Chapter 189: Getting Settled
As they all mentally compared the description to the real thing, Earth-Lisanna was the first one to burst out laughing. The others quickly followed.
Wendy and the other girls giggled, clapping their hands over their mouths, but their eyes were still sparkling with laughter.
Hearing them all laugh, Mirajane's face immediately darkened. She looked around for a target. Her sister was on one side—couldn't hit her. The other her was on the other side—couldn't hit her either. Wendy and the girls were too young. That just left Noah, sitting right next to her. But this was his house, so she couldn't really hit him.
In the end, she settled for reaching out and pinching his arm, hard.
"Stop laughing," she growled. "Is there something wrong with how I am?"
She knew she wasn't exactly 'gentle', so she turned to Earth-Lisanna for support. As her loyal sister, Earth-Lisanna chimed in, "Big Sis Mira is great just the way she is! But... yeah, I really can't picture you being all soft and gentle."
"A 'gentle' me, huh?" Mirajane mused. "Edo-Lisanna, you'll have to tell me more about my Edolas self later. I might want to give it a try."
She was serious. After the shock of almost losing Lisanna, she was still shaken, and it had made her rethink things. She wanted to try a new style, a new way of living.
"Of course!" Edo-Lisanna agreed. "I'm really curious about this world's Big Sis Mira, too. After all, you're still my sister and brother, just from another world."
"So, Edo-Lisanna will be staying with you and your family, right, Mira?" Noah asked. "That's good. It'll be the best way for you to adapt to this world. Once you're settled, we can figure out the next steps."
Noah thought for a moment, then produced a hooded cloak and a simple face mask, handing them to Edo-Lisanna. He then pulled out a wad of cash and gave it to Wendy.
Edo-Lisanna looked at the items, confused. Noah explained, "I want you to go with Wendy and the girls to buy some daily necessities and clothes, and get a feel for the town. Mira and I still need to discuss the mission.
"For now, use this cloak and mask to cover yourself up when you go out. We need to be careful. Having someone who looks exactly like Lisanna suddenly appear could cause a lot of trouble if we don't handle it right."
Edo-Lisanna nodded in understanding. The last thing she wanted was to cause problems for this world's Lisanna. She looked down at her own torn and dirty clothes; she definitely needed a new set. And she would need her own supplies if she was staying here. As for the money, she would just pay Noah back later.
Wendy took the money from Noah and tucked it away safely, then grabbed Edo-Lisanna's hand. "Come on, Edo-Lisanna! Let's go shopping!"
Yukino and Meredy nodded eagerly, and the three of them hopped off the sofa and headed for the door with Edo-Lisanna. Carla, however, followed close behind Wendy, her expression deeply troubled.
After they left, Noah looked at Elfman, who was still fast asleep on the floor. He hauled him to his feet and gave him a light jolt of magic.
Elfman's body twitched, and he slowly blinked his eyes open. He looked around in a daze, finding himself being held up by Noah, and had no idea what was going on.
Noah shook his head, set him firmly on his feet, and released the magic bindings. "Mira, Lisanna," he said, looking at Mirajane, "you two explain what happened."
Mirajane and Earth-Lisanna nodded, and began to recount the events to the still-confused Elfman.
As they explained what had happened, Elfman's face grew pale with horror, and tears began to stream down his face. He couldn't imagine what he would have done if he'd actually killed Lisanna. The thought was too terrifying.
"I'm so glad... I'm so glad you're okay, Lisanna..." Elfman pulled his sister into a tight, trembling hug.
Seeing him, Mirajane was overcome with emotion again and wrapped her arms around both of them, her own tears flowing freely. Earth-Lisanna just gently patted them on their backs, comforting her older siblings.
Noah said nothing, just quietly waiting for them to let it all out.
After a while, their emotions finally began to settle. Noah handed them some tissues. Mirajane and Elfman quickly wiped their faces, Mirajane especially being mindful of her appearance.
Once they were composed, Noah sat down across from them, his gaze fixed on them intently. The three of them instinctively sat up straighter.
"Noah, why are you staring at us like that?" Earth-Lisanna finally asked, breaking the silence.
Noah relaxed his intense gaze. "Let's review," he said. "This S-Class mission should have been simple: just defeat The Beast King. But a series of bad decisions, one after another, nearly led to an irreversible disaster. I want you to tell me what went wrong. I know you don't want a repeat of this."
At the mention of the mission, Mirajane's expression fell. She looked at the floor, her voice low. "It was my fault. I have the biggest blame. If I had just confirmed it was dead after I knocked it down, none of this would have happened."
"Good," Noah said. "Now you understand the importance of making sure the job is finished. No more arrogance, no more carelessness. Understood?"
"I won't," she whispered. "This... I'll never forget this."
Noah then turned to Elfman, who just looked bewildered, as if he couldn't figure out what he'd done wrong. Noah sighed.
"After Mira was ambushed, your first priority should have been to get her to safety, not try to forcibly Take Over that thing. The power gap between you and The Beast King was obvious. Even with it injured, it was still too much for you. If you had just retreated with your sister and waited for her to recover, you could have beaten it easily, and none of this would have happened.
"Protecting your family doesn't always mean fighting head-on, Elfman. Sometimes, a strategic retreat is the right call. Do you understand?"
It finally clicked for Elfman. Like his sister, he lowered his head, his face a mask of shame.
Finally, Noah looked at Earth-Lisanna. She winced, scratching her head with an awkward laugh, clearly aware of her own mistake.
"Lisanna, your decision was just as reckless," Noah said, his voice firm. "You should have grabbed Mira and retreated. Whether you waited for her to recover or called the guild for backup, either would have been a smart choice. But instead, you just walked right up to an out-of-control Elfman, completely defenseless, hoping to talk him down?
"At the very least, you should have knocked him senseless, tied him up, and then tried to snap him out of it! Wouldn't that have made more sense?"
Hearing this, Elfman flinched. He touched his still-aching face and suddenly understood why Noah's projection had beaten him up so thoroughly. But he didn't dare say a word. He was already in the wrong; opening his mouth now would probably just get him hit again.
Lisanna just nodded vigorously. Watching Noah's animated, waving hands as he lectured her, she was a little afraid he might get worked up and bonk her on the head, too.
Looking back, she realized how foolish it was. She had heard her brother might be lost forever, and she had panicked, losing all common sense. There were so many other options, and she had chosen the dumbest one.
~~~
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