(Zhenya Pov)

“Alright, gentle ladies. Remember, this is Rudi’s teacher, not the old hag.” Nick stressed for the third time tonight. Filling a silence left in the void of Rudi not letting us in already! But here we are, squatting outside his store, Second Chance.

Streetlamps were starting to be lit by their respective handlers. Namely, whose ever residence or shop the post happened to be staked out front. If Rudi doesn’t want to get fined, he better get his ass out here soon.

If I have to listen to another one of Tsukiko’s love stories... Never mind, that’s the empty stomach talking.

*Ting-ling*

“Sorry, sorry! I was prepping ingredients for the hotpot when Master’s concoction ble... Never mind. Come in. I’ll be with you right after I finish closing up.” I knew Rudi had this silly side to him whenever it came to alchemy or his mentor. But this is hitting levels of scatterbrained I never thought possible. What did Tsukiko call it, gape mo?

Funneling in, Tsukiko and I walked calmly(fucking bolted) for the employee-only door. Hungry as all hell and curious about this mysterious witch mentor of Rudi’s.

And promptly slammed everything first into a clear barrier that only materialized upon contact. “Ugh, where’s Freddie when you need a cushion.”

“Enough, you two. I warned you to be on your best behavior. This is a witch and her apprentice. You know, the guy who sells the potions, the thing keeping your butts intact.” Nick shot us the disapproving mom glare as Su peered over us in solidarity, doubling the effectiveness!

“Sorry.” We wilted under their parental might.

Sometime during our reprimanding, Rudi finished closing the store. Applying some sort of potion to the windows before using a blind wand to lower the metal shudders outside. “Sorry for the delay. Once again, thanks for putting up with my shenanigans these past few weeks. Now then, if you will.”

Scanning his finger through the exhaustive shelf of brews he had on display, Rudi landed on a purplish-green tinted mix. “Master was very excited to try her hand at my new mixture, so I put this up as a precaution.” A few drops of the brew was all it took for the wall to react. Glowing and melting in a matter of seconds, the barrier condensed into a cloudy-white stone. Similar yet distinctly different from mana-infused crystals.

Both were undoubtedly in the same family, as far as minerals-. Wait, they’re not. This stone is synthetic, manufactured. Likely, through alchemy or an unholy mix between that and chemistry. The more I look, the surer I get.

I might have been a hunter, but our little town’s extensive mines is the lifeblood that keeps it afloat. You learn a thing or two about minerals just living there.

Stepping into Rudi’s living/kitchen/dining room, we all had our image of a witch. I, for one, thought she would be a buxom femme fatal, akin to the old hag’s youthful form.

What we did not expect from Rudi’s mysterious mentor was for said girl to be even smaller than Freddie!

She looked about fifteen or so, possibly even younger. Hell, her legs hung from the chair.

Uh. Huh. This is life. The witch looked like a prepubescent young girl. Short tomboyish dark purple hair opposed to Su’s longer more neon-leaning locks. Wearing an innocent dark blue sailor dress complete with red neckerchief tucked under a white-collar and six ornamental buttons running down the front. Black knee-high socks ending in folded white frills ran up from slightly scuffed ebony shoes. Red rimmed glasses adorned her dainty nose, framing those large amethyst eyes.

All in all, she looks like some older sister’s personal dress-up doll. But those eyes, she hasn’t blinked once yet... It’s like they're staring into my soul.

“Everyone, this here is my mentor and master, Junia. Junia this is Zhenya, Tsukiko, Sushila, and Nick.” Rudi introduced her and us one by one. Much to her, uhm? I honestly can’t tell. She hasn’t moved an inch or had a visible reaction, not even a faci-

“Greetings!” The girl practically jumped out of her seat and rammed into Nick’s chest. “This! This is armor made from the skin of Felschonheit’s current tenth-floor boss! Not only that, it’s an older generation one too. Perhaps, dating back to that incident, it would add up. Yes, you absolutely must let me have a deeper look at this.”

Before Nick could croak out a response, the purple flash was already off hounding her next target. “Kingdom-style shrine robes. Far more intricate than one would expect of an initiate. Yet they lack the ceremonial markings that would denote a high standing rank. Interesting.” She moves, invasively patting the already willing girl down.

“Several mana crystals of varying elements hidden in her sleeves. How odd, many would stick to one element... Perhaps-” Not a word more. Tsukiko hushed the girl putting an end to her self-induced analysis. For about a whole second before her eyes landed on Su.

“Gasp! Is that- is that a Drowned? Away from the Islands?” Climbing Su, who was stiff as a doorstop from the suddenness of becoming a mount, Junia placed two fingers on the side of her neck. “It is! She is!” The little witch practically beamed at Rudi, like a girl whose dad just got her the perfect gift.

“Alright, Master. Let’s settle down and eat before it gets too late.” You could see Rudi’s infinite patience with the girl, starting to lose to his stomach. And thank fuck, so was mine.

Crowding around the large simmering pot, pushing against each other for a better angle to snipe some quality pieces of meat. I shudder to think, what if the other two were here? Might as well have dinner in the store at that point.

