Mirajane was very surprised and taken aback, for reasons similar to what Takeshi thought. After all, Takeshi was still a newbie who had only joined Fairy Tail for a year.
Such an important position as Guild Master should be filled by someone with more seniority.
And in Fairy Tail, there were only two people most likely to inherit the position of Guild Master.
One was Gildarts. Gildarts had been in Fairy Tail Guild since he was a child, and was the strongest Mage in Fairy Tail, and everyone in the Guild trusted him implicitly.
The other was Laxus. Laxus was the Guild Master's grandson, and a grandson inheriting his grandfather's position, made sense anywhere.
She didn't expect Makarov to actually want to pass on the position of Guild Master to Takeshi.
She was very familiar with Takeshi, and Takeshi was indeed the best candidate for Guild Master, but she still felt that Makarov's decision was somewhat hasty.
Takeshi nodded helplessly. "Yeah. So, do you think I can be happy?"
Mirajane couldn't help but find Takeshi's expression a little amusing. "What? Are you so unwilling to be Guild Master?"
"Of course. Being Guild Master is such a hassle. Not only do I have to deal with all sorts of things every day, but I also have to go to the Magic Council and get scolded by Council Members. I have to write self-criticisms, mediate conflicts between Guild members and members of other Guilds, mediate conflicts between our own Guild members, attend meetings, listen to a bunch of old farts bragging..."
"Haha..."
Listening to Takeshi, Mirajane couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Everything Takeshi said was true. The Guild Master had indeed always been doing these kinds of things.
Mirajane said, "If you don't want to, Laxus really wants to be Guild Master."
"Laxus? That guy's head is full of 'strongest this, strongest that.' The strongest isn't something you say, it's something you prove through fighting. What's so great about showing off in the Guild? If he's so capable, he should go fight one of the Four Gods of Ishgar."
"Haha."
"Oh, right, don't tell anyone that Master wants to pass the position to me. Laxus might not be able to handle the stimulation and come looking for trouble."
Mirajane blinked. "Are you afraid of Laxus?"
She knew that Takeshi sometimes seemed timid, but he was actually a fearless person, braver than anyone else in the Guild. He dared to take on S-Class Quests as soon as he joined the Guild. She had never seen anyone as bold as him.
Takeshi shook his head. "It's not that I'm afraid of Laxus, it's that I'm afraid of trouble. If Laxus knew this news, he might cause a huge ruckus at the Guild. The old Guild was just destroyed, and the new Guild isn't even finished yet. I don't want to see the new Guild destroyed too."
"Besides, Laxus is Master's grandson after all, and if I really beat him up badly, it wouldn't be easy to explain to Master."
Mirajane smiled at that. Indeed, given Laxus's personality, he was very likely to do something like that.
She asked, "So, in the end, did you agree?"
Takeshi nodded. "The old man didn't give me a chance to refuse. I could only agree, but luckily, the timeline can be pushed back. Two years. He said he'd stay on for another two years, and then my seniority would barely be enough."
Mirajane said, "Two years? After two years, Master will be ninety, and it really will be time for him to retire."
Retirement is retirement, but he can still be in the Guild, just like her. She had actually retired from being an active Mage and now handled logistics in the Guild. After Master retires, without the heavy workload, his life would be a bit easier.
Takeshi said, "Forget it. I won't think about it so much. If I have to be Guild Master in two years, then I will. If I don't want to, I'll pass the position to Erza and continue being an S-Class Mage."
Mirajane couldn't help but find Takeshi's words very amusing. Some people fought to be Guild Master, but Takeshi might as well have written 'I don't want to be Guild Master' on his face.
A short while later, Mirajane arrived home.
When Elfman was around, Takeshi would always go home first. When it was just him and Mirajane, he usually dropped Mirajane off first, then went home himself.
However, this time, both of them were a little reluctant to part, and their gazes, as they met, were filled with the strong, sweet scent of love.
Takeshi suggested, "How about... you come to my place for a bit longer..."
"This... it's so late, wouldn't that be inappropriate?"
"Let's go. I'm actually a little hungry."
"This... alright."
Takeshi took Mirajane's hand and walked towards his house.
He could feel Mirajane's palm sweating slightly, he was actually a little nervous too.
Although he had liked Mirajane before, their relationship hadn't reached that point, so he naturally wouldn't consider those things. Their interactions were more like friends. But now they were interacting as lovers, so the feeling was naturally different.
As soon as they entered the room, Takeshi wrapped one arm around Mirajane's slender waist and placed the other hand on the wall, pinning her against it.
He looked at Mirajane with burning eyes. Only a blind person wouldn't understand that look. Mirajane was extremely shy under Takeshi's gaze, so she simply closed her eyes.
"Mira... I..."
This alluring posture made Takeshi's heart pound uncontrollably. Just as he was about to make his next move—
Bang!
Takeshi's door was flung open.
"It's bad! Takeshi! Loke, he..."
Gray opened the door in a panic, but seeing their posture, he immediately realized that his timing seemed a bit off.
Takeshi showed a pained expression.
Why did someone always get in the way every time he tried to do something?
Damn it! It was so close!
And these guys entering his house, weren't they being too casual? He should hang a sign on the door next time.
Mirajane, seeing Takeshi's pained expression, couldn't help but find it a little amusing, but she also felt a slight sense of relief in her heart, as she wasn't truly ready yet.
Mirajane asked Gray about Loke, "Gray, what happened to Loke?"
She knew something must have happened for Gray to be so flustered.
"Loke... he left Fairy Tail!"
"What?!"
"What's going on?!"
Takeshi and Mirajane sobered up.
Loke was a partner they were quite familiar with. Why would he suddenly leave Fairy Tail?
"I don't know. Everyone's gone looking for him now. That guy... he's been acting very strange lately."
As Loke's close friend, Gray had noticed him acting very strangely lately, but he didn't know what was wrong, so he ignored it. He didn't expect to return to the dorm today and find a note from Loke saying, 'I'm leaving.'
Mirajane suddenly remembered something and said, "This afternoon, a group of women claiming to be Loke's girlfriends also came to the Guild, saying that he broke up with them last night. It's really strange for someone as flirtatious as Loke to break up."
Mirajane understood Loke's personality. He was a playboy, that was true, but he was very good to each of his girlfriends.
Most importantly, he left the Guild without a word, which was wrong. Even if he had to leave for something, he would at least explain the reason to everyone in the Guild, right?