Ben's group left the southern forest after completing their job. They went to Magnolia first to drop Mira and Elfman off. They arrived in Magnolia that evening because they completed their job before sunset.
After they arrived in Magnolia, they split the treasure and money that they found in the ruins. There are a lot of them, so they need to think of a way to share it. They discussed it while eating in a private restaurant near the town gate.
"How should we split them up?" Ben asked.
"Let's split them in half because we are from different guilds. It will be a lot fairer that way rather than splitting them up per person. Besides, there are 4 of us, so the share will still be the same." Mira answered.
"You count Bella?" Bella asked.
"Of course, Bella has worked hard too." Mira said while happily hugging Bella.
"Are you sure about that? You guys need more money for Lisanna, right?" Ben asked.
"It's okay, there's a lot of money and treasure here, so we can split them up like this. Besides, this is a cooperation job between guilds, so the best way to split it is by splitting it in 2." Elfman replied.
"Hmm, fine." Ben eventually accepted it.
They split the treasure and money evenly in 2 like Mira suggested. But then, Ben split his guild's share again and gave half of it to the siblings.
"What are you doing?" Mira asked, confused by his action.
"For your sister." Ben replied with a smile.
"Oi, this is not what we agreed to." Elfman argued.
"Yeah, but this is my money, so I can do what I want with it. Also, I gave it to your sister, not you." Ben reminded him.
Mira and Elfman looked at each other and didn't know what to do.
"Take it, you need it more than me. Just think of it as my gift to Lisanna." He insisted.
"Take!" Bella yelled in a commanding tone while crossing her paws.
"A-alright." Mira said while taking the money.
"Just make sure that your sister will be fine from now on. You can call me if you need my help. I will come immediately." Ben said with a smile.
Mira and Elfman smile.
"Thank you." They said.
They continue to eat their meal while talking about simple things. They need to relax after completing a difficult job. It was also a good time for them to know more about each other.
After the meal, Ben wanted to return home, but Mira and Elfman stop him. They invited him and Bella to wash their bodies in the public bath first before going home. Ben noticed that he was really dirty.
"Hmm, maybe it's not a bad idea to try a new place. What do you think, Bella?" Ben asked.
"Milk?" Bella asked Mira.
"We have some delicious milk in there." Mira said.
Bella's eyes sparkles and she nodded frantically.
"We'll go there then." Ben smiled.
They walk to the public bath on foot and Bella was in Mira's arms. Mira can understand Bella even though she talked shortly using a few words.
'Hmm, maybe that's why they got close easily. She must be happy to find someone other than me who can understand what she's saying.' Ben thought while looking at Bella who was happily talking to Mira.
Bella always talked in short sentences and used a few words. That's why not many people can understand what she's talking about. Only Ben could understand everything she said.
So finding Mira who can understand her like Ben must've made her happy. Even Wendy and Carla had trouble understanding what she meant sometimes. So meeting Mira was like meeting another Ben for Bella.
They arrived at the public bath in 5 minutes and immediately entered it. It's a Japanese style building made of wood. Ben and Elfman head to the men's bath while Mira and Bella head to the women's bath.
'Hmm, this reminds me of some anime I watched with my brother.' Ben thought as he looked around.
"This is a good place, isn't it?" Elfman asked.
"Yeah, although it is a bit cramped in here." Ben said, looking around the bath that is full of people.
"Well, it's a public bath, so there will be a lot of people here." Elfman pointed out.
Ben and Elfman wash their bodies first before heading to the hot bath. They found an empty spot and plunge themselves in. The hot water relaxed their muscles and their exhaustion slowly disappeared.
Both boys just relax in the hot water while talking about menial things. There were a lot of ears here, so they need to be careful about they discuss. Besides, there are many topics they can talk about.
After bathing for 15 minutes, they get out and wait for the girls. Mira and Bella came out after 3 minutes while carrying a basket full of milk. Bella had tried every kind of milk here and she liked them. So she decided to buy a lot of it.
"How much for the milk?" Ben asked, sighing.
"Don't worry about it, you've given us some money as a gift, so take this as our gift too. It's not much compared to your gift though." Mira said.
"Hmm, okay then, thanks for the gift. Then, we will take our leave now. Let's go, Bella." Ben said while grabbing Bella.
"No." Bella protested while hugging Mira's arm.
"Huh? What do you mean by that?" Ben asked.
"Bella sleepover." Bella said.
"Fu fu fu, Bella-chan wants to sleep over at my place, right?" Mira asked happily.
"Huh?" Ben blinked.
"Friends sleepover." Bella said with a serious expression.
Ben blinked after hearing that. Then he looked at Mira who smiled like there was nothing wrong. Now he understood what was being said and sighed. Mira taught Bella about sleeping over at a friend's place and now she wanted to try it herself.
"Fine. I'll call Gramps and tell him we're coming back tomorrow." Ben said in a defeated tone.
"YAY!" Bella cheered happily.
Elfman patted Ben on the shoulder in understanding. He knew what it was like not being able to turn down a little sister's request.
"You can sleep in my room." Elfman said.
"Thanks." Ben replied.
They went to the house the siblings were renting near the hospital. Mira and Elfman moved here after Lisanna went into a coma and needs to stay in the hospital. This way, they can visit Lisanna whenever they wanted.
The house was rather small and didn't have much inside. They don't stay in the house that often because they mostly stay in their guild hall and take jobs. So there was no need to have a lot in their house.
Ben and Elfman want to go to sleep, but Bella and Mira stop them. The girls want to play some games before going to sleep. They say that it's what people do when sleeping over at a friend's place.
"I know you guys are excited. But we've been working for a full day. Let's just rest for tonight and play tomorrow. We can do what we want with a lot of energy." Ben said in a tired tone.
Elfman nodded in agreement while yawning because he is very sleepy. The girls were disappointed, but they ultimately agree with them because they also became sleepy after hearing Elfman yawn.
"Alright, good night then." Mira said.
"Night." Bella said.
"Yeah, good night." The boys replied.
They head to their respective rooms and Ben called Roubaul before falling asleep. The day was over with Ben and Bella sleeping at the Strauss home. They don't know what awaits them tomorrow.