Everyday Parties

Riyao looked helplessly at Cana. Her little figure looked especially frail in front of the noisy guild hall's doors.

In the end, Cana still hadn't revealed who she was. She had forced the word "Dad" back down, leaving only a fleeting trace of disappointment in her eyes.

Riyao said nothing more. He simply reached out with his broad, warm hand and gently took Cana's trembling little hand.

They entered the Fairy Tail guild hall and headed straight for the bar, which smelled of aged wood and alcohol.

Just moments ago, when Cana had seen Gildarts' towering, mountain-like figure, her heart had pounded as though it might leap out of her chest.

His rugged face, wearing a somewhat carefree smile, had gradually overlapped with the one her mother had described before she died.

She had hurriedly lowered her head, using her slightly messy brown bangs to hide the emotions welling up in her eyes. Her voice trembled, but she feigned admiration as she called out, "I... I'm a huge fan of yours! I've always wanted to join the guild so I could see you up close!"

There had been a barely perceptible catch in her voice, and her little fists had gripped the hem of her clothes so tightly that her knuckles turned pale.

How could someone as oblivious as Gildarts have noticed the complicated thoughts of a little girl? He had simply rubbed the back of his head cheerfully and laughed.

Taking her words at face value, he had turned and left, his broad figure soon swallowed up by the guild's clamor.

As she watched him leave, Cana had tugged on Riyao's sleeve. She had looked up at him with her big, tear-filled eyes and pleaded softly, "Riyao, you have to keep this a secret. I'm not ready yet... really not ready. Please!"

Her eyes had been full of helplessness and fear, as she worried that a "daughter" appearing out of nowhere might trouble the man who was as free as the wind.

Riyao had looked into Cana's anxious eyes and nodded solemnly. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. This is a secret between the two of us."

Only after hearing his promise had Cana breathed a sigh of relief and loosened her grip on her clothes, though the tension in her eyes hadn't completely faded.

Holding Cana's hand, Riyao shouted to Makarov, who was sitting at the bar, drinking gloomily and watching the little brats in the guild roughhouse. "Old man, I brought back a cute little girl! She's a huge fan of Gildarts and wants to join the guild. What do you say?"

Hearing this, Makarov put down the enormous mug in his hand, and his wrinkled old face immediately broke into his trademark kind smile.

He jumped down from his stool and took short little steps over to Cana, carefully studying the somewhat timid little girl.

Cana took a deep breath and tried to steady her voice. "My name is Cana Alberona. I want to join Fairy Tail."

Makarov reached out with his large, rough hand and gently patted Cana's head. His voice was warm and deep, as though it could soothe any anxiety. "Child, welcome to Fairy Tail. From today on, this is your home."

As soon as Makarov finished speaking, the already lively guild erupted into cheers.

Macao raised his mug and cheered, Wakaba blew a smoke ring and clapped with a smile, and the young mages whistled excitedly.

Riyao deftly pulled a slightly yellowed membership application from a drawer under the bar and handed it to Cana to fill out.

Watching Cana carefully write her name stroke by stroke, Riyao turned and took out the magic stamp that marked someone as a member of the guild.

"Little Cana, what color do you want your emblem? And where do you want it?" Riyao asked with a smile, fiddling with the magical stamp.

Cana bit her lower lip and thought for a moment before saying softly, "Um... could I have it in black? Here..." As she spoke, she shyly lifted the hem of her shirt a little, revealing the fair, delicate skin on the left side of her lower abdomen.

"Of course." Riyao cheerfully adjusted the stamp's color, then carefully pressed the black Fairy Tail emblem onto the left side of Cana's lower abdomen.

With a faint ripple of magic, the black emblem was perfectly imprinted there, as though it had always belonged there.

"There, all done!" Riyao straightened up and clapped his hands. "We're family now, little Cana. If anyone dares bully you, just tell me. I'll prescribe them the bitterest medicine!"

At those words, the tears Cana had been holding back finally spilled from her eyes. She nodded vigorously, her eyes brimming with tears. Her wandering, rootless heart had finally found a place to rest in this noisy but warm guild.

