Several Anime Girls Appeared in my World

Chapter 65: A Mother's Hearth and a Prodigal's Return

Aboard the Little Express, Himeko's voice crackled through the comms, "Mirajane, Erza, Miss Hancock, come in. I've located Léo, Joey's brother. He's agreed to assist in the search."

Mirajane, who had been gently trying to coax Lyra to drink some juice, looked up with immediate relief. "That's wonderful news, Himeko! We'll meet you. What's your location?"

Before Himeko could reply, Lyra, who had been listlessly staring at the floor, suddenly sprang to her feet. Her silver eyes, though still red-rimmed from her earlier tears, now held a spark of desperate determination. "Joo-ee!" she cried, her voice surprisingly strong. "Go Joo-ee!" She tugged urgently at Mirajane's sleeve, then pointed towards the probe's ramp.

"She wants to come with us," Mirajane translated softly, her gaze full of understanding for the little elf's distress.

Erza nodded, her expression serious. "It's understandable. She has a bond with him. Perhaps her presence might even help if Joey is… reluctant to return." She conveniently ignored the fact that her own presence, or Hancock's, might be the primary cause for any reluctance.

Boa Hancock, who had been idly inspecting a perfectly polished bulkhead for imaginary flaws, merely sighed with theatrical impatience. "More sentimental delays. Very well, bring the creature. Perhaps its plaintive wailings will flush the sniveling boy out of whatever bolthole he's crawled into."

"She is not a 'creature,' and Joey is not 'sniveling'," Erza snapped, her hands tightening into fists. "He's a civilian caught in events beyond his comprehension, something your monumental self-absorption clearly prevents you from grasping!"

"My 'self-absorption', as you so crudely put it, armor-plated ruffian, is merely an appreciation for true quality, a concept utterly alien to your brutish sensibilities!" Hancock retorted, turning to glare at Erza. "If the boy had any quality, he wouldn't have fled like a frightened rabbit!"

Himeko's voice cut in again, a note of strain now evident. "Ladies, Léo is waiting. My current location is the corner of Redwood Avenue and Oak Street, near the north entrance of Pioneer Park. Please, try to maintain a… low profile."

The journey from the Little Express's concealed location to Pioneer Park was, predictably, fraught with tension. Lyra clung to Mirajane's hand, her eyes darting nervously at every unfamiliar sight and sound. Erza marched with a grim, purposeful stride, while Hancock glided along as if on an invisible dais, her expression one of profound offense at being subjected to the mundane realities of a suburban Californian street.

"Must you stomp so, Titania?" Hancock murmured as Erza's sensible boots crunched on a patch of gravel. "One would think a herd of wild boar was migrating through this… quaintly pedestrian settlement."

"And must you waft about like a cloud of overly perfumed… nothingness?" Erza shot back without breaking stride. "Some of us prefer to have a solid connection to the ground we walk on!"

When they reached the designated meeting point, Himeko was indeed waiting with Léo, who looked even more wide-eyed and impressed at the arrival of three more extraordinary women, especially the ethereal Lyra. Himeko's eyebrow twitched slightly in surprise when she saw Lyra. "I see you brought… everyone."

"Lyra insisted," Mirajane explained gently. "She's very worried about Joey."

Léo, despite his awe, piped up, "Yeah, Joey can be a real hermit, but he's not usually this dramatic. Leaving a note and disappearing? That's next level, even for him." He looked at the assembled group. "So, where do we look first? The old library? Miller's Creek?"

Before Himeko could respond, Lyra stepped forward, her small hand still clutching the crumpled wrapper note. She looked from Léo to Himeko, then pointed determinedly down the street in the general direction she knew Joey's house to be – a direction Himeko had briefly indicated on a map earlier when discussing his home. "Joo-ee…" she said, her voice thick with emotion. Then she patted her heart, and pointed again. "Joo-ee… home. Wait." She mimed sitting, then looking around expectantly.

Mirajane's eyes softened. "Oh, you precious child. You want to go to Joey's house and wait for him there?"

Lyra nodded vigorously, tears welling in her eyes again. "Joo-ee… come home."

Himeko considered this. "It's not an illogical course of action," she mused. "If he is simply overwhelmed and seeking solitude, his home might be the place he eventually returns to, especially if he's concerned about his family. And if he knows Lyra is there, waiting for him…"

"A sound plan," Erza agreed. "Waiting in ambush is often more effective than a blind search."

"Ambush?" Hancock sniffed. "Are we retrieving a wayward pet or apprehending a fugitive? The dramatics in this dimension are truly exhausting." Despite her words, a strange, unbidden thought surfaced: Luffy always returned home, to his ship, to his crew. Perhaps this boy, however insignificant, possessed a similar homing instinct.

"Alright," Léo said, "my house it is. Mom should be home. Uh… she might be a little surprised to see… all of you." He gestured vaguely at the striking assembly of interdimensional women.

The walk to Joey's house was an exercise in barely contained chaos. Léo, despite his initial awe, quickly recovered his natural exuberance and peppered Himeko and Mirajane with questions about "where they were really from" and "if they had cool spaceships like in the movies." Himeko answered with polite, scientific vagueness, while Mirajane charmed him with gentle smiles and tales of "a very special family guild far away."

