An Alchemist's Ware

It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon. With no school to worry about, it was just about the perfect day to make some money. Humming a jaunty tune, I sifted through the various boxes of Reagents and picked the freshest and highest quality ingredients for my potions.

It took a sharp eye to separate them, but picking out the one's without any damage and the most luster to them made all the difference in getting the best yields and the best grades. Making potions was like cooking, afterall. You have to pick the best ingredients if you want the best product, something I wasn't lacking in with how much Utena picked for me these last few days. Truly, recruiting Utena might have just been the best idea I've ever come up with.

I'd underestimated how useful having a minion that could create her own set of minions was. Not only did I have more hands to work with, I also felt protected. No longer did I have to fear the [Dark Forest], it should fear me instead for its resources were ripe for the taking!

Reagents were plentiful, provided by the [Nymphs] and the [Treant] that Utena summoned. I no longer need to sacrifice quality when brewing my potions as I didn't have to mix the various grades. The plentiful loot did, however, come with its own set of problems and it came in the form of finding enough space.

For a small apartment, finding space for my stuff was proving to be a pain. Inside my closet, beside the ratty couch, under the table, I stored them wherever space was available. There were so many boxes that it made my barebones living quarters feel cramped and claustrophobic. Not even my [Inventory] could help in this manner. It had only so much space inside it.

"Maybe I shouldn't have made Utena strip harvest that patch of the forest," I muttered as I packed the [High Quality] Reagents inside a burlap sack before tossing them in my inventory for safe keeping. I was keeping the best for myself, of course. The rest would go to my biggest batch yet.

Wiping the sweat off my brow, I turned to the door to my cramped apartment. "Now where is that Delivery Guy," I grumbled as I stood up and stretched my leg, "I needed those bottles yesterday." Complaining, however, wouldn't do me any good. Shaking my head, I turned back to the boxes littered around before tying them with string.

As tempting as it was and how much more comfortable it is to brew in my apartment, that would just be an inefficient use of time. Why use the precious seconds I have in the outside world when I could just use my time far more effectively in the [Instant Dungeon]? Just as I was about to tie my string to the large aluminum pot I used for brewing I heard the doorbell ring.

Walking away from my workstation, careful not to trip on the length of string strewn about, I made my way to the door. Making sure the chain was on, I unbolted my door and opened it only to find my minion on my doorstep. "Utena?" I asked, unhooking the chain to my door.

"G-good Afternoon, Mizuki," The girl stuttered as she gave me an awkward smile. Glancing away as she wrung her hands, she asked, "Do you mind if I come in?"

"Sure," I replied, opening the door and ushering her in, "Make yourself at home." Locking the door behind her as she stepped in, I warned her, "Just be careful not to trip on anything." Maybe it was a bit hasty letting know where I lived, but the convenience of doing dives here was simply too hard to pass up. Utena had also shown that she was trustworthy.

I've yet to find Vanelita stalking my apartment or Kiwi crashing through the door. She had kept my secret well enough so I trusted her in turn. I could have kept things as they were when we first met, arranging meetings in discrete places but that was too time consuming when I knew I could trust her.

Paranoia in this world was a necessity, but too much was simply unhealthy. Perhaps I was growing a bit too fond of her, but she had been an absolute angel; A cute and adorable one at that. It was funny how the first Magical Girl I trusted was technically Evil.

"Sorry about the mess, by the way," I apologized as I walked towards the sink/kitchenette before dragging a chair over. Stepping on the chair, I reached inside my all but empty overhead cabinet and rooted around for snacks. Thankfully, I had some biscuits I bought on a whim.

"I wasn't exactly expecting visitors," I told her as I pulled out the tin box before gesturing at the mess. I really should have arranged things in an orderly manner, not left things strewn around haphazardly.

Stepping down, I loaded up my electric kettle with some water before letting out a loud yawn. Rubbing my eyes, I offered, "Want some tea or coffee?" I could also use some myself. Strong black tea this afternoon sounded like a lovely idea. It'd at least keep me up for the rest of the day.

