Chapter 15: Gogogo—We're Setting Off~
After a series of absolutely tragic (scratch that) utterly inhumane (scratch that) warm and friendly sibling conversations, Mira finally figured out what the real problem was.
"So let me get this straight. You followed me, got scared of being discovered, only heard bits and pieces, then made up the rest in your head and told Elfman—causing this whole mess. That's what happened, right, Li… Sa… Nna…?!" Mira's cheeks were bright red with anger as she stared down at her sister, who was kneeling properly on the floor.
"I'm sorry, Mira…" Lisanna knew she was in the wrong and didn't dare act cute. She behaved.
"Seriously, Lisanna, next time you need to be careful with stuff like this." Elfman, the innocent victim, also voiced his dissatisfaction. Lisanna sat even straighter. "Sorry, Elfman. Next time I'll confirm it properly before I tell you."
"You still want there to be a next time?!" Mira's anger flared again. She grabbed Lisanna's cheeks with both hands and pulled hard.
"Ow… it hurts! I'm sorry, I get it, I was wrong!" Lisanna immediately begged for mercy.
"Ugh…" Mira felt exhausted, but what could she do? Lisanna was her only little sister. She could only let her go. "Next time, just ask me directly." Mira paused, looking a bit embarrassed. "E-even if I do fall in love, I won't hide it from you. We're family."
"Mira…" Lisanna teared up and lunged in for a hug. "Mira, you're the best~"
"W-wait, let go—I can't breathe!" The Strauss household returned to its usual lively chaos.
Meanwhile, after separating from Mira, Ren went straight to the guild. After repaying debt, ordering custom kunai, and buying the storage bag, Ren successfully returned to the broke tier. Staring at the tiny amount of cash left in his wallet, his heart bled, and he decided to spend the days before departure doing delivery-type jobs to ensure next month's rent was covered. Leaving on a mission with Mira was one thing, but there was always a chance an S-class job could fail.
While Ren worked like a full-time courier, the agreed departure day finally arrived. Early that morning, Ren packed what he needed and headed to the town's best blacksmith.
"Morning, boss. I'm here to pick up my order~" Ren greeted.
"Oh, morning, kid. It's all here." The blacksmith carried out a box about the size of a slightly large suitcase and set it in front of Ren. "Whew, it's heavy. So, kid, how are you taking this? Want me to arrange delivery? Only 10,000 J~" The blacksmith looked between the box and Ren.
"Don't worry. I'm prepared." Ren activated the storage bag and packed all the kunai inside, then handed over the money. "Here's the payment. Want to count it?"
After counting, the blacksmith said, "You're a regular now. How could I not trust you? Alright, payment received. Next time you need anything, come find me—I'm the best blacksmith in town!"
"Then why'd you count it first before saying that?!" Ren complained, then shook his head and turned to leave for the station. "Alright, I'm going. If I need more next time, I'll commission you again."
"Alright!"
When Ren arrived at the station, he checked the time. It would still be a bit before ten, so he planned to go inside and sit—only to spot Mira and her two siblings already there.
"Yo, Mira. Morning!" Ren waved.
"Ah… oh, morning, Ren." Mira remembered the misunderstanding Lisanna had caused two days ago and blushed a little.
"Huh?" Ren stared at Mira's sudden blush, confused.
"Um… Ren, good morning. We've met before, but we haven't properly introduced ourselves. I'm Lisanna, and this is Elfman—Mira's little brother and sister," Lisanna greeted, and Elfman introduced himself too.
"Yeah. Morning to you two as well." Ren still didn't understand Mira's reaction, but didn't think too hard about it. He turned to Lisanna and Elfman and said, "Mira told you I'm joining this job, right? If anything gets dangerous, get to me first."
"Mm-hm, I understand, Ren."
"Mm-hm."
Lisanna and Elfman nodded repeatedly.
"Alright, everyone's here. Let's go. The trip still takes a full day." Mira waved her hand and led them onto the train.
Once seated, Ren pulled out the kunai from his bag and started placing Flying Thunder God marks on them. Mira watched and asked, "Isn't it a bit early to put the marks on now?"
"Here's a secret—the mark doesn't disappear." Ren explained. "So I do it ahead of time, just in case something happens."
"Wow… that's amazing. No wonder space magic is so rare." Mira sounded a little jealous.
Ren casually handed Mira a kunai with a mark already on it. "Here. The mark is done. If you put magic into it, I can sense it. No matter where you are, I'll rush to you right away."
"I don't need that!" Mira's mind flashed back to Elfman's "running away together," and she got flustered again.
"Oh come on, Mira." Lisanna winked at Ren and persuaded her sister. "Just take it. It's Ren's goodwill, and it helps with the mission too, right?"
Elfman wasn't great with words, so he just added, "Yeah, Lisanna's right!"
"Fine… if you both say so… I'll take it." Mira relented, still trying to sound tough. "But! If nothing's wrong, you're absolutely not allowed to suddenly flash right in front of me!"
She accepted it anyway, and for some reason, Elfman's "running away together" kept replaying in her head, making her blush again.
Ren was totally lost. He looked at Lisanna. "What's wrong with Mira?"
Lisanna looked awkward, and Elfman almost couldn't sit still.
"It's nothing, nothing. Mira just doesn't team up with people outside us very often, so she's not used to it." Lisanna hurriedly changed the topic. "Oh right, Ren—tell us about your last mission. I'm really curious how you wiped out a whole dark guild."
"That one? It was partly luck, honestly. Back then I…"
As Ren started telling the story, time flowed on, and the train gradually drew closer to their destination.