Marco nodded without saying anything more.
Sympathy and pity weren't really appropriate attitudes - they wouldn't help at all, and Kiki didn't need these emotions anyway.
But when it came to the issue of low presence, Marco genuinely couldn't think of any solutions.
Actually, he had tried to address this problem years ago, but sometimes even he would forget about it.
Mirajane, Lisanna, and Laki immediately understood - they knew Kiki didn't need others pitying her situation.
The group returned to normal, casually chatting without deliberately trying to include Kiki in the conversation.
When Chiko voluntarily joined in, everyone would seriously listen to her opinions on various matters.
For Chiko, this kind of atmosphere was actually what she preferred and felt most comfortable with.
She wasn't the flamboyant type by nature and didn't enjoy being the center of attention.
Soon, the cleaning was finished, and Laki had completed repairing the damaged tables and chairs. Everyone left the guild hall.
Click.
Marco locked the guild's main door after confirming all other windows and doors were secured.
Although in Magnolia, no one would dare cause trouble at Fairy Tail, it was better to be safe than sorry.
Marco had also arranged for several crows to keep watch around the guild premises.
"See you tomorrow~"
At the guild hall entrance, everyone waved goodbye to each other.
Laki and Chiko left together, while Marco went with Mirajane and Lisanna.
"Marco? What brought you, Erza, and Lucy here together tonight? But why did you leave so suddenly?"
As they walked, Lisanna kept chattering about the day's interesting events before suddenly shifting the topic to Marco, asking the question Mirajane had been about to pose.
"Yeah? What were you all doing here together?" Mirajane also asked curiously, following up on the question.
"Name everyone properly - Natsu, Gray, and Happy were there too."
Marco shot Lisanna a sideeye, adding this correction since her wording made it sound like he had been alone with Erza and Lucy.
"Meh~"
Lisanna blinked, hiding behind Mirajane while sticking her tongue out at Marco.
She had deliberately phrased it that way.
"This matter... it's a long story."
Marco considered for a moment before deciding to tell Mirajane and Lisanna what had happened.
Since it was already over, there was no reason not to share, which was why he hadn't asked Lucy to keep it secret - she could write about it in her novel if she wanted.
Of course, most people would probably consider the novel's content as artistic license or pure fiction anyway, with few likely to believe it was real.
"Marco? Is this content from a new novel you're writing?"
After Marco finished explaining the general situation about Memory of Time, Lisanna asked with a strange expression on her face.
Marco's mouth twitched.
Some things were just like that - so unbelievable that even when you told the truth, nobody would believe you, thinking instead that you were making things up.
"If you want to think it's made up, there's nothing I can do about it."
Marco couldn't be bothered to explain and directly ended the discussion with "Well, there's nothing I can do about it then."
"Is it really true?!"
Marco's attitude made Lisanna widen her eyes in disbelief.
She had expected him to say "Just kidding," but it turned out to be real?!
"So... you really went back six years in time?" Mirajane also asked with an incredulous expression.
"As real as it gets."
Marco raised an eyebrow and gave a definitive answer.
"Did you meet us back then?!"
Lisanna immediately squeezed between Marco and Mirajane, leaning forward with her head tilted, her curiosity practically overflowing.
This was time travel, after all!
"We did. Mira was still a little delinquent back then, and you were just a tiny brat."
Marco reached out and pressed down on Lisanna's bobbing head, pushing her back so she had to move to the other side of Mirajane.
"I wasn't a tiny brat! Hmph!"
Lisanna grumbled discontentedly, then clung to her sister's arm and settled down, no longer squeezing around.
"Six years ago, we had just joined the guild."
Mirajane showed no reaction to the "delinquent" comment—that was indeed how she was back then, having only recently joined the guild.
"About this... are you sure there won't be any consequences?"
Mirajane hesitated, mainly because she hadn't been involved and hadn't witnessed everything firsthand.
"Of course. Trust me to handle it."
Marco grinned and gave a thumbs-up, reassuring Mirajane.
"Next time something this big happens, you can call me along too."
Mirajane nodded, finally revealing her true concern.
Of course, she trusted Marco to handle things, but she hoped to be there to help next time.
"...Alright, next time for sure."
Marco didn't argue or say something like "You weren't needed this time anyway."
Instead, he obediently agreed, making his stance clear.
Mira's lips curled into a slight smile.
Now she felt better, no longer bothered by the fact that Marco and Erza had shared this experience without her.
"Lucky I wasn't involved in this. It sounds so complicated. If I'd messed up, I'd feel like the worst person ever!"
Lisanna chimed in from the side.
Although she found the whole thing fascinating, the pressure would have been too much for her.
"If it were you, it would indeed be a bit difficult."
Marco nodded seriously, agreeing with Lisanna's assessment.
Lisanna's face darkened at Marco's words, which made her sound utterly unreliable.
"Even Natsu managed to complete his task smoothly! Why couldn't I?!"
Lisanna protested indignantly, feeling she was at least more reliable than Natsu—not in terms of strength, but in handling tasks and acting.
How could Natsu possibly be better than her at those things?
"Natsu's main job was to cause trouble."
Marco stated calmly, making Mirajane cover her mouth to stifle a laugh and instantly deflating Lisanna's earlier aggressive demeanor.
When it came to causing trouble, no one was more skilled than Natsu.
"Causing trouble... isn't exactly impossible..."
Lisanna stubbornly insisted, gesturing animatedly with her hands and hopping ahead, her skirt fluttering with her movements as she tried to prove through body language that she could be good at causing trouble too.
"Look at my energy!" Lisanna shouted, while Marco and Mirajane simply exchanged a knowing smile, watching her antics under the dim streetlight with both helplessness and affection.
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