"Y-yeah, sorry for dropping by unexpectedly," She apologized as she took a seat on my lumpy sofa. [Bath Bombs] weren't limited in use to just personal hygiene, they were useful for cleaning things up as well! "And, some tea would be nice," She added.

Nodding, I prepared another cup for her. Steeping the tea, I brought the cups over along with some milk, sugar and my tin for some snacks. Taking a seat on the reclining chair beside her, I leaned back as I glanced towards the girl. "So… lovers quarrel with Kiwi?" I asked, making the girl let out a scandalized squawk, "Thought you were already going steady? Didn't you say you two had a date today?"

I wasn't quite sure where I was in the timeline but since I've yet to hear anything about the third magical girl in her group and how relatively calm things were, it seemed that I more or less arrived near the start. Kiwi was a bit closer to Utena but I chalked it off as not too important.

"N-no! Nothing like that," Utena sputtered before she let out a sign, her shoulder sagging as she told me, "It's just… Kiwi got sick." From the disappointed look she sported and how sad she sounded, it looked like she was looking forward to it.

"Ah, that explains things," I replied with a nod, "Must be something bad to bring that girl down," I commented. The girl was a bundle of pent up hormones and energy. Something as normal as a cold wouldn't have stopped her from spending some time with her beloved Utena.

"Y-yeah, it's the flu," She nodded as she poured some milk in her tea before adding some sugar. I only added some milk on mine as I found it plenty sweet enough. "She got a pretty high fever so we had to call the day off," She sighed as she nursed her cup close to her chest, "I offered to care for her, but she didn't want me catching it."

"There, there," I told the girl, trying to comfort her as I gave her a pat on her head. I might be a greedy bastard but I wasn't one so heartless as to not empathize with the girl's misfortune. She looked like a girl that could use the distraction.

For once, Utena would only sigh out instead of turning into a blushing mess. Picking up her cup and taking a sip, she complained, "And to think, I was actually planning on surprising her by taking her to an ice cream parlor after we ate at that restaurant you suggested."

I took a sip from my own cup to cover the smile on my lips. They really must be getting quite close if Utena was willing to spend her hard earned money on anything else other than her Magical Girl Merch collection. "At Least you won't have Vanelita ruining your date, so don't feel too bad about it," I jested, trying to lighten the morose mood the teen found herself in.

"Well, that's the thing. She couldn't," Utena sighed, making me quirk my brow in question. Well, that was certainly some news he wanted to hear. Leaning close, I listened attentively, "Vanelita advised us to keep our heads down after some magical girls from out of town came over to meet with Tres Magia so I was hoping to have some fun today."

I nodded as I took note of this incident as it reminded me that this world wasn't quite the world I saw in the manga. This world was a world filled with magical girls. Just about every city across the entire world had a local magical girl patrolling its sky. I've even heard rumors about how some small communities had one or two in the news.

"Tres Magia's getting a bit of spotlight already huh," I noted, changing the subject to one that she'd love to discuss. Like heroes in the stories, Magical Girls tended to keep to their group. From the sound of it, the group that visited the city were veterans, something that Utena and Leopard had to actually hide from.

Tres Magia was earning recognition and notoriety all thanks to Utena. Snorting, I glanced towards the girl as she smiled, lost in her thoughts. "Y-yeah," She nodded as she looked out to the city skyline just outside my apartment's window.

"Ever since they took over from the last group, Nerima has never been safer," She told me as she laid down her cup and laid her hand over her chest "They're growing day by day, reaching dizzying heights that I can only dream of. I wonder how much further they'll go," She whispered fondly as she looked out at the stars streaking across the sky over Nerima.

"Given how you keep humiliating them," I teased her as a cheeky grin stretched across my lips, "I wonder if they can keep it up." I laughed as the girl's cheeks turned bright red. "I heard from my neighbors gossiping that you stripped a certain Magia Magenta,~" I prodded Utena, who refused to meet my gaze.