With bowls being handed out, the tiny witch’s eyes darted between each one of her newly found interests. I swear those eyes disseminate all they behold. Shit! Forget that! I gotta start getting the good stuff before it’s all gone!

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Dinner was great! As it ought to be, Rudi pulled out all the stops for this, it would be weirder if it wasn’t.

Although, if there was one thing, it would be Su. And I’m not talking about how she just got molested by Junia. But ever since our dance with the beast. She’s been increasingly lucid as of late. Only now am I realizing it, breaking out of my stupor.

The pale assassin used to stare at her ceiling for hours during the day, replaced with training. It’s a good thing, don’t get me wrong, just concerning.

People don’t usually kick habits this quickly. Doubly so, knowing Su’s burdens. I could chalk it up to Freddie leaving and Su wanting to better herself, but like I said, she handled it far better than I thought she would.

Something happened during the boss fight. Just can’t put my finger on it...

Ah, well. She’s all the better for it. No need to start thinking myself into a hole. Tonight’s supposed to be a fun get-together, celebrate Nick’s accomplishment and all that.

On another note, Tsukiko got along with Junia like hotcakes on a cold day. Stuck in their own little bubble. Exuding an air of manic energy, making it hard for anyone to interject.

“-And I just offered to teach Zenni some things about mana. She’s a real natural when it comes to ice, you know? Almost completely attuned to it like no other.” Perking up. Amethyst eyes sparkle my way, ready to examine every inch.

“Hm. Hm. Hm? Hmmmmm.” That little purple gremlin couldn’t keep her hands off. Bringing mine up close like she was about to rip into them. Considering how tightly her fingers were digging into my arms.

“Taller than average, meaning she’s from the frontier. Standard armor and build for a hunter... Not much else interesting besides her personality.” Junia lackadaisically points out the obvious “But this? I’ve never seen something quite this alluring without any augmentations or...” Now she’s starting to scare me.

“I knew Zhenya was special the moment I saw her!” Tsukiko tacked on, adding heat to the girl’s bubbling excitement.

“Fascinating. Miniature ice crystals are growing on her hands and arms, just beneath the skin!” Regardless Junia continued on.

“What!” What the fuck?” My eyes grew wide, not even attempting to stop the young girl from pulling up my shirt and inspecting the rest of my body. “Wait. Should I see a doctor? Do I have mana poisoning?” At this point, I was the center of attention as everyone had their little what the fuck moment, afraid I’ll explode.

“Eh? Jun, you can see them!” Yet Tsukiko remained as air-headed as ever. Now is not the time, you fluff head!

“Yep, special witch eyes that let me see mana in a lotta forms~.” Don’t even get me started on this demon... “But no worries, considering what Tsukiko told me and that it hasn’t affected your health up to this point.” The purple demoness scans my body once again. “Yep. No visible or non-visible symptoms. You’ll be light as rain!” Thank the goddess.

Good to know this won’t kill me. Otherwise, this brat looks like she’s about to pull out knives and dissect me on the spot.

“So that’s the finished product?” Slipping away, I sidle up to Rudi, who’s loading bottles into a crate. Most likely to unveil them where and if ever there was some alchemist convention. Eh, hell if I know.

“Yep. Got a batch going to the Dutchy for review and another going Cheal for the same reason.” Nick switched to packing another crate. Same contents, different shells.

“Isn’t that inefficient? Why not just have the review board or whatever be in the same place.” Cheal is a dungeon town if I remember my geography.

“It is but the Alchemical Community and, The Chemist’s Society at Cheal has always been at odds. Too many toes stepped on from being centered around similar fields. Don’t even get me started on the new and old ways clashing. It’s a mess, but this is just how it is.”

Rudi shrugged, not giving it any more thought. “Anyways, I apologize for any offense Master-.” “Junia!” The girl corrected from across the tightly knit room. “Junia may have caused you. Witches can think in drastic ways that may seem odd for most people.”

“Seems like she gets along well with Tsukiko.” I countered as pure insanity leaked from their mouths.

“Tsukiko’s mind is as incomprehensible.” He replied with a chuckle. “Even among witches, you can say Junia is an oddity. The Tsukiko amongst them.” An indignant ‘Hey’ resounded to no one’s surprise.

“They see her as an unknown. Doesn't understand how she ticks. Both human and witch.” Moving back to the first crate, he pulls out a stamp and checks it before committing.

“She seems fine with life as far as I can tell. Unless she’s good at hiding it. Tsukiko hasn’t kicked up a fuss either, and she’s usually the first one to jump on these things.”

“That’s cause Junia doesn’t care. Anything she doesn’t care for might as well not exist in her eyes.” Rudi finishes up, pushing both crates into the corner of the room. “But it’s also why I’m ecstatic that she acknowledges you guys. I knew you were a colorful enough bunch.”

“Might as well up and call us weirdos. And don’t forget you’re part of this band of misfits.” An honest smile reaches his lips at my declaration.