"Calm down, Carla. There has to be some misunderstanding here."
Seeing the white cat all puffed up, Mira immediately stood up, trying to smooth things over.
She waved a hand and then, astonishingly, said, "Besides, if this guy really had any hostile intentions toward you, you'd already be dead."
"…"
The moment those words came out, the atmosphere in the room, already tense enough to snap, didn't ease in the slightest.
It got even worse.
Shane stared at Mira in utter disbelief.
Could her attempts at mediation get any more abstract?
What the hell was that supposed to mean, if he were hostile, you'd already be dead?
I mean, sure, technically that's true, but that's not calming anyone down—that's pouring gasoline on the fire!
And sure enough, the second she heard that explanation, Carla's pupils shrank to pinpoints.
To stop Mira from making things even worse, Shane decisively stepped forward and clamped a hand over her mouth from behind.
"Mmph! Mmmphmmm—!!"
Completely caught off guard, Mira flailed in shock like a fish gasping for air, thrashing wildly in Shane's arms and trying to pry his fingers off with both hands.
Shane ignored all of her protests and just tightened his hold, completely unmoved no matter how much she twisted and struggled.
While suppressing the demon girl in his arms, he narrowed his eyes and fixed Carla with a sharp look.
He could swear to heaven that, counting today, he had only seen this white cat twice in his entire life.
The first time was four years ago in the forest around Nirvana, and they hadn't exchanged a single word.
There was absolutely no chance he'd done anything to offend her.
And this whole script—where she refused to listen to any explanation and decided he was some irredeemable villain just from one look at his face—felt way too familiar.
"You… don't tell me you're from Edolas too?"
A certain blue-haired, tattooed man flashed through Shane's mind, and the words came out before he could stop them.
"So you really do know!"
Carla shook all over, even more convinced now.
Run. At the very least, I have to get Wendy out of here.
She clenched her teeth, magic surging wildly behind her. That was the only thought left in her head.
But just as her wing magic was about to unfold, a cool, gentle wave of magic drifted over her from behind, like spring rain on dry earth.
It carried a strange sense of healing with it.
Under that soft glow, Carla's frantic heartbeat and suffocating fear began, almost miraculously, to calm down.
"Are you feeling better now, Carla?"
At some point, Wendy had already crouched beside her, both palms glowing with soft, rippling light.
Carla hesitated, then slowly turned her head. The terror in her eyes had finally faded a little.
"Wendy…"
"Please calm down and look again carefully."
Wendy gently rubbed the white cat's head and patiently tried to reassure her.
"Brother Shane… probably isn't the horrible bad person you think he is."
Seeing how terrified Carla had been just now, Wendy finally realized where that strange sense of déjà vu had come from.
Back when she had still been traveling with "Jellal" as a child, he had also mistaken Shane for some terrifying being because of that face.
And since that had turned out to be a misunderstanding, Wendy believed this had to be one too.
Under the combined comfort of Wendy's magic and her words, Carla finally regained her composure.
She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the lingering tremor in her chest, and studied the black-haired boy in front of her again.
"There really are… subtle differences."
Once the filter of fear was stripped away, the distinctions became obvious.
Even if the features were nearly identical, the aura around this boy was calm and gentle, nothing like the suffocating coldness of that other one.
She suddenly felt stupid.
That monster had long since abandoned his human body and become a dragon.
How could he possibly appear here in human form, cross the barrier between worlds, and chase her all the way from Edolas to Earth-land?
That made no sense at all.
How could she have mistaken him?
"Sorry…"
Now that her rationality had returned, Carla lowered her head a little, though her voice still carried a dry edge of caution.
"You're probably that monster's counterpart, aren't you? I mistook you for him."
Even after apologizing, she didn't look relieved.
The truth was, when Wendy had first found her in the forest, her memories had been a complete mess—almost a blank slate.
She didn't know who she was or why she had come here.
And it was that night, four years ago, when she caught sight of Shane.
