Even though it was late, staying overnight at Mira's house was out of the question.
If Rhodes didn't have a place to stay or lived far away, he might've been able to make an excuse. But unfortunately, none of those conditions applied.
The door closed firmly behind him, and Rhodes could only walk back with Warm trailing behind. Still, he was in a great mood.
Just before he left, Mira had broken all the rules of martial arts and sneak-attacked him. When he turned around, she had hugged him tightly from behind.
By the time he tried to respond, she had already bolted into the house and slammed the door shut.
'Too much,' Rhodes thought, grinning. 'She hugged me and ran. I'll definitely hug her back properly next time.'
For now, he hugged Warm instead.
Five seconds later, Rhodes grimaced and set Warm back down.
The little guy's paws and legs were covered in melting snow, soaking him through. Rhodes made a mental note: next time, don't let him walk directly in the snow.
"Summon, Scuttle Crab!"
It was better to use a proper ride at times like this. Being cold-blooded, the crab wasn't bothered by the cold at all.
Rhodes picked up Warm and climbed onto the crab's broad back. Just as he settled in, he felt a gaze on him.
He looked up, and locked eyes with someone peeking out from an upstairs window.
They waved at each other through the snowfall, both smiling quietly as they looked forward to a new day.
The new day began with snow clearing.
When Rhodes stepped outside, Goodman hadn't arrived yet. The snow in front of the guild was already half a meter deep. Goodman was probably still clearing his own doorstep.
All around, neighbors had already begun their work. As usual, everyone would clear a narrow path from their front door to the main road, then sweep a short stretch on either side of the road.
It was an unspoken rule of Magnolia. Each house did their part, and when the sections connected, a complete road would appear.
In the countryside, without sanitation workers, this neighborly habit was even more important.
The widths of the cleared paths varied—some wide, some narrow—but that only made them feel more human, like strings of heartfelt connections linking everyone together.
Since Goodman wasn't around yet, Rhodes took it upon himself to clear the snow.
He remembered the elderly woman who lived next door. They hadn't spoken much before, but even so, he decided to clear her path too.
On the other side of the old woman's house was an older man, slightly younger than Goodman, who seemed to have the same idea.
They didn't exchange many words, just each quietly cleared half the work, and when they finished, they shared a smile before heading back inside.
But the work wasn't done yet.
After clearing the road, the next big task was clearing the rooftops.
If the snow on the roof wasn't removed in time, it would seep into the roof once it melted, and then refreeze at night, causing swelling and damage. Worse, too much snow could collapse a house under its weight. Plus, sharp icicles often formed under the eaves, posing a danger to anyone passing by.
Getting onto the roof was easy for Rhodes. He didn't even need a ladder. With a quick summon, he called forth a Raptor and flew up gracefully.
He didn't want to risk slipping and making a fool of himself by climbing up manually.
Once on the roof, Rhodes grabbed a snow shovel and started pushing heavy heaps of snow off the edges. Every whoomp as the snow hit the ground reminded him just how heavy it was.
While working, he spotted a mischievous father next door pushing snow right onto his son's head while the boy was building a snowman.
Rhodes winced. 'That guy's definitely getting an earful from his wife later.'
After finishing his own roof, Rhodes planned to help the elderly neighbor too, but first, he knew he should properly ask for permission.
Otherwise, it would have been a real mess if he accidentally dropped snow on the grandmother.
"Good boy, have a cup of hot tea first," the grandmother said warmly, clearly delighted by Rhodes' visit. She not only poured him a cup of tea but also pulled out all kinds of snacks and fruits from her cabinets.
Some of the snacks looked like they had been stored for a while, and the apples were a little wrinkled. Things she normally would have saved for herself were now laid out generously to entertain a guest.
There was no reason to refuse such kindness. Rhodes picked up a snack and nibbled it with his tea. It was a little hard, but the taste was just fine.
"I remember," the grandmother said cheerfully, "you're renting Goodman's place, and you're one of those wizards from Fairy Tail, right?"
"That's right. I moved in last summer," Rhodes replied, smiling.
"My, that's been quite a while, hasn't it? Last summer..." she mused.
The old lady seemed lonely. With a guest finally visiting, she naturally wanted to chat for a while.
Rhodes actually wanted to get back to work quickly so he could swing by the guild and see what Mira and the others were up to.
But there was no real rush. He could always spare some time to sit and talk.
And so, Rhodes listened as she shared all sorts of little neighborhood stories, how Goodman's father had picked the name "Bayer" for his son, how the couple next door often quarreled over their children, and how a certain fruit vendor always placed the nicest fruits on top but swapped a few battered ones onto the scale when weighing.
The topics bounced around a lot, but they all shared a theme: small, everyday things that happened right around her.
They might not have been valuable news, or even particularly interesting, but the old woman's joy in simply having someone listen was unmistakable.
Rhodes waited patiently until he noticed she had begun repeating herself, a sure sign it was time to move on.
He gently set his teacup down and said, "It's warmed up a bit now. I should get to clearing the snow off your roof."
"Oh, okay, okay. Thank you, dear."
"Please stay inside while I work," Rhodes added kindly. "Don't stand under the eaves."
With that, he grabbed his tools and headed upstairs.
After a little while shoveling, Rhodes paused to straighten his back. From his rooftop perch, he could see others working on nearby roofs too.
It was almost like a scene out of a winter painting.
Thanks to his sharp eyesight, Rhodes spotted someone already moving around atop the Fairy Tail guild roof.
Rhodes quickened his pace, bid the old lady farewell after finishing the snow clearing, and hurried toward the guild.
The sun had risen, but the snow showed no signs of melting. Water stains pooled at the edges of the road where the snow met the ground, making it slippery in places.
As soon as he stepped into the guild, he was greeted by Mira's warm but mischievous voice.
"You're late. I'm docking your pay."
Rhodes froze, his heart sinking. Yesterday she had ambushed him with a hug, and today she was stabbing him in the back?
"No way! I was late because I helped the neighbor's grandmother clear the snow," he explained earnestly.
Mira gave a small nod, as if reluctantly approving. "In that case... you're forgiven."
Relieved, Rhodes asked, "How's everything going at the guild?"
"We've almost finished clearing the snow here," Mira replied, pulling on her coat. "There's enough people around now. We're going out soon to help clear the snow in town."
Before Rhodes could say anything else, Mira added, "I have to head home first."
Rhodes, who had just unbuttoned the top of his coat, quietly fastened it back up. "Elfman's not back yet?"
Mira shook her head. "No. He should be back today or tomorrow. With the road conditions like this, it's tough to move the carriage."
"I see," Rhodes said, falling into step beside her without hesitation.
Mira glanced sideways at him, lightly pinching his arm. Why was he following her so naturally, like he belonged there?
Rhodes only smiled. With their thick winter coats on, she couldn't even hurt him. He looked at her playfully, clearly understanding her unspoken thoughts.
It almost felt like she was the one dragging him home.
...
Thank you all for the amazing support and for helping this fic blast its way up to 14th place in the rankings last week! I know the story might feel a little slow for some, and yeah, I've seen a few 1-star reviews from folks who only got through 10 or 20 chapters, but that's okay. What really matters is all of you who are sticking with it and cheering me on! Your support has fired me up to translate 4 chapters a day, even if juggling this with real-life stuff sometimes burns me out. Anyway let's keep the momentum rolling and aim even higher!
Bonus Chap@400 $tonks 💎💎