Mirajane tidied up the dishes and left, soon returning with another person.
A person with a peculiar physique.
—The body was as round as a giant ball, yet the limbs were slim, and the face was not fat at all, creating a very uncoordinated appearance.
Based on his experience watching Conan before, Rhode suspected this plump person might be a fake.
Mirajane introduced, "This is Lidas, Li, Das."
After Rhode repeated the name, Lidas also greeted Rhode.
Rhode realized that the four people he had seen since awakening each had distinct characteristics, from beauty to strangeness, making them hard to forget.
With a puzzled expression, Rhode watched as Lidas took out a paintbrush and a drawing board and swiftly started drawing on his own round belly.
First, he drew a Rhode, then the elderly man who just left.
Then... the two figures actually jumped off Lidas's body and started moving!
"The Magic Paintbrush? Super Beast Forgery?" Rhode immediately thought of the stories he knew.
Lidas didn't understand Rhode's words, continuing to paint.
A forest emerged, and the two little figures entered the forest and began performing.
'Rhode' fell in the forest, the 'elderly man' extended and enlarged his arms, scooping up Rhode and carrying him away.
Next, a lady with pink hair appeared, giving 'Rhode' medicine, followed by 'Rhode' awakening, and 'Mirajane' entering the room, all familiar scenes to him.
Rhode watched in astonishment, understanding that Mr. Lidas was explaining the situation to him in this manner.
He could indeed understand, but... this method was simply too fantastical.
If it wasn't some high-tech projection technology, then it was... magic? Spells?
After the little figures finished demonstrating, they turned back into blobs of paint, flying to the drawing board with a wave of Lidas's brush.
Lidas then took out several sheets of paper to show Rhode.
The first was a map, marking the forest where Rhode fainted and his current location.
The second depicted a wooden structure, presumably the house they were currently in.
The third was a 'group photo', featuring dozens of people.
Rhode stared at the third one the longest, easily spotting the short elderly man, Mirajane, and Lidas.
Then... he noticed a few familiar faces.
Natsu, Erza, Gray!
"Fairy Tail?"
Though it was hard to believe, Rhode finally realized which world he was in.
If this was the case, then the peculiar beast, Lidas's magic, and the distinctive appearances and colorful hair made sense!
But why Fairy Tail of all things?
If it were Pirates or Fire Shadow, Rhode knew more about those stories; Fairy Tail... he really wasn't familiar at all!
He could only recognize the few people because a roommate had put up some posters in the dorm.
Besides those people and Wendy and Lucy, who weren't in the picture, Rhode knew almost nothing about Fairy Tail!
Mirajane noticed Rhode's expression, "What's wrong? Do you recognize someone here?"
Rhode looked at her in confusion, hearing her speak.
"Sorry, I forgot again," Mirajane said regretfully, "If Reby were here, maybe she could understand what you're saying."
Lidas asked, "Can't we call Wolian to communicate with him?"
Mirajane replied, "Even if it's Wolian's 'Telepathy' magic, it only transmits the sound to the other person's mind. Things they can't understand are still unintelligible."
"Then... directly teach him how to speak our language?"
Mirajane nodded, "That's all we can do for now, although it's a bit inefficient. Hopefully, Reby will have another way."
"If you need any help from me, just ask," Lidas lifted his paintbrush, indicating he could assist with illustrations during the lessons, even in 3D moving images.
"Yes, I'll rely on you then, Lidas."
-----------------
Rhode's literacy lessons began quickly.
His emotions were complex, unsure of how to return to school even if he wanted to.
Moreover, the place was so dangerous that he might not have the same luck if he ventured out again and could be eaten by wolves.
For the moment, Rhode didn't know what to do, so he simply followed their arrangements.
Since they were friends with the main characters, they probably meant no harm.
Realizing they wanted to teach him to read and speak, Rhode eagerly started learning.
No matter what he wanted to do next, solving the communication barrier was essential first.
Mirajane found a book somewhere that seemed like a kindergarten textbook to teach Rhode to read.
She used an amazing pen for teaching, which could write words in different colored lights in the air.
Seeing Rhode's curious look, Mirajane stepped out to borrow another light pen to teach him hands-on.
She guessed Rhode might not have seen magic before.
Rhode found it novel that magic tools could be used by those who didn't know magic.
Or, perhaps as long as he had this pen, he could be considered to know magic?
...
Perhaps because there was nothing else to do, Rhode focused intently.
His literacy lessons progressed quickly, and it didn't take long for Rhode to master the basic syllables.
The next step was to continue learning specific words.
