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Mirajane Strauss!
That was the name of the young woman radiating the aura of a delinquent girl.
Elfman Strauss!
That was the name of the burly young man with a timid look on his face.
Lisanna Strauss!
That was the name of the little girl who seemed like an obedient younger sister.
It was easy to see their relationship from their surname. In fact, the three of them really were siblings.
Of course, Noah only learned all of that afterward, including Elfman and Lisanna's names.
For now, aside from shock, Noah felt nothing but shock.
"My job belongs to you?"
With an utterly bewildered expression, Noah carefully sized up Mirajane, who looked completely justified; Elfman, who looked uneasy; and Lisanna, who looked anxious and helpless. After a long while, he spoke directly.
"Sorry, but I can't understand what you mean. Could you explain it more clearly?"
"I think I explained everything perfectly clearly just now!" Mirajane put her hands on her hips and looked down at Noah. Her exquisite face, no less beautiful than Erza's and possessing its own unique charm, wore a scornful expression enough to ruin that beauty.
"Besides, looking at you, I don't think you have what it takes to solve this ghost incident. So if you know what's good for you, hand the job over to us!"
At this point, Mirajane's words were no longer simply arrogant or provocative. She was deliberately making an enemy of him.
Thus, even Noah, who was very good at controlling his emotions, felt a trace of displeasure at Mirajane's words. He unconsciously reached out and touched the long cloth bag resting beside him. Looking at Mirajane, the corners of his mouth lifted.
"So you mean that someone about my age has the ability to solve this incident?"
Hearing that, Mirajane did not immediately respond. Instead, she glanced at the long cloth bag Noah was touching. Her expression remained vicious, but a hint of wariness quietly rose within her.
After all, it was not difficult to guess what such a bag might contain.
However, Mirajane had no intention of showing mercy with her words.
"You think carrying a weapon makes you a mage? Mages from Fairy Tail sure have it easy!"
Noah, who had previously turned a blind eye to Mirajane's words, abruptly opened his eyes. His gaze toward Mirajane turned cold, and even the magic power within him stirred slightly.
"Can I take that as you provoking Fairy Tail?"
Ever since Makarov had taken him in, Noah had constantly reminded himself to remain calm no matter what happened. This was because he had lost control of his emotions several times in Fairy Tail, causing the magic power within him to run wild and nearly destroying the entire guild.
That was why Noah, despite his young age, could display a calmness that even adults did not possess.
Because of that, no matter how Laxus targeted Noah, Noah's emotions were not easily affected by him. That made Laxus somewhat resentful of—or perhaps even fearful of—his younger brother, and he repeatedly treated Noah terribly.
With Laxus's personality, he would never admit that he was somewhat afraid of this younger brother whose emotions were so difficult to influence. That was why he targeted Noah every time, trying to shatter the calmness that even he feared.
Therefore, if Laxus had been present, he would definitely have known that there were only three things capable of affecting Noah's emotions.
One was anything concerning Makarov, who had raised Noah.
One was harm done to those close to Noah.
And the last was any insult directed at Fairy Tail.
It could be said that Mirajane's words had inadvertently struck Noah's sore spot.
Mirajane seemed to sense the fleeting aura of surging magic power from Noah. Her heart tightened, and her body stiffened slightly.
Though it had lasted only an instant, the moment Mirajane sensed that fleeting aura of magic power from Noah, a sense of danger rose in her heart.
"Big Sis Mira!" Lisanna seemed not to have noticed anything. Seeing Noah's eyes turn cold, she hurriedly grabbed Mirajane's hand and lowered her head toward Noah.
"I'm sorry! I'm really sorry!"
"Please don't be angry." Elfman's face was full of unease, but he still spoke up.
"We really don't mean any harm."
They had come to his door to pick a fight, and they did not mean any harm?
If it had been someone else, they would probably have been unable to endure it any longer and started brawling with the trio in front of them.
Fortunately, Noah was not someone who acted rashly. He took a deep breath, calmed his slightly disturbed emotions, and looked straight at the trio before him.
"I roughly understand why you came. You want to take on the request issued by this village, right?"
Mirajane snorted coldly and turned her head away, looking as though she had no intention of explaining anything. Elfman nodded repeatedly, while Lisanna seemed somewhat angry at her sister's behavior. The siblings' completely different reactions left Noah feeling helpless.
"I only want to ask one thing." Noah stared intently at the trio before him.
"Were you sent by Phantom Lord?"
"Phantom Lord?" Mirajane, Elfman, and Lisanna were all stunned at once, each of them looking somewhat confused.
Seeing that, Noah knew that the three siblings had not been sent by Phantom Lord to oppose Fairy Tail, like last time.
"Then why are you trying to steal my job?" Noah asked directly.
"I don't think I've offended you."
Hearing Noah's words, Elfman and Lisanna both lowered their heads, seeming somewhat guilty. Only Mirajane remained as blunt as ever.
"You don't need to know that. You're a Fairy Tail mage anyway. Just go back to your guild and take another request. Leave this one to us!"
Noah raised an eyebrow. Ignoring Mirajane, he shifted his gaze to Lisanna beside her.
He had figured it out. Among the three siblings, Mirajane was a typical delinquent girl and difficult to reason with. Elfman was rather timid, and even if Noah asked him, he would only stammer. Only the youngest girl, Lisanna, was easier to talk to and would not cause so many problems.
"I'm really sorry." Lisanna's first words were still an apology, and her cute face was full of remorse.
"But we really need this request. If possible, I hope you can give it to us."
"Lisanna, why are you talking to him so much?" Mirajane glared at Noah with an unfriendly expression.
"Kid, I told you already. Your job belongs to us. If you don't want me to beat you up and make you run home in disgrace, then give up now!"
"Big Sis Mira!" Lisanna's voice was full of anger and helplessness. Clearly, she was deeply troubled by her sister's terrible attitude.
Noah let out a sigh, picked up the long cloth bag beside him, and stood up.
"Although I don't know why you said you need this request, I'm guessing you went to the village chief's house and were told that I had already accepted it. That's why you came looking for me, hoping I would give it up, right?"
After saying that, Noah wore a mischievous smile and spoke.
"If that's the case, then try taking my job from me!"
As soon as he finished speaking, before Mirajane and the others could say anything, Noah ran straight outside.
"Don't run!"
Elfman and Lisanna were both startled. Mirajane cried out even more excitedly, grabbed one of them in each hand, and charged out the door.
Before you continue