"Though if breakfast is always this lavish, I'd love to come every day. I just worry the chef might think I eat too much."
After "disciplining" Lisanna, Marco turned his gaze to Mirajane.
He meant every word—if Mira didn't mind, he'd be more than happy to drop by every morning for a delicious breakfast.
After all, his morning jog could take him anywhere. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ nοvelfire.net
"It's just a little extra cooking..."
Hearing Marco's words, Mira quickly averted her eyes and muttered softly.
"Then I'll be imposing from now on." Marco smiled, having clearly caught her response—it certainly wasn't a refusal.
"Yay! This is great!" Lisanna clutched her forehead, bouncing with joy.
"Wonderful!" Elfman cheered too, though it was unclear whether he was celebrating the prospect of lavish breakfasts every morning.
"In that case, I'll handle the cleaning from now on!"
Marco volunteered for cleanup duty.
When someone cooks you delicious meals and you can't help during preparation, the least you can do is wash the dishes—basic manners and the secret to maintaining good relationships.
"No need, I can manage." Mirajane waved her hands hurriedly.
Guests shouldn't have to clean up after meals!
"If it were just one day, I wouldn't insist. But since I'll be coming daily, how could I laze around guilt-free? If you stop me, I'll have no choice but to stop visiting."
Marco marched into the kitchen with righteous determination, making Mira immediately back down as she watched him start washing the dishes.
"Put on an apron so you don't dirty your clothes." Mira stood nearby holding an apron, ready to hand it over.
Marco set down the plate and leaned toward Mira, bowing his head.
He raised his hands—both covered in water and grease—signaling he needed assistance.
"Huh?" Mira froze momentarily.
Yet Marco's casual tone, as if this were completely normal, made her reconsider.
Almost reflexively, Mira reached out and draped the apron around Marco's lowered neck.
Standing so close, she caught the fresh scent of his hair—he'd showered after his morning jog too.
Marco straightened up and turned around for Mira to tie the apron strings.
As Mira reached around to fasten the ties behind his back, she realized: though they were nearly the same age, Marco had grown remarkably.
His tall, sturdy body beside her radiated an overwhelming sense of security—like the steadfast pillar of a household.
Tying the apron hastily, Mira stepped back, cheeks flushed, mentally scolding herself for such wandering thoughts!
"All set—fully equipped and ready to work!"
After putting on the apron, Marco immediately started washing the dishes at lightning speed, leaving Mira, who had been lost in thought, utterly stunned.
In less than two minutes, Marco had cleaned and neatly arranged all the tableware.
Marco wiped his hands and casually took off the apron, hanging it nearby.
Everything that had just happened made Mira question herself.
It felt like she had just tied the apron for him a second ago—had she overstepped?
Marco had perfectly controlled the distance and force, not even splashing a drop of water onto the apron.
"What's wrong, Mira?"
After tidying up the kitchen and admiring his handiwork, Marco felt satisfied.
He turned to Mira and noticed her staring at him with a strange expression, prompting him to ask.
"N-nothing! All done? Then let's go!"
Mira snapped out of it and quickly changed the subject, refusing to acknowledge her earlier wandering thoughts—as if they had never happened!
It was just helping him tie an apron, yet she had somehow spiraled into thoughts about being the head of the household and the family's pillar.
It was all Lisanna's fault, always going on about "family this, family that," making her overthink things!
Mira swiftly identified the culprit behind her mental detour.
Meanwhile, Lisanna, who had just finished packing and was waiting to leave, suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.
She warily glanced around but found no immediate threat, though something felt off.
When Mira emerged from the kitchen, Lisanna stiffened.
The look in Mira's eyes screamed danger!
Lisanna immediately ducked behind Marco, who had also just stepped out of the kitchen, putting distance between herself and Mira while blocking her sister's line of sight.
'I even got Marco to come over for meals every day—why isn't Mira happy?! Did I do something wrong?!'
Lisanna grumbled internally, baffled by her sister's sudden mood.
Shouldn't Mira be thrilled about this?
"Alright, let's go—off to the guild."
Sandwiched between the sisters, Marco sensed Mira's occasional glances toward Lisanna.
He took the initiative, leading Lisanna out the door first.
The little one had secured him a long-term meal pass, so Marco figured he should return the favor by helping her out of this awkward situation.
"Let's go, let's go!"
Elfman, now ready, quickly followed the two, calling back to Mira to hurry up and catch up with Marco.
"Those two... whose side are they even on?"
Watching her younger siblings trailing behind Marco, Mira muttered under her breath before breaking into a smile.
Deep down, she understood—her brother and sister probably saw Marco as the older brother figure they never had.
"Actually... this is nice."
With a soft sigh, Mira quickly gathered herself and followed after them.
By the time they reached the guild, most of the group had already arrived—they had taken their time, fooling around on the way.
Hisui spotted Marco the moment he entered and immediately approached him.
Though everyone was friendly, she still felt closest to him.
Being new here, she instinctively stuck by his side.
"So this is your apprentice?" Mira nudged Marco and asked.
She had now recovered and returned to her usual self, her eyes scrutinizing the well-behaved Hisui.
'This guy... why does he always bring back this type? Wendy, Juvia, and now this Hisui—all so obedient and polite child. Of course, Wendy and Juvia have different inner personalities. Juvia likes to mutter gloomily to herself. What kind of person is this Hisui inside?'
Mira silently complained in her mind.
She was actually quite observant.
Though Juvia and Wendy both often appeared weak and timid, they were different.
Juvia sometimes muttered resentfully to herself in a corner, which was quite amusing to watch.
"Yes, this is Hisui, my apprentice. She's learning the lyre and magic from me."
Marco introduced her to Mira, Lisanna, and Elfman.
They hadn't met yesterday, so this was their formal introduction.
"Lisanna, as well as Juvia and Levy, you can all play together." Marco looked at Lisanna.
She was around the same age as Juvia, Levy, and Hisui, so they should get along well.
In truth, they were all close in age, with only a year or two between them.
Cana and Laki were just a year older and could also play with them.
The slightly older ones were Marco, Erza, and Mira, so the three of them were the main caretakers among the children.
Marco was the backbone, Erza was the disciplinarian and Mira didn't involve herself much in management—she was more on the sidelines, mainly looking after her younger siblings.
"Got it, Marco! I'll make sure to include Hisui when we play!" Lisanna responded cheerfully.
Among the younger kids, she was quite the thoughtful one.
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