Last Gun Alchemist

Earlier, before Agnes left Ezra to return to the club booth...

”We got three good reviews... I’m so happy.”

Agnes said excitedly as she and Ezra walked through the busy streets of the Mix Arena.

They were heading back toward their club booth, following the flow of students and visitors moving between the different sections of the missive ground known as the mix arena. Voices rose from both sides of the street, while the sound of footsteps mixed with the occasional cheers coming from nearby club booths where showcases of club displays and activities were still taking place.

”The three reviews weren’t really reviews, though. Only one of them actually felt like a proper review, while the other one was somewhat close to it.”

Ezra replied plainly, his eyes remaining on the direction they were walking.

”The last one had nothing to do with a review.”

He added flatly.

”Ah... You mean Professor Esther’s comment about you joining the fashion field.”

Agnes looked at Ezra with a teasing smile as she continued walking beside him.

Ezra turned his head toward her.

However, his eyes suddenly darted downward.

His gaze fell on her legs.

Ezra’s plain black eyes narrowed.

Agnes’s legs were visibly shaking from how nervous and excited she still felt after their presentation ended. She had managed to hold herself together on the stage, but now that everything was over, all that excitement and nervousness seemed to have returned to her body at once.

”What?”

Agnes asked with a faint frown after noticing him staring.

”Nothing.”

Ezra faced forward again, deciding that he didn’t want to bother himself with her.

”Ezra!”

A familiar voice suddenly called out from behind him.

Ezra turned calmly.

Agnes stopped walking and also turned.

”Yo.”

Lenny stopped in front of him and raised his right hand, forming a peace sign with his fingers.

”Long time no see.”

He said brightly.

”So, the old man actually allowed you to come out?”

Ezra immediately asked, looking at Lenny without showing much surprise that he was standing in front of him.

”Urgh, I thought you would at least be surprised by my sudden appearance, but you’re already bringing up the old man.”

Lenny folded his arms and acted hurt.

What is it with these people always acting hurt?

Ezra thought to himself.

He was clearly not bothered by whether Lenny was actually hurt or simply acting.

He just found it a consistent act, he had noticed from other people he had interacted with a few times.

”The old man didn’t want me to go out, but...”

Lenny glanced back at the person walking towards their direction before he began explaining how he had managed to come all the way to the Royal Academy.

”Hello, Young Inventor, or should I say Young Craftsman?”

Rena Bremer walked out from behind Lenny.

Lucy followed behind her.

And...

”You can also call him Dancer, Dazzle, or Inventor without the young.”

Vera casually said as she listed some of the names she randomly used to call Ezra.

Her hands moved lightly as she spoke, almost as though she were carefully counting the names.

Her dull black eyes remained resting on Ezra.

Ezra quietly looked back at her.

”I can mention more...”

Vera paused before sharply turning her gaze toward Rena.

”But I prefer keeping those names for myself.”

She said it calmly, as if those names were things she had already claimed.

Rena, Lenny, and Agnes all looked at Vera, slightly taken aback by what she had just said.

”I didn’t know you and Young Ezra were that close.”

Rena said in surprise.

”She was the one who recommended him to Master. Aunty.”

Lenny said with a serious expression.

Aunty?

Agnes remained standing there with a bewildered look on her face.

One person was a boy who looked around Ezra’s age, yet he appeared to be close to one of Britannia’s most respected Craftswomen.

Rena Bremer.

The Head of Bremer & Steels.

And Vera was once again speaking strangely with Ezra in a way the entire club still hadn’t gotten used to, despite seeing this side of their relationship many times already.

”Well, you could say we are in that type of relationship.”

Vera tilted her head slightly as she looked at Rena and Lenny.

”We are just business partners.”

Ezra replied sharply.

His eyes narrowed at Vera.

”Close business partners.”

Vera simply corrected him.

She raised her left index finger and pointed it toward Ezra as if correcting a student who had given an incomplete answer.

”He is so helpless that he can’t do without me, but I don’t mind, because I do like helpless men whose names start with E and end with A.”

She said it in her usual blunt and casual tone, making the entire statement sound like an obvious fact that no one had any reason to question.

”T-That’s a really interesting relationship you have there, Young Ezra.”

Rena said with an awkward smile while looking at Ezra.

”You don’t have to say it twice.”

