Chapter 202

Chapter 202: Chapter 202

Noticing that Marshall had been in a poor mood lately, Mira suggested they go out for a walk and clear his head.

Marshall didn’t think much of it and readily agreed.

The two wandered together through the streets of Magnolia.

Ever since Marshall had grown taller, he had gradually reduced how often he used Floating Magic to get around and had finally learned how to walk like a normal person.

Probably.

His height had been shooting up recently too.

At this rate, he figured he ought to reach at least six feet by next year and tower over all the shorties in the guild.

Heh.

Mira casually slipped her arm through his as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

There was no longer much difference in their height, and while Marshall’s face was still a little youthful, the two of them now looked more like a couple than an older sister and younger brother.

Mira was delighted.

It had been a long time since she and Marshall had gone anywhere alone together.

There were simply too many girls hovering around him, while Marshall himself was usually too lazy to leave the house, so finding an opportunity like this was surprisingly difficult.

Magnolia, now known as the City of Fairies, had already grown into a major city comparable to Fiore’s royal capital.

Shops and street stalls lined its bustling avenues, while entertainment venues, public facilities, parks, and all manner of conveniences could be found throughout the city.

With the professional guidance of Marshall, its future "great lord," Magnolia was also far ahead of most cities when it came to urban planning.

At this point, Marshall genuinely thought the place was better than the small city he had lived in during his previous life.

After all, Magnolia could be reshaped according to his preferences, and in name at least, he was the owner of the city.

"Marshall, here. Ah~"

Mira had bought some snacks from a roadside stall and was now feeding him by hand, looking somehow happier watching him eat than she would have been eating them herself.

They had no particular destination in mind and simply wandered wherever they felt like going.

As they walked through the lively city and took in the bustling streets around them, Marshall found his mood gradually improving.

Going outside every once in a while and simply strolling around without any purpose wasn’t such a bad experience after all.

"Before I knew it, I’d already been living in this city for seven years, Marshall."

"Mm-hm. I only got here about a year before you. We’re both old residents by now."

"That’s true." Mira smiled as she looked around them. "I watched this city become more prosperous one step at a time—the amusement park, the pedestrian streets, the parks, the museum, and now Fairy Tail Academy... Before coming here, I never imagined a human city could become this lively and beautiful."

Her expression softened.

"If you hadn’t taken me away from that village, Marshall, maybe I would’ve grown into some ignorant country woman who never knew anything beyond that little place."

"That wouldn’t have happened. A Mage like you would never have remained ordinary no matter where you lived, Mira. Don’t underestimate yourself."

"Then I probably would’ve been killed by some other Mages who thought I was a demon."

"Hey, hey! Why are you making it worse?"

Marshall immediately protested.

"Even without me, Mira would’ve become incredibly strong. You’re a genius."

Mira smiled and shook her head.

"But without you, I definitely wouldn’t have been as happy as I am now."

She tightened her arm around his.

"Marshall, do you realize that you’ve already become an irreplaceable part of many people’s lives?"

Marshall looked at her.

"If it weren’t for you, this city wouldn’t have developed into what it is today, and Fairy Tail wouldn’t have become as strong as it is now. I certainly wouldn’t be able to spend a peaceful afternoon like this walking around with you, without needing to worry about anything and simply feeling that everything is... happy."

By then, the two had reached the lakeside in one of Magnolia’s larger parks.

The surroundings were quiet and peaceful, and a gentle breeze stirred Mira’s hair while carrying a pleasant coolness across the water.

Even the wind seemed unusually soft.

Mira turned toward Marshall and gently placed a hand against his cheek, smoothing out the faint crease between his brows.

"So, Marshall, you’ve already done amazingly well. You’re only in your teens, yet you’ve accomplished things most people could never achieve even if they spent their entire lives trying. You’ve given countless people respectable work, protected ordinary families so they can live peaceful lives, and changed the futures of people who otherwise might have ended tragically."

Her voice remained gentle as she continued.

"You’ve already done enough. You don’t need to keep forcing yourself to do even better, because nobody in this world can be perfect. You always demand too much from yourself, and maybe part of that is because you’ve ended up carrying too many other people’s expectations, but those expectations aren’t burdens you’re obligated to bear."

Mira smiled softly.

"In my eyes, you’re still just my silly little brother. You get anxious, you get sad, you feel lonely, and sometimes you need your big sister to comfort you too. So whenever you’re tired, you’re always allowed to come into my arms and act spoiled."

Her fingers gently brushed his hair.

"I’ll always love you, Marshall."

At that moment, with her long hair swaying in the breeze and her expression impossibly gentle, Mira almost seemed to glow in Marshall’s eyes.

His eyes immediately grew damp.

Then he buried his face straight into her chest and blurted out.

"Mommy!"

"?"

Mira stiffened.

After a moment, she helplessly shook her head and wrapped her arms around his head, patting him soothingly.

"All right, all right. I’m Marshall’s mommy~ Good boy, Marshall~"

"..."

Even someone as shameless as Marshall couldn’t stop his face from heating up.

He had actually done something that embarrassing!

It was absolutely—

completely—

impossible to refuse!

There was nothing he could do about it! Gentle Mira was simply far too unfair.

If he could keep enjoying this kind of warmth forever, Marshall felt that even if someone told him to turn back into a baby right now and spend every day following Mira around, he might actually agree.

Marshall remained buried against her for another while before finally, and very reluctantly, pulling his head free.

His face was still red as he muttered, "Mira-nee suddenly becoming this gentle is honestly kind of hard to get used to."

"Hmm?"

Mira immediately pinched his cheek, smiling sweetly.

"What exactly does that mean? Haven’t I always been this gentle with you? I’ll give you one more chance to organize your words properly."

"Sowwy. Mira-nee is the gentlest big sister in the whole world."

Satisfied, Mira finally released his cheek and vigorously ruffled his hair instead.

"Actually... when you realize that someone is important to you, you naturally become gentler with them."

Marshall looked up.

"So I’m important to Mira-nee?"

"Of course!"

Mira huffed.

"I realized that when you and Lisanna disappeared together. It definitely has nothing to do with you growing older and gradually spending less time with your big sister."

Marshall immediately objected.

"When have I ever been distant? That’s slander!"

"Oh?"

Mira’s eyes narrowed.

"Then what’s going on with Levy and Juvia?"

Marshall froze.

"You seem to enjoy spending an awful lot of time with those two lately."

Her smile grew sweeter.

"What? Are you planning to abandon an ’old big sister’ like me now?"

Cold sweat instantly appeared on Marshall’s forehead.

How had the conversation suddenly turned in this direction?

This wasn’t right!

Marshall’s eyes wandered everywhere except toward Mira.

"N-No? Of course not. My relationship with all my big sisters has always been great. Hahaha..."

Without saying anything, Mira took out her Magic Terminal, tapped the screen a few times, then turned it around.

A recording began playing.

["Mommy!"]

Marshall’s face went from pink to red to completely scarlet.

He panicked.

"MIRA! How could you do that?! Delete it! Hurry up and delete it!"

A little devil’s smile appeared on Mira’s lips as she instantly darted several meters away.

"Hehehe~ Marshall, if you don’t tell me the truth, you understand what happens next, don’t you?"

She waved the terminal teasingly.

"You wouldn’t want everyone in the guild to see this adorable little video, would you?"

Marshall, who had spent so much time using other people’s embarrassing secrets against them, had finally been struck by his own boomerang.

For the first time, he had become the one being blackmailed with his dark history.

’Damn it!’

’Since when did Mira become this evil?!’

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