Seeing how adorable Cana was as a child, looking so sweet and well-behaved with tears on her face, Riyao's mischievous side immediately emerged.

Quick as lightning, he pulled a portable magic camera from his pocket and, with a click, captured this precious piece of Cana's "embarrassing past."

He secretly thought that once Cana grew up and became that uninhibited, hard-drinking big sister, he would take the photo out for a laugh. The sight would surely be wonderful.

Just then, Makarov suddenly jumped onto the bar and shouted in his booming voice, "To celebrate Cana joining Fairy Tail, we're having a party tonight! Drink all you want!"

The atmosphere in the guild reached its peak, threatening to blow the roof off.

"Oh! Welcome, Cana! You're the best, Master!"

"Angela, bring me a barrel of ale! I'm drinking my fill today!"

"You? With how little you can drink? I'm drinking every last one of you under the table today!"

Watching the bunch start celebrating without restraint again, Riyao cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, eager to stir up trouble.

"Great! Drink all you want, everyone! Tomorrow I can treat your hangovers again! I recently brewed a new 'sobering potion.' The taste is wonderfully sour and refreshing. I guarantee that after you drink it, you won't want to touch alcohol for the rest of your lives!"

When the noisy guild members heard the words "Riyao's potion," they all sobered up for a second, their raised mugs frozen in midair.

But immediately afterward, someone, no one knew who, was the first to laugh and curse. "Screw you, Riyao! Don't scare us with your poisons!"

Then everyone promptly forgot the warning and threw themselves into an even wilder celebration. The clinking of mugs, laughter, and sounds of roughhousing mingled together, playing a tune unique to Fairy Tail.

Amid the deafening noise, Riyao brought over a plate piled high with delicate pastries and a cup of warm, sweet fruit juice. He made his way around the drunks already swaying on their feet and came to Cana, who looked a little ill at ease in the corner.

He smiled and handed her the plate. "Go on, eat up, Cana. Everyone's really happy you joined the guild today, though the way they show it is a little... wild. Once you've finished eating, I'll take you to the guild dorms and help you settle in."

Watching Cana nibble on the pastries, her eyes still filled with uncertainty and worry about the future, Riyao added softly:

"Don't worry about the cost. Our guild dorms are very cheap. Once you've gotten used to the guild and can take commissions to earn reward money, you can pay it back little by little. For now, you just need to settle in without worrying, all right?"

"Mm, thank you, Riyao," Cana answered softly, warmth filling her heart. Looking at the young man smiling so warmly before her, she felt he was like a dependable older brother.

The party lasted late into the night. Once most of the others had passed out and were snoring under the tables, Riyao took Cana out of the guild hall and over to the dormitory area behind it.

He had picked out a quiet, sunny single room especially for Cana. It wasn't large, but it had everything she needed. Together, they tidied up the bed, put on clean sheets and a fresh duvet cover, and wiped down the table and chairs. Before long, the once somewhat bare room became clean and cozy.

"All right, get some rest. I'll show you around the guild tomorrow morning." Riyao stood in the doorway and waved to Cana.

"Good night, Riyao." Cana stood inside and watched him walk away, then gently closed the door.

She lay on the soft bed, breathing in the scent of sunshine on the blanket. She closed her eyes, replaying everything that had happened that day in her mind.

Though she hadn't reunited with her father, she had found a new home.

Meanwhile, Riyao returned to his own room. Unlike Cana's cozy little room, his looked like a cluttered laboratory.

The corner was piled high with all kinds of herbs that gave off strange smells, some of them glowing faintly.

Several notebooks covered in messy handwriting were piled on the large table, their pages densely packed with potion recipes and experimental data.

Beside the notebooks stood several tubes of unidentified potions in bizarre colors, bubbles rising in them from time to time.

Riyao walked over to the table and picked up a tube of strangely purple potion. A sly smile curled at the corners of his mouth. "Those hungover fellows are in for a treat tomorrow morning..."