"Gratitude should be spoken loudly—it's nothing to be ashamed of. By the way, Mira—can I call you that? Lisanna and Elfman seem to address you that way." Marco spoke gently.
By now, he had ample experience dealing with troubled children—he'd simply seen too many of them.
Mirajane looked up at Marco in surprise before immediately lowering her gaze again.
His radiant smile was too bright for her to face directly.
Like a little sun, Marco warmed everyone around him, yet his light seemed capable of scorching her demonic arm.
"...Its fine."
After whispering her reply, Mirajane turned and hurried away.
Head bowed and body hunched, she buried herself entirely within her cloak.
She believed someone like her didn't deserve to stand beside others—her very existence would only invite scorn upon her younger siblings.
'What's this? Did I scare her off by being too forward?'
Watching Mirajane flee, Marco scratched his head in bemusement.
Troubled children who could stump him were rare indeed.
The last one to give him such a headache had been Erza.
Honestly, if Erza hadn't been away on a mission, Marco would've made her take a look at Mirajane's current state—it was practically identical to how she used to be.
The only difference was that Erza had armored herself in steel, while Mirajane hid beneath her cloak.
The essence was the same.
This Mira... she's completely trapped in her own mind.
Marco sighed.
The girl was utterly unwilling to engage with others—even he could only exchange a few words with her.
Others would find it even harder.
Still, Marco could guess at some of Mirajane's thoughts.
Driven out of her village and was accused as a demon, then subjected to rejection and hatred during her wanderings—it had convinced her she was nothing but a burden.
A curse that would bring scorn upon her siblings wherever they went.
If Marco's guess was right, once she confirmed that Fairy Tail was a safe place, this girl might very well try to slip away quietly.
She didn't want to hold her siblings back anymore, so she'd choose to leave on her own.
'I need to keep an eye on her.'
Marco thought to himself, determined not to let Mirajane slip away.
*****
A few days later, both Lisanna and Elfman had awakened their magic power and Marco began teaching the two children Take Over Magic.
Although Marco himself didn't know this magic, teaching from the textbook wasn't difficult.
No one in the guild used this magic anyway, so it didn't matter who taught it.
Marco might as well take on the task himself.
Moreover, while Marco's own abilities were limited, he had external support—he could directly summon Makarov to assist with the teaching.
Makarov naturally cooperated fully with Marco's plan, believing it would be quite effective.
Anyone who understood Mirajane's situation could easily see the root of her problem—she cared too much about her younger siblings.
Therefore, Lisanna and Elfman were the key to breaking through her defenses.
"That's all for today's lesson. Go play now."
After letting Lisanna and Elfman attempt Take Over Magic, Marco concluded today's magic lessons.
Though the situation was urgent—Mirajane might run away at any moment—Marco couldn't force Elfman and Lisanna to study all day without any time to play.
That would be unnatural and could arouse suspicion.
Thus, Marco limited their lessons to two sessions a day.
Fortunately, both Lisanna and Elfman were very diligent, making the most of their limited time.
"Take Over Magic is really hard! Mira-nee is so amazing to have awakened such a powerful magic naturally!"
As soon as Marco announced the end of the lesson, Lisanna slumped onto the table, sighing in frustration.
She was genuinely struggling.
"It's okay, Lisanna. You're doing great. Just keep at it, and you'll master it soon."
Seeing Lisanna pouting on the table, Marco affectionately ruffled her hair and comforted her softly.
It wasn't really Lisanna's fault.
While her magical talent wasn't as strong as Mirajane's or Elfman's, she was by no means weak.
The reason Lisanna was struggling so much was that Marco had immediately set a high difficulty for her and Elfman—like asking someone who just learned to walk to run a marathon.
Of course it was hard.
Lisanna and Elfman, who had only just begun to sense magic power, should have been focusing on building their foundations gradually rather than rushing into learning magic.
But given the circumstances, they had no choice but to grit their teeth and push through.
"Mm! Thank you, Marco-nii! I'll keep trying my best!"
Lisanna nuzzled into Marco's warm palm, then gave him a bright smile, cheering herself on loudly.
For Mira-nee's sake, and to live up to Marco-nii's hard work, she would master Take Over Magic as quickly as possible!
"Go play now." Marco smiled and gestured for Lisanna to join the other children.
Elfman stood obediently nearby, waiting for her.
"Mm!"
Lisanna obediently ran off, joining Elfman and the other playing children.
Unlike Mirajane, who remained isolated under her cloak, refusing to interact with anyone and earning a reputation for being strange and withdrawn person.
Lisanna and Elfman quickly integrated into the guild, soon playing together with the other children there.
Natsu, Gray, Cana, Levy, and Wendy were all very friendly, showing no exclusion towards these two new friends.
After lessons, Lisanna and Elfman would always gather with them.
"The number of children in the guild keeps growing."
Outside the main entrance, Erza, with her fiery red hair and clad in armor, walked in carrying a bag.
Seeing the noisy group of children now with two more unfamiliar faces, she couldn't help but sigh in amazement.
She had only been in the guild for less than two years and already four more children had joined!
"Hmm? There's another one here."
Erza's gaze fell on Mirajane, who was draped in a cloak.
For some reason, the sight of this lonely figure gave her a sense of irritation—an odd, unwarranted displeasure.
"Did the job go well, Erza?"
Marco appeared, directly blocking Mirajane from view, shifting Erza's attention to his smiling face.
"Of course, i complete it without a hitch." Erza's brows relaxed as she answered confidently.
"As expected of you." Marco praised with a smile, noticing the shift in Erza's mood.
The reason he had stepped in was because he sensed something off about Erza's expression when she saw Mirajane.
Though Marco had often mused to himself that Mirajane's current demeanor was almost identical to how Erza had been when she first arrived, now that he saw Erza's strange reaction, he began to worry that Mirajane's state might negatively affect her.
Marco's compliment brought a smile to Erza's face.
Then, tilting her head slightly, she peered past him to look at the cloaked figure he had blocked, curiosity evident as she asked.
"Marco, who is that?"
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