For the moment, Shane shoved all the questions in his head aside and decided he'd corner those two troublemakers later and make them explain everything clearly.
Coming back to himself, he glanced down the quiet hallway and couldn't help asking,
"The last room on the first floor? Who exactly did you drag me here to see? Why all the mystery?"
"You'll know once you go in, won't you?"
Mira didn't explain further. She stepped forward and lightly knocked on the wooden door.
"Can we come in?"
"Ah, is that Mira-nee? I'm coming right away!"
A clear young girl's voice quickly answered from inside.
The voice sounded familiar, but Shane had slept too long. His brain was still a little rusty, and he couldn't immediately match the voice to a face.
Then came the sound of slippers pattering quickly across the floor.
With a crisp click, the door opened inward.
Standing there in the soft light was a petite girl.
She wore light-colored loungewear, and a cascade of smooth dark blue hair fell over her shoulders. Tilting her face up, she showed a small, gentle smile.
The moment his eyes landed on that distinctive hair color, Shane paused and blurted out,
"Wendy?"
He instinctively turned to look at Mira, his eyes full of question marks.
What was the point of running all the way here to see Wendy instead of handling something actually important?
Did this girl have some hidden identity he didn't know about?
Before Mira could answer, Wendy let out a hesitant little sound.
"Um…"
She noticed there was an extra person outside the door and tilted her head curiously.
Her gaze fell on Shane.
He had waist-length hair, soft features, and because he hadn't seen much sunlight for years, his skin looked unusually pale.
Wendy blinked and asked innocently,
"Mira-nee… who is this… big sister?"
"Big sister?"
Shane's face instantly darkened.
He admitted that after lying underground for four years, his hair had gotten longer, and maybe his whole vibe had softened a little, but there was no way he should be getting mistaken for a woman to his face.
His expression immediately soured, and he put on a fierce look.
"Kid, open your eyes and take another good look."
"A-a boy?"
That unmistakably male voice startled Wendy.
Like a frightened little deer, she jumped back two steps and looked completely flustered.
"W-Why is there suddenly a boy in the girls' dorm?!"
But after the first burst of panic, Wendy leaned against the doorframe and cautiously looked at his face again.
That familiar outline gradually overlapped with her memory, and the fear in her eyes melted away like snow, instantly turning into pure delight.
"You… you're Brother Shane, aren't you?"
"Huh? You still remember me?"
That complete one-eighty actually threw Shane off.
He hadn't forgotten that back then this girl had been extremely wary of him, like a tiny hedgehog with all its spines up.
He had no idea what happened over the past four years to make her attitude change this much.
"Of course I remember!"
Wendy suddenly drew her legs together properly and bowed deeply to Shane, her voice earnest.
"Back then… you helped me and Grandpa Roubaul. Thank you so much!"
"Ah… well…"
That sudden formal bow left even thick-skinned Shane a little at a loss.
He awkwardly scratched his head.
"It wasn't that big of a deal. I just gave a couple extra warnings in passing, that's all."
"No!"
Wendy shook her head hard, her dark blue hair swaying with the motion.
"Grandpa told me everything. Back then, it was you who used those blue flames to protect us all the way out of that horrible forest."
At that point, the girl seemed to remember how hostile she'd been toward him before, and a faint blush spread across her pale cheeks.
She lowered her head, her voice tiny as a mosquito's hum.
"Um… before, I was so rude to you and treated you like a bad person… I'm really sorry."
Looking at the obedient girl in front of him, all of Shane's irritation over being mistaken for a woman instantly vanished.
"It's nothing. I forgot about it ages ago."
He waved it off, then corrected her.
"Besides, you're thanking the wrong person. The one who really did the work was the goddess. Her name is Ereshkigal, remember that."
"Ereshkigal?"
Seeing Wendy nod in confusion, Shane couldn't help marveling inwardly.
What a miracle…
"After being thrown into Fairy Tail's giant grinder for four whole years, this kid not only didn't get dragged off course by that bunch of airheaded idiots, she somehow turned out this polite and adorable. It's unbelievable."
