Chapter 14: Tail-Following in Progress…
Lisanna secretly followed behind Ren and Mira, trying to figure out what was going on between them.
"Why is Mira walking around town with Ren? Could it be… a date!" Lisanna felt like she'd cracked the truth, so she crept a little closer, trying to hear what they were saying.
"By the way, Mira, did you tell your brother and sister you're inviting me on this job? And they agreed?" Ren asked casually.
"Not yet, but they should accept it. Your magic is really important for this job. If they don't, then for this mission I just won't bring them along. With you here, if anything happens, you can directly take our client and run," Mira said with a look that screamed she'd already thought it through and he should stop talking.
"Anyway, hurry up and finish buying what we need. The morning after tomorrow, meet at the station!"
"Alright, alright," Ren said, with no objections.
Because Lisanna was tailing them, she didn't dare get too close, so she only caught fragments.
"Mira… with me… together… brother and sister… agree…"
"Didn't tell… should accept… if not… don't bring them… can… run together… station the morning after tomorrow…"
Lisanna's world collapsed.
Not only was her sister apparently dating, but if Lisanna and Elfman didn't agree, Mira was planning to ditch them and run away with Ren!
Lisanna panicked. She didn't even bother tailing anymore and immediately sprinted home to find her brother.
"This is bad! Elfman! Mira… Mira!" Lisanna burst through the door, panting, and shouted at Elfman, who had been waiting for them to come back.
"What happened to Mira? Say it, Lisanna!" Elfman freaked out too. He rushed out, grabbed Lisanna by the shoulders, and demanded an answer.
"Mira… she's… she's in love!"
"What! She dares to fall in lo—wait, what? In love? Mira? With who? If Mira's in love, why are you panicking?"
Elfman was about to explode, then realized Mira wasn't in danger. He calmed down and asked Lisanna exactly what she saw.
"So you're saying… my sister was shopping with that Ren, and you heard their conversation. Ren asked Mira whether we agreed with them being together, and Mira said if we didn't agree, they'd take the train and run away together!"
Elfman reached the exact same conclusion as Lisanna.
"How can she do that! What does Mira think we are! If she wants to pursue happiness, we'd never stop her! Right, Lisanna!"
Elfman looked shaken. Being distrusted by his own sister hurt more than he wanted to admit.
"Yeah! That's what I think too. When she comes back, we'll talk to her together. We won't oppose her pursuing happiness," Lisanna nodded quickly.
"And if they run away… where would they live? What about living expenses… What if they end up dirt poor…"
Lisanna made up her mind. She had to stop Mira from running away.
Meanwhile, Ren stared at a small storage bag on display, priced at 600,000 J, with a capacity of about one cubic meter, and sighed like a broke man.
"Where are we supposed to stay if we go out? Camping, or does the client provide lodging? Who's paying for meals… Why is this thing so expensive… Last mission was 2,000,000 J. I paid back 1,000,000. Customized kunai cost 300,000. If this is 600,000, I'll have 100,000 left. After food costs, I won't even have next month's rent. Am I really this poor…"
"Ren still has over ten million in debt. Is Mira going to use her own money to support both of them…" Elfman worried aloud.
"It's your fault for fighting Gray and making that huge mess. I've got some money left. Do you need to borrow some?" Mira said, seeing Ren stare at the bag while clutching his wallet and sighing.
"No matter what, when Mira comes back we have to stop her. We're family. If they're serious, we'll agree!" Lisanna and Elfman looked at each other and smiled, fully aligned.
Ren gritted his teeth and bought the bag. Mira said, "Alright, I'm heading back. I still need to tell Lisanna and Elfman about teaming up."
"You three usually do jobs together, right? If I join this time, will they agree?" Ren asked casually.
"Of course. We're family," Mira said, thinking of the two who had supported each other through everything. A smile appeared on her face.
After separating from Ren, Mira returned home cheerfully and found Lisanna and Elfman sitting seriously at the dining table, as if deep in thought.
"I'm back. What are you two doing? Thinking about what to eat for dinner?" Mira sat down too, curious.
I can't ask. Elfman, hurry, you ask!
Lisanna blinked frantically at Elfman.
Elfman received the desperate signal, cleared his throat, and said, "Sister, dinner can wait. Do you have something you need to tell us?"
"Huh? You already know?" Mira looked confused, but decided to be straightforward. "It's just that I'm planning to… with Ren…"
"Ah… Lisanna accidentally saw you two. So it really is Ren…" Elfman was shocked it was true and immediately cut her off. "So what do you think?"
"Me? I think it's great. He's a perfect fit," Mira answered after a brief thought.
"A-a perfect fit… Then what about us? We'll always be together, right!" Lisanna blurted out, unable to hold it in.
"Of course. But if you two don't agree, then I'll have no choice but to…"
"We're family! How could we not agree!" Elfman got angry. "Sister, you're underestimating us! As long as you're happy, we can absolutely accept it!"
"Ah… really? Then if you can accept it, that's fine…" Mira felt something was off, but couldn't put her finger on it.
"By the way, Mira, when did you two start?" Lisanna's gossip instincts reignited the moment she thought the main issue was resolved.
"When did what start?" Mira looked lost.
"You and Ren!" Lisanna hurriedly said, her face practically screaming curiosity. Elfman didn't speak, but from the way he leaned forward with ears perked, it was obvious he wanted to know too.
"This morning. I met him at the guild and asked if he agreed. He hesitated a bit, then agreed," Mira said simply.
"This morning? And you were the one who initiated it? And he hesitated?" Lisanna and Elfman shouted in unison, utterly stunned.
Mira looked even more confused.
"Sister!" Elfman slammed the table and stood up. "Lisanna and I don't oppose you pursuing happiness, but thinking about running away after just one day is way too fast!"
Mira froze.
Alright. Now Mira couldn't take it anymore.