Fairy Tail: Vector Manipulation

"No, I don't hate him. I even like him a little. Though every time he confessed to me or proposed or something, it was just a joke to him. I could deeply feel that there was always a place in his heart that I could never reach..." Mira seemed to want to continue, but Makarov interrupted her. "Why do you keep talking about how you feel about him instead of other aspects?"

Mira blushed scarlet, looking utterly adorable as she protested, "Master..."

Makarov was happy to see that expression on Mira's face. Ever since Lisanna had left, Mira had become like this. Though she looked cheerful every day, Makarov's heart ached for her. They were all his children, after all. He did not want Mira to become this way.

Seeing that Mira had calmed down, Makarov continued, "Now tell me about Chen Fan's strength."

"I don't know. I really don't know that. It's like he doesn't have a trace of magic power in his body, but sometimes the pressure he gives off is even stronger than I was at my peak. Over all these years, there have been several times when even I couldn't withstand the pressure he unleashed." The blush had vanished from Mira's face, and she looked very serious.

"So you think so too. Let me tell you, there have been several times when even I couldn't endure the pressure he released." With a mysterious expression, Makarov whispered into Mira's ear. Then, ignoring the shock on her face, he went straight upstairs and returned to his room.

It took Mira quite a while to recover. Then she saw Gray waving his hand back and forth in front of her. Gray asked in confusion, "What did you talk about with the Master? Why did you look like you'd lost your soul as soon as he finished?"

"It was nothing, nothing." Mira looked a little flustered, but she quickly returned to her usual smiling expression and said to Gray, "Would you like some beer?"

Sure enough, Gray, with his simple mind, was immediately distracted by Mira's words. "Please."

At that moment, Chen Fan found Romeo as well. Romeo was sitting on a step with his head buried in his knees, looking dejected and lonely.

Chen Fan walked over and sat beside Romeo, deliberately making a little noise. Romeo heard it and raised his head. When he saw Chen Fan, he softly said, "Brother Chen Fan."

"Are you wondering what kind of person your father is?" Chen Fan asked Romeo calmly.

"Yeah. A lot of the other kids say Dad's just a coward who loves drinking. As for being a wizard..." Romeo's expression grew agitated.

But Chen Fan raised a hand and cut him off. "I don't know what you think of your father, but I do know that he is a great man. Not because he is a wizard, but because he is a father."

Seeing the confusion on Romeo's face, Chen Fan continued, "Let me tell you a story. Do you want to hear it?"

"Yeah!" Romeo nodded firmly.

Chen Fan spoke with a nostalgic look in his eyes. "There was once a family, but it wasn't a warm one. The father drank and gambled, while the mother worked hard every day. As for the child, he could only play in the mud by himself every day. Sometimes, his drunken father would beat him. His mother would be beaten too when she tried to protect him. One day, the mother simply couldn't endure it anymore, and eventually the family broke apart. But the father never raised the child. The mother kept the child with her, always giving him anything good to eat, and taking him along when she worked. Yet the child's father never came to see him, not even once. When the child was bullied by others, he didn't know what to do, but he never told his mother. He didn't know how to tell her..."

As he spoke, tears actually shimmered in his eyes. Romeo stared at him blankly. He had never seen Chen Fan like this before. In his memory, Chen Fan was always smiling, kind, and approachable. The word "crying" seemed so very, very far away from Chen Fan.

Chen Fan seemed to feel that the mood had become too heavy, so he stopped. Seeing Romeo staring blankly into his eyes, he quickly turned away, wiped his tears, then turned back and said, "I got a little off track. Anyway, just remember that your father is a very great man, okay?"

"Yeah." Romeo nodded firmly.

Seeing how obedient Romeo was, Chen Fan rubbed his head and said, "Since you're being so good, I'll tell you some good news. Your father isn't dead. He'll be back soon."

Romeo said excitedly, "Where is he? How do you know, Brother Chen Fan?"

"I know divination magic. You have to keep it a secret, okay? This is a secret between the two of us." Chen Fan wore a mysterious expression.

"Yeah, I understand."

Just then, a voice called from the distance, "Romeo!" Natsu was supporting the injured Macao as they returned, calling out to Romeo.

"Dad!" Romeo excitedly threw himself at Macao, nearly knocking the still-injured Macao to the ground.

After finally regaining his footing, Macao said to Romeo, "Sorry for making you worry. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I'm a wizard's son, after all." Romeo rubbed the tears from his eyes.

"Next time you run into those little brats, tell them your dad can defeat nineteen monsters." Macao said smugly.

"Yeah." Romeo nodded and wiped his nose.