World’s Cutest Alchemist

Talking to panda gramps was a lot more time-consuming than I thought it’d be.

Of the hour I had planned, we ended the talk with just a quarter of that remaining. So, there were only about 15 minutes left until talking to drug…crystal mister.

I wasn’t complaining though. Panda gramps had that old-man wisdom and was fun to talk to. After confirming that he was going to enchant my blanket, he ended up telling me stories of life back in his youth.

“He’s a good person.” Luna commented as the call ended.

“I think so too! That’s why he’s perfect for that little thing we’re planning!” I smiled.

“Why don’t you just say-” Luna started to leak the plan, so I quieted her down by kissing her!

After a few seconds of contact I backed away and put my finger to her lip,

“Shh!! Secrets are only secrets if they’re not spoken!”

“Mm…” Luna let out and then paused for a moment, “Yeah, since he’s a new awakener too, only having reached the tenth floor, he’d be perfect to join-”

“Mwah!” I cut her off again, “Secret!!”

“To join the-”

“Mwah!! You’re doing this on purpose!” I realized.

Luna looked away, a little flushed.

“I…don’t know what you’re talking about.” She said, her eyes darting to the right.

“Hehe, fine, whatever.” Before she could even start again, I pre-emptively shut her up, “Mwah!”

…

“Hello, is this White Crystal Addict?” I asked as the call connected. Unlike panda gramps, drug mister didn’t turn on his camera.

“Yes, it is.” A young man’s voice came through the call, he sounded like he was in his twenties, “You can call me Adam though.”

Adam though? Nice to meet you Adam Though! Pfft!

I almost said those words instinctively. But! Big Boss Stella would never do such a thing, so, I held my tongue.

“Alright, Mr. Adam. So, is says here you’re a glassblower class, is that correct?” I asked.

I wasn’t actually reading anything, but it sounds more professional if I say it like that! Hehe!

“That’s correct.” He said, honestly, he sounded a little nervous? I didn’t recognize it at first, but, his voice is definitely breaking at times!

Big Boss Stella’s aura is just so pressuring, I understand.

I nodded to myself, satisfied.

“I awakened as a glassblower just over two years ago,” Adam added, “I’ve done a lot of small-time projects and am confident in my ability to work with glass.”

“I’ve actually never seen a glassblower before,” I commented, “How does it work?”

“Um…As it implies, it’s a production-type class focused on working with glass.” He said, “I have skills I apply to the project during and after its creation. I don’t think it’s much different than how an alchemist works.”

“I see, I see.” I nodded, “Well, first things first, I need to know if you’re able to create hundreds of bottles per day. That is what I’m primarily looking for, however, if such an amount isn’t possible, I’m also looking for someone to make more detailed but smaller batches of bottles.”

“Hundreds of bottles…Are they similar in size to your potions?” He asked.

“Yes, they’ll mostly be the same size.” I affirmed.

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“Is there anything special you need done to these bottles?”

“I want them to have cute little designs on either the sides or the bottom!” I said with my usual tone.

Oops! I switched back to cutest little Stella mode there for a second! He didn’t notice anything, right?

“…Cute little designs?” He asked after a second, “So, like embossing or debossing the glass?”

Em and de-what now? I have no idea what those words mean. But, if he’s probably right!

“That’s right.” I said confidently.

“Okay, and would you like it embossed or debossed?” He asked.

…Hm…Well, ‘debossing’ sounds like you’re firing the boss. And Big Boss Stella can never be fired! So! Let’s choose the first one!

“Embossed.” I said.

“If it’s all the same, then…Yes, I should be able to make a large amount of bottles per day.” He said, “I have skills that can aid the production process.”

“Okay, perfect,” I nodded, “Then, can you tell me about some of your past projects and other things you’ve worked on?”

“Um, yes I can.” He said, “I primarily worked on a commission basis; It was usually couples wanting custom glass sculptures. The largest thing I’ve created is probably a glass vase, which I’ll send you a photo of in a moment.” He said.

And, a moment later, the picture came.

The vase looked quite nice. There wasn’t much to comment on, it was about twelve inches long and it had nice ribbed patterns etched into it.

“I’ve tried creating larger sculptures before,” He continued, “A few months ago, I tried sculpting a life-sized glass dog, but, I stopped since…honestly speaking, my budget is quite thin.”

“Do you not get a lot of work as a glassblower?” I asked.

“No…Not really.” He replied honestly, “Most of my commissions come from non-awakeners around the holidays, when people are wanting to give something unique and aesthetic to someone. Every other time of the year, there aren’t many people wanting a glass sculpture.”

“But, I’d imagine you could work with other production-types, no? Glass ornaments can raise an item’s price significantly for the high class.”

“That would probably be the case if I wasn’t low-tier.” He said, “There are glassblowers more skilled than me and they can add modifiers or effects to their wares. I’m unable to do so. And I can’t reach their skill level because I barely get commissions; Climbing the tower would cost me too much money as well since I have to pay to be carried.”

“What about guilds? Or the association?”

“The cost investment is too high for most guilds to put into an unknown awakener like me.” He answered, self-deprecatingly, “And I’ve had my ‘Looking for Commissions’ status active for over a year. I barely get offers since most people are looking for glassblowers who can add modifiers to their project.”