Shaking her head, she declared, "T-they won't give up just because I defeated them!" Her tone showed the depths of passion and admiration for the girls as she gushed, "No matter what I do, they keep picking themselves up, growing stronger each time!" Gazing down on her hands, she smiled sadly as she whispered, "W-what I do is horrible and I might never truly stand with them but I want to see them keep growing!"

Clenching her fist, she promised, "Even if it means I'll have to be their villain, if it means they'll reach their true potential so be it." Looking back to me, she told me, "I'll make sure that they'll be the best magical girls this world has ever seen!"

I smiled back, giving her a nod of respect in turn. I might not share her passion but I admired the determination in her eyes. It made it all too fun as I poked and teased her, "That's certainly a roundabout way of telling me that you want to fuck them."

As an embarrassed look crossed her face, I chuckled. "M-Mizuki!" She whined, shooting a glare at me, but one lacking heat. With a wry smile stretching across her lips, she fired back, "I-I'm not that down bad, y-you know. I already have Kiwi." I grinned back seeing the fire in her eye come back. She looked like she's already in a far better mood now she sat just a bit straighter.

"Hey, I'm not kink shaming here," I replied as I raised my hands appeasingly. Leaning back, I reached for my cup before taking a sip, enjoying the bitter taste tempered by the creaminess of the milk. As I opened the tin and picked one of the delicate biscuits, I questioned her, "But kidding aside, I assume you're not here just for some pleasantries?"

While I do find her company enjoyable, it was strange to find her dropping by just for a talk. We were acquaintances at best and business partners at worst. Aside from the chatter we had while diving, we really have yet to talk about anything other than business at length; Something I need to change in the future. "Though I wouldn't be against it," I admitted as I gave her a soft smile, "Maybe we could go somewhere one of these days?" I suggested.

"T-that would actually be nice…" Utena replied timidly, blushing in full force once more as she shook her head, "B-but yes! I was hoping that you need some help in the [Dungeon]?" She asked as she looked up to me hopefully. "I-I just thought that since I was already nearby and I already told my mom that I'll be out for a while, I might as well drop b-by to see if you need help," She explained hastily as she poked her fingers together.

I nodded before humming, considering her offer. I wouldn't be against going for a dive in the dungeon especially as I now ached to explore beyond the [Outskirts]. However, I did have other plans in mind, "While I do appreciate the initiative, I'm not really going to be dungeon diving right now," I told her before gesturing at my rooms current state and explained, "As you can see, I'm stuffed to the gills with Reagents"

"Our recent expeditions these past weeks were extremely profitable, to the point that I'm having a hard time processing it all," I reminded her. The [Treant] was proving to be a huge boon, opening up huge swathes of the forest for exploration, but they might have made it a bit too easy to harvest my ingredients. Right now, I needed to process what I had before they turned bad.

"Still, while I won't be dungeon diving today doesn't mean I don't need help," I smiled, making the girl perk up as she leaned closer. "A helping hand preparing these ingredients would be appreciated, especially since it'll free me up for a meal," I offered.

I wasn't sure if it was the offer for a hot meal or something else entirely but I loved the enthusiastic nod she gave me. "I'll do my best!" She replied, making me smile. Truly, I had the best minion in town.

With Utena's help, I managed to drag my entire stock into the [Instant Dungeon] all in one go. Taking stuff piecemeal wasn't an option. The last time I tried doing that, the boxes of Reagent I brought over were emptied and scattered about. Time didn't stop while I was away from my dungeon it seemed. It flowed and I couldn't fault any creature for eating my unguarded Reagents.

Perhaps I could make a house here, a workshop even. It'd certainly make it easier for me to secure my reagents as well as give me a place to sleep in, but that was a project for another time. I still had to figure out if I aged while inside among other things. For now, I had to brew my potion.