Erza and Hancock, meanwhile, continued their simmering feud. A low-hanging branch that Hancock had to duck under elicited a comment about "primitive landscaping designed to inconvenience royalty," which Erza countered with a remark about "some people being too stiff-necked to adapt to their surroundings." A passing dog that barked at them caused Hancock to declare it "an impertinent cur reflecting the general lack of breeding in this locale," to which Erza retorted that "even the local fauna can recognize an overly inflated ego."

When they finally arrived at the familiar suburban house, Clara Wheeler was indeed home, tending to a small rose garden in the front yard. She looked up as the eclectic group approached, her gardening gloves still on, her expression shifting from mild curiosity to wide-eyed astonishment.

Léo, ran ahead. "Hey, Mom! Uh… we have some… guests. They're friends of Joey. We're, uh, looking for him."

Clara straightened up, her eyes taking in the sight of Himeko's calm elegance, Mirajane's gentle radiance, Lyra's ethereal beauty (and obvious distress), Erza's imposing armored silhouette (she had Reequipped into her standard Heart Kreuz armor upon leaving the probe, feeling vulnerable without it), and Boa Hancock's breathtaking, if disdainful, presence. She blinked. Twice.

"Oh," Clara said, her voice a little faint. "Oh, my. Friends of Joey? Well, that's… that's a surprise." She was a kind woman, but this was rather a lot to take in before her second cup of coffee. "He… he didn't mention expecting… such a… diverse group." She rallied her composure, a welcoming smile, though slightly strained, appearing on her face. "Please, come in, come in. Don't mind the mess. Has something happened to Joey?" Her maternal worry immediately surfaced.

Himeko stepped forward, her smile reassuring. "Mrs. Wheeler, thank you for your hospitality. My name is Himeko, and these are my associates. Joey seems to have… stepped out. He left a note indicating he was feeling a little overwhelmed. We're just concerned for him, as Lyra here," she gestured to the small elf, "is particularly close to him."

Clara's gaze softened as she looked at Lyra's tear-streaked face. "Oh, you poor dear. Overwhelmed… yes, that sounds like my Joey." She ushered them into the living room, a space filled with the comfortable clutter of family life. "Please, sit down. Can I get anyone some iced tea? Or perhaps… coffee?" she asked, glancing at Himeko, who brightened.

As Clara bustled off to the kitchen, the atmosphere in the living room was thick with unspoken questions. Léo tried to fill the silence with enthusiastic, if slightly nervous, chatter about the "cool mysteries" happening in town. Mirajane did her best to engage him, while Himeko subtly scanned the room with her portable device. Lyra sat on the edge of the sofa, clutching the wrapper note, her eyes fixed on the front door.

Erza stood stiffly by the fireplace, observing the domestic scene with a strange sense of detachment. It was so… normal. So different from the battlefields and guildhalls she knew. Hancock, after surveying the available seating with a critical eye, had deigned to perch on the very edge of an armchair, looking as if she feared contamination from its chintz upholstery.

"This is utterly absurd," Hancock muttered, loud enough for Erza to hear. "Waiting in this… this commoner's dwelling for a runaway boy. My Kuja warriors would have located him, reprimanded him, and had him groveling for forgiveness within the hour."

"Perhaps because your Kuja warriors are accustomed to your tyrannical methods," Erza retorted, not turning around. "Some situations call for patience and understanding, not brute force and intimidation."

"Patience is a virtue for those with nothing better to do," Hancock sniffed. "Understanding is for equals, not inferiors."

Clara returned with a tray of iced tea and a fresh pot of coffee for Himeko. "He's a sensitive boy, my Joey," she said, her voice filled with maternal affection and a hint of sadness. "Always has been. The world… it can be a lot for him." She looked at the extraordinary women in her living room. "He tries so hard to be brave, but I know he carries a lot inside."

Just as Himeko was about to gently inquire about Joey's usual haunts or habits when he was feeling overwhelmed, the sound of a key turning in the front door lock made everyone freeze.

The door opened, and Joey Wheeler stepped inside. He was disheveled, his eyes red-rimmed, his shoulders slumped with exhaustion and a bleak sort of resignation. He had walked for hours, aimlessly, the weight of his decision settling like lead in his soul. He hadn't known where else to go. Home, despite his desire to flee, was the only anchor he had left.

He looked up, and his world tilted.

His living room was full. His mother, looking worried. His brother Léo, looking excited and confused. And then… them. Himeko, with her calm, intelligent eyes. Mirajane, her gentle face full of concern. Lyra, her silver eyes wide and already filling with fresh tears as she saw him. And, standing like two opposing figureheads of some mythical, warring galleons, were Erza Scarlet, her armored presence filling the room with an unspoken power, and Boa Hancock, radiating an aura of such imperial disdain it seemed to suck the very air from his lungs.

Every single person he had tried to run from was here. In his house. Waiting for him.

Joey stared, his face paling to a ghostly white, the crumpled note he'd left on the Little Express's counter feeling like a brand of shame on his conscience. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He had fled from the cosmic and the extraordinary, only to find it had followed him home.

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