Misunderstanding

The clamor from the guild hall grew louder and louder. Macao and Wakaba's drinking contest, Master Makarov's roars, and the crisp clatter of cups and plates mingled into a rhapsody that belonged to Fairy Tail.

Everyone, caught up in the joy of surviving a disaster (meaning Riyao hadn't been beaten to death by Gildarts) and the revelry of free booze, streamed into the hall in a great crowd.

No one noticed two figures quietly stopping in the shadows of the corridor leading from the backyard to the hall.

"Hey, hey, brat, what are you pulling me for? The old man said the first drink's free. If we're late, there won't even be any foam left!"

Riyao had a death grip on the corner of Gildarts's cape, and Gildarts turned back to complain, somewhat impatiently.

His stubbled face was full of longing for ale, and his Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.

Riyao didn't answer immediately. Instead, he peered around to make sure no one was paying them any attention before letting go.

He took a deep breath. His face, still somewhat pale from the fight and his recovery, suddenly flushed a strange shade of red.

He lowered his head, wrung his hands, and nervously poked his index fingers together, twisting and swaying awkwardly a couple of times.

He looked exactly like a lovestruck girl preparing to confess to the upperclassman she admired, and the sight gave Gildarts goosebumps.

"Y-you brat, what's wrong with you? Did getting hit scramble your brain and cross your wires too?"

Gildarts took half a step back and watched Riyao warily, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I'm warning you, I'm only interested in mature, sexy older women. A little brat like you should stop grossing me out!"

Riyao jerked his head up. His clear eyes were misty, as though he might burst into tears at any moment.

He bit his lower lip and spoke softly, his voice extremely bashful and even carrying a slight tremor.

"Old man... actually... actually..."

"Actually what? Spit it out! And stop looking at me like that, you're giving me the creeps!"

Gildarts took another step back, his back now pressed against the corridor wall.

He was Fairy Tail's strongest mage, a man who had never backed down even in the face of a dragon, yet now a ten-year-old brat's gaze was driving him back step by step.

Riyao took a deep breath, as though he had made some monumental decision, then squeezed his eyes shut and shouted, "Actually, you have a child!"

"Clang!"

It was as though a thunderclap had exploded inside Gildarts's head. He froze on the spot, his eyes as wide as saucers and his mouth open wide enough to fit a Happy egg inside.

His face, flushed moments ago with longing for alcohol, turned deathly pale.

"A... a child?" Gildarts's voice trembled as he shakily pointed a finger at Riyao, scenes of his romantic escapades over the years flashing wildly through his mind.

The voluptuous tavern owners and passionate waitresses he'd met in towns everywhere, even some mysterious women whose faces he could no longer remember...

He shook his head vigorously, trying to drive those terrifying thoughts away.

Then his gaze fell on Riyao again.

Looking at the handsome brat before him, with his blond hair, blue eyes, and delicate features, who was only ten but already showed every sign of growing into an absolute menace, Gildarts suddenly felt an indescribable jumble of emotions.

This kid... blond hair... mine is orange, but a hair-color mutation isn't impossible... those delicate features... did he inherit them from his mother? That monstrous magical talent and recovery... he definitely inherited my excellent genes!

The more Gildarts thought about it, the more possible it seemed, and his breathing quickened.

His hands trembling, he walked toward Riyao step by step. His large, rough hands hovered in the air for a long moment before finally settling gently on Riyao's shoulders.

Gildarts's voice was terribly hoarse, and even his eyes had reddened a little.

"Y-your mother... who is she? Is... is she all right? Why... why are you only coming to find me now?"

Seeing Gildarts looking both utterly grief-stricken and moved to the point of tears, Riyao was delighted, but he kept up his pitiful appearance.

He sniffled, tears welling in his eyes, and spoke in an extremely aggrieved voice.

"Old man... do... do you really not remember?"

As he spoke, Riyao was frantically roasting the situation in his head. This dialogue is so melodramatic! But judging by Gildarts's reaction, he's probably bought it! Hahahaha!

"Child... I'm sorry... it's all Daddy's fault..."

Gildarts finally couldn't hold back anymore. He pulled Riyao into a tight embrace, tears and snot streaming down his face.

"Daddy's been away on jobs all these years and neglected you and your mother... you've suffered! From today on, Daddy will make it up to you! If anyone dares bully you, Daddy will blast them to bits with Crush Magic!"

Gildarts squeezed Riyao so tightly that he could barely breathe. He struggled desperately and finally managed to poke his head out of the embrace, which reeked of sweat and alcohol, gasping for air.

"Cough, cough, cough! Let go! Let go, now! Are you trying to murder your own—ptoo! Murder a guildmate?!"

Riyao's face turned red as he shoved Gildarts away.

Gildarts wiped away his tears and gazed at Riyao with fatherly affection. "Be good, son. Don't be afraid. Daddy will never leave you again. Come on, Daddy will take you to the hall and announce the good news to everyone! I want the whole world to know that I, Gildarts, have such an outstanding son!"

With that, he tried to pull Riyao toward the hall.

"Stop, stop, stop!"

Realizing his joke had gone too far, Riyao quickly shook off Gildarts's hand and took two steps back. The shyness and grievance vanished from his face in an instant, replaced by an exceedingly punchable smirk.

"Old man, aren't you getting a little carried away?" Riyao folded his arms and raised an eyebrow. "Who said I was your son?"

Gildarts froze, his outstretched hand suspended in midair and his expression fixed in an extremely comical moment. He stared blankly at Riyao, unable to process it for a moment.

"Huh? Didn't you just say... I had a child? Could it be... you're here to collect a debt on your mother's behalf?"

"Collect a debt, my ass!"

Riyao rolled his eyes and spoke irritably.

"All I said was that you have a child. I never said that child was me! Your imagination is way too powerful. You're wasting your talent not writing novels!"

"N-not you?"

Gildarts was struck as if by lightning, completely dumbfounded.

He looked at Riyao, then at his own empty hands, and a profound sense of loss suddenly welled up in his heart.

That brief moment of towering paternal love was like a colorful soap bubble, mercilessly burst by a single sentence from Riyao.

"You little brat! How dare you mess with me?!"

Gildarts finally came to his senses and flew into a rage, raising a fist the size of a punching bag to smash it down on Riyao's head.

That little bastard actually dared joke about something like that, making me shed all those tears for nothing and nearly make a fool of myself in front of everyone!

"Wait! I didn't lie to you! You really do have a child!" Seeing this, Riyao hurriedly crouched and covered his head, shouting at the top of his lungs.

Gildarts's fist stopped an inch above Riyao's head, the wind from the punch blowing his blond hair into disarray.

He glared at Riyao through gritted teeth and roared, "You dare keep spouting nonsense? Believe it or not, I'll blast you to bits right now!"

"I'm not spouting nonsense!"

Riyao lifted his head through the gap between his arms. Looking at Gildarts's angry face, which also held a trace of anticipation, he put aside his joking mood and grew serious.

"That child is right here in the guild. You even saw her just now."

"In the guild? And I just saw her?"

Gildarts frowned as the crowd from the backyard flashed rapidly through his mind.

Macao? Wakaba? Impossible, those two old guys are even older than me. Master Makarov? Even more impossible!

Suddenly, a small, adorable figure came to a standstill in his mind.

Our award-winning actor Riyao quietly made his exit, concealing his accomplishment and his name.