“Okay, break it up, you two. If you go any further, Ektor’s gonna be mad.”
“I wouldn’t want THAT.”
Just as I was on the verge of panicking, Rinny swiftly steps in between us.
Whew! But why did he mention Ektor? If anyone’s getting angry here, it’s Claire. Well, whatever. Wells seems far less upset than before. Although, there’s no way I’m trusting him ever again after a stunt like that!
“Sorry about that. Don’t get all fluffed up! You look too cute when you’re angry.”
“Wells!”
He doesn’t seem to care, even with my fur all puffed up with anger, waving off my cry of annoyance playfully.
He doesn’t feel bad at all! In fact, he seems to enjoy making me upset! Rrgh!
“Thanks to the little missy here, I’m feeling much better. Now! What was it you came here to talk to me about?”
“Seriously? Great!”
According to Rinny, Wells is very moody. Once he gets all pouty, he won’t listen to anything you have to say, which is why Rinny had been ready to call it quits for today and try again later.
“Thanks,” he says while ruffling my hair.
Oh, really? Then I guess my embarrassment was ultimately for a good cause.
“Tee-hee! I’m glad I helped in some way.”
“…She’s so unbelievably honest and straightforward. She’s a real good kid, huh?” Wells says.
“She really is. Which is why I can’t take my eyes off her for even a second,” Rinny agrees.
“I can see why.”
His sudden compliment in such a serious tone is a little worrisome, and yet I can’t complain. Although I don’t know how to feel about them thinking I’m going to get into trouble. And why are they both patting my head like that? When I ask why, all they tell me is to stay just the way I am. Ugh. I never understand anything!
“Sorry about the mess. Feel free to sit wherever there’s space. Oh! Care for some tea?”
After a bit of back and forth, Wells invites us into his store to listen to what we have to say. While he did tell us to sit wherever we pleased, I can’t seem to find a chair without at least one broken leg and that isn’t covered in a blanket of dust.
Hmm…
“Wells, would you mind if I tidied up the room a bit?” I ask.
“Hrm? You want to clean? I’m not going to turn you down, but it might take a while…”
“Thanks! It’ll just take a sec! Light magic! Cleanse!”
Although all I’m doing is cleaning up the place, I still need to get permission first. I just couldn’t stand one more second in this dust-covered room, and so, before the words had even left his lips, I was already conjuring up my light magic. My tail attracts dust like no other!
“Ooh! How neat!”
“She cleaned the guildhall in the same way!” Rinny says. “She’s amazing!”
In a blink of an eye, the room is clean and tidy, and the two men are drowning me in praise.
“I’m sure lots of people can do much better than me,” I say, embarrassed.
“There are not that many folks nowadays who can wield light magic, and even less who use it for cleaning,” Wells replies. “You really are one of a kind!”
I’m well aware there are far less light magic users than any other elemental, and he’s right about the cleaning. The only reason I do it is because Claire brought up the idea. I still don’t think it’s exactly praiseworthy. It made me smile to see Claire act so embarrassed the other day when everyone thanked her for her cooking, but now that it’s happening to me, I just feel weird. I never know what to say in response!
“You’ve got a very delicate touch when it comes to wielding your magic, too. That takes a lot of training and skill. You should be more confident in yourself, Miku!”
Rinny’s praise only makes my face redder.
Sheesh! Will I ever stop blushing today?!
“We didn’t come here just to talk about me, right? Let’s change the subject!” I try to get us back on track while righting a chair that had toppled over. It’s a little wobbly, but it should work. After making sure it can hold my weight, I carefully sit down.
Wells watches me, chuckling softly, before speaking up. “I already have a good idea of what you’re about to say. Rinny doesn’t usually wander around with lovely ladies in tow, especially ladies who happen to also be members of the Lanakiller guild.”
Huh? Really? He figured it out? I knew this guy was no ordinary blacksmith. He gives an air of nonchalance, but his mind is constantly spinning, picking up on every word and action, no matter how minute.
“You’re pretty quick! In that case, let’s get down to business.” Rinny doesn’t seem particularly bothered by his words, but he knows him well. Grinning as he folds his hands behind his head, he seems to be in a pretty good mood.
Please let this work out and make Wells join us!
