Gildarts had been staying at the guild for a while. Apparently, this was his downtime, and during that time, no one pestered him more than Natsu. For example...
"An opening!"
Natsu's eyes lit up. He dropped from the ceiling like a cannonball, driving a mighty headbutt straight at Gildarts!
"Aye!"
"Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!"
"Sword Horn!" Happy flapped his wings in midair, excitedly shouting along at the top of his lungs.
Bam!
Gildarts had only just stepped through the guild doors when he took a solid hit to the forehead. It barely hurt him, but the sharp sting still made him suck in a breath.
"Oh, it's you, Natsu..."
"That's right! If it hurts, shout it out, Gildarts!" Natsu bounced wildly after landing, his fighting spirit blazing.
"Shout it out!" Happy echoed as ever.
Gildarts sighed helplessly. "Come on, can't you at least let me catch my breath? I only just got back."
"Shut up! I'm gonna flatten you right now!" Natsu hopped excitedly beside him.
"Flatten you!"
Before the words had even faded, a shock wave burst beneath Natsu's feet as he launched himself again! Blazing flames engulfed his right fist, their heat warping the air!
"Here I come! Fire Dragon's..."
Bam! Gildarts didn't even raise his eyelids. He simply threw a casual punch.
Natsu instantly became a shooting star, smashing straight through the guild ceiling and trailing thick smoke all the way toward the distant horizon...
"...Sword Horn!" Natsu's drawn-out cry echoed through the sky.
"Natsu!!!" Tears welled in Happy's eyes. His wings fluttered frantically as he rushed after the vanished shooting star.
Before long, Natsu regrouped and stormed back into the guild.
"Gildarts! Fight me!" Natsu swaggered toward him, his footsteps thundering against the floor.
"Yo!" Looking a little more lively, Gildarts waved at Natsu.
"Welcome back, Natsu!" Lisanna cupped her hands around her mouth and greeted him cheerfully.
"Take this!" Natsu didn't hear a word. He pushed off the floor and lunged at Gildarts. But just as he got close, an utterly ordinary-looking heavy punch descended, hammering Natsu into the ground like a nail with a thunderous crash.
"When someone says 'welcome back,' you're supposed to say 'I'm back.'" Gildarts's expression grew a little stern as he assumed the air of an elder giving a lecture. "Not 'take this,' right?"
Sprawled on the floor, Natsu barely managed to open his mouth. "I... I'm back..."
"He got beaten up again. How many times does that make?" Elfman looked up from the book he was reading and wiped away a cold sweat.
"He really never learns!" Blanc pressed a hand to his forehead, wearing a helpless, wry smile.
"But he still gets back up after taking that much of a beating." Young Erza folded her arms, her delicate little face showing a seriousness and admiration beyond her years. "That courage deserves praise."
"'That courage deserves praise,' ooh~ Who do you think you are?" Before Erza had even finished, her bitter rival Mirajane mocked her in a snide voice, her pretty face full of scorn.
"What did you say?!" Erza's gaze instantly sharpened like a blade.
"I said you're full of yourself, you pompous little brat!" Mira shot back without backing down. Their foreheads pressed together, and sparks practically crackled between them.
Elfman went deathly pale at the sight. Like a frightened little animal, he instantly hid his entire face behind his thick book.
Just as the two squared off again, Natsu sprang back to life on the floor. He bounced up as though nothing had happened and energetically took a fighting stance:
"I'm back, and here's a little extra..." Natsu stood up again and energetically took a fighting stance.
"A little extra!" Happy was always the perfect hype man, flapping his wings and loudly echoing him.
"Fire Dragon's Claw!" Natsu spun rapidly in midair, his flaming heel becoming a blur as it slammed into the back of Gildarts's head!
Gildarts had been tipping back his cup for a drink when Natsu ambushed him. Caught completely off guard by the blow, he stumbled forward and spat his unswallowed booze all over the floor. He couldn't have looked more bedraggled.
Blanc's mouth twitched hard at the sight. He couldn't help remembering all the times Natsu had ambushed him. In that moment, he felt a strange kinship with Gildarts.
Gildarts's face darkened, his eyes going blank as he whipped his head around to glare at Natsu. "Now I'm mad!"
"So scary!" Natsu jumped in fright.
That crushing, terrifying aura sent a shudder through Natsu. Before he could flee, Gildarts caught him with an uppercut, turning him into a shooting star once again as he crashed through the roof and flew away.
Beautiful. Blanc wildly applauded Gildarts in his heart.
