Cana's Secret 2

"!!"

The Tarot Cards in Cana's hands scattered across the table with a clatter. Her eyes flew wide open, and she nearly jumped out of her seat.

With a single sentence, Blanc had struck the secret she had buried in her heart for years. The sudden panic left her no time to consider whether his explanation of the magic actually held water.

Noticing people nearby looking over, Cana jolted and reacted instantly, clamping a hand tightly over Blanc's mouth.

Embarrassment and helplessness at having her secret exposed sent a flush rushing into her cheeks. She glared daggers at Blanc and lowered her voice, forcing a growl through clenched teeth. "Shut up! Come with me!"

With that, she seized Blanc by the collar and practically dragged him out through the guild's front doors, using every ounce of strength she had. They hurried through the glaring sunlight until they turned into a narrow alley so quiet that not even cats usually passed through it.

The moment they entered the alley, Cana angrily released him and slapped a hand against the wall beside her.

With nobody else around at last, Cana's tense shoulders finally sagged.

"Y-you shouldn't go saying things like that!" she began, trying to regain the upper hand with a bluster she didn't feel.

Blanc was in no hurry. He simply stood with his hands in his pockets, quietly watching her stubbornly deny the obvious.

After a long stalemate, Cana finally ran out of steam. Deflated, she slowly slid down the wall and sat on the ground, looking thoroughly dejected.

"Yes, you guessed right. Gildarts... really is my father!"

After admitting the secret she had buried so deeply, Cana felt embarrassed all over again. She tilted her head up to glare at Blanc and complained, "But seriously, why does your magic have such a weird side effect?! And... why did you suddenly come over and bring this up?!"

"Why else? Because you've been acting way too strange lately." With his hands still in his pockets, Blanc sighed helplessly and looked down at her. "You stare at Gildarts and Natsu every day until your eyes practically water. Anyone with half a brain could see it. It's because of that old guy, isn't it?"

Cana stiffened slightly as he touched a sore spot.

Blanc sat down beside her, dropping his smile as he looked at her seriously.

"Why don't you tell him who you are?"

Cana froze at the question and fell silent for a while.

She twisted her fingers tightly together and stared at the tips of her shoes for a long time before finally speaking, her voice so quiet she seemed to be talking to herself.

"...I don't know."

"Actually, there were several times... when I'd already worked up the courage to tell him myself."

"But every time, something weird would happen and interrupt me."

"Either the Guild Master would suddenly call him away, or someone in the guild would start a fight, or he'd take another job and leave first thing the next morning..."

Cana tugged at the corner of her mouth, a loneliness beyond her years flickering in her eyes.

"After getting my hopes dashed so many times, I slowly became more and more afraid to tell him."

"Every time I see him standing there, it feels like there's such a huge distance between us."

"Blanc, he's so amazing. Everyone agrees he's the strongest wizard in the guild. He's so dazzling, and everyone loves him so much... If he suddenly found out he had a daughter this old, would he..."

"Cana, you're overthinking it!" Blanc raised his hand and gave her forehead a light, exasperated flick. "From what I've seen these past few days, Gildarts is a scatterbrained old guy, but he's definitely not irresponsible. Come on, let's go tell him right now!"

"No!..." Cana shrank back a little, her voice low.

"If you're scared, I'll tell him for you!" Seeing her like this, Blanc was starting to feel anxious on her behalf.

"No way! Absolutely not!" Cana grew even more agitated at that, practically shouting in frustration. "This is my own business! If I let you tell him, what would all these years have been for?!"

Blanc sighed and gave her a sidelong look. "Then you'll tell him?"

Cornered by his question, Cana flushed slightly. She turned her head away and picked uneasily at the ground, muttering, "After all this time, I really don't have the courage..."

Blanc rolled his eyes. This girl was a textbook case of wanting to have it both ways.

Quick to catch his expression, Cana puffed out her cheeks in displeasure. "What's that look supposed to mean?!"

After her outburst, silence settled over the alley again. Cana looked at Blanc, the light in her eyes wavering. She bit her lower lip, seemingly wrestling with something inside.

