The Strausses passed away early, and Elfman and Lisana were practically raised by Mira.
During that time, the three siblings lived together in a small, remote village, occasionally receiving some help from the villagers.
Though life was difficult, there were often small moments of warmth and touch.
When Mira talked about the hard times back then, a smile unconsciously appeared on her face.
Even when mentioning how they were treated as demons by the villagers, she didn't express dissatisfaction with them, focusing more on how Lisana stood up for her back then.
Whenever she was scolded, Lisana would argue loudly;
when she was hit by a stone, Lisana would throw the stone back and ask if she was hurt.
Lisana was a strong, kind child who always tried to protect her sister.
Compared to her, Elfman's character seemed overly gentle.
Rhode listened quietly as she talked about leaving the village and coming to the guild.
She recalled the past with Erza, Kana, Natsu, and Gray, but the focus wasn't on them; it was on how her younger siblings got along with them.
Through one trivial story after another, it was clear that when she first joined the guild, most of her attention was on her siblings, worried they might suffer grievances.
Soon she realized such worries weren't necessary in the guild.
"But I ruined it all with my own hands. I caused Lisana's death, and entrapped Elfman in endless guilt and self-blame."
The warm and beautiful memories abruptly ended at this moment, as Mira put a hand on her forehead and tears began to fall.
"If I hadn't taken that mission, if I had been as cautious as you back then, if..."
Mira briefly rested a hand on Rhode's shoulder, then quickly sat up straight.
Rhode silently pulled out some tissues and handed them to her, which she could borrow at any time.
Is there no blame on Elfman at all but only an inability to forgive herself?
Just now, she was still talking about Lisana's kindness, Elfman's kindness.
The genuine kindness of your whole family is clearly in the same vein.
When she had finished crying and wiped away her tears, Rhode finally spoke:
"You gave it your all that day, didn't you?"
"Before hurting Lisana, was Elfman trying hard to resist the consciousness of the Beast King?"
"When Lisana did what she did, was she afraid or regretful?"
The answers to such questions were obvious, and Rhode's point was also clear.
Back then, the three of them had already done everything they could do.
Punishing oneself with guilt, blame, and regret won't change what has happened, nor will it make the future better.
So, try to forgive yourself.
"I understand, thank you." Mira put on her usual smile, "I feel much better now."
That's a lie.
So as not to let goodwill go to waste and to prevent those around her from worrying.
She is like the Lisana she's been praising, a kind person who thinks of others.
"That's good then." Rhode didn't expose her lie.
It's impossible to resolve such a heart knot with just one conversation.
The progress this time was already promising, at least she was willing to talk about Lisana with him.
Mira reached out for the coffee cup, but Rhode snatched it away.
She looked at Rhode in confusion.
Rhode pushed his own coffee toward her: "You've suffered enough, have something sweet."
While Mira hesitated whether to drink it, Rhode had already taken a sip of her coffee.
"Hmm, slightly got a taste of the bitterness you experienced, next..." Rhode put down the cup, "Add sugar, add sugar!"
Mira took a small sip of his coffee; it was sweet. Her smile had a hint of disdain: "Too much sugar."
Rhode stated matter-of-factly: "I like sweet things."
"So then." Mira gently set down the coffee cup, "Since you took my coffee and added sugar, what's the point of the exchange?"
"The point... is the process of making it sweet?"
It couldn't just be for the sake of exchanging. On the surface, Rhode was calm, but in reality, his ears were already burning.
Even he couldn't understand where he got the courage to dare to exchange cups with her like that.
He thought for a moment and asked, "How about we switch back?"
"No, that cup is almost turning into sugar water." Mira glanced at him and then nonchalantly looked out the window.
Switching back with every sip, wouldn't that be even weirder?
"Oh."
After sitting in the coffee shop for quite some time, Mira had almost recovered her strength.
The two of them followed the plan and headed to a restaurant in the south of the city, where the atmosphere had returned to normal.
The southern city was an area Rhode seldom visited, and Mira introduced him to which shops had good quality and low prices, and which shop owners only liked giving discounts to pretty women.
"It's really unfair to change the price based on looks!" Rhode said, "So, can I ask you to shop for me in the future?"
"Sure, how about wearing something a bit more revealing?"
"Never mind, that sounds too troublesome." Rhode thought it over and added,
"How about teaching me transformation magic so I can turn into Jenny to go shopping?"
Mira's eyes curved into smiles: "Okay, Rhode is too naughty."
Rhode shook his head: "You know it's naughty and still agree, we're really each other's match."
Sles Holudo Restaurant is located near Magnolia South Gate Park.
The name is a bit of a mouthful, so regulars like to refer to it as 'Threshold' or 'Beginning.'
The implication being, coming here you cross the threshold to happiness, or you get the beginning of a beautiful love.
The president didn't tell Rhode this; he found it out himself.
As for whether Mira knew, he wasn't sure, but she didn't refuse either.
"Ah, what a lively restaurant." And most patrons entered in pairs, Mira looked at Rhode, "Why did you choose this place?"
Because of its good implication, of course.
Definitely can't say that, so Rhode shifted the responsibility:
"The president recommended it. He said the chef here is very skilled."
Mira smiled and asked, "Is that so?"
"Of course, my words are precious!" Rhode raised a hand, "The president said it's great here."
The president, well, is the one who takes the blame for everyone at the key moment. I, Rhode, don't usually cause trouble, so it's no problem to pass the buck sometimes.
Mira nodded, the term 'precious words' used well, indicating not entirely so.
But there must be a reason involving the president, yes, need to moderate the president's drinking when we get back.
And expedite that review paper.
The guild's task statistics from last month also need to be written by him.
"Welcome!"
"We have a reservation."
"This way, please."
Rhode and Mira walked into the restaurant amidst pairs of young couples, heading towards their reserved spot.
The menu here was as varied as in the guild.
Rhode looked at Mira and, somewhat regretfully, turned past the front-page items:
'Sweet Couple Set Meal,' 'Forever Together Couple Meal,' and other tempting meal sets.
He ordered two dishes he liked, one that might appeal to Mira, and then asked for her opinion.