The two of them froze for a moment. After exchanging a glance, Macao cautiously asked, "Master, did you have an illegitimate granddaughter show up at your door?"
The veins on Makarov's forehead bulged when he heard Macao's question. His right fist instantly grew larger and sent Macao flying straight out into the street. Wakaba silently swallowed beside him. He had wanted to ask the same thing just now, but Macao had beaten him to it. Thank goodness, thank goodness.
Wakaba silently wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. The moment he noticed Makarov looking over, he instantly stood at attention. "Master, may I ask how old the little girls are?"
"Two little girls around four years old. They were kidnapped before and have only just been rescued, but we couldn't find their parents, so I brought them back to adopt them. But you know what I'm like. I let Laxus grow up on his own before, since Allen was looking after him. But that won't work this time. Allen will be leaving to do missions soon, and I have absolutely no experience caring for little girls. That's why I wanted to ask whether you two, as married men with children, have any experience looking after girls around this age."
"Master, if you'd told me all that sooner, I wouldn't have had to take that punch." Macao rubbed his battered chin as he staggered over. His head still seemed not to have fully cleared, and even his speech was somewhat slurred.
Just then, the previously quiet hall suddenly became lively because of what Makarov had said. Everyone began whispering and discussing it among themselves.
"So our guild is about to welcome two adorable little lolis?" someone shouted excitedly.
"Oh ho ho ho~ What a daring thought!" someone else let out a strange laugh.
"Hmph, don't tell me you haven't thought about it yourself?" another person chimed in.
The discussion was clearly straying further and further from the point. Makarov frowned, cleared his throat forcefully, and then let out a heavy "Hmm?!" His authoritative shout exploded beside everyone's ears like thunder, instantly silencing the noisy hall.
Seeing that everyone had finally stopped egging each other on, Wakaba hurriedly asked, "Master, in that case, where are you planning to let the two little girls stay once they arrive?"
At that question, Makarov scratched the back of his head. After thinking for a moment, he replied, "I originally planned to settle them in the empty rooms on the guild's second floor, but those rooms are still completely bare, so we'll need to spend some time furnishing them properly."
Allen came over and said, "Grandpa, we'll also need to prepare clothes and daily necessities for the girls. We can go shopping together later." Makarov's eyes lit up. "You're as thoughtful as ever. I'll leave the shopping to you, then. We'll start tidying the rooms upstairs, and let them stay at your grandmother's for the next couple of days. We'll bring them over afterward."
And so, Allen set out with Laxus and Macao to buy various things for the three little girls, while everyone else followed Wakaba's lead in furnishing the rooms on the second floor.
At six in the evening, Allen and Laxus returned to Polyushika's place with their arms full of bags.
Right then, the three little girls woke up almost simultaneously. During the day, the girls had been far too frail, so after carefully examining them, Polyushika had decided to let them sleep and recover a little. Otherwise, Allen wouldn't have had time to join the afternoon brawl.
Ultear was the first to wake. When her jewel-like eyes opened, the first thing she did was search for Allen. But there was no one familiar and warm before her. A powerful sense of disappointment surged through her, and tears nearly spilled from her eyes.
Just then, the door was gently pushed open, and Allen and Laxus walked in. The moment Ultear saw Allen, the tears in her eyes instantly gave way to delighted light. She eagerly stretched out her arms, wanting Allen to pick her up.
Seeing this, Allen quickly set down the things in his hands, then hurried over to Ultear and carefully lifted her into his arms. At that moment, Ultear was like a little bird that had found a home, obediently nestling against Allen as she felt that long-lost warmth and security.
Sorano and Yukino watched the cozy scene with eyes full of envy. Although they desperately wished to be embraced like Ultear, the clever and understanding girls did not voice their desire. They merely lay quietly to the side.
Allen keenly noticed the envy on Sorano and Yukino's faces. He turned and gave Laxus a meaningful look. Understanding immediately, Laxus strode forward, opened his arms, and gently lifted both Sorano and Yukino into his embrace.
Sorano and Yukino were both excited and thrilled when Laxus picked them up. They were as happy as if they had received the most precious gift in the world. At that moment, they deeply realized that they finally had family to rely on again—family who would never abandon them. It felt wonderful!
Polyushika came over to check on them after hearing Allen and Laxus making noise. Seeing what they were doing, she seemed to sigh in relief and said, "Fortunately, you two came back in time. Otherwise, I definitely wouldn't have been able to handle all three of them."