Hm…

“What kinds of modifiers can a glassblower add?”

“The main ones would be: Uncrackable, to make sure there aren’t any cracks in the glass; Unscratchable, to make sure it can’t get scratched; Unreflective, so that the sun doesn’t cause issues when the glass is in public; And Temperature Control.”

“Can an enchanter not do that?” I asked.

“They can, but, for one, it’ll be less effective than if the glassblower does it themselves. And two, it’s more expensive for the customer. Why go through that hassle instead of just hiring a glassblower who can do everything?”

“That makes sense.” I said, “So, it’s basically a case of: you don’t have enough experience since you don’t have customers, and you can’t get experience since you can’t get customers.”

“Yes…” He said, sounding a little down.

“What floor are you on in the tower?”

“I’m on the thirteenth floor. Why?”

“Hm…” I tapped my cheek in thought, “How long does it take you to make bottles? And do you do them in batches or one at a time?”

“I’m able to make them in batches,” He answered, “I’d have to test to see how much I can make per hour.”

This guy…Though he doesn’t have the same captivation that panda gramps had, he doesn’t seem bad.

“You’ve listed your shortcomings to me and even reasoned why people would rather choose a popular glassblower rather than you. You know that, right?” I asked.

“…Yes,” He said solemnly, “I know that my skills are subpar and that it would be wiser for you to hire someone else. However, I need to at least take my shot; Currently, I’m working two part-time jobs so that I can pay rent. I don’t plan on telling you a sob-story, or trying to gain your sympathy. I simply want to continue to work as an awakener. I like glassblowing and I need to take any chances I can to be able to make it my only job.

If…If necessary, I can charge you little to nothing. I’m fine with taking a loss with this if I can advertise that you’re using my wares as payment.”

“Why do you think that would suffice as payment?” I questioned.

“With your current fame, I believe that some people will trickle down to me, even if just a little. People would commission me, if only to say they used the same glassblower as the Little Bomber…”

This guy’s…A little too honest, isn’t he? But, I quite like that. Plus, his drive? Even if he doesn’t have the same initial captivation as panda gramps, someone like this would be perfect for what Luna and I are planning...

“Mr. Adam,” I said with my most mature, professional voice available.

“…Yes?” He replied. His voice was a mixture of nervousness and acceptance.

“We’ve spoken for quite a while now, and I think I understand your capabilities and person now.”

He didn’t reply, likely waiting for me to continue. I obliged,

“You basically explained to me why exactly I should hire another glassblower and your only counter-point was that you’d do it, even at a loss. Is that correct?” I asked.

“…That’s right.”

“You also have no experience with large-scale orders, there’s a high likelihood that things go wrong if I were to hire you, is that correct?”

“…Probably at least a little…I can only try my best to do it perfectly.”

“So, obviously, the smart thing to do would be to hire a more experienced glassblower, correct?”

“…Yes…Thank you for your time-” As he started to say the usual professional ending message, I cut him off,

“However!” I switched to my usual bright and bubbly tone, “I like someone like you way more than someone already established and set!”

“Huh?” He sounded completely stunned.

“So! Drug mister! I’d like to take my chances and commission you for the long-term! Also! Don’t even think about clout payment! Production-classes deserve proper pay! Don’t worry, I’ll treat you well!”

“H-Huh…? D-Drug mister…?”

I clapped my hands,

“So! Drug mister, what do you say? Will you sign a contract with me? We can talk about the details tomorrow!”

Honestly, even if he can’t produce the standard batch of bottles that I want, I can still have him work on something else. So, there’s absolutely no loss for me!

“Y-Yes! I-I’ll sign!” He hurriedly said.

“Great!” I nodded, “Let’s talk more about the details tomorrow, for now, I’ll just say that I want small potion bottles, I’d like for half of them to half a raccoon embossed onto the side, and the other half to have a mouse on them. Would that be possible?”

“Y-Y-Yes! It’s possible!”

“Good! Then, tomorrow at 13:00 EST, we’ll talk more about the design and go over the contract details, capisce?”

“U-Understood!”

With that, I ended the call.

“Hehe!” I giggled.

“You think he’s fit?” Luna asked.

“Yep!~” I smiled, “Tomorrow, I’ll also ask him if he wants to join…That.”

“…That…” Luna repeated, “Why not just say-”

“Mwah!”

…

Somewhere, in a small apartment, a young man in his twenties with scruffy black hair sat at his dining table.

His mouth was wide open and he couldn’t believe what just happened.

“Did I…Did…Did…” Adam couldn’t form a coherent sentence.

After a moment, he clasped his hands together and bowed his head with closed eyes.

“I…I can’t believe it…Even after I screwed up so bad by saying all that extra unnecessary stuff…” He mumbled.

“Thank…Thank God…” He let out, “And…And thank you, Raccoon…”

Though he still had to confirm it tomorrow, he had a feeling that Raccoon wouldn’t go back on her word.

Somehow, someway, he had fumbled his way into a deal with Raccoon, currently, the most talked about awakener.

Opening his eyes, he looked at the notebook on the table. He pulled it towards him and flipped to an empty page.

“She said…She wanted bottles embossed with either a raccoon and mouse, right? One of each…?” He mumbled, lifting his pencil.