Lenny quietly added, looking away from Ezra’s gaze, which was still narrowed at Vera.

”I guess so.”

Ezra replied plainly.

He didn’t want Vera to continue having her way with words, so he simply decided to go with the flow.

Vera noticed his response.

A faint smile appeared on her face as she straightened herself.

”Well, back to what I wanted to say...”

Rena said, looking toward Ezra and Agnes.

”You two did really well with your presentation. Also, I was really shocked when I saw that it was an actual Elder Ghost Crawler you took down.”

She spoke with genuine admiration as she remembered the massive creature they had presented before the judges.

”You guys actually got a myth, you know.”

Lenny said excitedly.

”I only heard stories about Ghost Crawlers from my Master. He used to tell me that if I didn’t drink his poi—”

Lenny suddenly stopped.

His expression froze for a brief moment.

”Mm... I mean, his protein shake, I would be hunted by the Ghost Crawler. It was really a scary time.”

He quickly corrected himself before continuing in a fast and excited tone.

Lucy and Ezra could already imagine Rogers’s expression while telling young Lenny those stories.

Lucy covered her mouth and laughed slightly.

”But are Ghost Crawlers really that enormous?”

Lenny spread both of his hands apart as he tried to explain the size of the Elder Ghost Crawler.

”It’s only an Elder Ghost Crawler. A normal Ghost Crawler ranges from thirty-five to sixty meters in height.”

Agnes answered calmly as she looked at Lenny with the expression of a senior explaining something to a younger student.

Her earlier nervousness had completely disappeared.

”So, you guys fought something that was, if I’m correct, the strongest version of the Ghost Crawler, and at that size...”

Lenny paused as he remembered what he had seen in the recorded video of their battle against the creature.

”That’s crazily amazing.”

He said, genuinely mind-blown.

Once again, Lenny had learned just how clear the difference in level was between Alchemists and non-Alchemists like himself.

It was terrifying.

But at the same time, it was also amazing.

”I’ll be taking my leave now. I have to head back to our club.”

Agnes said politely, not wanting to sound strange in front of Rena.

”Oh, you can leave. I don’t want to stop you from doing your club work. Also, you too, Young Ezra, Miss Vera, and Young Ezra’s maid.”

Rena replied calmly.

”I’m on break, ma’am.”

Lucy said while slightly lowering her head.

”Also, the two of us have some sightseeing to do.”

Lenny quickly added as he moved closer to Lucy.

”Really?”

Rena looked a little surprised.

”I did promise Mr. Lenny.”

Lucy said calmly.

”Okay, then... that means you’ll find your way to my side when it’s time to leave, or you can stay at their club booth. I’ll come and get you when I bring the people who followed me here to check out the place.”

Rena said calmly.

She then turned toward the other three.

”What about you guys?”

She asked.

”I’ll find out what I’m supposed to do when I get to the club booth, ma’am.”

Agnes replied, maintaining her polite tone.

”It’s the same f—”

Ezra began replying plainly.

”We have sightseeing to do.”

Vera cut him off with a quick tone, not allowing him to finish his words.

”Huh?”

Ezra turned toward her, raising an eyebrow.

”Yes, Inventor.”

Vera replied flatly.

She casually walked to Ezra’s side and took hold of his hand.

Ezra wanted to pull his hand away, but he remembered Vera’s personality.

She could take things much further if he openly reacted.

So, after a brief hesitation, he allowed her to hold his hand.

”It’s a date.”

Vera said flatly.

Her dull black eyes rested on Ezra.

”Ehn.”

Lucy opened her mouth slightly.

”Ehn?!”

Agnes looked completely shocked.

”Wow.”

Rena blinked in surprise.

”Hmm.”

Lenny blinked several times, clearly finding the situation difficult to comprehend.

Vera didn’t wait for anyone else to say anything.

Still holding Ezra’s hand, she gently pulled him forward and began walking away, leaving Agnes, Rena, Lenny, and Lucy standing behind.

The noise of the busy Mix Arena soon surrounded the two of them as Vera led Ezra deeper into the crowded streets, while the people behind them remained where they were, still trying to process what she had just declared.

Ezra allowed himself to be pulled along for a few steps before he narrowed eyes toward Vera.

Vera didn’t look back.

The faint smile at the corner of her lips, however, made it clear that she knew exactly what she was doing.