With a large fire brewing and a huge pot of water heating up on the wayside, Utena and I worked on processing the various Reagents. Utena chopped the [Healing Herbs] while I ground them to a paste in my mortar and pestle. Utena's [Nymphs] helped us as well. While time consuming, it did provide for a higher yield. From my various experimentations and some help online, I came to the discovery that, just like spices, my Reagents were heat sensitive.

The friction involved using a blender could degrade the product by just a tiny amount and in a process where I was looking to milk the most of what I had, it would simply not do. I could have also just tossed the leaves in the pot and brewed as is, but that was like tossing a whole head of garlic inside a pot and hoping it flavored a stew.

As I poured the green slurry into a large pitcher, I talked to Utena to pass the time. "Alchemy at its very core is conversion and transformation," I explained to her, explaining the intricacies of the power given to me by the [Game]. While ultimately magical in nature, it still had logic to it; Logic which I eagerly explored and discovered.

"To convert matter to another form through various means and one of the ultimate expressions of its power is creating potions," Told her I checked the boxes and found none left. All the [Healing Herbs] were now processed. Time to make some potions.

Picking up the pitcher, I beckoned Utena to follow as I walked over to the fire. The pot of water was already simmering. Kicking some of the extra logs out of the fire pit, I dragged a chair over before sitting down. The rest of the other ingredients could wait. Chopping them up was getting tiring, a change of pace was in order.

Pouring the slurry in the pot, the mixture glowed as it slowly got incorporated. I made sure to empty it, washing it with some of the water from the pot. Pulling out a wooden spoon from my inventory, I looked closely at the symbol etched into the utensil before nodding. Four words of power, one written in a language only I could understand glowed with a soft light; One of many tools of trade.

"We transform useful [Items], refining it and enhancing it, to make something which can be consumed," I started as I dipped it in the pot before stirring. Wood was simple, it was pliable. It wasn't the best, but it would do. With a whisper, I began brewing, [Nigredo].

The mixture bubbled and roiled, making Utena jump in surprise. Curiosity, however, would overpower what fear she might have had as she peered into the pot. "Couldn't we just eat the herbs?" She asked as she noted, "They do smell nice…"

"Well, we could," I answered before I grimaced, "But they taste horrible!" Shuddering, I warned her, "Don't be fooled by its scent. It might smell of herbs and spices but it tastes of bitter gourds!" I gagged at the memory alone. The sticky, off putting taste was seared into my memory.

Out of curiosity, Utena dipped her finger in the slurry before taking a taste. Immediately, she reared back, retching as I laughed at her. "Oh god, that was awful!" She shouted as she looked around, trying to find something to wash the taste out.

Taking pity on her, I tossed her a candy. "Now imagine eating enough of that to heal yourself in the middle of battle," I snickered as I turned my attention back to the pot as dark streaks appeared on the mixture's surface. Pulling my spoon away, I whispered, [Albedo!]

With a flick of my wrist, the dark gunk came flying out of the pot and into the tree line. Already, the mixture grew thicker as it glowed harshly. Dipping my spoon once more, I stirred vigorously, churning it as its colors changed. [Citrinitas!] I hissed as I felt a tug at my core, an electric jolt arcing from my chest, across my arms and down to the mixture below. From a deep green, it turned bright white, almost blinding in its intensity.

The raw product simmered but it wasn't quite ready yet. It needed one final touch. With one final whisper, the light finally died down, [Rubedo]. The brew stilled, settling down and revealing a crimson red liquid. It was finally done. Pulling it from the fire, I set it aside to let it cool down.

Wiping my brow, I presented the pot to Utena. "And there we have it. I extracted the healing properties of the herb and transformed it into a [Healing Potion]!" Utena clapped as she inspected the pot curiously.

It came out better than I expected. Peering into the liquid, I let my [Observation] have a check at the final product and found a surprise.

Healing Potion
[Silver Grade]

Congratulations for achieving a higher grade in Potion Making. Recipe Tree expanded

Blinking, I suddenly found a few more recipes sitting in the back of my mind. Those could wait, however, as I had a demonstration to finish. Utena had yet to actually test my [Healing Potion]. "Hey Utena, want to see the potion in action?" I asked with a grin.

