The early morning sunlight filtered through the massive stained-glass windows of the Fairy Tail Guild, dappling the hall which was still a bit messy after a night of revelry. The air still held the lingering excitement from last night's explosive news, mixed with the aroma of freshly baked bread and rich coffee.
The guild members gathered in small groups, and though they held breakfast in their hands, their eyes kept darting toward the bar, filled with the flames of gossip and ill-concealed amazement.
At the center of all that attention sat the father and daughter who had just completed their "reunion of the century" yesterday—Gildarts and Cana. However, the vibe at this moment was starkly different from last night's tearful embrace; it was now full of ridiculous, comedic flair.
"Oh! My lovely Cana! Daddy's good girl! Let Daddy get another good look at you!" Gildarts' face, originally rugged, resolute, and weathered, was currently twisted into an extremely exaggerated, almost creepy smile. His massive frame was like a giant piece of taffy, stuck firmly to Cana's petite body.
"Dad... you... you're too close..." Cana was being squeezed so tightly in Gildarts' arms that she could hardly breathe. Her originally fair and cute little face was being pressed out of shape.
What made it even more unbearable for her was Gildarts' chin, full of hard stubble, which was rubbing frantically against her cheek like a wire brush.
"Cana! Daddy missed you so much! Daddy missed too much over these past ten-plus years. From today on, Daddy won't leave you for a single second!" Gildarts was completely immersed in the immense joy of finding what he had lost, not noticing his daughter's resistance at all. While loudly proclaiming his suffocating paternal love, he rubbed his stubble against Cana's tender skin even more vigorously, making a cringeworthy "scratching" sound.
"It hurts! Dad, your beard is so prickly!" Cana finally couldn't help but cry out in pain. Her large amber eyes welled up with aggrieved tears, and she pushed hard against Gildarts' chest, which was as solid as an iron tower. But to the strongest Mage in Fairy Tail, Cana's resistance was weaker than a kitten's scratching.
"Prickly? Oh! Sorry, sorry! Daddy was too careless!" Hearing his daughter's cry of pain, Gildarts was so startled that he immediately let go, standing there awkwardly like a child who had done something wrong. But his eyes remained glued to Cana, looking at her expectantly like a large dog abandoned by its owner, pitifully wagging its tail.
"Then... then Daddy will go shave? No, Daddy is going right now! For Cana, Daddy will shave every day from now on!"
Seeing Gildarts in this fearful state, completely devoid of his dignity as a powerhouse, the others in the guild couldn't help but cover their faces, their shoulders shaking violently as they tried desperately to hold back their laughter.
Who could have imagined that the "Crusher" Gildarts, who once single-handedly destroyed countless Dark Guilds and even made dragons retreat, would turn into such a bottomless "daughter-slave" in front of his own daughter?
Just then, Riyao, sitting on the other side of the bar holding a steaming cup of black tea, watched this family drama-comedy with a smile. A mischievous glint sparkled in his eyes, and he was fiddling with the camera that had captured the "Gildarts Crying Like a Baby" photo yesterday, seemingly thinking about how to maximize the value of that picture.
Cana jogged over to Riyao's side and looked at him resentfully.
Riyao held back his laughter, rubbing his face hard.
"I've been professionally trained. Usually, I don't laugh—unless it's too funny."
"Brother Riyao, you didn't tell me beforehand!"
"Riyao, you brat, are you bullying my daughter?"
"Don't think I can't tell, you old bastard. You clearly just want to take this chance to retaliate! Cana, I've seen you hold this in for two years. If you didn't say it now, who knows when you would? What if you get a younger brother or sister later? Are you going to form a 'Father-vengers' alliance?"
"Fa... Father-vengers?!" Hearing this murderous term, Gildarts' tall and mighty frame suddenly shuddered, as if struck directly on the head by an invisible bolt of lightning. His eyes, already wide from nervousness, bulged out even more exaggeratedly, the whites filled with terrified bloodshot veins.
He whipped his head around, shaking it frantically like a rattle-drum, his hands waving desperately in front of his chest as he tried to clear himself of this nonexistent "crime" to Cana.
"No, no, no! Cana, listen to Daddy's explanation! Daddy definitely hasn't been messing around outside! Younger brothers or sisters—they absolutely don't exist! In Daddy's heart, there's only you and your mother! Riyao, that brat, is completely slandering me! He's trying to drive a wedge between the bond we just established, which is stronger than diamond!" Gildarts' voice cracked from extreme panic. His rugged voice now sounded like a screaming chicken that had its tail stepped on, echoing through the hollow guild hall and triggering an even more unrestrained burst of laughter from those around.
Macao, sitting in the corner of the bar smoking a pipe, finally couldn't help but slap his thigh and laugh wildly: "Hahaha! Gildarts, even you have a day like this! To think the strongest Mage of Fairy Tail would be scared into incoherence by a kid! If word gets out, those Dark Guilds you beat up would probably laugh their heads off!"
Beside him, Wakaba also blew out a smoke ring and joined in the teasing: "Exactly, Gildarts. But seriously, with your wild personality in the past, who knows if you left any 'romantic debts' out there? Cana, you should give your unreliable old man a good interrogation!"
"You two bastards! Shut up! Believe it or not, I'll use Crush Magic to turn you and this bar into powder!" Gildarts roared at his two fair-weather friends in embarrassment and anger, a faint, heart-palpitating magic ripple emanating from his body. But just as he was about to lose it, Cana's resentful and suspicious gaze fell upon him again.
"Dad... do you really... not have any other children out there?" Cana bit her lower lip. Although she knew Riyao was mostly joking, seeing Gildarts' guilty-looking face, she couldn't help but feel a sliver of doubt. After all, in her impression, this father of hers didn't exactly have the best reputation.
That one look instantly shattered the dignity Gildarts had just managed to gather. The magic in his body leaked out like a punctured balloon, and he slumped down again, squatting in front of Cana like a Husky that had done something wrong, clasping his hands and swearing with teary eyes: "Absolutely not! Cana, Daddy swears to heaven! If Daddy has other children out there, may Daddy always get lost when taking missions and always get meat stuck in his teeth when eating BBQ!"
*Click!*
"Riyao! You bastard, what are you taking pictures of now?!" Hearing the shutter sound, Gildarts jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, reaching out to grab the photo in Riyao's hand.
Riyao slipped away in a flash, and the two began to chase. He took the opportunity to step on Laxus's foot. Laxus joined the fray, and then a massive brawl broke out, involving the guild members who were drinking.
"Riyao, you did that on purpose. Definitely on purpose."
"I accidentally did it on purpose."
"Lightning Dragons Breakdown Fist."
"Peerless Strength."
"Rules are meant to be broken."
"I brought you some Braised Noodles."
"Magic Tricks."
...
A head popped out from a wine barrel in the corner. Riyao looked at the fighting crowd and smiled crookedly: "Naive, so naive."