"Welcome back, Gildarts!" a sincere smile blossomed on Mira's face as she welcomed the legendary wizard.
Gildarts stepped inside, his gaze wandering in confusion through the guild hall, which had changed so much. "Miss, is there a guild called Fairy Tail nearby?"
"This is it!" Mira replied with a crisp laugh.
Gildarts thought hard, then finally remembered. "You... you're Mira! You've grown up now, haven't you?"
Mira returned his smile, nodding.
His gaze shifted to Lucy and Wendy. "So many new members, it seems!"
Suddenly, a muffled whine sounded. "Wuwuwuwu...!" Natsu appeared, his entire body swathed in bandages like a mummy.
Gildarts was shocked. "You... you're Natsu! What happened to you?"
"Natsu went looking for trouble with Chen Fan and got beaten to a pulp," someone whispered.
"Ooooooooooo..." Natsu whimpered, his voice muffled.
Gildarts looked at Happy, who was perched on his shoulder. "What's he saying?"
"He says he wants to fight him!" Happy translated.
"You want to fight me when you're in this state?" Gildarts laughed.
"Wuwuwu..."
Gildarts looked at Happy again. "He says he'll fight me after he's healed. And not to run away."
"Me, run away? Haha! Okay! I'll be waiting for you!" Gildarts burst into laughter, his aura filled with an infectious confidence.
Gray and Elfman joined in the praise. "Gildarts is a real man!"
"Uncle is still strong!"
Everyone made way as Gildarts stepped forward, his aura so overwhelming it felt truly befitting of a leader. Chen Fan, who was in the middle of a debate with Makarov, fell silent. Makarov straightened his clothes and sat down at the counter. "How was your mission?"
Gildarts went quiet, then shook his head with a wry smile. "No! It seems it was too difficult for me."
The Fairy Tail guild fell silent. Gildarts, the strongest wizard, had failed? Everyone was stunned.
"Ah, it's okay! The most important thing is that you came back safely, right, President?" Chen Fan quickly interjected.
Makarov nodded. "Yes! No one has ever returned from that mission. You're the first. That's already amazing."
"Gildarts, it's been a long time. You're still as imposing as ever!" Chen Fan slapped Gildarts' shoulder.
"Um... who are you?" Gildarts was bewildered, not remembering him.
Chen Fan was shocked. "Oh my God! You forgot me? Is your brain so full of women?!"
The words were familiar. Gildarts smiled, realizing that only one person in Fairy Tail would dare to talk to him like that. "You're Chen Fan...!"
"What's wrong? Don't I look like me?"
"You're really that bastard! It's been so long! You've become so handsome, you must have charmed a lot of girls!" Gildarts, who was usually calm, laughed happily and hugged Chen Fan tightly.
"No, just ten or twenty!" Chen Fan boasted, always showing off about women in front of Gildarts.
"Listen, I met a lot of beautiful women this time!" Gildarts said with a lecherous smile.
"Really? Hurry and tell me! Any young ones? I like a baby face with a big chest."
"Yes, I met a beautiful woman in the Dals Kingdom..."
Everyone slapped their foreheads, sighing deeply. "They're at it again, those two!"
Lucy and Wendy were confused. "What's wrong?"
"Are Chen Fan and Gildarts close?"
"Gildarts has a good habit of flirting with women, and Chen Fan always joins in. It's truly inspiring!" Loki suddenly appeared.
"Loki! Why are you here? That's not a good habit, it's a bad one!" Lucy was shocked.
"It's been a long time, Lucy. I came out because I missed you. Don't you miss me?" Loki flirted.
"I called for you yesterday, but you were hiding in the Spirit World!" Lucy said flatly.
Loki stopped in his tracks, scratching his head. "Ahaha...! Ahaha...! I was busy yesterday. You know how it is, a guy's got days like that every month."
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