The two of them stood where they were, looking at each other. Mira frowned, then pouted, her expression shifting several times before she finally asked Kabe,
"What exactly did she understand? And what did you even mean by all that stuff you said? Since when did you become a philosopher?"
Kabe shrugged, just as confused.
"Who knows. I just made it up on the spot. I did not think she would actually take it seriously."
"...So, do we go?" Mira asked.
"Yeah, back to the guild. With five million coming in, we will not need to take jobs for quite a while."
The moment they thought of the five million J that would soon be theirs, the two of them immediately threw all thoughts of Karen out of their heads and happily started their journey home.
"Oh, right, are you going to run back again?"
The question suddenly popped into Mira's mind, and she spoke it aloud.
Kabe gently shook his head.
"No. Things are a bit urgent, so let us use a more special method this time."
"But is your speed not faster than a train? If you are not going to run, how exactly are you planning to get us back?"
The question had barely left her mouth when Kabe suddenly crouched down. One arm slid behind her back, the other hooked around the bend of her knees.
With a startled yelp from Mira, he lifted her up into a princess carry.
"Ah! Y-you... what are you doing? Put me down!"
Completely caught off guard, Mira kicked her legs in a panic, her hands thumping against his chest, her face turning as red as a ripe apple.
"Stop moving. Hold on tight. We are about to take off."
After that brief warning, Kabe powered up. A long white tail of energy flame stretched out behind them as he shot up into the clouds.
This was already the second time Kabe had taken Mira flying, but compared to the first time, when they had only drifted gently in the air, this felt more like being strapped to a rocket.
The howling wind made it impossible for Mira to open her eyes. Instinctively, she buried her face against Kabe's chest.
"Waaaah! S-slow down! I cannot take it!"
"Hey, what are you screaming for?!"
Mira's cry, with its slightly questionable phrasing, scared Kabe into quickly dropping his speed by a third.
When she felt the wind weaken, Mira finally dared to slowly open her eyes and take a deep breath as she looked down.
At once, a breathtaking scene entered her vision.
Below them, a small stream wound its way through the forest, its surface reflecting countless points of golden light. The world looked like a painting.
"Wow... it is so beautiful."
This was Mira's first time looking down on the forest from such a height, and she could not help exclaiming in wonder.
"Say, if you can fly, why did you not tell me earlier?"
Kabe, reduced to a flying vehicle cruising slowly toward Magnolia, heard her complaint and almost exploded.
"Ha? Who do you think you are to me? Why should I tell you everything?"
Mira thumped his shoulder angrily, her cheeks still flushed as she half pouted, half snorted.
"I am your partner and roommate, am I not? I should know all your little secrets."
"You have been reading too many romance novels. That coy tone really does not suit you at all."
Kabe's completely unromantic attitude made all the little sparks Mira had felt because of their close position flip instantly into pure rage.
"You jerk, go die!"
"Wait, do not mess around, we are still in the sky!"
With their bickering and wobbling flight, a journey that would normally take half an hour ended up taking twice as long.
...
"We are back!!!"
The moment they stepped into the familiar guild hall, Mira loudly announced her return at the top of her lungs.
"Oh, it is Mira. First mission, must have been hard on you."
"Little Mira, welcome home."
"Big Sis Mira, you are back!!!"
Lisanna threw herself at her, and Mira caught her, rubbing her little sister's head affectionately.
Then she frowned, confused, as she looked around the guild. Only a few people had bothered to turn and welcome her.
"What is going on? This was my first mission, yet only this few people are here to witness it?"
Not seeing the grand, festive welcome she had imagined, Mira planted her fists on her hips and started sulking.
Tiny Lisanna looked up at her big sister with shining eyes, explaining with admiration,
"Everyone has been working really hard lately. They are all out on jobs."
"Huh? Those useless uncles who only know how to drink and gamble?"
Mira looked completely unconvinced.
Compared to believing that lot would ever work hard, she would rather believe Kabe was an actual fairy.
"So it is that time again. They only put in some effort once a year."
Kabe finally finished straightening his clothes and hair and walked into the guild.
"Kabe big brother, you are back too!"
Seeing Lisanna's sweet greeting, all the resentment Kabe had been nursing disappeared in an instant. He reached out and gently pinched her soft cheeks.
"With our cute little angel Lisanna here, big brother does not feel tired at all."
"Hehehe..."
"Tch."
The giggle belonged to Lisanna. The dissatisfied sound belonged to a certain rough older sister.
Kabe decisively ignored the latter. After playing with Lisanna for a bit longer, he finally said to her,
"Alright, go listen to your sister tell the story of our mission. Big brother is going to see the master."
Lisanna nodded obediently, then turned and, together with Elfman, dragged Mira away, pestering her to tell them everything that had happened.
Unable to resist her younger siblings' clinginess, Mira could only let herself be pulled away, telling the story as they walked.
But before she left, she still did not forget to turn back and glare fiercely at Kabe, silently mouthing two words at him.
Come find me.
Kabe waved lazily in her direction and neither agreed nor refused.
After that, following the aura he sensed, he swaggered openly through the guild hall, right in front of everyone, and headed for the stairs.
He walked up to the second floor of the guild building, the floor that Makarov had repeatedly forbidden lower-ranked mages from stepping foot on.
The few members in the guild who saw this were stunned for a moment, then began whispering in surprise.
"Hey, that brat actually went up to the second floor."
"Ah? If it is Kabe, it should be fine. He will be allowed up there sooner or later anyway."
"Well, that is true.
Sigh, I wonder if I will have a chance this year."
"Which is exactly why you need to work harder. Enough talking, I have my eye on a job. I am off."
...
Mira had just sat down somewhere to rest when she heard the murmurs around her and felt even more confused.
What chance? And what does it have to do with work?
When Kabe gets back, I definitely have to ask him properly.
On the other side, Kabe had already arrived on the guild's second floor.
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