Gildarts rolled his wrist and stood up with a grin. Natsu had piqued his interest, and he decided to give him another proper match. "This should be fun. Let's take this outside, Natsu!"
"He's already outside~" Happy raised a paw, dutifully pointing out the obvious.
Mira, who had been wrestling with Erza as they pulled at each other's cheeks, instantly stopped, her eyes lighting up:
"Hold on, Erza. Truce for now. That looks more interesting."
"Agreed. Let's go watch!" Erza changed her tune in a heartbeat, immediately letting go, her face full of anticipation.
"Seriously, these guys are so noisy every day."
Wearing nothing but boxer shorts, Gray sat nearby with his hands behind his head, grinning as he complained.
Blanc and Elfman both stood and brushed the dust off their clothes, ready to join the crowd going to watch.
"You're coming too, right, Gray?" Elfman asked.
"Of course!" Gray answered as though it went without saying. Then he caught sight of Cana in the corner. She sat motionless with her head lowered, clutching her Tarot Cards tightly, so he called out casually, "What's wrong, Cana? Aren't you coming?"
Cana flinched at being addressed so suddenly. She looked up in a panic, her gaze evasive and her words stumbling. "Ah... I... I'll pass. You guys go ahead."
"Oh, okay. Let's go, Elfman, Blanc."
Without giving it much thought, Gray casually ushered his companions out the door.
Only Blanc, who was bringing up the rear, stopped. He looked back at the little girl sitting there, forlorn and lost in thought, and sighed inwardly.
Knowing the truth, Blanc understood Cana's secret. The father she had been separated from for years was right before her, yet various circumstances kept her from revealing who she was. Worse still, she had to watch him spend every day having fun with other children. The poor girl was probably terribly torn up inside.
She really can't be honest with herself... Blanc thought silently, then stopped. After a brief word with Gray and Elfman, he decided not to go watch.
These days, Gildarts and Natsu were the liveliest sight in the guild.
The older man seemed particularly fond of the fire-wielding brat. They were practically inseparable. Not only did Gildarts personally put Natsu through intense sparring sessions, but he often took him running all over Magnolia.
They went fishing together, shouted their way down the streets together, and even fought over meat in the guild. Gildarts would always ruffle Natsu's hair with his rough hand and let out a hearty laugh.
Natsu adored Gildarts, too, challenging the guild's strongest member every single day.
As those two grew closer, the light in Cana's eyes dimmed day by day as she sat in her corner.
Whenever she saw Gildarts carrying Natsu back to the guild, or smiling as he listened to Natsu talk about Igneel, Cana would unconsciously clutch her skirt so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
The intense sadness in her eyes almost spilled over, mixed with a trace of jealousy she couldn't hide.
Why could some kid who'd only just arrived win that man's attention so easily? Why did she, his own daughter, have to hide in the shadows like a stranger?
Blanc had been keenly aware of Cana's changing emotions all along.
After all, Cana's relationship with Gildarts hadn't progressed at all during these past days, while Natsu and Gildarts had grown as close as father and son.
That stark contrast would devastate any girl yearning for her father's love.
If she keeps bottling this up, she's going to end up with serious psychological problems, Blanc muttered inwardly.
In fact, her later fixation on the S-Class Exam could itself be considered a psychological problem. She had become so obsessed that she betrayed a companion.
As her companion, he couldn't simply stand by and do nothing. Someone needed to break the silence if this situation was ever going to change.
Blanc leaned against a table, his mind racing. He couldn't just walk over and say, "I've seen the story, so I know Gildarts is your father." That would shatter Cana's entire worldview. A moment later, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly as a brilliant excuse occurred to him.
"Hey, Cana." Blanc strolled over to her table, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
Cana hastily withdrew her gaze from the doorway and lowered her head to shuffle her cards, making her attempt at concealment all too obvious. "What? Don't interrupt my fortune-telling."
Blanc watched her calmly, then lowered his voice until only the two of them could hear:
"Forget the fortune-telling for a minute. My Nature Magic is very sensitive to life force and magic power. I can sense the resonant wavelengths of the magic inside people's bodies."
"I've been watching for days now. The flow of magic inside you... has a wavelength very close to that scatterbrained red-haired guy's. The other pair in the guild with similar wavelengths is the Guild Master and Laxus!"
Blanc leaned closer, watching her pupils suddenly contract as he laid his cards on the table. "Cana, you're Gildarts's daughter, aren't you?"
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