Chapter 188: Staying
"Brother Noah, what's going on? How can there be two Big Sis Lisannas?"
After helping them get settled, Wendy couldn't help but ask with curiosity. Everyone else also looked at Noah, waiting for an explanation.
"No rush," Noah said. "I'll get us some drinks. We can talk while we drink, it's a long story."
With that, Noah went to the kitchen to get drinks for everyone. Wendy and the other girls went to the kitchen to help.
When Noah and the others came back out with the drinks, they saw Mirajane sitting next to one Lisanna, directly across from the other. They were already talking, and both Lisannas had looks of pure astonishment on their faces.
"Noah, there's really another world? And it has a Fairy Tail, too? And... another me? This is incredible!" one of the Lisannas said to Noah, her voice full of amazement. Noah knew at a glance that this was the Lisanna he was familiar with, the one from this world.
The other Lisanna was looking at Noah with curious eyes, her gaze sweeping over the others before finally landing back on Mirajane, as if she were looking at something brand new.
Noah and the girls handed out the drinks to everyone, then he took one for himself and sat down on the sofa next to Mirajane. Wendy and the others sat down with them.
"Looks like you've all introduced yourselves," Noah said. "In that case, I'll explain the situation to Wendy and the others."
Seeing Mirajane and the Lisannas nod, Noah turned to Wendy and the girls.
"We have two Lisannas here. One is the Lisanna we all know and love, who lives here with us. The other one... she came from another world, one that's very similar to ours. Our world is called Earth Land. The other world is called Edolas.
"To make it easier to tell you apart, let's call our Lisanna 'Earth-Lisanna,' and the Lisanna from the other world 'Edo-Lisanna.' How does that sound?"
Both Lisannas nodded at the same time. Having specific names would definitely make things less confusing.
Noah continued, "Even though the two worlds are similar, they aren't normally connected. But there's a magic called Anima that can temporarily open a portal between them. My guess is that Edo-Lisanna accidentally got caught in an Anima portal, and that's how she ended up here.
"So, Edo-Lisanna, what were you doing in your world right before you came here?"
Edo-Lisanna thought hard for a moment and replied, "I was on a mountain with Big Sis Mira and Brother Elfman." When she saw Mirajane look over, she quickly added, "My world's Big Sis Mira and Brother Elfman, I mean. We were gathering herbs on the mountain, and I... I accidentally fell off a cliff. I thought I was a goner for sure. The next thing I knew, I woke up and I was here."
This was the first time Mirajane and Earth-Lisanna were hearing this part of the story. Both of them looked terrified and relieved at the same time. Seeing their expressions, Edo-Lisanna felt a warmth in her heart. 'Yep, even if this Big Sis Mira's clothes are a little weird, she's still the same Big Sis Mira I know. And... the other me is really nice, too.'
"Then you're incredibly lucky," Noah said. "That must have been the exact moment the Anima pulled you into this world. I was in the air near the Anima portal when I saw you fall out of it. You were unconscious, so I caught you."
"Thank you, Noah. Thank you for saving me," Edo-Lisanna said gratefully.
Noah just waved his hand. "Don't worry about it. If you see someone falling out of the sky, you catch them. It's as simple as that. The real question is what to do now. I don't have a way to send you back to Edolas at the moment. How about you stay here with us, at our Fairy Tail? After all, you should be familiar with most of the people here."
Edo-Lisanna thought about it and nodded. Fairy Tail, this world's Big Sis Mira, and this other Lisanna... they were all good reasons to stay. Besides, she didn't know this world at all. Being with familiar people would make her feel much safer.
Seeing that she had agreed, Noah glanced over at Wendy and the other girls. They all looked a bit dazed, clearly needing time to process this new information. So, he changed the subject to something he was personally very curious about.
"Edo-Lisanna, have you... have you ever seen another 'me' at your Fairy Tail?"
"No," she replied without a moment's hesitation. "I've never seen another you. If there was, I would definitely know him."
Noah nodded, confirming his suspicion. 'I was transported here, body and all. It makes sense there wouldn't be a counterpart of me in that world.'
Hearing Noah's question, Mirajane and Earth-Lisanna, who had been listening quietly, both looked shocked. Noah was such a crucial member of their Fairy Tail. So many of the guild's changes over the years were because of him. How could another world not have him?
"My situation is... special," Noah said simply. "I have a pretty good idea why that is."
Since Noah didn't elaborate, Mirajane and Earth-Lisanna didn't press him. Instead, Earth-Lisanna asked a question she was dying to know.
"What's the Big Sis Mira in Edolas like? And what about Brother Elfman?"
"Big Sis Mira and Brother Elfman? Well... the Edo-Big Sis Mira has a totally different hairstyle and clothes from this one. And... the Edo-Big Sis Mira seems a lot... gentler than the Earth-Big Sis Mira."
When Edo-Lisanna said this, both Earth-Lisanna and Mirajane looked completely stunned. Earth-Lisanna, in particular, leaned in with sparkling eyes.
"Tell us! Quick, tell us what she's like!"
"The Edolas Big Sis Mira... well, she has a small braid on the top of her head, and her long hair is worn down. She likes to wear long, one-piece dresses, and her voice is always really soft. And Brother Elfman has short, smooth hair, not spiky like the Brother Elfman here. He's really gentle, too."
After hearing her description, everyone turned to look at the Mirajane sitting on the sofa and the Elfman lying unconscious on the floor.
Their Mirajane had her hair in a high ponytail, and was wearing a midriff-baring top, a short skirt, and thigh-high boots—an outfit clearly designed for a fight. They all pictured the usual Mirajane—brash, loud, and constantly brawling with Erza. They just couldn't imagine her in a long dress, speaking softly.
Elfman had been gentle when he was younger, but lately, he was always shouting about being a "real man," a complete opposite of the boy Edo-Lisanna had just described.
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