his flailing hand, speaking gently like coaxing a child, "I don't know, maybe because I'm a demon." She tried to make a fierce face, "Are you scared?"
"Heh heh..." Rhode giggled, half-closing his eyes, "Then why are you so pretty?"
Mira puffed her cheeks, starting to doubt if this person was really drunk at all.
She tried to pinch Rhode's cheeks, but he had already closed his eyes and fallen asleep.
Whether he was truly asleep or not, she could tell.
Mira smiled, pecked his lips, then waved her hand dismissively, "Ugh, reeks of alcohol, if you drink too much next time, I won't... won't let you in."
In his dreams, Rhode leaned sideways, hugged her waist tighter, rubbed his cheek against the soft spot, and his expression softened considerably.
Mira pretended to be annoyed by the smell of alcohol but eventually snuggled with him into a dream.
...
The next day was August 28.
After tidying up the mess from the day before, Rhode and Mira found Makarov, "President, we want to take a day off."
Makarov flatly refused, "Denied."
"Pre-sident," Mira put her hands on her hips, pouting, hinting for him to take it seriously.
Makarov feigned grievance, "Even though the guild is built, today we start the interior decoration, if the two of you aren't here, I..."
The old man clutched his chest, implying if they all left, he'd fall sick to prove it.
Feeling this might not be good, Makarov asked, "Why do you want to take a day off now?"
"Because today is the day of the theater performance starring Erza and Lucy, they had someone send us two tickets."
Rhode took out two tickets and waved them.
The performance time was in the afternoon, and the tickets arrived in the morning.
Though they didn't know how those two went from being imagined backstage staff to lead roles, it seemed like their acting would be interesting.
Besides, they had been working hard these days, so it was a good opportunity to go out and have fun.
"Hmm..." Makarov pondered for a moment.
Not letting them go wouldn't be reasonable, but letting them go would make the upcoming decoration chores cumbersome...
The clever Makarov quickly thought of a good idea.
"In that case, I announce, the whole guild takes a day off to rest!"
Rhode and Mira were taken aback, "What?"
"Hehe..." Makarov thought the idea was brilliant, "Everyone's been working hard during this period, so today, let's take a good rest. Anyone interested can also head to Onibus to cheer for Erza and Lucy!"
"Hooray!"
The previously dispirited bunch suddenly became full of energy.
They could watch Erza and Lucy act, both stunning beauties, likely playing princess roles, wouldn't they?
Everyone was eagerly anticipating it.
As for the end of the month, rent and living expenses for the next month... the guild construction was completed; the President said he would pay everyone at market rate.
Rhode meticulously recorded everyone's work status and workload in detailed charts.
For ordinary workers, the pay might not be high, but they've been working tirelessly these days, it would definitely be a decent income.
Luckily Ghost was rich, and the Advisory Council paid well.
Rhode and Mira exchanged glances; their sweet short trip turned into a guild outing.
Well, that's fine too.
That's just how this guild is. So this time doesn't count as taking a day off; once the decoration is done, we'll take it again. By then, even if the President clings to our legs and cries, we won't care.
Marcus noticed Loki trying to slip away quietly, asking, "Loki, aren't you going? Seems Gray is also performing."
He remembered Loki and Gray got along well, so he should be there to support.
"Nah, I have a date today," Loki made a suave gesture, "I've been busy for a while, need to spend time with my girlfriends, bye-bye!"
Wolian crossed his arms, showing a disdainful expression, "Did he just say 'girlfriends'?"
Marcus replied helplessly, "He's always been like this..."
Rhode frowned, feeling something was off about Loki, not from a hangover but from an issue that had cropped up last month.
He whispered a few words to Mira, who nodded.
Once Rhode mentioned it, she also felt that Loki was off recently; they needed to keep an eye on him. If necessary, they should knock him out and send him to Granny Porlyusica.
...
Getting to Onibus was convenient; board the train in Magnolia, and it's the next stop.
Among the guild companions present, including the President, about half of them decided to show support.
Over thirty people filled a whole train carriage, like Fairy Tail had reserved the space.
Rhode actually wanted to take Mira to the front carriage, not for a private moment, but for safety.
It just felt like sitting with this group, this carriage could explode at any moment.
In the end, it was hard to abandon the group; they couldn't really leave the President to handle it all.
Fortunately, it was only one stop, the train arrived safely without any worst-cast scenarios.
"It's still bustling here," someone with previous visits to Onibus commented.
Kana wanted to explore first, "There should be plenty of nice pubs, right?"
Macao reminded her, "Don't get drunk before the performance."
"Mind your own business."
Makarov cleared his throat, "Buy tickets at the theater first, then free roam. Gather at the theater for the performance."
Makarov knew Rhode and Mira had tickets, so they were bound to slip away for a date first.
That way, once he's done buying tickets and drinking in a pub with Kana, no one would be around to hold him back!
No, as the President, he needed to take good care of Kana, who easily gets drunk and causes trouble.
Makarov felt he was exceptionally clever.