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

After clearing the dishes, Mirajane left the room. A few minutes later, she returned with someone else.

It was a man with a rather unusual physique.

His body was as round as a giant ball, yet his limbs were oddly thin. Even stranger, his face wasn't fat at all, creating a bizarre sense of imbalance.

Rhodes couldn't help but be suspicious. From all the detective shows he had watched, he had a sudden, ridiculous thought—was this guy even real?

"This is Reedus," Mirajane introduced, enunciating each syllable carefully. "Ree-dus Jo-nah."

Rhodes repeated it after her, and Reedus greeted him in return.

By this point, Rhodes had noticed something odd. Every single person he had met since waking up had a strikingly unique appearance. Their features and styles were so distinct that it was impossible to forget them.

Reedus, noticing Rhodes' confusion, suddenly pulled out a paintbrush and sketchpad.

Then, to Rhodes' complete shock, he started drawing—on his own round belly.

The first sketch was of Rhodes, followed by a smaller figure of the old man from earlier.

And then, the drawings suddenly sprang to life.

Rhodes' eyes widened as the little figures jumped off Reedus' body and started moving on their own.

"Wait, what?!" he blurted out. "Did I just walk into a magic storybook?"

The scene continued to unfold. Reedus kept drawing, and a forest appeared. Two tiny figures were placed within it.

The sketched version of Rhodes collapsed onto the ground.

The old man reached out, picked him up, and carried him away.

Next, the pink-haired woman entered the scene, tending to 'Rhodes' with medicine. After that, 'Rhodes' woke up, and then 'Mirajane' appeared, just like in real life.

Rhodes sat there in stunned silence.

It finally made sense. Reedus was using his magic to visually explain what had happened.

It was an incredibly effective way to communicate.

But at the same time, it was completely insane.

"If this isn't some kind of high-tech hologram projection… then it has to be magic," Rhodes thought to himself.

The tiny, animated figures finished their reenactment and, with a simple wave of Reedus' brush, melted into colorful puddles before flying back onto the sketchpad.

Reedus then flipped through his drawings and pulled out a few sheets, handing them to Rhodes.

The first was a map. It clearly marked the dense forest where Rhodes had been found, as well as his current location.

The second was a detailed sketch of a wooden building, which seemed to be the very house he was in now.

The third, however, was a large group portrait.

Rhodes stared at it for a long time.

He easily spotted Makarov, Mirajane, and Reedus among the crowd.

Then his eyes drifted further.

His breath caught.

Natsu. Erza. Gray.

"Fairy Tail?" Rhodes murmured in disbelief.

It seemed impossible, but the truth was staring him right in the face.

Now everything made sense—the giant beast he had encountered, Reedus' magic, the wild variety of colorful hair and striking features of the people he had met so far.

This really was the world of Fairy Tail.

But of all places… why here?

If he had been thrown into One Piece or Naruto, he would have had a better grasp of what was happening. But Fairy Tail? His knowledge of this world was practically nonexistent.

The only reason he even recognized Natsu, Erza, and Gray was because his roommate had plastered Fairy Tail posters all over their dorm room.

Other than them, Wendy, and Lucy—who weren't in the picture—he barely knew anything about this world.

Mirajane tilted her head as she observed his reaction.

"What's wrong? Do you recognize someone in the picture?"

Rhodes looked at her but didn't respond right away.

Mirajane sighed. "Oh, right. I forgot again."

She smiled apologetically. "If only Levy were here. She might actually be able to understand what you're saying."

Reedus thought for a moment. "Can't you use Warren's magic to communicate with him?"

Mirajane shook her head. "Even Warren's Telepathy Magic only transmits thoughts. If he doesn't understand the language, it won't make a difference."

Reedus nodded in understanding. "Then… why don't we just teach him our language directly?"

Mirajane nodded. "This is the only option for now. It might not be the most efficient, but hopefully, Levy can find another way."

"If you need my help, just say the word," Reedus said, raising his paintbrush as if to demonstrate. His animated illustrations could bring any lesson to life, turning them into three-dimensional animations.

"Well, I'll be counting on you then, Reedus."

...

Rhodes' literacy lessons began soon after.

His emotions were complicated.

Even if he could return to school, what would he even do? He was stranded in a world where giant monsters roamed freely, and luck might not save him the next time he ran into one.

For now, there was no point worrying. Since these people seemed friendly and willing to help, he decided to follow their lead.

Besides, if they were friends of the protagonist, they were probably trustworthy.

Once he realized they wanted to teach him how to read and speak, Rhodes became more proactive.

No matter what he planned to do next, the first step was solving the language barrier.

Mirajane pulled out a textbook from somewhere—a children's literacy book, judging by the simple letters and illustrations. She began teaching him the basics, using it as a reference.

To assist with her lessons, she wielded a magical pen that could write glowing letters in midair, each shimmering with different colors.

Seeing Rhodes' fascination, Mirajane smiled and handed him one of the pens. She even went out for a moment to borrow another, then patiently showed him how to use it step by step.

Rhodes suspected she had already figured something out—he had never seen magic before.

What surprised him was that magic tools could be used by people who didn't understand magic.

Holding the pen in his hand, he had a ridiculous thought.

Wait… if I can use this, does that mean I technically count as a wizard now?

Perhaps because he had nothing better to do, Rhodes found himself surprisingly focused.

