"What do you think you are doing?"
Reiko’s voice was calm as she effortlessly snatched the rod from the red-haired girl’s hand. As she did, a faint spark seemed to dance between them.
"Huh?"
"This is a dangerous toy."
Without a second thought, Reiko snapped the seized rod in two.
"Wh-Wh-Wha..."
At that moment, the owner of the neighboring stall barked, "Hey! If you're going to cause a scene, do it somewhere else! You're getting in the way of business!"
Jin, who had been struggling to find a moment to intervene in the argument, finally found his opening.
"Ah, sorry about that. Reiko, that's enough. And you, come with me for a second."
He took the red-haired girl by the arm and led her away from the stalls toward the shade of a nearby tree.
"I'm sorry for my companion's behavior," he said, leading with an apology. Reiko stood behind him, looking perfectly composed.
The girl stammered, "Wh-Wh-Who on earth are you people? You grabbed a paralysis staff with your bare hands and just... snapped it? Oh! My paralysis staff! What am I going to do now? That was expensive!"
"Just calm down for a second."
Sensing she was about to start shouting again if left alone, Jin hurriedly tried to placate her.
"Haa... haa..."
As the girl caught her breath, Jin continued. "Anyway, let's introduce ourselves. I'm Jin. This is Reiko. And you are?"
"I... I'm Beena."
"Nice to meet you, Beena."
Jin took the broken staff from Reiko’s hand. "Hmm, let's see. You embedded a small lightning-attribute magi-stone in the grip, right?"
"Huh?"
"And you designed it to conduct through the entire staff so it shocks anyone it touches."
"Huh? Wait, what?"
"The material is... ash, I think? It has decent magical conductivity for wood, but in the end, it's still just wood. It doesn't seem very efficient."
"Huh? Huh? Huh?"
"As for the activation magi-formula... wow, this is sloppy. You're wasting more than half of the magical energy."
"Whaaaaat!?"
Beena couldn't hide her shock as Jin effortlessly picked apart the mechanics of her paralysis staff.
"Y-You... Jin, you said your name was? Who are you, really?"
"I'm... a magi craftman," Jin replied, handing the pieces of the staff back to her. He figured the title would carry more weight here.
"You too?"
"If you say 'too,' does that mean you're a magi craftman as well, Beena?"
"That's right! I studied under Master Gladia Hampton for two whole years!"
Beena puffed out her rather modest chest with pride.
"Who?" Jin asked.
"What do you mean 'who'?! You've never heard of him?"
"No, can't say I have."
"Master Gladia Hampton is a renowned magi craftman!"
"Is that so?" Jin remained calm, a sharp contrast to the indignant Beena.
"Anyway, I'm sorry for insulting your work and for breaking your staff," Jin apologized again.
Seeing his sincerity, Beena's anger deflated. "Fine... I'm sorry for swinging a paralysis staff at you out of nowhere, too."
She bowed her head, but then she seemed to remember something. "Wait! You said my work was 'shabby,' didn't you?"
"Right. Again, I'm sorry."
"I'm not—well, I am a little mad, but..." Beena trailed off. She looked down, her face flushing as she scowled in thought. Finally, she seemed to make a decision. "If you think it's shabby, that means you can make something better, right? Please! I need your help!"
"Excuse me?"
Jin was blindsided by the sudden request.
"Please! I really need the money! To get it, I have to sell the things I make, but I haven't sold a single one! I don't know what else to do! Please, lend me your strength!"
"Hey, slow down a bit." Jin calmed the frantic girl once more. "Tell me the whole story. Why do you need the money so badly?"
"Do I... do I have to tell you?"
Beena looked down and then peered up at him through her lashes. Her earlier fire had vanished, replaced by a vulnerable, meek expression.
"Well, yeah. If I'm going to help, I need a reason. Besides, what's in it for me?"
"Ugh... fine. I'll swallow my pride. It's for my younger brother and sister... to treat their illness."
"An illness? So you need a doctor or medicine? What about your parents?"
Beena’s expression darkened. Her voice turned somber. "They both fell ill and died while I was away apprenticing under Master Gladia Hampton."
"I see. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pried."
As Jin bowed his head in apology, Beena forced a brighter tone. "It's okay. But between their care and the tuition I had to scrape together for the Master, I'm drowning in debt and have no money left."
Jin found himself moved. He had always been a softie for people in situations like this.
"I understand. I'm not sure what I can do yet, but I owe you for the staff, so I'll help you out."
"Really?! Thank you, Jin!" Beena nearly jumped with joy.
"So, how should we start?"
"Well, why don't we close up shop for today? Can you show me to your workshop?"
"Oh, sure. It's... a bit of a mess, though."
And so, Jin ended up tasked with helping Beena, the red-haired girl he had only just met.