Utena looked apprehensively but she quickly changed her mind as I leaned close and whispered closely to her ears, "I promise it'll be quick," The girl pursed her lips before nodding hastily. Gently grabbing her hands, I warned her, "This might hurt a bit."

With a tap of my spoon on the tip of her finger, I whispered, [Nigredo]. Utena winced as a small drop of blood leaked from her digit. "Now open wide," I instructed her as she fed her a spoonful of the miraculous potion. Clenching her eyes shut, she braced herself as she had a taste.
As soon as the potion touched her tongue, she gasped out, eyes flying wide open in surprise. Pulling away, she remarked with amazement, "It tastes amazing! It's like cherry syrup." Her attention would soon be pulled away as she suddenly gazed down on her finger. The blood spilled rapidly dried up and, after a quick dusting, not a mark was left on her.

"And that's just a taste of what I can make," I nodded back, pun intended. "I have a whole host of ingredients to try out and improve." And a lot more to sell remaining unspoken. Speaking of profit, the pot full of [Health Potion] would certainly rake in a lot of cash. I just needed to go check on my buyer. I could already see the cash filling my account!

"I see why you picked it now," Utena replied with a hint of wonder in her voice. "To have what is essentially healing in a bottle, you must sell these for quite a lot!" She gushed excitedly, making me laugh nervously. She was getting quite close to the value of the potions. I just hoped she wasn't going to ask for a raise so soon.

"Yeah, but it still has its faults," I sighed as I picked up some empty bottles, one's rated for [Tiny] and started filling them up. "For all of [Alchemy's] power, you have to learn it intimately if you ever want to improve." While I couldn't measure it just yet, I knew that I could squeeze more out of the process if I could just figure out the best way to do so.

"Better preparation, experimentation on the formulation, how much magic I had to pour in at various steps," I listed, feeling the headache of dealing with all these tiny factors working in concert while I brewed. It was just as magical as it was empirical in nature. I could rely on my powers to guide my hands, but they were crude guiding hands, ones all too happy to solve everything with brute force. Wasteful, utterly so.

"Heck, even the heat which I cook with, and that's just talking about Potions," I ranted, pinching the bridge of my nose as I hissed under my breath, "Fucking [Transmutation], I swear." Sometimes, I wondered if I should have just gone with a class that's a bit more brain dead like a [Berserker] or something along that line.

"What I'm saying is that it requires a lot more knowledge than how it appears on the surface,"
The amount of videos I had to comb through just to see if I could do something that wouldn't require me to spend a fortune for equipment was almost too painful to remember. "Too much work for so little of a return," I muttered.

Utena nodded slowly as she replied, "I'm sure it's worth it," As I turned to her, she hastily explained, "Y-you wouldn't spend so much time refining the process and figuring things out if you didn't like it right?" She asked.

I… yes, now that she worded it that way, I did like the process somewhat. It was painfully tedious, but damn was it rewarding. "Thanks Utena," I replied as I felt the fires of determination burn inside my heart once more. Profit was to be made and being lazy wasn't going to cut it!

"Now that's all done, I want you to help me set up an experiment," I requested as I pulled out a prepared bottle of slurry. With a grin, I told her, "I want to see if I can teach a magical girl a bit of [Alchemy]." I knew that part of the process could be done using mundane techniques, so why couldn't it be replicated by someone else. Nothing should be stopping me from teaching her.

"E-eh?!" Utena cried out as she waved her hands in front of her, "I thought you needed magic to make potions," She asked, making me snort in amusement.
"I mean," I chuckled, pointing at the tag below her name. "So, willing to give it a shot?" I asked. Magical Girls should have had enough magic in them right? Even if it failed, what did I have to lose other than time? Having an assistant would be quite the boon, especially with all the time I could save.

