Ever since she reunited with Gildarts a few years ago, Cana's life had completely jumped the original rails.
The most obvious change was simple: now Cana drank, but she did not drink herself half to death. She dressed sexy, sure, but she no longer wandered around the guild in nothing but a bra all day. All of this was thanks to one person.
Gildarts. A full powered daughter fanatic.
He was already utterly dependent on Cana. No matter where he went, no matter what job he took, he just had to bring his daughter along. While he carefully trained and guided her, he also conveniently shoved all those tedious, boring commissions to the side.
Because of this, Cana often vanished for months at a time, running all over the place with him.
This time they had been gone for over a year before Gildarts finally finished his job. When he then happened to hear that something had happened back at the guild, he panicked and rushed home.
...
"So that's why. In that case you two came back way too late. The mess was already cleaned up by me long ago."
Kabe thumped his own chest with a very self satisfied look.
Cana put her hands behind her back and leaned forward with a smile.
"I already heard. You are getting more and more reliable, Kabe~"
With that little lean, from his higher angle Kabe could quite clearly see the swell pressing against her white tube top, full and threatening to spill.
Almost on instinct, his hand shot out and tugged the fabric up for her.
In that motion, his fingers accidentally brushed a flash of soft, smooth skin.
Cana froze on the spot, completely stiff, not knowing what to do with her body.
Gray stared in stunned silence for a second, then his eyes went wide with admiration.
Good guy. One year apart and after just two lines of small talk, you already went straight for skin contact.
Realizing exactly what he had just touched, Kabe's hand stopped abruptly. He suddenly felt very awkward and scratched his cheek, trying to explain.
"Uh, I was just…"
Before he could finish, a furious Gildarts flashed in front of him.
"You little brat. What do you think your hand is doing to my daughter?"
He smashed a fist into Kabe's chest.
With a howl, Kabe shot out like a cannonball, snapped a load bearing pillar in half, scraped past the bar counter, blew through the back wall, skipped across the lake out back several times and finally crashed into the water, exploding up a column of spray more than ten meters high.
"You damn brat, first thing you do when you see her is put your hands all over my Cana! I will cut it off and end your crime tool!"
Before Cana could even try to stop him, Gildarts was already roaring and charging after Kabe's flying figure.
The sudden chaos made everyone in the guild jump, but once they realized what was going on, they all rushed out together to watch the show.
...
"Sigh, those two idiots…"
Cana slapped a hand over her forehead helplessly.
"Four years and neither of them has grown up at all."
"Unlike certain people who have changed a lot in just one year."
A very displeased voice sounded behind her.
Cana turned and saw Mirajane striding over, hands on her hips, full of momentum. Elfman and Lisanna trailed in her wake.
On the other side, hearing the ruckus, Erza, Levy and the others also walked over.
"The moment you come back you start flirting with someone else's boyfriend. Looks like you learned quite a lot in that one year outside, Cana."
Stopping right in front of her, Mira spoke without the slightest politeness.
"Big sis…"
Elfman started to speak up to smooth things over, but one vicious glare from Mirajane made him clamp his mouth shut instantly.
Compared to a few years ago, Cana was not the purely gentle, accommodating girl anymore. Faced with Mira's undisguised hostility, she deliberately straightened her chest and flicked her hair back.
"My my, if it is not Mirajane. I heard you and Kabe made it official. What is wrong, cannot keep your man with your own charm so you blame someone else?"
"Heh. My charm is small? Are you blind?"
Mira stepped forward. Her soft, springy curves pressed tightly against Cana's, absolutely full of confidence.
"How is that. Feel it, little girl."
Mira was a year older, and under Kabe's deliberate "nutritional guidance" she had eaten a lot of papayas and other helpful things. Her development was noticeably ahead of Cana's.
Feeling that pressure, Cana's expression changed for a moment. But almost immediately she let out a light laugh.
"Just because they are big does not mean you have charm. If you really had confidence in yourself, why would you bother coming here to pick a fight with me? In the end we are just different styles. For all you know, Kabe might like my style better."
"What was that? Looking for a beating? Do not think that just because you have an S class daddy that I will not hit you. I am S class too."
"If I had not been away last year, you think you could have become S class with that transformation magic of yours? Keep dreaming."
Neither girl backed down. Their glares smashed together in midair, sparks practically crackling between them.
Around them, Gray had very wisely dragged clueless Elfman away the second things looked like they were about to blow up.
Levy, Lucy, Lisanna and the rest really had no way to cut in on this kind of confrontation.
Luckily, Erza was present.
She forced herself into the gap between the two of them, one hand on each of their shoulders, pushing them apart.
"All right. There is no need to quarrel over something this small the moment you reunite."
"Small? Kabe is your boyfriend too, and you call this a small thing?"
Mira still refused to let it go.
Erza, however, calmly dropped a line that shocked everyone present.
She placed one hand on Cana's shoulder, her expression extremely serious.
"Cana is not an outsider. She grew up with us. If it is her, I have no objections. I welcome her joining our big family."
Mirajane: "Huh?!"
Levy, Lucy and the others: "Aba… A e…"
Cana's brain simply blue screened. She stared at Erza in a daze.
"I… join you… hey hey hey, I was just joking. Erza, you are taking this way too seriously."
She was completely speechless. What kind of people were these two?
One treated her like a love rival, full of defense and hostility.
The other was even more ridiculous, taking it upon herself to shove Cana straight into Kabe's harem without asking for her opinion at all.
She was gone for just one year and both of them had been adjusted into something terrifying.
Hearing Cana's words, Erza tightened her grip on her shoulders.
"Cana, do not worry. Just say it out loud."
"Say… say what?" Cana was completely lost.
Erza only thought she was being shy. With a soft gaze and gentle tone, she patiently coaxed her.
"Do not pretend. I have already seen through you.
It is all right. We are guildmates. I will not blame you."