The Strongest Gun Magus: I Cast Bullet!-Chapter 11: Definitely a Date

Reynard’s eyes weren’t lying to him. Having released his arm, Marien was standing in front of him and staring him down her nose. Behind her was a nervous-looking servant carrying several heavy bags.

If not for this expression, he would’ve been more than happy to treat her to a meal. It could have been—

’No, stupid! No dates with her—or do you want to piss off the entire school?’

"You don’t look very happy to see me, princess..." Reynard said cautiously.

The passersby from the market-goers moved away, clearing the space around the two magi. People were giving the pair curious and fearful looks, wondering if the bickering couple was going to fight.

"Oh, I just can’t stop thinking about the STUPID things grandpa said," Marien replied, waving him off. "Even shopping can’t make me forget! But seeing you here, I am sure that it were the Winds of Mana that brought us together. Now, come on, Reynard. Treat me to dinner, or do I need to tell you thrice?"

Reynard looked at the bags of Marien’s servant, then at Marien, then at her threatening expression.

’I really should find a way out of this... I really should...’

Suddenly, Marien smiled at him, blushing a little.

"You can even call me ’beautiful’ today. It’s... Well, it’s outrageous when you say it the way you do, but... Nobody else does this... Or looks at me as boldly as you do..."

’Ah, shit.’

Reynard found himself smiling charmingly against his own better sense.

"Sure, my beautiful! Let me bring you to the best place I can afford!"

***

The place was a middle-class restaurant. Most of the guests were literate, tables were clean, the food smelled delicious, and it even had an actual menu and not "what’s in the pot today".

To Reynard’s relief, Marien looked around with curiosity and only wrinkled her nose once or twice. Together, they sat at an empty table and made their orders, which were soon brought in front of them. The servant stayed to go to the school on his own.

"I apologize for the choice of place, beautiful," said Reynard, gesturing around. "I don’t have many coins on my person right now. If I knew, I’d sell more of my plants to treat you to the finest restaurant in town! But at least magi usually don’t eat here, so there’s a little chance of fighting, ha-ha-ha!"

Marien’s eyes widened.

"Oh, does this happen often? No wonder grandpa insists that his cook at the school is better than anywhere in town. If he could, he’d avoid me ever watching a single fight!" She pouted and stabbed a piece of meat. "He just doesn’t get it! ’Marien, don’t go to the Autumn Beast Hunt’ this, ’Marien, don’t speak with this Reynard boy’ that... I will do whatever I want, and he can’t stop me!"

Reynard slowly put a piece of stewed carrot in his mouth.

He had a sudden, chilling realization of why Marien insisted on this outing...

’She just wants to give her old man a reason to get an aneurysm! At my expense, no less. Damn her! I can’t even feel angry, though. The way she looks at me—she clearly likes me! I bet if I kissed her right now, she’d like it. Slap me anyway, but like it!’

"I get it, I get it," Reynard said instead. "We, magi, have all this power at our fingertips—it’s only natural that we want to use it! Honestly, I’m itching to fight more people with my gun myself..."

Marien smiled beautifully.

"You understand, Reynard! Maybe you aren’t as strange as I thought you were. You are a Pure Earth Magus, but even you understand this!"

Reynard sighed.

"Oh, everybody knows what Elemental Affinity I have... But I don’t know yours, beautiful."

Marien blushed a little.

"Wind and Fire. Can you imagine? I should be out there, adventuring, fighting monsters, seeking the Winds of Mana! It took me so many years to reach the Final Cycle, but if grandpa let me do what I wanted, I’d be at the Albedo stage already, I’m sure!"

"Wow... I thought the Magister just coddles you, princess, but I never expected that he would shackle your refinement like that!" Reynard said with genuine dismay. "This is a crime against someone like you, songbird."

’I should have known from the first glance that she is a Fire-Wind Magus. Wind Mana that appears by pure luck in random places of the world, and Fire Mana that appears wherever conflicts and disasters happen... Of course, someone like Marien would be drawn to random wanderings and random fights!’

Marien blushed at the new pet name.

"Songbird?... Yes, a songbird in a cage—but oh, you don’t know even half of it!" Marien said dramatically. She put a hand to her forehead.

As they ate, she shared more of her woes with the grateful listener—Reynard. In the background, people entered and left the restaurant, but Reynard wasn’t watching.

Marien kept blushing charmingly to Reynard’s compliments, and he kept thinking more and more that if he’s going to be in trouble anyway, he might get a kiss, at least...

Suddenly, Marien saw something behind Reynard’s shoulder and perked up. Then she giggled, looking at Reynard mischievously.

"Oh, Reynard! You said that there are often fights in restaurants..."

Before he could react, she leaned over their table and kissed him on the cheek. Her face was red when she pulled back, and Reynard felt himself blushing, too...

’Her lips are so soft—wait, she kissed me first! What was that about the fights?..’

"YOU SCOUNDREL! How dare you seduce the princess of the Blue Bismuth School, swine?! "

Jolting, Reynard turned around and saw a middle-aged man in nondescript clothing, but with an emblem of Blue Bismuth School on it, and an aura of a First Cycle Nigredo magus. The man’s eyes were burning with jealousy and hatred.

"Step away from Miss Marien immediately and apologize for your boldness, or I will make you eat your own tongue, boy!"