Ben and Bella head to Magnolia on foot. They could've hitched a ride from the capital Crocus as a lot of people drive there in vehicles. Most of them ride in carts pulled by horses though.

Ben and Bella opt not to ride in a vehicle on their journey back to the village. They had been walking for months, so it felt wrong riding in a vehicle because they are almost there. He wanted to feel the full sensation on his journey.

It took them 2 days to get from the central area to Magnolia. Ben used his Teleportation Magic to speed things up. But it still took them 2 days to get there because they wanted to see their surroundings too.

They arrive in Magnolia and head over to Mira's house. But she wasn't there, so they head to the hospital to check on Lisanna. There was still no change in her condition, it hadn't gotten worse, but she was still comatose.

Ben and Bella then leave the hospital and go to a restaurant to eat. Mira is probably on a job, so they need to wait. They walk around the town while waiting for Mira and Elfman.

"When?" Bella asked out loud.

"Maybe in the afternoon or at night. If she doesn't return that evening, then we'll ask her guild. S-Class jobs tend to take a while to complete." Ben said.

Bella is rather disappointed so Ben rubbed her head to cheer her up a little. They walk around the town for a while and then return to Mira's house. The light is on, so someone is home. It could either be her or Elfman.

Ben knocked on the door and heard someone coming. The door opened and Mira stood on the other end. She was surprised to see them and immediately gave them a hug.

"BEN! BELLA! LONG TIME NO SEE!" Mira yelled, excited.

"Y-yeah, long time no see." Ben nervously said as he felt 2 soft things on his chest.

'She grew a lot in a year. Although she didn't get taller. It was something else that grew.' Ben thought as he looked down.

"How are you doing, Mira?" Ben asked.

"I'm fine. Elfman is fine too. Lisanna is...still the same as last year." Mira sadly answered.

"It's okay. We visited her this afternoon and she looks healthy. At the very least, her condition hasn't deteriorated." Ben said as he rubbed Mira's head.

"Yeah, I know. Hmm, you got a lot taller since we last saw each other." Mira said as she measured Ben's height with her hand.

"Bella? Bella?" Bella asked as she jumped in excitement.

"Hmm, you also seem to have gotten cuter." Mira said as she grabbed Bella and hugged her.

"Hi hi hi, cute." Bella said happily as Mira rubbed her cheek against her.

"Elfman also got taller. I'm the only one who didn't grow." Mira said in a sad tone.

"No, you grew as well, just in different areas." Ben said as he looked at her 2 weapons of mass destruction.

Ben started to grow again 2 months after dispelling his Body Age Seal. His Devil Slayer Magic suppressed the Dragon Seed to a acceptable level. So now he can grow normally again and he grew a lot over these 2 months.

Now he is 185 cm at 16 years old and he will be 17 in a few days. From his initial 170 cm, Ben gained 15 cm in 2 months. It's like his growth that was halted exploded in that time. Not to mention he is still able to grow because his body's age is 1 year younger than his real age.

[Name: Ben Cooper

Epithet: Karna (The Sun's Child)

Real Age: 16

Body Age: 15

Status: Alive

MP: 356,617/356,617

STR: 245

AGI: 243

STA: 246

INT: 696]

His physical stats increased over these 2 months. They didn't grow a lot, but they still grew. Seeing those numbers increase after a long time gave Ben a strong sense of satisfaction.

Mira invited Ben inside while she held Bella in her arms. Ben entered the house and asked about Elfman. Mira said he was at the Fairy Tail guild having a party with the boys.

"Ah, that's right. I've heard about a rising star from your guild. The news makes him sound interesting." Ben said.

"Rising star? Who?" Mira asked curiously.

"Salamander." Ben replied.

"Ah, Natsu, huh? He he, he got real famous after last year. He causes a lot of problems on his jobs though he completed them." Mira said.

"At least he finished his jobs or it will drag the name Dragon Slayer through the mud." Ben sighed.

"Hi hi hi, so you're worried your jobs will be affected too, huh?" Mira asked.

"Of course. It's been a year since I went on a job, so it will be difficult for me to do that if the name Dragon Slayer is tarnished."

"Don't worry, you are not a Fairy Tail mage. The bad images aren't just for Natsu, but our guild as a whole." Mira reassured him.

A dark expression formed on his face.

"Why are you so happy about that? You're a Fairy Tail mage, you know." Ben pointed out.

"I'm immune to it." Mira said with a smile.

Ben just sighed and moved onto another topic. They talk about things that happened since the last time they crossed paths. They're too absorbed in their conversation that they fail to realize Elfman had returned home.

Elfman heard them from outside and decided not to disturb them. He knew Mira's feelings regarding Ben, so he didn't want to ruin her time with him. That's why he left and went to his friend's place even though he wanted to see Ben after a year of no contact with him.

Their conversation dragged on into the evening and they then decide to eat dinner at a restaurant. After dinner, they go to a public bath and stay there for a half hour before returning to Mira's house. Of course, Ben needed to buy a lot of milk that is sold in the public bath for Bella because she likes it.

"Hmm? Elfman hasn't returned?" Ben asked after they enter the house.

"Maybe he drank too much and got wasted in the guild." Mira said.

"Should we pick him up?" Ben questioned.

"It's okay, this happens a lot. This is a normal thing and he won't be alone there. They must have had a drinking competition or something, so he won't be the only one who's wasted." Mira informed him.

"You guys really like to cause trouble, don't you?" Ben asked with a sweat drop.

Mira just giggled and then they go to sleep. Ben slept in Elfman's room and he quickly fell asleep. He was very tired as he walked to Magnolia from the capital Crocus for the last 2 days. Besides, the bed felt really comfy after sleeping on the hard ground for months.

The next morning, Elfman returned home and saw Ben and Bella. They talk while eating breakfast that Mira cooked. Now she can cook after studying hard last year.

"Ooh, this is delicious." Ben praised the food.

"Delish." Bella said as she ate her portion happily.

"Really? He he he, thank you." Mira said happily.

'Good for you nee-chan. Your hard work has paid off.' Elfman thought.

After breakfast, Ben decided to return home even though Bella wanted to stay. There was still more than a week left, but the sooner they return home, the better.

Bella finally agreed and they bid the Strauss siblings farewell. Before leaving, Ben gave Mira and Elfman gifts. He gave Mira a blue necklace ornament, while Elfman got an arm bracelet with a similar blue gem ornament.

Those were Morgbitt's magical items that can store magic power to be used anytime to refill their lost magic power. It's very useful when they run out of magic power even though it would be a rare case for Mira considering her high magic power capacity. But there's nothing wrong with being prepared.

"Well then, we will take our leave. See you later." Ben waved goodbye to them.

"See." Bella said while waving her paws as she sat on Ben's head.

"See you later." The siblings replied while waving.

Ben turned around and walked away, but then Mira called out to him.

"Ben!" She yelled.

"Yeah?" He asked as he turned his head.

Suddenly Mira kissed him on the cheek, surprising everyone there. She blushed before running inside her house. Ben was stunned and so is Elfman. Only Bella didn't think much about it.

Ben can only touch his cheek.

"Damn." He muttered.