Mira's Little Scheme

In Hughes's room, Mira stood by the bed, carefully folding the messy sheets neatly for Hughes.

"You're such a grown-up, and you still don't make your bed properly after getting up. It's a mess. Aren't you ashamed?"

Mira's voice was soft and gentle, not like a lecture, but more like a helpless indulgence.

Hughes shrugged. He had never made the sheets in his life, and the dean never asked them to.

"Mira, have you ever heard of Alon Island and the Phantom Evil Silk Guild?" Hughes, who had nothing to do, asked casually.

Mira, with her back to Hughes, shook her head. She had already tidied the sheets for Hughes and was taking off Hughes yellowed pillowcase. She planned to wash Hughes later.

It's strange, men's pillowcases seem to yellow particularly easily. It's not just Hughes, Elfman's pillowcases do too, but hers and Lisanna's don't.

Hughes, standing behind Mira: (๑••๑)?

Mira came to help him pack his luggage for his trip, so why is she making his bed and pillows?

Forget it, I'll do it myself. It's better to rely on yourself than on others.

Hughes shifted his body and took out a duffel bag from under the cabinet; this duffel bag was one that Mira had bought for him.

I used this same duffel bag when I went out with Makarov to attend the Guild Alliance meeting last time.

Mira, having finished her work, took the clothes from Hughes's hands upon seeing this. "I'll help you pack later. You're so forgetful; don't forget this or that later, it'll be even more troublesome."

Hughes:???

He may have a minor mental issue, but surely he can handle something this simple!

Something's not right, not even a fraction of it; Hughes circled Mira twice, scrutinizing her closely.

"What are you doing?" Mira asked, slightly nervous.

Finally, it was just the two of them at home, and she just wanted to have some time alone with Hughes, so she deliberately delayed helping Hughes pack his luggage.

"You're acting strange, Mira!" Hughes said, frowning. He couldn't figure out Mira's intentions.

"You're kidding!" Mira said irritably, her slightly sarcastic tone making it unclear whether Mira was responding to Hughes or Hughes couldn't see through her intentions.

Seeing that Hughes still wanted to continue packing, Mira simply pushed Hughes out of the room and shoved a pillowcase into Hughes arms. "Go soak the pillowcase in water if you're not busy, I'll wash it later!"

"Hey, Mira, stop messing around. I've arranged to meet Laxus at the station before we head out on our mission together. Don't make me late."

Standing behind Hughes, Mira lightly punched Hughes with her small fist. "It will take Laxus at least two hours to get home from the guild, pack his bags, and then go to the station; it only takes you ten minutes to fly from home to the station, why go so early?"

As Mira finished speaking, Hughes froze, as if he had indeed forgotten that Laxus lived in the suburbs.

Hughes turned and gave Mira a thumbs-up, then jumped down from the second floor, soaked the pillowcase in water, and collapsed onto the sofa, becoming one with it.

Since there was still plenty of time, he decided to catch up on his sleep; he had been kept awake until dawn by Gildarts last night.

That bastard Gildarts, he's terrible at the game and loves to play. He gets so frustrated when he loses that he throws his weight around. In the end, I lost a whole package of photo albums to him.

Lying on the sofa, Hughes felt increasingly comfortable, a smile playing on his lips.

Standing on the second floor, Mira pursed her lips and frowned. If Hughes fell asleep, her little plans would be ruined. What kind of private time was this?

As Mira descended from the second floor, she raised her jade-like foot and kicked Hughes squarely in the buttocks.

Hughes looked up, bewildered. "Mira, can you swat those mosquitoes for me again?"

Mira: o(￣ヘ￣o#)

"Get up and help me with the cooking!"

"What are you making?" Hughes asked in surprise.

If he remembered correctly, he had just finished breakfast that Mira had prepared for him with Makarov in the guild half an hour ago.

"Make lunch!" Mira straightened her back and said confidently.

Upon hearing this, Hughes immediately stood up from the sofa, lowered his body, and stared silently at Mira. He wanted to see how this person could shamelessly lie through her teeth.

The two faces were very close, only two fists apart.

Mira's heart raced, her eyes darting around, avoiding Hughes's gaze. "You... don't get too close to me."

Hughes raised his hands and cupped Mira's round face in them; a cool sensation spread through Hughes palms.

Mira's fair face instantly turned bright red. She could feel her heart pounding wildly, and she even found it hard to breathe.

"Hughes, what... what are you going to do?"

Hughes didn't speak, but cupped Mira's face in his hands and turned her slightly so she could see the magic clock on the wall.

"Come on, look at what time it is. Who makes lunch at eight o'clock?"

The blush on Mira's face vanished instantly, her wildly beating heart paused for a moment, and then slowly returned to normal.

She raised her cold, angry eyes and looked at Hughes without a word.

The wisps of magic emanating from his body began to surge and become violent, and a demonic tail familiar to Hughes was forming.

Hughes:...

No, he didn't do anything, so why did Mira get so angry that she turned into Satan Transformation?

Mira using magic at home? Hughes shuddered at the thought.

No, he had to calm Mira down, otherwise the house, for which the debts weren't even paid off, was definitely doomed.

Hughes rubbed Mira's little face with both hands, sometimes squeezing it into cute pouty lips, sometimes pinching the sides of her cheeks and gently pulling them outwards.

The wonderful feel made Hughes unable to resist pinching Mira's upturned nose. The perfect flesh and bone between his fingers gave him a completely different sensation.

With his hands moving non-stop, Hughes's words of praise continued, "Who makes lunch at eight o'clock? Of course, it's Mira's both diligent and a great cook that prepares lunch so early."

With Hughes's interference, Mira's magic gradually faded. She glanced at Hughes and said, "Let go!"

Hughes squeezed her round cheeks with both hands, revealing Mira's cute pouty lips again.

"If you say you're letting go like that, I definitely will!" Hughes said with a grin. Mira looks kind of cute like this!

Enraged, Mira lifted her foot and stomped hard on Hughes's instep, attempting to retaliate.

Although he didn't feel any pain, Hughes let go and instead rubbed her little head.

"Come on, let's cook! I'll help you, and with my help, I guarantee your cooking skills will be even better this time."

"Hmph, let me tell you, I originally wanted to make your favorite meat and vegetable porridge and pineapple roasted meat, but now I don't want to make either of them."

"Okay, okay, we won't make those two!" Stepping into the kitchen, a dense array of bottles and jars immediately caught Hughes's eye, their colorful packaging leaving Hughes bewildered.

"Mira, what do we do?"

"Shredded chicken with lemon juice!" Hughes, who was looking around, suddenly stopped. This was his third favorite food.

"Go and prepare the chicken. I'll make some pancakes for you to take on the road."

Hughes:... My heart suddenly feels a little warm!