Suddenly, an idea struck her, and her face brightened.

"That's it, the S-Class Exam! If I pass the S-Class Exam and prove myself, then everything will be fine!"

Blanc watched Cana arrive at the same idea she had in the original story.

"So you're planning to become an S-Class wizard before telling Gildarts the truth?"

Cana's eyes sparkled as though she had finally found a lifeline, and she nodded eagerly.

"Yes! Only then will I have the confidence to stand in front of him and tell him I'm his daughter!"

Blanc fell silent for a moment, looking at the girl whose eyes were filled with hope. Then he said earnestly, "How about... you reconsider letting me tell him for you?"

Cana's excited expression instantly froze. She keenly caught the helplessness deep in Blanc's eyes. Puffing out her cheeks in displeasure, she shouted in frustration.

"What's that look supposed to mean? You think I can't become an S-Class wizard? How dare you look down on me!"

"It's not about whether I look down on you." Blanc tried to persuade her gently with the harsh reality. "Just look at Laxus. He's that strong, and he's already seventeen this year, but he still isn't an S-Class wizard. We don't even know if he'll get to take the S-Class Exam this year."

"Are you really going to wait until you're seventeen to take the S-Class Exam, spend another few years passing it, and only then tell him? By then, it might not be you meeting your father, but his granddaughter meeting her grandfather."

"W-what nonsense are you talking about?!"

Cana's face instantly turned crimson, not only from embarrassment at Blanc's teasing about a granddaughter, but also because he had mercilessly shattered her fantasy.

But once she calmed down and thought it through, Blanc wasn't wrong at all. Just how difficult was the guild's S-Class Exam? She was still so weak. How long would it take her to catch up to that figure so far above her?

Helplessness and hurt washed over her like a tide. Cana silently drew up her legs, hugged her knees tightly with both arms, and buried her chin deep in them.

At that moment, her defenses crumbled completely. The ache and sorrow grew stronger and stronger until the tears welling in her eyes finally broke free, falling in large, glistening drops onto the dusty red bricks without a sound.

"Then tell me what I'm supposed to do..." Cana's voice trembled with suppressed sobs, and she looked especially fragile in the narrow alley. "Someone as ordinary as me... what right do I even have to go see him?"

Blanc's eye twitched at the sight. It looked as though he was bullying her. He scratched at his hair in agitation, but unfortunately, giving proper comfort wasn't exactly his forte.

He sighed, planted his hands on his knees, and leaned toward Cana.

He stared straight into her eyes, his gaze firmer and more serious than ever.

"If you can't make up your mind, then I'll decide for you. Work up your courage one more time and tell Gildarts. A daughter doesn't need to earn the right to see her father."

At that point, a mischievous smile curled across his face again. His words came slowly and calmly, with a teasing edge that practically begged for a punch.

"If you don't go, I'll tell him myself. You wouldn't want Gildarts to find out you're his daughter from somebody else, would you?"

Cana's sobs stopped abruptly.

With tears streaking her face, she raised her head in surprise. Blanc's forceful, almost shameless attitude, with its hint of a threat, had stunned her. She had apparently never imagined that the guy who always seemed to keep his distance had this side to him.

The threat was childish, clumsy, and even a little nasty.

Yet as she looked into Blanc's seemingly teasing eyes and saw the unyielding seriousness behind them, a long-lost flicker of courage slowly warmed her cold heart. Now she had a friend to share the weight of her secret.

What a nasty guy. But... he's pretty reassuring, too.

"Pfft..." Cana laughed through her tears. She raised her sleeve and haphazardly wiped them away, then shot him a fierce glare. "You're seriously awful! Who pressures someone like that?"

Seeing that she had stopped crying, Blanc quietly breathed a sigh of relief. He stood back up and raised an eyebrow. "So, what's your answer?"

Cana took her time getting to her feet and brushed the dust off her skirt. Finally, she turned her head away awkwardly. Her voice still held a trace of tears, but her eyes were no longer lost.

"Fine, I'll tell him... But let me prepare first! Tomorrow. I'll definitely tell him everything tomorrow!"