Looking at Mirajane, who wore a faint smile on her face, Marco was momentarily stunned.
Could Mira actually possess such feminine charm?
Was this really the same person as that delinquent girl who always wore a fierce expression?
With her hair down, her facial features softened, and no longer making those ferocious expressions, Mira sitting quietly beside Marco now truly resembled a girl in the bloom of youth, rather than the tomboy she had always been before.
It wasn't that there was anything wrong with having a tomboyish personality, but Mira's true nature wasn't like that.
She had become that way only to take care of her younger siblings and to avoid being bullied.
If possible, wouldn't she also want to be a cherished young girl? It was just that the responsibilities on her shoulders pushed her forward.
From the way Mira acted when cooking, one could see her true self—it was only during those moments that she could truly be herself.
As Marco looked at Mirajane, his gaze gradually softened.
"Stop looking at me with that strange expression."
Noticing Marco's odd look, Mirajane's lips twitched.
What was with that 'my child has finally grown up' expression?
"Ahem, this is good." Marco coughed dryly twice, averted his eyes, and then replied with certainty.
If Mira could truly calm her mindset, follow the steps steadily, and improve herself without competing or striving aggressively, her future achievements would surely not be much worse than Erza's.
As a companion and friend, Marco naturally hoped Mira could become better.
"I think it's good too." Mira nodded.
She shouldn't push herself and her siblings anymore—they had already progressed quickly enough and didn't need to rush so much.
Continuing to force growth would only bring harm, not benefit, both for her and for Elfman and Lisanna.
"Mira! Lisanna! Elfman!"
Just as Marco and Mira were having a heartfelt conversation and the topic was beginning to deepen, someone came and interrupted their discussion.
"It's Erza. She must have found out about what happened this time."
Hearing that voice, Marco immediately knew who it was, and there was no need to guess why Erza had come running over.
"..."
Mirajane's face twitched, and her expression nearly cracked—clearly, she hadn't fully mastered her composure yet.
The thought of Erza possibly mocking her made Mira want to get up and hide right away.
Lifting their eyes, they saw Erza running over.
She looked travel-worn, clearly having just returned from a job.
"Erza, they're all fine." Marco waved his hand, signaling Erza not to worry.
Erza ran over and stood in front of Marco and Mirajane.
Her gaze wasn't on Marco but fixed on Mirajane.
"..."
Mirajane lowered her head, avoiding Erza's eyes.
She thought to herself, as expected, it's here—Erza's mockery was unavoidable.
But this time, Mirajane had nothing to argue.
She really hadn't handled things well, and being mocked to her face was deserved.
"It's good that you're all right."
Just as Mirajane had braced herself for direct mockery, Erza spoke slowly, her tone unexpectedly gentle.
This made Mirajane look up at Erza in surprise.
Clearly, she hadn't expected Erza to say that at all.
Marco sat nearby without speaking, but he wasn't surprised that Erza would say this.
After seeing Mirajane, and then Lisanna and Elfman pulling weeds, uprooting trees, and turning soil in the "Rose Field" alongside other guildmates, Erza visibly relaxed.
Clearly, the descriptions she had heard at the guild must have been quite exaggerated.
"They said you almost all died during the quest, and if Marco hadn't arrived in time, none of you three would have made it back," Erza continued, recounting what she had heard.
In truth, it wasn't an exaggeration—that was the reality.
However, this "almost died" didn't mean all three were on the brink of death, but rather that if things had progressed further, they would have perished.
Thanks to Marco turning the tide, Mirajane, Elfman, and Lisanna actually suffered no major injuries and recovered quickly.
This was clearly different from what Erza had initially imagined, but she was certainly satisfied with the outcome.
"Because Marco was there, we're all fine," Mirajane replied, seeing that Erza hadn't mocked them or kicked them while they were down.
She breathed a sigh of relief inside, never expecting to get through this so easily—Erza had actually become reasonable.
"Mirajane, you shouldn't have taken your younger siblings along. You've only just become S-Class yourself, and your own abilities aren't even up to par yet. You shouldn't have risked Lisanna and Elfman's safety with you—it was far too arrogant, far too careless about an S-Class Quest."
But as soon as Mirajane spoke, Erza's expression turned stern.
She fixed her gaze on Mirajane and lectured her bluntly.
Clearly, Erza had been holding this in the whole way.
"..." Mirajane's expression froze.
She gritted her teeth and held back her words, because although Erza's tone was harsh, she wasn't wrong—every point hit home.
"Mira already knows she was wrong, Erza," Marco interjected, seeing Mirajane bow her head stiffly and remain silent.
At least for now, Mira's attitude toward admitting her mistake seemed quite sincere, making it worth speaking up for her.
"And you, Marco—since you were following them all along, why didn't you stop them from the start? Why let them risk their lives like that?"
But the moment Marco spoke, Erza immediately turned her focus to him.
The girl questioned him sternly, her expression serious.
"Uh..." Marco's eyes widened, momentarily speechless from the rebuttal.
He truly hadn't expected to be dragged into this.
"Pfft~" Mirajane, who had been bowing her head, covered her mouth and couldn't help but laugh aloud.
She hadn't expected Marco to get scolded alongside her.
"Laugh! How can you still laugh? I did all that because I trusted you! Who knew you wouldn't handle it, forcing me to step in!" Marco reached out and poked Mirajane's head, redirecting the criticism back at her.
How dare she snicker on the sidelines!
"..." At Marco's words, Mirajane immediately stopped her giggling.
Because his argument actually true—after all, this was her first "S-Class Quest."
Marco had followed along to protect them covertly, giving her the chance to resolve it herself first, out of respect and trust in her.
"Fine, you pass."
Marco's explanation also gained Erza's approval.
She stopped questioning Marco and began focusing her criticism on Mirajane instead.
Erza's main concern was that Mirajane had taken Lisanna and Elfman along on an "S-Class Quest."
"Of course you can bring your younger siblings to gain experience in the future, but doing so on your very first attempt—I can only describe it as arrogance."
Erza's expression was stern.
"S-Class Quests" were extremely dangerous.
When they accepted such missions themselves, no matter how difficult, they had to give it their all—that was their duty as S-Class Mages.
It wasn't that they couldn't bring helpers on missions, but Lisanna and Elfman's abilities were clearly far from adequate.
Calling them helpers would be too generous; they were essentially dead weight.
"Alright, alright, I understand now, Erza. Please stop."
Being repeatedly confronted with these facts by Erza made Mirajane so embarrassed she wished she could find a hole to crawl into.
Fortunately, only she, Marco, and Erza were present—no outsiders—otherwise she would have long lost her composure.
But being constantly lectured was unbearable for Mirajane.
She suddenly stood up, took two steps forward, and approached Erza.