Chapter 19: Cana
Gildarts' return had brought a fresh wave of energy to Fairy Tail.
Despite being nearly forty years old, the man had the soul of a kid, effortlessly fitting in with the younger members of the guild.
Especially with Natsu—the two got along almost too well.
After getting KO'd by a single punch, Natsu had started clinging to Gildarts like glue, begging him to teach him.
Gildarts didn't mind.
Every day after Moen's special training, he'd squeeze out some extra time to coach Natsu too.
They got along like a real father and son.
Moen could tell—Natsu had likely found in Gildarts something he'd been desperately missing:
a warm, fatherly presence.
Having only just lost his "father" , a certain fire dragon, Natsu was clearly still seeking that sense of connection.
At this point, even Moen had started to accept the idea that Natsu's "father" really was a fire-breathing dragon.
Still… he had his doubts.
More likely, the dragon had found and raised Natsu—not actually fathered him.
But who was he to judge?
"Moen-nii, today's reading isgreat luckagain!"
Inside the Fairy Tail guildhall, Cana beamed up at Moen with her big, sparkling eyes.
She held her Tarot deck tightly and looked incredibly serious.
Moen, sitting across from her, had a look that could only be described as… skeptical.
"…Cana," he said, raising an eyebrow, "Not to doubt your divination skills, but… is it really possible for someone to have good luck every single day of the year?"
He tried to sound tactful, but his smile twitched.
Not just 365 days—since the day Cana started learning fortune-telling,
every reading she'd done for him had been either "Good Luck" or "Great Luck."
The worst result ever? "Slightly Good Luck."
That just didn't seem… right.
"Of course it's possible! You're Moen-nii!"
Cana responded with conviction and immediately began hurriedly gathering her cards.
"…But I've never seen you give anyone else a reading like that."
Moen narrowed his eyes.
He hadn't thought much of it at first, but over time, the pattern was too obvious.
Even he, dense as he could be with emotions, had picked up on the very biased pattern in her readings.
"Moen-nii, you'renotlike other people."
Cana's voice softened as she clutched her deck close to her chest.
Her cheeks flushed pink as she tried to defend herself.
And when she said those words,
her face turned an even brighter shade of red.
"Please believe in my fortune-telling!"
She quickly added—louder this time.
It sounded almost like she was… mad, or embarrassed, or both.
Moen held up his hands in surrender, sensing the emotional landmine.
"Alright, alright! I believe you! You're the best fortune-teller ever."
He gave her a half-smile and decided to drop it.
Girls were complicated.
Little girls?
Even more so.
"So, Cana… You heading out to meet Gildarts and the others?"
Moen wisely changed the subject.
She had just packed up her Tarot cards like she was about to leave,
and Gildarts had taken a bunch of kids out to the forest not long ago.
"No, I'm going back to the dorms."
Cana shook her head.
Her cheeks were still flushed pink—she looked absolutely adorable.
"Huh? Going back already?"
Moen blinked, a little surprised.
Moen blinked in surprise.
First thing in the Morning, and she's already heading back?
"I've got a mission today," Cana explained.
"I'm heading out straight from the dorms."
Normally, she'd stick around the guild a bit longer—she loved the lively energy of the place.
"Mission? You're going alone?"
Moen tilted his head curiously.
"Nah. I'm going with Levy and Erza."
Cana shook her head.
"Erza invited us, but she didn't say what the job is."
Still, with Erza around, she wasn't worried. No matter what the mission was, it'd be fine.
"Got it. Well, good luck then!"
Moen smiled and waved her off.
He had the same thought—if Erza was leading, there was no need to worry.
Levy and Cana had both started to master their magic, though they still needed experience when it came to actual combat.
But with Erza joining them, that trio was nothing to scoff at.
If it had just been Levy and Cana… Moen might've worried.
But then, a strange thought popped into his head:
"So… she had a mission today, but still came all the way to the guild… just to give me a fortune reading?"
He stared at Cana's retreating figure as she jogged out of the guild, a little dazed.
Come to think of it, every morning he was here, Cana would show up and insist on reading his fortune.
It had become such a routine that he'd stopped questioning it.
And today—even when she had somewhere else to be—she still came by, just for that.
"That little fortune-teller… she's more dedicated than she lets on."
Moen chuckled to himself, touched in a way he couldn't quite explain.
"Cana really ought to spend more time with Gildarts."
A voice suddenly echoed from under the table.
"..."
Moen twitched, mouth going crooked.
From beneath the table emerged a tiny figure in a clown hat with horns—none other than...
"Master Makarov… how long have you been down there?"
He rubbed his temple, trying to swallow the wave of exasperation.
This mischievous old man always managed to pop out at the worst moments.
"Ahem. Just got here."
Makarov cleared his throat quickly.
Totally not eavesdropping, of course.
"But… I've noticed it too. Cana doesn't seem too eager to go near Gildarts."
Moen nodded slowly.
"Yeah. She always watches from the sidelines. Her eyes... they look kind of complicated when she does."
As the de facto "big brother" of the guild's kids, Moen kept a close eye on all of them.
When Gildarts was around, most of the children would swarm him, laughing and playing.
But Cana—she'd quietly sit at the edge of it all, always watching, never approaching.
"So… there's a story there?"
Moen looked toward Makarov with curiosity.
If there was one person who'd know, it'd be the guildmaster.
The old man glanced around furtively, then leaned in like a shady informant.
"Gildarts… was married once."
Moen's eyes went wide.
"Huh?!"
Before he could shout more, Makarov quickly clamped a hand over his mouth.
"Shh!!"
The old man looked around nervously.
"Not many people know this!"
Moen's face was a mix of shock and disbelief.
"Wait—seriously?! You're not just messing with me, right?"
Because if that were true…
Was he seriously implying that Cana was Gildarts' daughter?!