Yes, if Utena learned it then I technically had competition but I still held the source of all reagents. I was pretty sure that there was no mundane substitute to [Healing Herbs] other than… Stem Cells? I wondered if Blood could be used to improve the potion; something to try later on.

"Oh," Utena whispered as she gazed up, remembering what she was. "I guess I can try?" She answered, a bit unsure at her choice. Good enough.

"I also need you to transform into your Magical Girl form," I instructed, making her shoulders sag. Rolling my eyes, I smiled as I set up the brewing station for our impromptu lesson. After all this time, she still wasn't used to wearing her outfit in front of me.

With the pot boiling and the ingredients prepared, I stood behind Utena while she tended to the brew. Stroking my chin, I started to explain, "Now you only need to know four spells as an Alchemist," For a craft so powerful, it could be rather simple. "I'm not sure how to teach it honestly," I admitted, "But I think I might have an idea."

Grabbing her hands, Utena froze up, "I actually use a spoon carved with the spells so maybe I could channel it through your hands, letting you feel it." It was a long shot, but magic was weird. It involved more feeling than thinking so this might just work.

"R-right," Utena gulped as she leaned against me. I blushed at the close contact. Her lovely scent, her soft skin, her heat against my body, it was almost intoxicating, but I powered through. Ignoring how my body reacted to hers, I poured a small bottle worth of ingredients into the water. [Healing Potions] should be easy enough. It only had one ingredient; two if you counted the magic used to emulsify it with the water.

"Now I want you to try and copy what I'm going to do," I told her as I concentrated, visualizing the destructive power of the first great spell. "The first step in the great Magnus Opus passed down to all alchemists, [Nigredo]," I started as I channeled the raging mana through her hands.

"T-this is so weird," Utean gasped as a shiver ran up her spine. With her hands burning black, I guided her hands near the brew, letting the corrosive mana flow into the pot. "It feels so angry," She noted as the cauldron bubbled up once more.

"Entropy at its purest form. We break down our ingredients to make it pliable to what we desire," I explained. Pulling away, temporarily, I watched as the fires faltered before it grew once more. So far so good. It seemed Utena had the aptitude to learn it.

"I'm doing it!" Utena cheered as gave her a pat.

"You look like you have a knack for it," I praised her as I grabbed her hands once more, guiding it as I had her stir the pot. She wasn't showing any signs of fatigue so far as well. I might just have an apprentice on my hand rather than a simple assistant.

"One's all is rendered down, we must now purify it," I continued as the black streaks appeared once more. "[Albedo]," I whispered, channeling the correct manas into her hands. "These impurities would taint the final product. The purer the ingredients, the better the results," I pointed out as we removed the taint.

"Now comes the most important part. Now that it can be shaped to our will, we now change it how we wish!" I exclaimed as I poured the wild energies into the mix, making it stir itself vigorously, "To infuse it with the characteristics we want or have it be in the vessel we chose, we use, [Citrinitas]!"

With a muffled moan, Utena's legs nearly buckled. Catching her, I asked, concerned at how she was reacting, "Are you ok Utena? We could stop right now." I wasn't sure how [Mana Exhaustion] worked for magical girls, but I wasn't about to have Utena faint on me.

"N-no! It's fine," Utena replied a bit shakily as she straightened back up. Avoiding my questioning gaze, she explained, "I-I was just taken by surprises that's all. I felt that through my whole body-! Not that it did anything! J-just weird!" She reassured me.

"If you say so," I replied hesitantly as I continued the lesson. We were in the final steps after all now that the mix was glowing. "When all things are said and done and the product is ready to be extracted, now we must force it into reality, to have it take on its final and pure form," I whispered as I pushed the final rush of mana, a calming and soothing balm that spread out from my palm [Rubedo]!"

I was nearly knocked back as Utena suddenly jolted before her legs finally gave way but I caught her just in time. "Told you not to push yourself," I scolded the girl. Still, it was admirable that she pushed through and finished the process.

