This life of mine is already bound to Mira, and I'll never have feelings for another woman.
At most, it's when Lucy sometimes doesn't treat the brothers as outsiders due to some irresistible force, he inadvertently and accidentally catches a glimpse or two.
Now Rhode doesn't dare to swear to the heavens, because here the sky can suddenly turn dark without warning.
He quickly changed the subject: "By the way, what about your girlfriends? If they can't see you, they might cause a scene at the Guild."
"I'll explain it clearly to them later." Loki had just set Lucy down, and immediately snuggled up beside her, "How about saying I've found a girl I truly want to protect for a lifetime?"
"Definitely not!" Lucy didn't want to be bothered by those girls again, "You should go now! Don't stay too long."
"Alright then, I need to rest for a while before I can come back, see you!"
Loki waved his hand, and his figure turned into a golden vortex, disappearing without a trace.
After staying in the Human Realm for three years and nearly dissipating, he does indeed need some rest in the Star Spirit Realm.
Rhode handed the vacation ticket to Mira: "Should we move up the vacation plan?"
"Sure." Mira looked a bit excited, "It's just mid-month, the renovation will be completed in a couple of days, so there's no problem with us going out for a bit."
"Is everyone going together?" Lucy excitedly ran off, "I'll go find Natsu right now!"
"Then we're going back to get ready too." Rhode grabbed Mira's arm and slipped out, "President, see you in a few days!"
"Yeah, have fun." Makarov cheerfully watched the kids leave, thinking it wouldn't hurt for them to relax a bit after working so hard recently.
Even if Natsu and Gray go, with Rhode, Mira, and Erza watching over them, there shouldn't be any trouble.
In the Guild, we just need to let...
Huh? Makarov lifted a hand and started counting on his fingers, Rhode, Mira, Erza...
Cold sweat broke out on his forehead, something was off, did Loki mention Erza was going too?!
The old man tottered and fell off the counter in a fluster: "W-wait! Wait, let me think about this again..."
-----------------
Waiting wasn't an option, Rhode quickly returned home, packed the essentials, and then picked up Mira to meet up with the others.
The original plan was for the two of them to go out together, but everyone going to have fun was also a rare chance.
The only thing Rhode worried about was: "I hope Natsu doesn't cause trouble when we're having the most fun."
Mira laughed and said: "He won't, not with Erza around."
Speaking of the devil, just as they were nearing the station, they bumped into Erza.
She was already dressed in a flowered shirt, wearing a sun hat, with a float around her waist and a luggage cart that she always brought on trips behind her.
Aside from a few large suitcases, you could see she also brought blankets, parasols, folding chairs, and even a shovel – all sorts of odd items.
"Aren't you a bit too excited?" Rhode temporarily took up Lucy's spot for banter, "It's a few hours by train to the beach."
"This is only natural; even on vacation, one must give their all!" Erza said with particular seriousness, "Right, Mira?"
"Yes, yes~" Mira replied, smiling, not refuting, "Erza's right, I wonder if those three are ready."
Erza clenched her fist: "For something this important, they better not dawdle."
"Is this also part of your plan, demon?" Rhode felt Mira was intentionally bringing them up to set them up.
"What? I don't know what you're talking about." Mira playfully tilted her head, her eyes curving in a grin.
Rhode had no problem with it, let those little brats, Natsu and Gray, get caught in it. Even if Erza dealt with them, it was their fault for being late, nothing to do with Mira.
...
Originally, Natsu wanted to ride a River Crab, but was refused by Erza.
She said it was his punishment for being late, and it was a chance to train Natsu; maybe after more train rides, he wouldn't get motion sickness.
Hapi wanted to argue that their place was outside the city and naturally took longer, but since only Natsu was punished and not him, he let it go.
Gray couldn't be bothered to speak for Natsu, and Lucy was poking at Natsu's face, giggling at his discomfort.
Natsu: "Ugh..."
Amidst laughter and banter, they arrived at their destination, Akane Beach.
The closer to midsummer, the more it's the peak season for beach tourism, which is why Rhode couldn't get tickets.
The endless expanse of blue sea stretched to the farthest point within sight, merging with the azure sky, making the boundary between sea and sky almost indistinguishable.
The vast beach already had a lot of visitors, with sunshades scattered like blooming flowers along the coast.
As they frequented the beautiful beach scenery, they checked into the hotel, exchanging their tickets for the room keys.
Rhode gave a slight sigh of relief once inside the room, luckily it wasn't one bed for six tickets, otherwise he'd snatch Lucy's key and drag that guy out for a punch.
In total six rooms, with Natsu, Hapi, Gray, Erza, and Lucy each having their own, Rhode had no choice but to share a room with Mira.
That's what he thought, but Mira shut him out.
When it's just the two of them, it's fine, but with so many people, how could Mira have the nerve to share a room with him?
Besides, why does Hapi need a whole room to himself? Just more scheming.
No other choice, Rhode went back to his room, changing into a floral shirt, big shorts, and flip-flops.
As he emerged, he felt he shouldn't have bothered to go back; he could've used Requip Magic to change.
Soon after, Natsu came out wearing beach shorts with Hapi, and Gray... predictably came out naked.
Natsu laughed loudly at Gray, while Rhode slapped his forehead, finding it an eyesore.
However, when Mira's door opened slightly, Rhode immediately kicked Gray back inside: "Put on some clothes before coming out!"
Mira had changed into a deep blue swimsuit, the top held together by metal rings, struggling under pressure as if about to burst at any moment.
The bottom seemed like a small piece of cloth carelessly wrapped around, loosely draping, with her long legs on full display.
As she stepped out, Rhode couldn't take his eyes off her.
Mira seemed quite pleased with his reaction, twirling slightly and clasping her hands behind her back, leaning forward a bit: "How is it?"
How is it? What else can I say?
Rhode wanted to say don't casually use your swimsuit photography skills, but at the same time wanted to encourage her to use them more.
He struggled before finally saying, "It's incredibly beautiful, I can't even think of the proper adjectives."
Natsu put his hands behind his head, tilting it, and commented: "I think it looks ordinary."
Rhode ignored Natsu, thinking what does he know.