That instinctive terror from the depths of her soul had jolted her mind and helped her piece together a few scattered memories over these past four years.
So in her eyes, if they were counterparts, then their souls were probably fundamentally similar.
The "him" from that other world was a monster that would destroy a world.
And this Shane might also be an extremely dangerous ticking time bomb.
One who might interfere with what she wanted to do.
"Ugh—let me go!"
At last, Mira—who had been forcibly silenced in Shane's arms the entire time—finally erupted.
She threw her head back and smashed the back of it squarely into Shane's chin.
The second he loosened his grip from the sudden pain, she slipped free like an eel.
The moment she regained her freedom, Mira immediately got her revenge by darting behind Shane and locking an arm around his neck.
"You bastard! You can't even tell good intentions from bad ones! No wonder Carla got the wrong idea about you! You totally deserve how much people hate you!"
She tightened her hold as she loudly vented the injustice of being suppressed after she'd only been "trying to help."
"Cough… maybe before you complain about other people, you should reflect on your own bizarre communication skills first."
Shane casually caught Mira's arm, peeled her off his back, and tossed her aside with ease.
With all four of his physical attributes now at C-rank, dealing with Mira in her normal state was as effortless as an adult handling a rowdy child.
"…"
Off to the side, Wendy tilted her head up slightly, her gaze moving back and forth between them.
She had never seen Mira act this unguarded and playful with any boy before. It all felt strangely unbelievable.
She couldn't help being curious.
Meanwhile, Shane dusted off his hands, ignored the sulking Mira beside him, and turned his interested gaze to Wendy.
That magic she had used just now was fascinating.
Not only could it soothe negative emotions, but more importantly… within that gentle magic, he had caught a trace of incredibly pure dragon energy.
"Wendy."
Dropping the joking tone, Shane asked seriously, "That spell you just used… don't tell me it was Dragon Slayer Magic?"
"Eh?!"
The girl's eyes went wide.
"Brother Shane, how did you know? Grandeeney taught it to me herself!"
"Well, I've got a bit of a… history with dragons."
"And besides, after spending enough time around Natsu, you start to pick up on it. You know Natsu, right? That loudmouthed fire-breathing idiot."
"Yeah! I know Brother Natsu. He's told me stories about Igneel!"
Wendy nodded eagerly.
So she really is one of the dragon-raised kids too… Shane mused inwardly.
Wendy's eyes lit up, clearly ready to ask Shane all kinds of questions about dragons—
"Clap."
Mira slapped her hands together, cutting off the conversation before it could start.
Then she casually took Shane by the arm and pushed him down into a seat by the little round table.
"The reason I brought you here today was because I wanted Carla to explain the parallel world, Edolas, to you."
"Now that you already know about it, though, that makes things easier."
She looked straight into his eyes.
"To be honest, when I first collected that strange magic residue, I was completely lost. Like a headless fly."
"It was only because Carla came to talk to me on her own and told me about Edolas that I finally had a direction."
She approached Mira on her own?
Shane found that odd. As far as he could tell, the matter didn't have much to do with Carla. Why would she involve herself voluntarily?
Even though he didn't understand, if Mira trusted her, then Shane wasn't going to question that in front of everyone.
He could always ask Mira about the details later.
So he followed the conversation where it was going.
"So… that's why you started suspecting Lisanna didn't die at all, but was transported to Edolas?"
"That's right."
This time, it was Carla who answered him.
She still didn't quite dare look Shane directly in the eye, but her rational nature was enough to let her maintain a basic conversation.
"That was the conclusion Mira and I came to."
"I see."
Shane nodded thoughtfully.
"Then what's your actual plan? How do you need me to help?"
Beside them, Wendy held her teacup in both hands, quietly sipping her black tea in small mouthfuls.
But now that everyone had finally cleared up the misunderstanding and the air in the room wasn't so tense anymore, she felt lighter too, warmed by the cup in her hands.
"We do have a plan."
Mira met Shane's eyes.
"There's someone I've had my eye on lately."