"I-Is your magic supposed to do that?" Utena gasped out panting, all red faced as I helped her back to her feet, "I-I could feel it through my entire body…" She whispered shakily.

"I actually don't know. That was my first time doing that," I confessed, trying to figure out why that happened. Utena wasn't showing any signs of discomfort earlier. However, I shouldn't have pushed aggressively. "I'm sorry…" I apologize, kicking myself for the trouble I made for her. I was supposed to be a responsible boss.

"W-why do you have to say it like that, Mizuki," Utena whined, making me snort. Clutching her wrist, she glanced away as she replied, "And no worries. I-It kinda felt nice actually… like I could feel you in a sense," She gulped as she looked back up, "Perhaps we could test it out? See what it does?"

I shook my head as a wry smile stretched across my lips. "So long as you feel comfortable with it," Walking up to her, I reached up and ruffled her hair, "I'm your boss after all and I can't have my best employee crying on me now."

Utena blushed before smiling back. Gesturing at the pot, I then said, "Now come on, let's go check on what you've made." The girl nodded excitedly as we watched as the lights died down revealing the same crimson liquid.

"W-wow," Utena whispered as I let her pull away, letting her inspect what she had made. Taking a peek, the result did leave much to be desired.

Health Potion
[Poor Quality]

"Hmm, the qualities certainly lower," I grumbled. It was to be expected as this was Utena's first time. Still, having an indicator showing that it's less than the ones I could make with the mixed batch I usually made was problematic. "Seems like I can't off load the process to just anyone just yet," I mused out loud. Maybe that was because she wasn't an [Alchemist] like I was.

Perhaps there were some unconscious motions that pushed things in the background. [The Game] truly was a wonder. It was a shame that Utena couldn't change her class or stats. It could have been useful to have her so. Then again, being a Magical Girl was a far better option for her so it wasn't too much of a loss.

"Wait, d-did you just teach me how to do this just because you want me to do it for you?" She asked incredulously as she gave me a look of disbelief. I merely smiled back at her as I started bottling her potions.

"Well, yes," I admitted unashamedly making her pout as she turned away, "But I also wanted to know if I could make potions with you," I added, making her glance back, "Experimenting with someone else sounded way too fun to pass up, especially if that someone was a cute girl like you," I told her as I flashed her a grin.

"Oh Mizuki," Utena sighed, shaking her head as an exasperated smile stretched across her lips. "Learning how to make potions was fun, so why not?" She added, chuckling.

"Good, because I'm going to teach you how to make a pipe bomb!" I replied without missing a beat. I was messing with her but it was just too funny watching the look of panic in her face. I laughed uproariously as she let out a cry of disbelief.

"A-a what!?" She shrieked as she looked over with worry. "Mizuki, y-you're joking right?" She asked, making me laugh even more. "Please tell me you're joking! This is very illegal!" She scolded me. Oh Utena, never change.

"Now to make a pipe bomb, you need a few things. First up is Fertilizer!" I teased her, making her plug her ears.

"Mizuki!" She cried out, begging me to stop. I did eventually teach her how to make pipe bombs but that was for another time. For now, though, I enjoyed my time with Utena as we made potions together and spent the rest of the day talking about our respective hobbies; Making money and Magical Girls.

A/N:

Yes, yes she did. Also, magic explained! As you can see, these four spell is a modification of the Western Academical principles. These serves as the foundation for his alchemy and while he'd have more spells in the future, they're basically medications of the original 4. Take one spell, add a specific action, and you get a sample of his future power. It ain't much, but it can get... explosive. Oh yeah, Magical Girls can learn his spell! Surprised? They are technically sorcerers and while different, Alchemical spells are very straight forward. She isn't proficient with it though so she'll never match what Mizuki could make. Oh yeah, there's a part two to this so stay tuned~

Anyways, I'd like to thank vyor once more because he's a good friend.

Now if you want to support me or want to read some fic chapters in advance, consider dropping by either Pa treon or Ko-Fi. I couldn't have done this without the support. Links in my bio