Chapter 538: The Sister-in-law Who Suffered a Continuous Blow
"Honey Dessert House?" Lisanna tilted her head, eyes on the sign above the shop. "I’ve never been here before."
"Of course," Rhodes replied. "This place only opened last year."
"Ohhh~ Could this be... one of the places you and my sister went on a date?"
"You guessed it."
"Then is it really okay for you to bring me here?"
"But we didn’t have much choice," Rhodes said as he glanced at her puzzled face. "Can you guess how many shops in all of Magnolia we haven’t been to?"
"—"
Lisanna fell silent. That made sense. They’d been dating for quite a while now.
She pouted and walked in, secretly determined to eat as much as she wanted today.
"Welcome! Welco...?! Mr. Rhodes?!"
The cheerful hostess by the entrance gave Lisanna a polite bow first, then turned with a wide smile to greet the man behind her, only for her expression to freeze mid-sentence.
When she recognized Rhodes, she gasped and covered her mouth, her eyes wide with shock.
Rhodes blinked. "What’s wrong?"
Lisanna also looked at the woman with curiosity. ’Is my brother-in-law really that famous?’
But just as the thought crossed her mind, the hostess jabbed a finger in Rhodes’s direction with a scowl. "You heartbreaker!"
"?"
Lisanna tilted her head. ’Wait, does he have a past I don’t know about?’
"Huh?" Rhodes squinted at the woman. She was familiar enough that he remembered seeing her once or twice, and yes, she was pretty, but, he didn’t even know her name.
No chance he had led her on.
’Could it be someone impersonated me?’ He briefly suspected Loki.
"Miss, you..."
Before he could finish, the woman pointed at Lisanna instead and barked, "You’re about to marry Mirajane, yet here you are on a date with another girl! And I even secretly rooted for you two!"
Her voice rang out, drawing attention from all directions. Customers in the shop turned to stare, whispering behind menus. Even passersby on the street paused to peek in.
’Mirajane’s fiancé, caught cheating? With another woman? Scandalous.’
Rhodes exhaled a long sigh. So it was just a misunderstanding. From her reaction, she was clearly a fan of Mira.
"Umm—"
Lisanna was caught completely off guard, stunned by being mistaken for her sister’s rival in love.
The hostess scowled at her and said, "You’re clearly not as beautiful as Mirajane, and your figure doesn’t even come close! What could you possibly have that’s worth betraying Mirajane for?"
Lisanna was speechless. On one hand, she was happy someone was standing up for her sister.
On the other, she couldn’t help but feel a little insulted.
Still, she did admit her sister was prettier. She had no argument, and no room to be mad, which only made it more frustrating.
Watching her conflicted expression, Rhodes could barely hold back his laughter.
Lisanna shot Rhodes a glare, then quickly explained her identity to the hostess.
Some of the customers recognized her and had heard rumors over the past couple of days about her "resurrection." Most of them had taken part in the Edolas incident, so they readily believed her story.
The hostess blushed deeply and bowed over and over in apology.
The manager came out as well, scolding her gently before personally inviting Rhodes and Lisanna to sit. As an apology, he offered them a few new desserts on the house.
Finally, they could sit down and enjoy their food in peace.
Well, mostly peace.
Lisanna still shot the occasional glare at Rhodes. "No more laughing."
"Okay."
"If you laugh again, I’ll tell my sister when we get back."
"Mhm, mhm. Honestly, it’d be a shame not to tell her about something this funny."
Lisanna felt like she was punching a cloud. Threats didn’t work on this guy at all.
Fuming, she stabbed into her dessert and ate aggressively.
Rhodes stifled his smile and watched as she finished a small cake. "Is that one good?"
"It’s alright."
Rhodes raised his hand and called to the hostess, "We’ll take two of these to go."
"Two? Besides for my sister, who’s the other one for?"
"One for Mira, one for Wendy. Mira said you and she have similar tastes. As for Wendy, well, she loves any kind of sweets."
"You and Wendy seem close."
"Not just me. Mira really likes her too."
If Lisanna hadn’t returned, Mira probably would have taken Wendy in like a real younger sister.
As Lisanna started on her second dessert, Rhodes asked, "What about this one?"
Lisanna nodded. "Also tasty."
"Great. Pack two more of those. And how about the macarons?"
"They’re a bit sour. Not really my thing."
"Then let’s get one."
Lisanna raised an eyebrow. "Why get it if no one likes it?"
Rhodes smirked. "We’ll give it to Laki. I’ve got a feeling she has unusual taste, she might love it."
Lisanna stared at him for a second, then said, "You and my sister really are a perfect match."
Rhodes chuckled. "Thanks for the compliment."
After finishing their desserts, the two went around to complete their shopping list. Most of the bulk items were handled either by the River Crab for transport or arranged to be delivered directly by the merchants.
Rhodes carried only a few pastry boxes in his arms, while Lisanna hugged a stuffed monkey doll to her chest, smiling like an ordinary, carefree girl.
"Big Brother Rhodes! And, Big Sister Lisanna!" Romeo came jogging up with excitement written all over his face.
"Romeo?" Lisanna blinked in surprise. "You’ve gotten so tall!"
She almost didn’t recognize him. When she had left, Romeo had only been about four years old. Now, at six, he had changed quite a bit.
"I heard my dad say Big Sister Lisanna came back to life," Romeo said with a sparkle in his eyes. "I thought maybe he was drunk... but it’s really true!"
Lisanna laughed softly and gently ruffled his hair. "It’s not resurrection. I just got lost and couldn’t find my way home. Fairy Tail’s magicians aren’t that easy to kill, you know?"
"Mhm!" Romeo nodded seriously, mentally recording the fact: ’Earth Land Magicians of Fairy Tail don’t die, they just get lost.
But then his cheerful expression faltered. "Still... back then, when I heard what happened, I was really sad for a long time."
"I’m sorry I made you worry," Lisanna said gently. She turned toward Rhodes and held out her hand. "Brother-in-law?"
Rhodes immediately understood. He passed her a box of pastries.
Lisanna crouched slightly and handed the sweets to Romeo with a smile. "Here, take these as an apology. Want some?"
"Thank you, Big Sister Lisanna!"
"You’re very welcome." Being called "Big Sister" again and again brought a bright smile to her face.
Maybe every little sister secretly enjoys getting the chance to be a big sister once in a while.
"Wanna come to the guild with us?" Rhodes pointed toward the crab parked behind them. "You can ride on that."
"Really?!" Romeo’s eyes lit up, but then he shook his head. "No, I can’t go. I’m starting my magic training today!"
"Oh?" Rhodes raised an eyebrow.
"Mhm!" Romeo puffed up his chest proudly. "When I get strong, I’m gonna join Fairy Tail too!"
The way he said Fairy Tail, like it was something sacred, showed just how much the guild meant to him.
"Then you’d better work hard," Rhodes said with a smile.
Lisanna added, "And when you take your first mission, let me guide you, okay?"
"Huh?" Romeo blinked. Children didn’t think too deeply, so he said honestly, "But I wanted to team up with Big Brother Natsu."
Lisanna’s smile froze, and her shoulders drooped dramatically.
Only then did Romeo realize what he’d said. "Ah! I’m sorry, Big Sister Lisanna! You can do it too!"
Lisanna sighed playfully. "Too late. You already broke my heart."
Romeo looked like he might cry.
Rhodes patted his head. "Don’t worry. Natsu’s a hothead. Stick with your Big Sister, she’s the reliable one."
"Really?"
"Really." Lisanna smiled, forgiving him immediately. "Just make sure to bring sweets on missions."
"Got it!" Romeo said with a determined nod.