"I've sensed the exact same Edolas-type magic on him as the magic left at the place where Lisanna disappeared."
"You're not thinking…" Shane raised a brow and studied Mira's serious face for a second. He had clearly already guessed where this was going.
"Yeah." Mira didn't avoid it at all. "I want to talk to him face to face and get more information about Edolas from him. But that guy's movements are incredibly secretive. He almost never shows himself openly in the guild."
Then, with a tone that was somehow completely justified, she added,
"And since you're finally awake, I dragged you here because I wanted to borrow those 'eyes' of yours."
Hearing the request, Shane didn't answer right away. He gave the white-haired girl in front of him a long look from head to toe.
"Well, this is rare."
"With your personality, shouldn't you just barge in and use force? Why bother going in circles like this?"
For once, Mira didn't immediately snap back at his teasing.
"Because… he's also one of Fairy Tail's own."
She paused, then lifted her head and added,
"And he's an S-Class mage too. He passed the trial just last year."
"Oh?" Shane caught the hesitation in her voice. "What, is fearless Mirajane worried she might not be able to beat him?"
Normally, that kind of provocation would've made the girl explode on the spot.
Instead, Mira just bit her lower lip.
The room went quiet for a few seconds.
"He… Mystogan is strong."
She took a deep breath.
"If it really came to a fight, I honestly don't know if I could beat him."
Looking at the faintly discouraged look on her face, Shane couldn't help reaching out and poking her in the side.
"Don't make such a pathetic face. You're my student, remember? At least show a little confidence."
"Wah!"
Caught off guard, Mira flinched, then slapped his hand away in annoyance.
"I'm trying to answer seriously! You're the one who should take this more seriously!"
Shane just shook out the hand she'd hit and smiled like it didn't matter, then rested his chin on one hand and sank into thought.
Mira's reaction just now definitely wasn't fake.
For someone as proud as the "She-Devil" to openly admit she wasn't sure she could win, that meant this Mystogan guy had to be frighteningly strong.
A powerful opponent, and on top of that, still a guildmate—meaning they couldn't go too far with him.
That really was troublesome.
No wonder Mira had been stuck, only able to stare helplessly at the clue right in front of her while her whole plan stalled out.
"But seriously," Shane said, lightly tapping the table with his fingertips, "you've been in the guild this long and you've never once seen his real face? What kind of person is he, anyway?"
"Not once." Mira shook her head, sounding a little bitter.
"That guy is absurdly strong. Every time he comes back to the guild, if he doesn't want anyone to see his face, he just casts a huge area sleep spell and knocks everyone out."
"Yeah, I've never seen him either. He's really strange."
Wendy, finally hearing a topic she could contribute to, nodded eagerly.
At that, Mira clicked her tongue.
"As far as I know, only Laxus and the Master have actually seen what he looks like."
"What about Erza and Gildarts?" Shane asked, puzzled. "With their strength, they couldn't resist a sleep spell?"
"Gildarts left years ago on his Hundred Years Quest, and nobody's seen hide nor hair of him since. So he never had the chance."
"And as for Erza…"
Mira sighed, then cleared her throat and mimicked a certain red-haired knight's stiff, serious tone perfectly:
"'If someone has reasons they cannot reveal, then as their comrades, we should not pry into their privacy.'"
"Yeah… that really does sound exactly like both of them."
Shane scratched his head with a laugh.
"Then why not just ask the Master or Laxus directly?"
"If you hadn't woken up, that's exactly what I was planning to do," Mira said flatly.
"I see…"
Shane looked back down at the teacup on the table, his gaze drifting over Mira—who was looking at him expectantly—and Carla, who was pretending to be calm.
Looking at it this way, this Mystogan guy really didn't sound like an easy problem to deal with.
Still, if Lisanna's fate was involved, then "too troublesome" wasn't a reason to avoid it.
"Alright then."
Shane planted both hands on the table.
"If that's how it is, then to figure out what happened to Lisanna… I'll take the job."