"Let's stop the reunion here for now."
Once it looked like the two of them were done catching up, Mira—who had been leaning against the wall and enjoying the show—finally smiled and cut in.
"Wendy, we actually came because we need to talk to Carla. Is she here?"
"Carla? She's inside drinking tea."
Snapping out of it, Wendy quickly stepped aside and made room for them.
"Then excuse us."
Mira pulled Shane across the threshold.
As he walked in, Shane kept muttering to himself.
Carla? Who? I've never even heard that name before…
Led in by the two girls, his field of vision suddenly opened up.
It was an incredibly cute room that suited Wendy perfectly.
The walls were covered in pale pink wallpaper, the wooden floor was lined with soft carpeting, and a neat crowd of plush toys sat piled around the bed. Even the air carried a sweet berry-like scent.
And at the center of the room's attention sat a white cat at a little round table.
Calling it a cat somehow didn't feel quite right. There was something strikingly human about it.
A delicate bone-china tea set sat on the table, with three freshly brewed cups of black tea still steaming gently.
Like a refined young lady, the white cat held a teacup steadily in one paw and took a slow sip, looking perfectly satisfied with itself.
Hearing footsteps, the cat lazily lifted its eyelids. Its face wore a composed expression that practically said, I already knew.
"Wendy, Mira, you're here? Sit down and have some tea."
"Carla, how did you know I'd come at exactly this time today?"
Mira didn't act like a stranger at all.
She casually hitched up the black skirt in her way, exposing her long pale legs, and sat cross-legged on the carpet without the slightest trace of ladylike restraint.
Yet when she picked up her teacup, her back straightened naturally, and her movements turned gentle and elegant—completely different from the bold old Mira who used to drink straight from the bottle four years ago.
Honestly, she really did look the part.
"Haven't I told you before?"
The white cat, Carla, seemed to be quite close with Mira. Setting the teacup down, she explained in her usual measured tone,
"I was born with a small ability to foresee the future. It's still immature, so I can only catch scattered fragments… but it's more than enough to prepare tea in advance and welcome guests who are about to arrive."
Standing by the door like background scenery the entire time, Shane slowly looked at the little round table with its three cups.
Then he raised a finger and pointed at himself.
"Um… excuse me. Might I ask the esteemed prophet here—because I was kind of hoping to count as a guest too?"
"Ah, sorry, sorry! I'll go get you a cup right away!"
Wendy was the first to react. Full of apology, she hurried over to the cabinet in the corner.
And only then did the elegant tea-drinking white cat finally realize there was one extra visitor.
"That's strange… in the future I saw just now, there was clearly only Mira…"
Confused, Carla looked up and followed the direction of the voice.
The instant their eyes met—
the face burned deep into her soul, the face that represented absolute terror, came into view.
Clack!
All the poised elegance on Carla's face shattered in an instant.
The bone-china teacup slipped straight from her stiff paw and hit the carpet with a dull thud.
Scalding amber tea splashed everywhere, quickly soaking into the clean fabric in a dark stain.
"Y-you… you… you…"
Like she'd seen a ghost, every hair on Carla's body stood on end.
Pointing at Shane, her voice shook sharply, but she couldn't force out a complete sentence.
"What's wrong, Carla? Did you burn yourself?"
Hearing the commotion, Wendy came hurrying back with the cup in hand and jumped in surprise.
That violent reaction felt strangely familiar to her, as though she'd seen something like it before.
Still, Wendy only assumed Carla was reacting badly to a boy suddenly entering the girls' dorm, so she hurried to comfort her.
"Don't worry, Carla. Brother Shane is a really good person."
"Stay away from him!!!"
But Carla wasn't listening to any explanation at all now.
After a brief internal struggle, the little white cat suddenly exploded with strength from somewhere, sprang forward, and planted herself in front of Wendy.
Like a mother hen protecting her chick, Carla glared at Shane from just a few steps away.
"Get… get out of here right now!"