His literacy lessons progressed quickly, and before long, he had grasped the basic syllables of the language.

Next came learning actual words.

However, Mirajane seemed to be quite busy. Every so often, guild members would approach her with paperwork, needing something signed or stamped.

Unfortunately, Rhodes couldn't read the writing yet, so he had no idea what any of it said.

Some people came and left in a hurry, while others lingered, curiously glancing at him and asking questions.

Mirajane patiently explained the situation to each of them, introducing their names to Rhodes as well.

It was a kind gesture, but there were so many people.

Without understanding the meaning behind the words, trying to memorize names by sound alone was nearly impossible.

And the more people showed up, the more awkward Rhodes started to feel.

At first, he was grateful for Mirajane's kindness. But as guild members continued flocking to her, he realized he was taking up a lot of her time.

For some reason, that made him feel… embarrassed.

Rhodes realized he had probably disrupted Mirajane's work, causing some inconvenience for others as well.

However, Mirajane didn't seem to mind. After all, Makarov had personally assigned her to take care of him.

Besides, guild members were only coming to her for task registrations, and the infirmary wasn't far from the main hall. Once people understood the situation, they didn't seem to care too much.

"You."

"You."

"I."

"I."

Mirajane patiently taught Rhodes word by word, and he followed along like a child learning to speak for the first time.

She pointed at her eyes. "Eyes."

"Eye."

"Look."

"Look."

As Rhodes repeated the words, he found himself staring into Mirajane's eyes.

At first, he thought her pupils were black, but upon closer inspection, he realized they were actually a soft shade of light blue.

Her signature double eyelids made her eyes look big and expressive. Her eyelashes weren't particularly long, but they were perfectly balanced, enhancing her natural beauty.

Her eyebrows had a gentle downward curve, giving her a warm and kind appearance. Yet, the slight droop at the corners of her eyes carried a hint of melancholy.

But when she smiled, her eyes curled into delicate crescents, making her look even more approachable.

"Rhodes?"

"Ah—sorry." Rhodes quickly snapped out of his daze, realizing he had been staring.

"It's fine," Mirajane reassured him with a gentle smile. "Looks like we've been at this for a while."

She checked the time before rising to her feet. "Wait here for a moment. I'll get some food."

She repeated the phrase again while gesturing, making sure Rhodes could understand.

Rhodes managed to pick up a word or two, and by following her gestures, he could roughly guess her meaning.

Only then did he notice how dark the sky had gotten. Without realizing it, he had spent half the day in what felt like an extended foreign language class.

Back in school, language lessons always felt slow and tedious. But now? Time had flown by.

Maybe it was because he really had nothing else to do.

The second meal he had in this world turned out to be a large bowl of steaming ramen.

The bowl itself was white porcelain with strange red patterns decorating its outer rim.

The chopsticks were simple, brown, and judging from their texture and weight, likely made of ordinary wood.

But the real focus was the contents of the bowl.

Thin noodles glistened in a rich broth, topped with dark red slices of pork, a soft poached egg with a golden yolk, fresh green cabbage leaves, and finely chopped scallions.

The beautiful presentation alone was enough to whet his appetite.

Rhodes picked up his chopsticks and lifted a generous portion of noodles, but after thinking about it, he loosened his grip, leaving only half. He didn't want to look too messy while eating.

Blowing gently on the steaming noodles, he inhaled the savory aroma. His mouth watered before he even took a bite.

As soon as the noodles touched his tongue, he was instantly impressed.

The texture was firm yet smooth, bouncy but not tough. Whoever had made these noodles knew exactly what they were doing.

Still, he couldn't help but think—this would be perfect with a bit of garlic.

Not that it mattered. The soft, juicy, slightly sweet pork balanced out the flavors beautifully.

The poached egg was cooked to perfection. One bite into the yolk gave him one taste, but letting the other half soak into the broth gave him another.

Between bites, he added a piece of tender yet slightly crispy cabbage, clearing his palate before diving back in.

Before long, Rhodes had forgotten all about eating with manners. He slurped down the noodles enthusiastically, savoring every bite.

Once he finished, he didn't forget to take a few sips of the clear broth. It was pure, light, and comforting—seasoned just right.

With a satisfied sigh, he set his chopsticks down. A thin layer of sweat had formed on his forehead, and the lingering warmth in his belly filled him with a deep sense of happiness.

"That was amazing. Thank you!"

"As long as you liked it." Mirajane chuckled as she placed a glass of water on the bedside table and took away the empty ramen bowl.

When Mirajane returned, she was carrying a small bag.

Beside her stood a large man.

He wore a dark blue high-collared coat, and through the open collar, Rhodes could see a tattoo on the left side of his neck.

It was the same emblem that had been on the ramen bowl earlier—only in black.

That's when Rhodes finally realized.

It was the Fairy Tail guild mark.

Come to think of it, he hadn't noticed if Mirajane had one.

"This is Elfman, my brother," Mirajane introduced.

Rhodes took in the man's features.

Elfman had a scar at the corner of his right eye, giving him a slightly intimidating look, even though he wasn't trying to appear menacing.

Rhodes committed his name to memory but didn't immediately understand the word brother.

Still, given Elfman's expression and the fact that he had the same white hair as Mirajane, it wasn't hard to figure out.

They were siblings.