She

Rhode naturally wouldn't let Mira face danger. He pushed Mira's arm down and guided her towards the side of the road.

Mira seemed to freeze for a moment before obediently retreating to the roadside.

Rhode stood alone in the middle of the road, lifting his leg to kick the purse snatcher's wrist. The dagger flew out of his hand and into the air.

"Damn it..."

Before the purse snatcher could finish speaking, Rhode had already grabbed his wrist, then shifted his body to the side and used his shoulder to shove him—a shoulder throw taught by Kana!

With a dull thud, the purse snatcher's body slammed heavily onto the road, and the handbag he was holding was flung away.

Without even looking up, Rhode gently reached his right hand to the side and grasped the falling dagger's hilt.

Cool guy move successful!

Rhode was quite satisfied with his performance, though the subsequent steps had a slight issue.

His original plan was to catch the dagger, then squat down and stick it by the purse snatcher's ear to scare him, but he had overlooked a few minor problems.

Firstly, the ground in the commercial street was paved with bluestone, not the dirt found in the guild.

Secondly, this purse snatcher was an ordinary person; his body wasn't as resilient as a Mage's.

Rhode had used the same force he'd use when sparring with his companions. This throw had caused the man to cough up blood and pass out with his eyes rolled back, rendering any further intimidation unnecessary.

"Uh... did I go too hard? It was unintentional..."

Rhode guiltily squatted down to check. The man was still breathing, but his arm was likely fractured.

"It's alright. Robbery with a weapon is a serious crime. We'll leave it to the constables to handle later," Mira said, picking up the handbag from the ground. "Let's wait a moment for the owner."

Some of the nearby pedestrians had already gone to find a constable, and the person who had been shouting from behind also ran over.

"Isn't that Miss Mira?"

"She's a Mage from Fairy Tail!"

Soon, someone recognized Mira and also noticed the guild crest on Rhode's short sleeve, which wasn't fully covered.

Someone went to check the purse snatcher's injuries. After hearing the report, no one showed sympathy; instead, some looked regretful.

To be beaten up by a Fairy Tail Mage and only end up with a concussion and a broken arm—this guy was incredibly lucky.

Rhode listened to their praises and bizarre discussions, looking at Mira with some self-doubt. "Did I embarrass Fairy Tail?"

"Not at all," Mira smiled. "That move just now was really cool~"

And the guild's reputation is still the same as always—'All good people, but sometimes they act without considering the consequences.'

The owner of the bag was a rather plump auntie with a slightly old-fashioned perm and rouged cheeks.

Mira handed the handbag over. "Please check if anything is missing."

"Thank you for your help! There are very important... Huh?" The auntie paused slightly after seeing Mira's face, then noticed Rhode's guild crest.

"You're from that... What a coincidence! My husband is also a member of your guild. His name is Wakaba!"

The auntie gestured to her forehead with her hand. "The one with his hair styled like this. The chain-smoker."

"So you're Mr. Wakaba's wife. I'm Mirajane, and this is Rhode," Mira said naturally to the auntie. "He often talks about you and your daughter. He said his life would be a mess without you."

"Really? He said that?" The auntie looked both happy and a little flustered. "He actually remembers it like that?"

"Yes, yes, Mr. Wakaba mentions you quite often," Rhode chimed in with an awkward chuckle.

He mentions you a lot, alright, but most of the time it's just complaining.

He realized Mira was quite skilled with her words. The first part, "He often talks about you..." was true, but the second part, "Without you..." was her own deduction.

However, when put together, it caused a subtle misunderstanding.

And even if the auntie asked Wakaba about it when she got home, he probably wouldn't be foolish enough to clarify.

Next, the auntie asked questions about whether Wakaba leered at the waitresses at the guild every day or flicked ashes around.

Mira answered each question with a smile, then acted as if she hadn't answered at all.

Despite being a bit of a trickster, she wouldn't say anything that might affect family harmony.

Rhode silently observed the art of conversation for a while as constables in brown uniforms hurried over.

Wakaba's wife explained the situation to them, confirming that Rhode had acted in good faith.

The constables checked the purse snatcher's injuries. Confirming he wasn't dead, they had him carried away and confiscated the dagger as evidence.

As Mira had said, robbery with a weapon was a serious crime in this country. Rhode was not only held blameless but also received thanks.

Magnolia Reputation +10.

The matter was quickly resolved, and the auntie bid farewell to Mira, with whom she had a very engaging conversation.

"Oh, right, this is for you. Just a small token of my gratitude." The auntie pressed two bills into Rhode's hand.

She looked at Mira, then at Rhode, and winked as she whispered, "Young man, keep up the good work."

"Huh? I..." Rhode glanced at the ticket, which read 'Honey Sweet Shop Grand Opening Voucher.' Before he could refuse, the auntie had already walked away.

"What did she say?"

"Um... she gave us a voucher." Rhode thought for a moment, then handed both to her. "Do you like sweets?"

"It doesn't open until next month." Mira took one and shook it. "Shall we try it together when it opens?"

"Mm... okay." Next month was just over a week away. Sweets, Rhode felt a little bit of anticipation.

"Alright, time to get down to business." Mira put away the voucher and took out the shopping list, which unfurled into a long sheet of paper.

Rhode leaned closer to take a look, his hand instinctively going to his pendant. He'd have to ask the River Crab to carry him back later.

The prosperity of the shopping street was somewhat different from what Rhode had imagined. Compared to the skyscrapers and bustling traffic of his previous life, this place seemed to be somewhere between a city commercial street and a rural market.

There weren't too few pedestrians, and the sounds of hawking rose and fell. There were both well-established shops and simple roadside stalls.

Considering this was a city, or rather a town, with a permanent population of only 60,000, a shopping street like this was quite good.

Mira picked and chose high-quality fruits, vegetables, and meat, skillfully haggling with the shop owners, who had different personalities, in her pleasant voice.

Rhode followed closely behind, occasionally taking a grocery bag. One moment he was watching Mira select ingredients, the next he was observing their surroundings.

Rotten vegetable leaves were casually discarded near the vegetable stall, and the area in front of the seafood shop was damp, with small puddles scattered about.

A fishy wind blew by, a dirty little dog ran past, and shoppers bustled about...

This scene was so much like life.

"Rhode? Come on, next we need to order some alcohol."

The pleasant voice reached him, and Rhode snapped back to reality. Before him was that familiar smiling face, and his heart began to beat a little faster.

He used to feel that this smile was very far from him, but now it suddenly felt very close.

"What, are you tired?"

"No, let's go."

The word 'we' felt so good.

He had just... suddenly had a slightly unrealistic thought.