At the scene, probably the only person who didn't notice the awkward atmosphere was Asuka.
She threw her tiny hands into the air and cheered in her soft, babyish voice,
"Happy birthday, Mira-nee!"
With Asuka breaking the ice, everyone's brains finally restarted. One by one, somewhat belated and a little scattered, people hurriedly offered their birthday wishes.
At that exact moment, Elfman and Lisanna pushed a five-tier cake out of the kitchen together, smiling brightly.
"Happy birthday, Sister...huh?"
They froze.
Something was… off.
And why was Warren standing in the middle of the hall?
Mira, still outside the door, paused in confusion. She looked at the banner hanging inside the guild, then at Rhodes beside her, who was wearing a strained, apologetic smile, and finally pieced everything together.
Rhodes sighed helplessly.
"Sorry. I wanted to give you a surprise, but…"
Warren looked like he'd been struck by lightning.
He was sad. He was guilty.
He even felt like he'd somehow failed as a human being.
"I see," Mira said softly.
She stood on her toes and kissed Rhodes on the cheek, smiling sweetly.
"I've already received the surprise. Thank you, dear."
Then she turned to the others, her smile just as warm.
"And thank you all for being so thoughtful!"
Warren's head drooped.
"I'm… I'm really sorry."
"Don't worry about it," Mira said gently. "Honestly, things turning out like this just makes it more interesting."
"Am I the interesting part?"
Warren felt as if an arrow had pierced straight through his chest.
Despite the awkward opening, Mira's birthday banquet went off without a hitch.
She made her wish seriously, blew out the candles, and cut the first slice of cake.
After that, the party essentially stopped being about her.
The specially enlarged five-layer cake vanished completely, every last crumb accounted for.
Then dish after dish of Mr. Cook's specialties came pouring out of the kitchen. Soon enough, everyone was eating, drinking, and causing chaos like usual.
If Rhodes hadn't stopped her, Mira would've instinctively jumped up to help serve food herself.
Elfman sighed.
"We agreed this was Sister's birthday banquet, but it ended up exactly the same as always."
Rhodes chuckled.
"I knew it would."
"Isn't that great?" Mira rested her chin in her hands, watching the guild with a radiant smile.
Whether it was a birthday or a holiday, seeing everyone laughing so freely was enough to make her genuinely happy.
Warren, after being comforted by Max and dragged into some roughhousing, finally regained his spirits. He came over again to chat.
Rhodes asked, "That project you were working on, finished?"
"Yeah, though mass production will take some time."
Warren pulled out two palm-sized, flat rectangular objects.
"Here, these."
Rhodes stared at them.
"A cell phone?"
"It's a Small Communication Magic Crystal," Warren corrected, tapping the screen.
Rhodes blinked.
"A… touch screen?"
"I said magic crystal."
Warren swiped his finger, and the crystal emitted a dialing tone. The other one immediately lit up, an answer button appearing on its surface.
Warren tapped it.
"This way, you can talk."
His own voice came out of the other crystal almost instantly.
Rhodes stared.
'That was absolutely a phone.'
Warren continued explaining.
"This mode transmits audio only. This one sends images as well."
Rhodes took the crystal, turning it over with nostalgic fascination.
"Does it have games?"
"Huh?"
"What about music? A camera?"
"Why would a communication magic crystal have those?"
"No reason," Rhodes said solemnly. "It just feels like it should."
After fiddling with it for a while, Rhodes handed it back, only for Warren to shove it right back into his hand.
"Take it. Consider it a birthday gift for Mira," Warren said.
"I heard you've been running around a lot lately. This'll make things easier for you two."
Mira smiled warmly.
"Thank you. It's a wonderful gift."
Rhodes thanked him as well, then casually flipped open the original task record.
"By the way, how's the pay calculated for a long-term project like this?"
"They gave me two options," Warren said proudly.
"Either a large upfront fee, or royalties after launch."
"And you chose…?"
"The second. This thing's definitely going to sell like crazy."
"A smart choice," Rhodes said sincerely.
'This kid's going to be rich.'
Days passed, and Mira's belly grew little by little.
Rhodes took her to see Porlyusica every week, often enough to visibly annoy the old woman.
It wasn't her first time handling a pregnant guild member.
But it was her first time seeing a father-to-be this paranoid.
No pain. No itching.
No symptoms at all.
Why keep coming?
Porlyusica didn't even want to imagine what would happen closer to the due date.
Would he just move in permanently?
"Everything is nor... huh?"
The sudden shift in her tone made both of them tense.
"What is it?" Rhodes asked instantly.
"Is something wrong?"
Porlyusica smiled.
"It's good news. Congratulations."
"…?"
"It's twins."
"!!!"
Rhodes froze, then immediately bombarded her with questions until she kicked him out of the room.
With that reaction, there was no doubt.
Mira rested both hands on her belly, smiling softly. Two little lives were growing there.
Rhodes covered her hands with his own, grinning like an idiot, then suddenly looked worried.
"It's going to be hard on you."
Mira shook her head gently.
"I'm not afraid. You're here, and so are Porlyusica and Wendy."
With that lineup, Rhodes knew there wouldn't be any danger at all.
But safety didn't erase hardship.
Mira tilted her head curiously.
"So which is more painful, carrying twins and giving birth once, or being pregnant twice and giving birth separately?"
Rhodes pondered.
"Why don't we go encourage Alzack and Bisca to have another one? Then we'll know."
Mira burst out laughing.
"Good idea!"
News of Mira carrying twins spread through the guild at lightning speed.
Naturally, everyone wanted to touch her belly.
After Mira gave permission, more than half of them… still didn't dare.
Erza summoned her courage.
First attempt, she stopped halfway and went to wash her hands.
Second attempt, she returned, then immediately used Re-equip Magic to remove her armor.
(Why, considering she wasn't wearing gloves, remained a mystery.)
Third attempt, her fingers trembled just before touching. She pulled back to steady herself.
Fourth attempt, Mira apologized sweetly.
"Sorry, Erza, I need to use the bathroom."
Then she slipped behind the corner and peeked out, watching Erza's disappointed expression with a tiny, devilish grin.
Rhodes watched all of this in silence.
After a moment, he sighed.
'The children's prenatal education… might already be in danger.'