Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master

Simon was a kind soul, Rhodes sighed. Though the money he left behind wasn't nearly enough, what mattered was the heart behind it.

He told Mira he would head out to deliver funds to the church.

For a moment, Mira felt like she had been pulled back to their early days together, the urge to walk beside him, to follow wherever he went. But since it was just a small errand, she stayed behind, continuing to tidy up after the whirlwind of wedding celebrations.

Not long after, she suddenly paused. "Lisanna."

"Hmm? What is it, Mira-nee?"

"I should be asking you. Why are you staring at me like that?"

Lisanna looped her arm affectionately through her sister's. "I just feel like Mira-nee has changed. You give off the same kind of aura as Bisca now."

"Really?" Mira chuckled softly. "I don't feel any different. Maybe marriage just does that. Someday it'll be the same for you."

At the mention of marriage, Lisanna flushed. "Who knows when that'll happen? I don't even have a boyfriend yet."

"Oh?" Mira's eyes sparkled with curiosity. "There's no one you've got your eye on? What about Natsu, for example?"

"No way!" Lisanna quickly denied.

But Mira teased with a laugh, "Didn't you once claim to be Natsu's bride and Happy's mom?"

"That was when we were playing house! Back then, Natsu would get all flustered, it was hilarious."

The two sisters had always shared a mischievous streak, and Lisanna loved teasing Natsu when they were kids.

"So Mira-nee, you really have changed. When I used to play with Natsu, you'd scold me for it."

"That's because Natsu was an 'Erza-faction' member! How could my little sister play with him?" Mira repeated her old childish logic in all seriousness.

Both sisters burst out laughing.

"If Brother-in-law had grown up with us too, things might be completely different now."

Mira tapped her sister's forehead with a finger. "Oh? Was I really that unpleasant back then?"

"Of course! Your face was always pretty, but you were so cold to people. And at fourteen..." Lisanna lowered her voice and gestured slyly at her chest, "Mira-nee was even worse off than twelve-year-old Wendy."

"That was because of malnutrition," Mira huffed, tugging on Lisanna's cheek. "Seems to me you're just craving your sister's affection lately!"

"…"

Lisanna suddenly fell quiet, hugging Mira tightly and burying her face in her sister's embrace.

Mira froze, then gently wrapped her arms around her. "What's gotten into you?"

Lisanna pulled back with a forced smile. "Nothing."

But inside, she realized she really did feel starved for her sister's closeness. Before, she had always been happy Mira had found love, but now she was struck with the truth, her sister was someone's wife.

Elfman had been different. At first, he tried to block any man from getting near Mira. But once he saw the depth of her love for Rhodes and realized the man truly cared for their family, he'd accepted it.

Lisanna, though, had smiled through it all, happy for her sister. Only now did it sink in, her sister's name carried a "Rhodes" with it. From now on, much of her attention would naturally belong to her husband.

Mira noticed the look in Lisanna's eyes and hugged her again, stroking her short white hair.

"Silly girl. Even if I'm married, we're still living together, still in the guild every day. Our sisterly bond won't ever break, we'll always be family."

"And now you've got a brother-in-law who'll look after you with me. You don't even realize how much Elfman's been cared for ever since Rhodes and I started dating."

Lisanna pulled back again, pouting. "I know. Don't treat me like a child."

She wasn't against her sister's marriage. It was just that strange, hollow feeling in her chest that made her uneasy. Still, she knew it was more than enough that Mira and Rhodes were happy, and that their family bond remained strong.

"So, after all those touching speeches yesterday," she muttered, "today they just ditch us and run off on their honeymoon with Brother-in-law!"

Lisanna complained bitterly to Elfman.

Elfman, however, was far calmer than his younger sister. "Because their schedule was already set."

"Hmph." Lisanna puffed her cheeks, though of course she knew that already.

What really bothered her was how quickly the two of them had left. They hadn't even said goodbye properly, just scribbled a note and slipped away, as if they were eloping rather than heading off on a honeymoon.

Elfman noticed she wasn't truly angry and stood up. "Well, I should probably get going too."

Lisanna immediately put on a teary-eyed look. "What, is Elfman going to abandon me too?"

"It's just a normal mission," Elfman replied. "Nobody's been handling the guild's jobs these past few days, and we only just started recovering our reputation." He hesitated for a moment, then asked cautiously, "How about you come with us?"

Lisanna instantly caught the most important word. "'Us'?"

Elfman admitted honestly, "It's with the Thunder God Tribe. Freed said yesterday there was a mission he wanted me to help with."

"Ohhh, the Thunder God Tribe~" Lisanna's mood flipped in an instant, her eyes sparkling as she teased. "Then you'd better leave early and not keep anyone waiting~"

"…."

Elfman frowned. Something about her tone made it sound like there was another meaning hidden underneath. "You're not coming with me?"

Lisanna waved a hand. "Nope, I promised Laki I'd help out at the tavern."

Truthfully, though, she suspected that Freed and Bickslow might've had something else planned and wouldn't be showing up on time.

Sure enough, when she reached the guild later, she saw only Evergreen and Elfman heading off together.

Much later, Freed and Bickslow finally arrived, late as expected.

Bickslow grumbled, "That Evergreen, can't she just be more straightforward? It's only a job with a Manly Man, nothing to hide."

Freed adjusted his glasses calmly. "Things like this are difficult to say out loud. But I think the flower bouquet at Rhode's wedding gave her the push she needed."

"You two! You actually tricked Elfman!" Lisanna pointed dramatically, scolding them in the name of a victim's family member.

Both Freed and Bickslow winced with guilt. "Sorry… Evergreen begged us so earnestly, we couldn't refuse."

Lisanna couldn't hold her laugh anymore. She gave them both a thumbs-up. "Thanks for your help!"

"But wait, wasn't the mission meant for all four of you? Is it okay to just leave it to the two of them?"

Freed waved off her concern. "Don't worry. We picked out a mission that suits them perfectly. The location even happens to be a great dating spot."

Truth be told, Freed had originally planned to recommend it for Laxus to take the whole Thunder God Tribe, but when Evergreen came to him, he decided to give her the opportunity first.