“We’ve been considering climbing up the ranks as a guild,” Rinny says, getting straight to the point.
“I see. And you need more members, right?”
“Right. Of course, Lanakiller is pretty selective in its membership.”
Wells nods to show he’s listening as he flips a new cigarette out from a pack, using the tip of his finger to light it before taking a deep puff. He holds the smoke in his lungs before letting it out slowly. As he does, I can tell he’s thinking about something, his gaze distant.
“Who else did you invite?” he asks after a long moment of silence. Rinny answers his question readily. Aside from Claire and me, Wells seems to know everyone else by name. “A very sensible list. So, that leaves just me and Marino to get to your ten, huh?”
“Yep. You can build a new workshop on the guildhall property, or you can stay here. You’ll be free to carry on, business as usual. We just need you on the roster, and of course, the prestige of your name itself. In return…”
“Further recognition and a stable income, huh? Doesn’t sound like a bad deal to me.”
It seems to be going well. He takes another puff from his cigarette, as if mulling it over. There seems to be something that’s bothering him.
“I need some time to think it over. There’s something I need to confirm first.”
“That’s fine, but when do you think you’ll have an answer?”
He needs to check something? I was right, there is something bothering him. I don’t want to pry…
Meanwhile, Rinny’s good spirits have vanished, replaced by an annoyed scowl. He seems concerned about when he’ll come up with an answer. Seeing Rinny’s reaction, Wells laughs, reassuring him he won’t make him wait too long.
“I’ll stop by the guildhall tomorrow night. I’ll have an answer for you then.”
“That soon, huh? That works for me. It better be good news!”
Tomorrow evening? Maybe we can host another big dinner again. I should warn Claire ahead of time. I really hope he has a good answer for us. He doesn’t seem put off by the idea, so maybe that’s a good sign.
“Yeah, see you then,” Wells says, getting up and walking away from us.
“We’ll finish up this conversation then,” Rinny says.
That’s right, he has a shop to run. If we stay here any longer, we’ll get in his way.
“See you tomorrow, Wells!” I say.
As I scramble out of my seat and head out of the store, he calls out to me with a sly grin on his lips. “Yep! It was a pleasure to meet you, Little Miss Novice.”
Who’s he calling a novice?! I can’t believe he had to get one last parting shot as we’re leaving. He better call me by my name the next time we meet.
“Let’s get back home,” Rinny says. “I wonder if those guys are still asleep.”
“Good question,” I say. “Ektor’s probably awake, but Macro and Kiefer might still be out cold. At least, that’s the feeling I get!”
“Haha! You’re definitely right! It’s almost impossible to get Macro out of bed on his days off! And it’s pretty rare to see Kiefer up and about during the day if he’s not working on something.”
We start heading back the same way we came. Although we left the guild pretty early in the morning, it’s still not yet afternoon. However, with the sun a little higher in the sky, there are far more people milling about.
“Do you really think Wells will join us?” I mutter the thought to myself after we get back to the main road. I have a good feeling about it, but a part of me is worried, too. Hearing my quiet mumbling, Rinny grunts noncommittedly.
“He’ll probably take the deal. But it all depends on this so-called thing he needs to check.”
“Do you have any idea what that might be? What does he have to check?” I’m really interested to know why he couldn’t give us an answer right away. I glance up at Rinny, who folds his hands behind his head.
“He’s probably going to talk to Marino, the last name on our list.”
Marino… The last name of potential members, and the only person I still haven’t met yet. I assume they’re another acquaintance but know nothing other than that.
“Marino’s his partner, which means they’re a two-fer,” Rinny quickly continues, seeing my look of clear confusion. “You can’t have one without the other.”
“Partners? Like…boyfriend and girlfriend?!”
He mentions it in such an off-hand and matter-of-fact way, but I can’t help but be shocked by something so unexpected.
I’d have never seen that coming… I’ve never spent time around a young couple in love before. To be fair, Wells is an adult, so it’s not that weird he’d be in a relationship. It explains why he seems so used to being around women.
“Pfft! You really are a novice, Miku. You’re like some precious cinnamon bun, too pure for this world.”
“S-Stop teasing me!”
But no matter what I do, I can’t keep my cheeks from blazing.
You just caught me off guard, that’s all! S-Stop staring at me!