It's just that Mirajane seemed to be busy, as people kept coming to her with a piece of paper to register and stamp.
Unfortunately, Rhode couldn't read the words on them and didn't know what they said.
Some people came and went in a hurry, while others curiously inquired about Rhode's situation.
Mirajane patiently explained to everyone and also introduced their names to Rhode.
Unfortunately, there were too many people, and trying to remember so many names just by hearing them without understanding their meanings resulted in remembering none at all.
The more people came to find Mirajane, the more embarrassed Rhode felt.
—He seemed to be interrupting Miss Mirajane's work and causing quite a bit of trouble for others as well.
Mirajane didn't mind these things, as it was something the President had asked her to do.
Besides, everyone was just coming to her to register tasks, and there wasn't much distance between the infirmary and the hall, so they wouldn't mind after understanding the reason.
"You."
"You."
"Me."
"Me."
Mirajane taught word by word, and Rhode, like a babbling child, parroted after her.
Mirajane pointed to her eyes: "Eyes."
"Eyes."
"Look."
"Look."
Rhode noticed Mirajane's beautiful eyes; what he initially thought were black pupils turned out to be a light blue upon closer inspection.
Her distinctive double eyelids made her eyes look large and spirited, and her eyelashes weren't long but were just right.
Her thin eyebrows drooped slightly, making her expression look very gentle, but paired with her slightly drooping eye corners, it seemed to carry a trace of melancholy.
However, when she smiled, her eyes curved into slits, giving her a more approachable look.
"Rhode?"
"Ah, sorry." Rhode realized he had gotten a bit distracted.
"It's okay, seems like it's been a long class." Mirajane checked the time, gently supporting her knee to stand up, "Just a moment, I'll bring some food."
Mirajane repeated it again, accompanied by gestures.
Rhode managed to catch a word or two, and with the help of her gestures, could barely guess what she meant.
Only then did he notice, without realizing it, that the sky had darkened; half a day of foreign language lessons had passed in the blink of an eye.
Previously, he used to complain about how slowly foreign language classes dragged on, but now it seemed the opposite.
Maybe it's because there's really nothing else to do.
The second meal in this world was a large bowl of steaming hot ramen.
The bowl was a large white porcelain bowl with a distinctive red pattern along the outer edge.
The chopsticks were ordinary brown ones, and judging by the feel and weight, they must have been regular wooden chopsticks.
The focus was on the noodles with oil droplets floating on them, deep red char siu, a poached egg with white-tinged yellow, a few green vegetable leaves, and finely chopped green onions...
The beautifully arranged plating and color combination greatly stimulated the appetite.
Rhode picked up the chopsticks and grabbed a large mouthful of noodles, but after thinking it over, he decided that gobbling them up would look improper, so he loosened his hand and left just half.
He gently blew on the hot noodles; before even taking a bite, the aroma had already filled his nostrils, making his mouth water.
When the noodles finally entered his mouth, the tender yet firm and savory taste made him admire the chef here, making him want to have a couple of cloves of garlic on the side.
Even without garlic, it didn't matter, as the soft, juicy char siu with a hint of sweetness was enough to accompany the meal.
The poached egg was cooked to perfection; biting into half a yolk gave one flavor, while letting the remaining half soak in the broth offered another.
At this time, following it up with a crisp green vegetable leaf refreshed the palate, allowing him to start another round of hearty eating.
As Rhode ate, he forgot his table manners, slurping away noisily.
Even after finishing the food, he didn't forget to slurp a few mouthfuls of the clear broth—genuinely mild and with a rich, aged flavor; indeed, where the noodles shine, the broth won't lag behind.
Rhode let out a long breath, a fine sheen of sweat on his forehead, the lingering taste in his mouth and the warmth in his belly granted him tremendous happiness.
"It's so delicious, thank you!"
"As long as you like it." Mirajane, with a cheerful smile, placed a cup of water on the bedside table and carried the ramen bowl away.
This time, when she returned, Mirajane held a small package in her hand, accompanied by a muscular man.
The muscular man wore a dark blue high-necked jacket, and through the open collar, a tattoo was visible on the left side of his neck.
—It was the same mark as the one on the ramen bowl, only in black.
That's when Rhode remembered; it seemed to be the symbol of Fairy Tail.
He had never noticed where Mirajane's mark was before.
"Elfman, my brother." Mirajane introduced him.
Elfman had a scar at the corner of his right eye, giving him a fierce look even though he wasn't making a particular expression.
Rhode remembered the name Elfman, but didn't understand the word "brother."
However, looking at Elfman's demeanor and that head of white hair similar to hers, he probably was her brother, right?