Holding Ultear, Allen said to Polyushika, "Grandma, these three little sisters may need to stay here for two more days. The guild still isn't ready."
Polyushika waved a hand at Allen. "It doesn't matter. As long as you two keep an eye on them, they can stay for as many days as they need." After saying that, Polyushika went out to prepare dinner for everyone.
Allen and Laxus exchanged wry smiles. At ten years old, they had already started acting as babysitters. They didn't particularly want to, but looking at the adorable little girls in their arms, they couldn't bring themselves to say so.
Three days later, Makarov sent Allen word that the room prepared for the three little girls was ready and told him to bring them over.
Just as before, Allen carried Ultear while Laxus carried the two sisters as they walked toward the guild.
From far away, Allen saw that the guild's doors were wide open, as if warmly welcoming their arrival. As they drew closer, Allen was surprised to discover that the entire guild had been thoroughly cleaned and carefully arranged. It looked brand-new.
These guys really put in a lot of effort over the past three days, Allen thought.
The moment they stepped through the guild's doors, several cannons suddenly went off beside them.
"Welcome to Fairy Tail!" Allen lowered his head and said softly to Ultear in his arms with a smile.
Startled by the cannons, Ultear, Sorano, and Yukino first trembled all over. But they quickly recovered. When they saw the warm and friendly smiles on everyone's faces, brilliant smiles naturally bloomed across their own faces. Though they were still young, they were already old enough to understand a little, and in that moment, they truly felt the warmth of home.
Macao came forward first. When he saw the three little sisters' angelically cute and captivating smiles, a powerful wave of affection surged through him. He couldn't help secretly sighing that he wished he could have such a clever and obedient daughter himself! The three little girls were simply too lovable. He could hardly look away, and a doting, affectionate smile like that of an old father spread across his face. However, seeing him like that made Allen frown.
Wakaba stepped forward and shoved Macao aside. "Haven't you had enough? It's my turn!" Immediately afterward, Wakaba also put on the same old-father smile as Macao.
When Allen saw more and more people gathering around, he frowned and shouted, "Don't crowd around here. Move aside for now. You'll have plenty of time to look at them later. Let us get them upstairs and settled first."
"Right, right! Move aside first. Don't crowd the three little cuties."
Macao and Wakaba hurriedly played the role of protective escorts and led them upstairs.
When Macao opened the room prepared for the girls, even Allen couldn't help feeling surprised. The furnishings looked nothing like something the rough men in the guild could have created.
Noticing the confusion on Allen's face, Macao touched his nose and laughed proudly. "How is it? Not bad, right? The female members of the guild, along with my wife and Wakaba's wife, decorated it. They handled the design, while we helped out. This is the result. Do you like it?"
Before them, every wall in the room had been painted a soft pink or pale blue. A plush carpet covered the wooden floor. Colorful pictures of cute animals and plants hung on the wall to the right of the door, while a row of wardrobes stood on the left for their clothes. Farther inside was their bedroom. Each of the three girls had her own bed, though the three beds could also be pushed together. The sheets and blankets looked wonderfully comfortable, and many little stuffed toys were placed on the beds. Beside them was a large window, allowing the morning sun to shine directly into the room. Several small potted plants sat on the windowsill, adding a touch of life and energy to the room. Outside the window was a small balcony furnished with a tea table and several chairs, making it convenient for the girls to drink tea and admire the moon in the future.
For a moment, time seemed to freeze. The three little girls stared wide-eyed at everything before them, their mouths slightly open and their faces filled with disbelief. Just then, Allen and Laxus carefully lowered them from their arms. Allen wore a gentle smile as he softly asked the three little ones, "Do you like it?"
At Allen's question, the three little girls came back to their senses as if waking from a dream. They turned their heads in unison and saw Allen and Laxus standing before them with smiles on their faces. Makarov stood quietly to the side with a kindly smile, and behind him, everyone in the guild had gathered by the door. Every face was filled with goodwill, as if they were all sincerely happy for this moment.
Being watched over and cared for by so many people, surrounded by so much love, was utterly unfamiliar to the three little girls. Yet at that moment, the warmth surging from the depths of their hearts made them realize with perfect clarity—this was what happiness felt like! At some point, sparkling tears began to slide down their childish cheeks. But these were not tears of sadness or pain. They were tears of emotion shed after feeling happiness and joy.
The three little girls shouted loudly through their tears, "We love it!!! Thank you, everyone!!!"
Before you continue